In Reply to: Hi Holladaze posted by gleny on Wednesday, 24. June 2009 at 12:40 Bali Time:
If you are a timeshare owner and can get in on a swap, grab it, it doesn't come up very often. The owner's of timeshare at the hotel use it themselves so that is why it's hard to get. If you are booking as a hotel guests go for it. The hotel is half and half, hotel/timeshare probably not that percentage but who knows what it is. If I had the money I'd buy into the timeshare there....no kidding, worked out the cost over 20 years and you'd be in front, only out of pocket at the buytime!. Our timeshare was in Australia and we couldn't guarantee bookings at timeshares in Bali, unless it was the far out of the way ones.
Risata Hotel is beautiful, I think classed as 3-4 star. We had a timeshare apartment that sleeps 4 (2 on a sofa bed). Had a full kitchen/dining/lounge area with TV. Seperate bedroom with king sized bed and seperate bathroom. Very clean, good airconditioner. Tea/coffee etc supplied and huge fridge. No safes in the rooms but very safe safety boxes at the reception. We only had 2 breakfasts there, both buffett style with everything you could ask for. Room service menu is limited. Beside the pool meals were good, wood fired pizza oven pizza's excellent. Food/drink prices reasonable, discount card for timeshare members. Pool area is really nice, plenty of sun lounges. The actual pool to get in has steps leading down into it but has slippery tiling, be careful, also has those hangover the side type of steps, I don't like this sort. There is a gym at the hotel with free use to timeshare members, not sure of hotel guests. There is a computer room and Wi-Fi is available by purchase of a card if you have your own laptop. A really nice bar area overlooking either pool, gardens or restaurant. The area outside the hotel isn't much to see, a bit of an eyesore really but now with the Bali Hai shut and the taken over by the Holiday Inn things might look up. You can use the back/staff entrance out of the hotel and get to Kartika Plaza or walk out the front of the hotel and turn left up the street towards Kartika Plaza or right out of the hotel and walk along the beach into Kuta. Restaurants out the front of the hotel we tried were SA Cafe, reasonably priced, ordinary meals. Along Kartika Plaza we tried Mudi Restaurant, excellent value for meals, had breakfast, lunch and dinner here a few times. Also Garis Garis (formerly C-Line), very nice meals, a little more expensive but great food, closed Mondays I think. There are many along there up to Discovery Mall.
I had a massage at Kimberley Spa, just to the left of the front of the hotel, good value,50,000 for 1 hour massage, not much in ambience, has sister shops in Kuta and Seminyak.
Hope this helps.