- Introduction: AAround The World Using AAdvantage Miles
- Review: Cathay Pacific Lounge San Francisco Airport
- Review: Cathay Pacific First Class 777 San Francisco To Hong Kong
- Review: Cathay Pacific Arrivals Lounge Hong Kong Airport
- Review: Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Suite
- Review: Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport
- Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class A330 Hong Kong To Kuala Lumpur
- Review: Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur
- Review: Malaysia Airlines First Class Lounge Kuala Lumpur Airport
- Review: Malaysia Airlines Business Class 737 Kuala Lumpur To Bali
- Review: St. Regis Bali Pool Suite
- Review: St. Regis Bali Lagoon Villa
- Review: St. Regis Bali Restaurants & Activities
- Review: Premier Lounge Bali Denpasar Airport
- Review: Qatar Airways Business Class 777 Bali To Doha
- Review: St. Regis Doha
- Review: Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge Doha Airport
- Review: Qatar Airways First Class 777 Doha To Abu Dhabi
- Review: Le Meridien Abu Dhabi
- Review: Rosewood Abu Dhabi
- Interlude: 30 Hours In Abu Dhabi
- Review: Etihad US Pre-Clearance Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport
- Review: Etihad First Class A380 Abu Dhabi To New York
- Review: Le Parker Meridien New York
I’m going to do this review in a few parts, given how much I have to say about this property. Also, when I was researching the trip I thought there was a lack of information as to the difference between room types, so hopefully by doing a more in-depth review I can help those planning a trip here in the future.
I booked the St. Regis Bali for four nights using the Citi Prestige® Card fourth night free benefit, which I’ve found to be extremely valuable.
The cheapest rate at the hotel was $453, which was a “Hot Escapes” rate.
Hotels in Bali have an 11% tax and 10% service charge, so on top of that rate you’re paying another 21%. That made the nightly rate ~$550. The good news is that since I was using the Citi Prestige Card perk, I’d be refunded ~$550 for the four night stay, bringing down the cost to ~$400 per night including taxes and service charge.
For that stay I’d earn a ton of Starpoints, and also frankly it’s the best option for booking this hotel. So while the stay wouldn’t be cheap, I felt like it was a good value. Paying ~$400 per night is the equivalent of a ~$330 base room per night, plus the taxes and service charge. For a St. Regis I consider that to be a pretty good value.
On top of that I was able to apply some Platinum Suite Night Awards to the reservation, which cleared as soon as I made the booking (since it was within five days of arrival). At this property the base room is a St. Regis Suite, and you can use your Suite Night Awards to upgrade to a St. Regis Pool Suite. The rate difference between the two rooms is ordinarily ~$220 per night.
Bali is one of my favorite places in the world, and the St. Regis didn’t disappoint.
As mentioned in the previous installment, we were picked up at Denpasar Airport by the St. Regis Bali, a service which is included in the room rate. They even include a VIP meet-and-greet immigration service, though in this case the queue was short.
The drive to the St. Regis, which is in Nusa Dua, took about 20 minutes. The hotel has an impressive driveway and upon pulling up to the lobby there were a few associates waiting who greeted us by name.
The open air lobby was stunning. My gosh, it must have been one of the most elegant open air lobbies I’ve ever seen.
St. Regis Bali lobby
St. Regis Bali lobby
At check-in we were offered cold towels and welcome drinks, and our check-in was quickly processed. My favorite thing about Bali is the people. They’re the most genuinely hospitable people anywhere in the world, and that’s evident not just at luxury resorts, but just about anywhere. Of course that hospitality is only amplified further at five star resorts.
At check-in we were presented a few vouchers, including:
- 20% off laundry, dry cleaning, and pressing
- 15% off Remede spa treatments
- 10% off many tours offered by the hotel
St. Regis Bali Platinum vouchers
We were also handed a pamphlet which explained all the ways we could redeem points for on-property perks. For example, you could redeem 7,500 Starpoints for a $100 credit. That’s ~1.3 cents per Starpoint. I found most of the other on-property redemption values to be in line with that. I value Starpoints at ~2.2 cents each, so that’s never how I’d redeem my points, though I’m sure others do.
St. Regis Bali “pay with points” option
Within a few minutes our check-in was processed and the friendly associate took us around the hotel on a golf cart for a tour of the property. As we drove by the Gardenia Villas she explained that they’re very popular with honeymooners, “because there’s lots of privacy so others can’t hear you.” LOL!
It ended with us being dropped off at room 101, which would be our suite. The St. Regis Bali has a total of 123 suites and villas. That consists of 81 suites (which are in the main building) and 42 villas. We ended up spending the first two nights in the Plunge Pool Villa, and then switched to a Lagoon Villa for the third and fourth night (more on that upgrade process in the next installment).
We were in villa 101, which was the first villa on the first floor. From the open air lobby, this meant we had to go down a set of stairs and down the interior hallway.
St. Regis Bali hallway to suites
And then from there we walked through the open-air hallway, which had a beautiful “courtyard” of sorts.
St. Regis Bali hallway to suites
St. Regis Bali hallway to suites
Our room was the very last one.
Pool Suite entrance St. Regis Bali
The suite featured a large entryway, with a connecting door on the right (presumably in case you wanted to turn it into a two bedroom suite). I thought it was cute that they had hats and a tote bag hanging by the door. Furthermore, their attention to detail was good, because the day after we arrived the his-and-her hats were swapped for his-and-his hats (is that a thing?).
Pool Suite entryway St. Regis Bali
The minibar was also in the entryway.
Pool Suite minibar St. Regis Bali
There was a tea and coffee set, as well as the minibar. Keep in mind that St. Regis offers 24/7 complimentary tea and coffee, so there’s not really ever a need to brew in-room coffee.
Pool Suite tea service St. Regis Bali
Complimentary coffee through the St. Regis butler service
Pool Suite minibar St. Regis Bali
To the left of the entryway was the entrance to the actual suite.
Pool Suite entry to main room St. Regis Bali
As you entered the suite you walked right into the living room, which consisted of a desk with two chairs, a couch, and a chair, all surrounding a coffee table. I thought the decor was beautiful, and authentic to both Bali and the St. Regis brand.
Pool Suite living room St. Regis Bali
The fact that the desk had two chairs made it easier to have room service in the room, given that the suite didn’t have a traditional dining area.
Pool Suite desk St. Regis Bali
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite living room
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite living room
The living room of the suite was separated from the bedroom by some drapes.
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite
The suite featured a king size bed, which was extremely comfortable, both in terms of the mattress and the plush bedding.
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite bedroom
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite bedroom
Across from the bed was a TV, and waiting under it was a welcome note, fruit plate, and a small box of chocolates.
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite welcome amenity
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite welcome letter
Across from the bedroom was the massive bathroom, which I loved. It featured double sinks, a soaking tub, a walk-in shower, and a partitioned off toilet.
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite double sinks
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite bathroom
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite tub
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite soaking tub
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite toilet
The shower featured both a rainforest shower head as well as a handheld one.
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite walk-in shower
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite shower
As is the norm at St. Regis properties, toiletries were Remede branded, which is also the spa at St. Regis properties. On one hand I love Remede toiletries, and especially that the body wash has beads in it. On the other hand, the shampoo sort of reminds me of toothpaste based on how it “tingles.”
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite Remede toiletries
I was also impressed by the huge selection of complimentary amenities in the room. While most hotels will gladly send free sample size toiletries to your room, the St. Regis basically already has everything in your room.
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite amenities
Next to the bathroom was the closet, which was quite large.
St. Regis Bali Pool Suite closet
What makes the St. Regis Plunge Pool Suites different than the other suites is the outdoor area. Since you’re on the ground floor, your private patio is much larger than in other rooms. For example, here’s the view from the garden of our suite. As you can see, the rooms above only have shaded balconies. Our “backyard” was much larger.
View of other suites at St. Regis Bali
St. Regis Bali Plunge Pool Suite outdoor area
Right as you walked out there was a two person couch as well as a chair.
St. Regis Bali Plunge Pool Suite outdoor area
St. Regis Bali Plunge Pool Suite outdoor area
Then there was a dining table, two chairs for lounging, and also a beautiful padded “hut” you could relax on.
St. Regis Bali Plunge Pool Suite outdoor area
St. Regis Bali Plunge Pool Suite outdoor area
As the name of the suite suggests, there was also a plunge pool, which was on the small side, though better than nothing.
St. Regis Bali Plunge Pool Suite plunge pool
On top of that there was a walkway around the side of the suite.
St. Regis Bali Plunge Pool Suite outdoor area
The suite was absolutely gorgeous and more than sufficient. I was extremely impressed by it. That being said, I don’t think this hotel is very good at measuring.
The hotel claims that the plunge pool suites are 2,034 square feet, while the standard suites are 990 square feet. In both instances it seems like they’re including outdoor area in the square footage, which is the first time I’ve seen that done when it comes to rooms. Don’t get me wrong, I kind of expected the room to “only” be maybe 600-700 square feet, though prior to my stay I kept saying to myself “what am I missing, where are the other ~1,500 square feet?” And the answer is that I wasn’t missing anything, they’re not there. 😉
Bottom line
I’ll of course have a lot more about the resort in the upcoming installments, but suffice to say I loved this resort (which is part of why I’m writing a few installments about it).
The standard rooms at this property are suites the same size as the one we were in, minus the outdoor area. While I think the hotel slightly exaggerates the square footage of the rooms, they’re gorgeously designed, and I have nothing but good things to say about them.
I thought the plunge pool suite was worth the Suite Night Award I redeemed for it. The rate difference would have been ~$220, so whether it’s worth paying an extra $220 per night for that probably comes down to how much you value privacy. If you’re the type of person who likes to hang out in your own garden rather than the main pool, then it’s well worth it. If you’re just as happy in the hotel’s other awesome pools and lounging in public, then you’ll probably get limited value out of the garden.
For the third and fourth night we paid to upgrade to a villa, so I’ll have more on that shortly, and whether I think that’s worth it.
I agree with others that there are some truly amazing hotels to stay at in Bali. I found Nusa Dua to be sterile and boring and not as beautiful or interesting as some other resorts in places such as Jimbaran Bay and Uluwatu. So suggest you do some research as places like the St Regis seem stuffy and dated in a place such as Bali which is full of five star resorts. If you have...
I agree with others that there are some truly amazing hotels to stay at in Bali. I found Nusa Dua to be sterile and boring and not as beautiful or interesting as some other resorts in places such as Jimbaran Bay and Uluwatu. So suggest you do some research as places like the St Regis seem stuffy and dated in a place such as Bali which is full of five star resorts. If you have kids and you are staying at Nusa Dua your kids will asking why you are not staying at the Grand Hyatt with the amazing water slides - it's actually a lot nicer than you would imagine!
What I just realized is that my profile photo that displays with my comments was taken by my wife in the lagoon villa (who knows? Perhaps it was 802). My wife and I used that beautiful interior for taking some shots of each other. Crazy coincedence.
@Mark That image is a misrepresentation of the actual lay out. There is no separate living room and there is no wall or sliding doors to the area around the bed. There is only a see through drape as depicted by the photos by Lucky above.
@baccarat_guy Thanks I may book this in April. I appreciate the comments.
@mark @lucky that 2nd "living room" pictured is actually the outdoor area
@Joshua Pickles, have you considered the Four Seasons Resort Bali At Jimbaran Bay?
$432 +/- per night, if you are willing to stay 6 nights; 2,500 sq/ft villa with plunge pool and outdoor shower + full FHR benefits. Upgrades, if available. I must say, they offer on the the most impressive breakfasts I have ever seen globally, and also allow you to do breakfast as room service if you prefer. We had the St....
@Joshua Pickles, have you considered the Four Seasons Resort Bali At Jimbaran Bay?
$432 +/- per night, if you are willing to stay 6 nights; 2,500 sq/ft villa with plunge pool and outdoor shower + full FHR benefits. Upgrades, if available. I must say, they offer on the the most impressive breakfasts I have ever seen globally, and also allow you to do breakfast as room service if you prefer. We had the St. Regis on our short list; but I had heard too many negative comments. FS really does understand service, and it's service that is predictive and you never have to "fight" for anything. I get very annoyed when a "luxury" property requires me to "work" at anything. If I wanted that, I'll just stay at a 4* Marriott or Hilton.
@John, if you look at the room layout:
http://assets.stregisbali.com/lps/assets/u/stregis_pool_suite.jpg
you can realize that it actually has 2 living rooms, and one is divided by a door. Maybe it's a strange layout but this is a suite.
@ Mark -- Hmmm, now I'm confused. My room didn't have that second living room...?
PS: The main reason I would not go back is that I don't think that when you go on vacation you should have to start your stay with a fight to get the room that is advertised. Every time I think of this hotel I think about what a PIA it was to check in and get to the room.
Nice photos. They are a true representation of the room.
I too used 5 suite upgrades, also for the Plunge Pool Suite and was sent to the same building. I threw a fit when I saw the room, which is something that I almost never do. Unbelievable that they tried to pass off a room with a curtain as a "suite". They responded with "every room here is a Suite", which I disagreed forcefully.
There...
Nice photos. They are a true representation of the room.
I too used 5 suite upgrades, also for the Plunge Pool Suite and was sent to the same building. I threw a fit when I saw the room, which is something that I almost never do. Unbelievable that they tried to pass off a room with a curtain as a "suite". They responded with "every room here is a Suite", which I disagreed forcefully.
There was also the continuous noise of the cooling tower for the building. Completely unacceptable. We called for management and insisted a refund of the points and suite upgrades. I was willing to walk from the property.
They conferenced about it for a half an hour and suddenly found a Lagoon Villa to offer us for the stay. One more thing about the Plunge Pool Suite, that the pool is not heated and is not to be confused as a lap pool. It is merely a hole in the ground to cool off from the oppressive heat.
Butler service is not to be confused to be a private butler. These are just room attendants, ours told us that he cover 10 rooms at a time. While he has very accommodating, and once he heard that I love mangosteens, he arranged for a large bowl of mangosteens to be delivered every day.
Every day at dusk they blow insecticide smoke to kill the mosquitos. While I understand that this is necessary they were not good an informing guests in advance, We were asleep in our room with the windows open and got gassed. I would have appreciated it if the "butler" had informed us so we could leave the area, or at least shut our window to protect our lungs.
The daily breakfast buffet had some strange interpretations of the normal buffet items. The Eggs Benedict was made with regular streaky bacon and served on a biscuit instead of an english muffin.
The Luxury Collection Laguna Hotel next door is a Starwood property and is a much better value for the points or cash. If staying at the St Regis you can utilize the restaurants and bars at a much lower price and charge it to your St Regis room bill. We went to the dinner buffet there twice and used Starpoints to pay for it and found it a good value.
The car service back to the airport was very accommodating and the drive assisted with all of the baggage.
I will go back to Bali but I felt that this property was a one time experience and there are many other opportunities on the island.
I love that they switched out the hats for His-and-His. I've been to a couple resorts where they catch on when I check in with my boyfriend.
@Leif Reinstein put words to many of my disappointments in this hotel.
Though I never had the rude butler issue, service here felt systemic, rather than truly gracious -- an anomaly for Bali -- and I had a doctor who gave me the wrong medication to treat a bout of food poisoning...meaning that when I googled the medication, I discovered it was meant for something else, entirely. (To be clear, I did not get...
@Leif Reinstein put words to many of my disappointments in this hotel.
Though I never had the rude butler issue, service here felt systemic, rather than truly gracious -- an anomaly for Bali -- and I had a doctor who gave me the wrong medication to treat a bout of food poisoning...meaning that when I googled the medication, I discovered it was meant for something else, entirely. (To be clear, I did not get the food poisoning at the hotel.)
Most of all, though my wife and I were in a lovely Lagoon Villa with a private plunge pool, the lagoon itself -- and the rest of the grounds -- had such a forced, unnatural feel, that I felt disconnected from any sense of place and I was uneasy in it. I'm also not a fan of the beach.
On the other hand, these are the very definition of one-percenter problems, I loved the whimsical chaise lounges, and the food was terrific.
Bottom line: there are so many lovely, lush (in both setting and service) properties on Bali -- starting with, but not limited to the Amans -- that I can't imagine staying at the St. Regis again.
Currently at the Four Seasons Resort Bali At Jimbaran Bay; using buy 4 get 2 nights free FHR deal (with the usual FHR benefits). While I wouldn't call it flawless, it's pretty damn close. Service standard is very high and very well executed. Employees are definitely "dialled in," and food&beverage is very well executed both in restaurants, at the pool and in the villas. Villa details and woodwork are impressive, as our the villas. Really...
Currently at the Four Seasons Resort Bali At Jimbaran Bay; using buy 4 get 2 nights free FHR deal (with the usual FHR benefits). While I wouldn't call it flawless, it's pretty damn close. Service standard is very high and very well executed. Employees are definitely "dialled in," and food&beverage is very well executed both in restaurants, at the pool and in the villas. Villa details and woodwork are impressive, as our the villas. Really like how lush everything is, and the outdoor showers and private pools are great. I really like the outdoor shower (in addition to a standard indoor shower); really enjoyable. It's like showering in a garden every morning.
@Leif - you nailed it with your 'sixth sense' comment. Too polished, too forced. Hard to put into words.
Just make sure you're not assigned the same room where the murder took place last year. That would be creepy. I think Lucky even wrote about it if Im not mistaken.
@ Bob -- That's room 317. Was sure to stay clear of that, hah!
Sorry to be a debbie downer, but my husband and I stayed at this hotel last New Years and we were NOT fans. We had just come from the Peninsula Hong Kong and Four Seasons Sayan and felt that this hotel could not compare to the other two in terms of service, luxury and that intangible sixth sense. We had a beachfront villa which leaked, felt glitzy in a tacky way, and the first butler...
Sorry to be a debbie downer, but my husband and I stayed at this hotel last New Years and we were NOT fans. We had just come from the Peninsula Hong Kong and Four Seasons Sayan and felt that this hotel could not compare to the other two in terms of service, luxury and that intangible sixth sense. We had a beachfront villa which leaked, felt glitzy in a tacky way, and the first butler was rude. After vociferous complaining, our we were given a senior butler who was much better. There was a level of refinement which was missing. We felt we WAY overpayed for what we got.
Lobby looks nice. Otherwise underwhelming. I agree with John - it's not a suite. To be fair I'm not someone who would prioritise outside private space to the degree required to be impressed.
Thanks guys- I'll look further into why my agent wants us to stay elsewhere. Looks like there are many great places to stay. Looking forward to the rest of your report Lucky!
We stayed at the St. Regis several years ago in one of the Lagoon Villas, I believe (which is really just a giant pool). Though the report was very fancy, the room beautifully appointed and the breakfast buffet to die for, ultimately we did let enjoy it as much as other resorts on Bali (such as the FS Sayan in Ubud and the Bali Puri in Jimbaran). It was just too big of a resort...
We stayed at the St. Regis several years ago in one of the Lagoon Villas, I believe (which is really just a giant pool). Though the report was very fancy, the room beautifully appointed and the breakfast buffet to die for, ultimately we did let enjoy it as much as other resorts on Bali (such as the FS Sayan in Ubud and the Bali Puri in Jimbaran). It was just too big of a resort and SUPER EXPENSIVE (drinks, etc.). There wasn't a sense of privacy and 'smallness' that we prefer. However, it is walking distance from the Bali Collection, which features great restaurants (with fun entertainment and affordable prices).
-S. Raj
My travel agent had told me the same thing when I first visited Bali. Since then I've stayed at the St Regis as well as many other resorts in Bali. Both of our travel agents were correct. The St Regis is a stunning property, but in Bali you have many other great choices, as Nusa Dua is one of my least favorite locations. My favorites for a beach/cliff location- Amankila or Alila Villas...
-S. Raj
My travel agent had told me the same thing when I first visited Bali. Since then I've stayed at the St Regis as well as many other resorts in Bali. Both of our travel agents were correct. The St Regis is a stunning property, but in Bali you have many other great choices, as Nusa Dua is one of my least favorite locations. My favorites for a beach/cliff location- Amankila or Alila Villas Uluwata. For Ubud I really enjoyed the new Mandapa; the Aman and Four Seasons properties are really starting to show their age, but the service is flawless, so keep those as considerations.
A few months ago I stayed in one of the pool suites and loved it. I used points. While a cash upgrade at $220 a night might be cause for second thought, upgrading on a point reservation is almost trivial. It was 2750 pts a night. At Lucky's 2.2cent valuation that's only $60. Something to keep in mind if you're trying to decide between staying here on cash or points.
@ S. Raj--I would ask your TA why. Perhaps you have specific dislikes or likes that the TA thinks are better served by another property. If not, ask what elements the TA thinks are better for the cost/benefit at the other properties your TA thinks are better. Then judge yourself. Perhaps your TA hasn't been to the StR or has had better experiences at another property relatively speaking. Still, TAs can be just as guilty of confirmation bias as any traveler.
Lucky- my virtuoso agent is trying to talk me out of staying at the St Regis in Bali. However, it's still my number one choice. Do you have any idea why he would be doing this? Do they get a better cut at other resorts? The St. Regis looks amazing!
@ S. Raj -- Hmmm, which hotel are they recommending, out of curiosity? Commission is generally 10% across the board for travel agents, though sometimes there are promotions for them. It could be they have a relationship with the hotel and are mostly focused on that. Why are they trying to talk you out of it? Interesting...
St. Regis Bali Plunge Pool Suite...
If it doesn't have a closing door between the living room and the bedroom it's not a suite. Sorry, it's just a pet peeve of mine. Otherwise, the place looks amazing and the pricing seems quite reasonable.