Intercontinental Bali
If you arrive at DPS and have prearranged an airport transfer with the hotel, two members of the hotel staff will wait for you in the security area and you will be guided through security without further queuing. They will take care of the visa on arrival process and pick up your luggage. During the waiting time you could sit in the Intercontinental airport lounge, where you will get refreshment and some other formalities are done.
The Intercontinental Bali is located in Jimbaran, app. 10 – 15 minutes by car from DPS airport.
A security check is done while entering the hotel.
The neighborhood of the hotel consists of other hotels and some restaurants and residential building. There is not much to do in the evening in this area, you will need a taxi to go e.g. for Kuta or Ubud, which takes some time and needs some organizing. If you are looking for high life in the evening, there might be better places to stay, if you are looking for a quieter place, this might be your hotel.
The hotel is built in a huge park and consists of four 3 floor wings with a central lobby. The hotel has 425 guest rooms, among them are 89 Club Rooms and 80 Suites. The most of the suites are Duplex Suites. The most rooms are facing the garden or the sea. One reaches the rooms by open, but covered galleries and the buildings have nice open courtyard with trees and flowers. It’s a bigger complex and you could easily walk five minutes from the wing most far away from the lobby to the restaurant for breakfast.
The hotel has two main pools, as bigger one near the sea with a swim-up bar and a smaller one a bit more far away from the pool. The Club Floor rooms have a private pool near to the club rooms. This pool is not at all private, there are signs notifying guest that this is the club floor pool.
A gym is in the basement and open 24 hours. The equipment is not up to date, a little bit dated, but the number of machines is sufficient for a hotel of this seize. The Spa is also in the basement and has a small pool as well as a steam bath and sauna. Treatments could be booked at the reception of the Spa and locker rooms, showers, bathrobes and slippers are provided to the guests. Depending on your treatment you have the option to get you treatment inside or at one of the two outdoor places.
A kids club is also available for smaller child. This club has its own pool and a number of activities for children are arranged by staff. This area is in the shade, which might not be bad.
The hotel has four restaurants. The “Taman Gita Restaurant” is located in the basement and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It offers Balinese specialties as well as international. This is the biggest restaurant and has also table on a terrace available. As a downside, guests heading to the pool area pass the terrace and for some guests having breakfast this might be a bit disturbing.
The “Jimbaran Garden” is an open air restaurant at the main pool. Open for lunch and dinner, you get local and international food and even pizzas.
The “KO” serves Japanese food and is open only in the evening for dinner. The dress code here would be more formal than in the other restaurant.
“Singaraja Restaurant” serves South-East-Asian food and is also open only in the evening for dinner. Except the “Jimbaran Garden” are all restaurants located near the lobby. Therefore you will not be disturbed by any noise in the evening.
Stays: 26 May 2006
visited on Pazifikhopping 2006
direct link to hotel
InterContinental BALI RESORT
Arrival Date: 26 May 2006
Departure Date: 28 May 2006
Room type booked: Executive (second lowest)
Rate Plan: Luxury Weekend Rates
Room Number: 6420
Room Rate: Award 108 USD (incl. breakfast, excl. taxes)
Status of Guest Program: Platinum / Ambassador
I have had booked the second lowest room category and used an expiring BOGO certificate for the second night.
My arrival began at the airport. A friend was also staying in this hotel arrival with the same flight who had arranged for an airport transfer. The IC airport staff took also care of me, though I had not booked an airport transfer. This was a very nice touch and so I experienced this smooth process, too. I would definitively book this in the future, esp. if you are in the back of the plane. They took care of your luggage, if you arrive with checked luggage, and deal for you with visa and immigration formalities.
Arriving at the hotel, I was greeted by check in and check-in was done at one of the many lounge chairs in the open lobby of the hotel. I was told I was upgrade to a Duplex Suite. Check-in was fast and friendly. Everything was explained and a small map of the resorts was given to me to find my way through this huge complex. I took my trolley – I could have had a boy to bring my luggage to my room, but since I was travelling light I tipped him and took it myself – and head for my room.
The room was located in the third floor in the most northern wing of the building facing the garden with limited side views to the sea. The duplex suite has 90 square metres and has two floors. On the lower floor is the entrance with a guest bathroom right at the entrance. There is no hall; you are right in the living room. It consists of a working desk with telephone, but not LAN or W-LAN access. Two couches, a table, a sideboard and a dining table are also placed in this huge room, which is bigger than the
most hotel rooms. A small balcony with deck chairs could be reached from the living room. A staircase at the door to the balcony leads you to the gallery with a king bed. Two bedside tables, an additional television set (there is another one down in the living room), two reading lamps and another sideboard and a lounge chairs could be found here. A nice touch was the fan at the ceiling, though you could avoid the air condition during the night. From the bedroom you reach the bigger master bathroom. At the entrance
to the bathroom was also the wardrobe with hangers, bathrobes and slippers and safe. The marble bathroom consists of a huge shower cabin, a bath, a toilet and sunk. Towels were provided more than necessary (three of each type) and replaced twice daily, in the morning and again in the evening during turn down service. The bathroom amenities were the usual one you got in Intercontinental, while the club floor has bathroom amenities by Bulgari. The bathroom was big, but shower head was bid dated and water pressure
was not the best.
The central control panel for fan, lights and alarm clock is at one of the bedside table were nice, but I never managed to switch all lights in the living room off from this control panel and had to head down.
The furniture in the room was also dated and had several stains and scratches, the mattress was bit too soft and I would definitively think they are in the strong need of a replacement in the next time. As far as I know the hotel is renovating the rooms, the club floor is already renovated and some other rooms, too. Though I would describe the interior not as authentic Balinese styled, it has more local touch rather than being an average international hotel room. Perhaps a few more paintings at the wall would
have been nice.
As mentioned, turndown service is offered. During turn down, bathroom amenities and towels are restocked and also water bottle. You will get a new bottle for every opened or empty bottle. And since they were already eight bottles in my room when I arrive, I had sixteen full or at least half full bottles on my last day.
Breakfast consisted of the usual selection of hot and cold dishes, i.e. sausages, ham, Indonesian dishes as well as Japanese food. Eggs were prepared a la order by a cook. Rolls, croissant, bread, jam and marmalade as well as cheese were also stocked in the buffet. In the morning until 8:30 the restaurant was quite empty, but after 8:30 it became crowded and it was difficult to find a seat. The reserve table, if you wish or coming with a bigger group and want to seat together.
My massage treatment – I booked a sports massage – was good. It’s a bit more expensive than in one of the Spa outside the hotels, but since a lack of time, this was the most convenient way to go. And the massage was on the other hand not that expensive. I paid app. 45 USD for a 60 minutes treatment which took in fact nearly fifteen minutes longer.
My overall impression it was a nice a relaxing stay. We had arranged a car for evening activities and costs were shared by the three of us staying there. The resort is huge and you could stretch out either at the beach or at one of the pools. The interior of the rooms is in the non renovated rooms a bit dated, but the room seize is okay and staff is friendly. The location in the south near the airport – but without any noise – makes this a perfect option for a short hop from SIN or BKK for a two night stay relaxing
after business in SIN or BKK. A downside is the missing LAN / W-LAN connection in my room.
