The Brand New Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort – Trip Report

by Adam

The Sheraton Bali opened its doors only a little over a month ago on December 1st and I was eager to sample the new property while in Bali. Prior to leaving I checked out some of the hotel’s TripAdvisor comments and it seemed like the hotel was still in need of some last minute preparations that were occurring during their soft open. However, by the time I arrived on January 16th, I found the hotel to be in almost perfect shape and I had an excellent stay at the property!

This Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort review is part eight of my Bali / Kuala Lumpur trip.

a group of people in front of a buildinga woman in a purple dress holding a bowl of food

Check-In
As your car pulls up to the Sheraton entrance you’re greeted by two traditional Balinese dancers and two musicians who are dancing and playing just for your arrival. The dancers place flowers in your hair while the bellboys collect your luggage for you. You are then directed to head up the escalator to check-in on the lobby level. It’s actually pretty funny as the music and dancing stops as you get upstairs (and then restarts when another car pulls up). In any case, it was a great welcome. Unlike the TripAdvisor reviews, I had absolutely no wait to check-in and two different desks were open. I sat down and was brought a welcome drink and cold towel while I was being checked-in. My Platinum status was acknowledged right away and I was informed that I had been upgraded to a suite with an ocean view, sweet! Not bad for my last minute, non refundable, $138 USD per night room! Worth mentioning, you will have to pass through metal detectors anytime you enter the hotel.

a group of men sitting on a stage

a glass of liquid on a table

a room with a large window overlooking the ocean

The Room
The room itself consisted of a living room, bedroom, and open bathroom with great views from both the living room and bedroom. There was also a large terrace overlooking the gardens and ocean. The room looked brand spanking new and you could distinctly smell the recently laid tile, fresh paint, and new carpet. I was told that the room had just gone live in the system and therefore the bed had never even been slept in! It was quite comfy. Several of the early complaints on TripAdvisor focused on non functioning A/C units, misaligned doors, missing bathroom products, and non functioning outlets, I had none of these problems. The A/C controls in both rooms worked perfectly (it was freezing like I like it), the outlets were functioning and two didn’t even require adapters, and the bathroom was fully stocked with toiletries, towels, and robes. You can tell that some of the carpentry was perhaps a little rushed and a few inches off, but really I didn’t find it to be a big deal at all, everything worked properly. The TVs had more stations than both the St. Regis and the W. The shower actually had excellent water pressure and hot water was immediate with no delay. There is a separate tub as well.

a room with a round table and chairs

a room with a couch and a rug

a bedroom with a large bed and a television

a bathroom with a mirror and towels

a bathtub with a towel on it

a shower with a shower head

a toilet in a bathroom

a hallway with a mirror and a desk

a plate of food on a table

a view of a beach from a balcony

a view of a beach from a window

The Pool & Beach
The Sheraton has a very nice infinity pool overlooking the ocean and I made great use of it. Yes, it’s true that the beach is located across the street and you have to exit the hotel to access it. I didn’t find it to be a huge deal. I actually liked that I could leave my belongings without worrying on my chair and table by the pool, put on my sandals, walk across the street, go for a swim in the ocean, and then walk back across the street and jump in the pool. There is a staircase on the side of the pool that leads directly down to the street level and the entrance to the beach is right across the street. The hotel has no chairs or amenities on the beach, but you can rent a chair and umbrella for as little as $3-$5 depending on your bargaining skills.

a pool with chairs and umbrellas

a pool with a beach view

a man walking down a staircase

a pool with palm trees and a body of water

chairs on a balcony overlooking a beach

chairs and umbrella on a beach

a beach with umbrellas and trees

The pool itself (and the hotel overall) felt empty. There was one Aussie family that made use of the pool, but otherwise I didn’t see any other hotel guests. There’s a waitress to take any food or drink orders or bring you complimentary water. I did spend a lot of time in the pool just looking out over the beach and the street, it’s a great vantage point over Kuta, especially at sunset.

Breakfast
Wow, all my breakfasts in Bali and Kuala Lumpur were amazing (I’ll be doing a separate post just on those), but the Sheraton breakfast actually offered more variety than both the St. Regis and W, which were already highly impressive. Breakfast was complimentary as a Platinum guest, without using one of the welcome amenity selections. The “breakfast” included breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There was a bakery, an omelet station, a fruit bar, salad bar, sushi station (made per your request), dim sum station, gelato bar, juice bar, french toast station, yogurt station, deli station, steak station, traditional Balinese dishes, etc. You could choose to eat inside or on the terrace overlooking the street and beach.

a box on a table

a group of jars of different colors on a counter

a group of bowls of fruit on a table

a display case with different types of ice cream

a buffet table with food on it

a display of pastries and pastries

a chef standing in a kitchen

a group of glasses of food on a glass shelf

a table with bowls of food

a table with different types of food

a man in a chef's uniform

a table with food and drinks on it

A Word about the Locaton
Kuta is the Miami Beach of Bali. It’s commercial, touristy, westernized, has a very big party atmosphere, and you’ll find a lot of drunk Aussies. That being said, if your going to Bali for more than just a few days, it doesn’t hurt to check out the area for a night or two. In addition, I liked the hotel so much and the rates are so reasonable, that you may want to consider the Sheraton as a base for your exploration of the island. You will certainly not feel the seclusion of the St. Regis or the more local feel of the W here though. The hotel is attached to Beachwalk, an outdoor open-air mall that made me feel like I was in Arizona. From my walk from the hotel to dinner and a bar, I passed three Starbucks, two Coffee Bean & Tea Leafs (one sharing a patio with Starbucks), a McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Dominos, and the Gap.  That said, Kuta beach has a reputation for being crowded and dirty, but at this time of year it was empty and quiet and the water was the warmest I experienced on the trip. Do expect some waves though, the only calm water I encountered during the entire trip was at the St. Regis.

Overall, I was highly impressed with the Sheraton and thought it was perfect for one or two nights in Kuta, especially if you’ve never been to Bali before (though some may suggest skipping the area entirely).

a group of people sitting at tables outside a building

a store front with a sign and a woman singing into a microphone

a sign with lights on it

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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16 comments

Carl P January 23, 2013 - 3:00 pm

I’m not sure if I followed your one critique “the beach is located across the street and you have to exit the hotel to access it”. I’ve never been able to access the beach without exiting the hotel – although it could be be a pretty cool thing if you could.

Reply
adam January 23, 2013 - 6:43 pm

@Carl – I meant physically leaving the hotel grounds. The other SPG Bali resorts have the beach on property.

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Martin L. January 23, 2013 - 6:42 pm

The hotel looks very nice Adam and I don’t mind a nt or 2 in Kuta. I will be checking it out next time.

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Carl P January 23, 2013 - 8:42 pm

Adam – I kind of figured that, but it got my imagination running.

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BFrankley January 23, 2013 - 9:28 pm

Thanks for the report! Just in time before I take off for Bali.

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adam January 23, 2013 - 9:40 pm

@BFrankley – Enjoy your trip! Are you staying at the Sheraton at all?

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IdahoSt January 23, 2013 - 10:30 pm

Great review and pictures, thanks.

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Evelyn G January 23, 2013 - 10:34 pm

Great report adam. Looking into a room for a night or two

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Manti Te'o January 23, 2013 - 10:47 pm

Not bad, but with all of the options in Bali…

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Monico January 24, 2013 - 3:11 am

Great review on Sheraton, especially like the big pictures so you can see exactly how it really is. I’m still not convinced though about the new Sheraton. It seems like any other international hotel and misses the Balinese charm. It’s too bad that one of the newest hotels in Kuta area had to be yet another big resort that chose not to add more Balinese touches to it because most hotels chains in that area seem to look alike already. But that said, I can imagine that if you are on a relaxing holiday and you all you want to do is relax, indulge and enjoy the pool and beach then this does seem the right place to do it.

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JohnB March 2, 2014 - 6:40 pm

Thanks for this report. I have been to Bali twice and stayed in local/no brand hotels. I am getting tired of lack of quality in the “unbranded hotels”. It doesn’t seem to matter if it is Bali or Rome, I find to get a decent bathroom with a usable shower, one has to stay with an American brand hotel. And, I am okay with that. The American hotels brands cost a lot more than the local hotels, but at my age, I want some comforts.

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