Please do not read this review, it may cause you envy and depression. The W Bali Seminyak is a dream

This year we gave ourselves a two-week vacation in one of the paradises on earth, namely Bali in Indonesia. The plan was relaxation, relaxation and more relaxation. This was not the first time we had visited the island. and that's why we weren't interested in excursions, visits or experiences. Just as those who go to Dubai or Sharm el Sheik and beach themselves in a resort we wanted to do the same. Sleep, pool, eat. Repeat.

The only difference is that I am still the Poodle and therefore I couldn't settle for just one hotel and especially I had no idea at all that I was spending a fortune and so I bottomed out the point piggy banks and from the flight to the hotels we paid for (almost) everything with points.

Reservation

I booked this stay well in advance, Taking advantage of the pointsaver rate for a total of 205,600 Bonvoy points for 5 nights, obviously using the famous 5th night free rule. The cash price excluding tax was about 330€ per night so I would say that this stay rightfully enters the "success stories" of TFC.

I also tried to take advantage of 5 SNA certificates obtained due to my Titanium Elite status, but the day before arrival I received the email telling me the response was negative and I was ready to settle for the standard room I had booked.

Location

Imagine having the ocean at your doorstep from your room, plenty of restaurants and stores less than 5 minutes away? The W Bali Seminyak offers all this and more.

Bali is home to a multitude of resorts, hotels, and luxury resorts, but the W Bali - Seminyak remains one of the most desirable beachfront properties to stay at on the Island of the Gods. Opened in 2011, the W Bali - Seminyak may not be the newest hotel around, but its location and reputation make it one of the best places to stay in Bali.

Seminyak is the perfect area for those who want to experience Bali at 100%. You are not in the area of the big beach clubs like Finns and Atlas, which are not far away, and at the same time you are in an area where you can enjoy the best sunset on the entire island, live like a local, and enjoy the quality of some of the best beach hotels in the world.

Check in

We arrived from the airport using Grab, Essential app for travel in Asia, the hotel is about 8 km away from the airport, a stretch that you can travel in 80 minutes (if that's okay) the traffic on the island is something unique in the world. Of course, it is essential to have data connection and I always use Airalo for eSim and exploit TFC10 to get the 10% discount for both booking and having connectivity along the journey.

Leaving the road and entering the driveway leading to the resort, one is catapulted from chaos to peace, from pure anarchy to absolute quiet.

The avenue is a tunnel in the middle of bamboo canes at the end of which you come to a check point, here the attacks at the beginning of the millennium have left an everlasting wound and every business, big or small, has controls, metal detectors and in some places they even use dogs trained for anti-terrorism.

Passing the check point you arrive at the entrance proper, here the first giant W welcomes guests, and the walkway leading to the reception area is surrounded by two immense fountains that become even more scenic in the evening thanks to the flames of the flashlights that light the way.

We headed to the check-in desks and were greeted with a cool drink and a huge smile. We did not get an upgrade for the simple reason that the hotel has only 4 suites and all were occupied during our stay. Little bad because we were upgraded to an accommodation in a private villa with a pool.

The W Bali consists of an S-shaped main structure that houses the rooms, the 50% facing the sea and the remainder on the garden. There is then a small village with 53 villas, all with private pools, accommodations that are sold at twice the price of standard rooms, a level above the Suite I had selected as the requested upgrade, a much better accommodation to that in the classic hotel room.

The Balinese village

The villa area remains separated from the sea by the main structure. It feels like being inside a rural village, because that is how it was designed. Small streets made of stone in the midst of lots of greenery.

A huge garden tended h24 by teams of gardeners, but not only villas also a small oasis of tranquility with a small sospeo lounge in mid-air and a traditional temple where to go to bring gifts for good wishes.

Our villa

To get from the lobby to the villas (or to the public road), you can walk or take advantage of the free, h24 service of golf cars, electric vehicles that move guests from one point to another in the resort and are used by staff for all kinds of indoor activities.

In general, the concern for the environment throughout the resort is utmost; they even offer dishes and cocktails called "zero food waste." There is no single-use plastic throughout the resort, in fact I hardly saw any plastic, and electric scooters are also rented.

Opened the door of our villa #48 we entered a small sanctuary. Around us only silence and total privacy, 225 square meters away from everything and everyone.

The villas, except for a couple, are all the same, only the orientation of the building can change. Outdoor pool, on the patio a giant sunbed, two sunbeds with umbrella and lots of greenery.

The villa has a huge room, an equally huge bathroom with a stand-alone tub overlooking the garden.

A construction that reminded me so much of the classic stilts of the Maldives or the Conrad of Koh Samui. The good thing, though, is that here, as in Thailand, we are on the mainland and you can go out and go among people, or remain isolated in their own "retreat."

The room was prepared for our family and the couch turned into a bed, perhaps this the only flaw in the whole facility, as it is not a real sofa bed, but considering also the extra king size bed for us it was not a problem at all.

Behind the headboard of the bed is a work area, perfect for smart working, and then all the classic amenities that you have in these hotels: TV, stocked minibar, closet with safe, etc...

A mega closet is hidden in the wall dividing the room from the bathroom, toilet that was larger than a studio apartment in downtown Milan, obviously equipped with everything. If you like our luggage discover Level8 products And if you use TFC10 you get the 10% discount.

Maybe, just maybe, the only thing that is not there in the villa is the W spirit, that is, that attention to design that you get in the actual hotel instead.

The villa has everything you can think of including an indoor and outdoor bluetooth sound system for listening to music in the room and in the garden, all just a click away.

If they didn't upgrade us ...

Being promoted from a 68-square-meter room in a villa three times the size with a private pool made all the difference in the final evaluation of our stay, but to be faithful to a chain and That's what having status is for. I absolutely did not expect such treatment and it was not due, and that is why we were even more satisfied with this stay.

For titanium members they also came up with the breakfast wheel of fortune. Discounts, cocktails, and other small prizes are up for grabs.

The welcome gift

Awaiting us in our room was a welcome letter, a fruit basket, cookies, chocolates and candies.

In Asia, like nowhere else in the world they know how to pamper guests, and then if the guest is a loyal customer the attention is multiplied to the nth degree.

The service

We're not in Thailand, but smiles and pampering are on the same level, I felt like I went back in time to October 2021 when we were among the first tourists to set foot on Koh Samui again and everyone was thanking us for coming back to tourism post pandemic. Bali has suffered much more than Thailand, it reopened much later, and the people who pretty much live on tourism alone have gone hungry, and so I understand when everyone on the island tells you, "thank you for being here."

In the hotel the staff is AMAZING, always prompt and smiling. Never out of place, never absent or distracted. From the restaurant to the pool, from the gardeners to the security staff, from the lobby to the golf car attendants.

We had a problem with the boilier in our room and they worked that evening to restore it and, the next day, we found a letter of apology and an aperitif offered in the room.

The hotel

The main body is "open air" i.e. without walls, as in the Maldives, Caribbean and all "hot" places all year round.

There are two reception desks one for hotel guests and one for those staying in the villa. In total between villas, rooms, and suites there are 229 accommodation units.

The hotel does not have the iconic shape of the more famous Ws, but that would be totally out of context here. However, one breathes the spirit that distinguishes (almost) all hotels of this sign.

The mega mural behind the concierges, the giant hanging chandelier in the center of the Fire restaurant, the eccentric and colorful decor, the bright colors and artwork scattered in every corner. Yes this is a real W Hotel.

Wired and Words

Wired and Words is a small business lounge where guests can work in peace, although we worked excellently in our villa.

It is one of the few closed rooms in the entire resort and is open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. There are a couple of computers for guest use and a meeting room can be reserved.

Hall W

The W Lounge is an all-day lounge located right next to the lobby area of the main building. It has a great view of the resort and is just lovely for a quick drink or to wait for friends before heading out.

Wet

In W hotels, swimming pools are always identified with the word Wet. In addition to those in each individual villa are the hotel pools. A terraced layout descending to the sea, this is the heart of the hotel along with the beach club.

The design is inspired by the shape of Balinese rice paddies and Subak, a traditional local irrigation system.

There are three levels of pools, and the lower you go the deeper they get. If the first two are (almost) just about beauty, the third one rightfully enters the List of the best hotel pools I have ever found in my life. The good thing is. are open h24, you can bathe at any time, but the best time is at sunset.

The hotel overlooks Semyniak Beach and Is "the place to be" to admire the sunset and I can assure you that every day the spectacle offered was different.

From the resort you go directly down to the beach. The beach is clean and sandy, too bad only that the hotel does not offer sunbeds for guests who prefer to stand with their feet in the sand; it is also true that I saw virtually no one swimming in the sea, given the current and the many signs warning to be careful if you dive into the ocean.

FIT

If the pool is called WET, it is a given to call the gym FIT, which is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It's not huge, but people here jog on the beach not indoors. There are numerous types of equipment from treadmills to bikes, leg presses and even a punching bag.

There is a personal trainer and in-house guests can participate in various daily classes. Of course, for those who work out, water and fruit are always available to refresh and stay active.

AWAY Spa

The AWAY Spa is located in the main building, just towards the side of the lobby and driveway leading to the villas and is also accessible from the gym.

Guests of the facility can use it even without undergoing treatment. The AWAY Spa like almost everything else at this resort is also open 24 hours a day and if you opt for a late night treatment you will also get 25% discount. There is oxygen therapy, hot and cold pool, and a hammam. And a small bar with an outdoor relaxation area.

The flaws are that it is off limits for children, they could leave a time slot for little guests as well, and that it is split male/female so if you are traveling in pairs you will not be able to relax together except in the common areas.

WooBar

This is the name of the beach club and is the most popular club in the entire resort. Here on Saturdays the party starts at sunset and ends late at night, with many guests (including those from outside the hotel) choosing to experience an evening here in a place that seems truly magical.

It is open until 1 a.m., and this is where you can have an aperitif every night at sunset time. If you are not a guest there are minimal charges to be able to stay on one of the couches or in the cabanas, and if you have a room you can also have a coke at no extra charge. Here if you are enrolled in the Marriott Bonvoy program you can enjoy a 15% discount on all drinks.

We spent Saturday night there, on a king-sized bed, and drank and ate while enjoying first a crazy sunset and then DJ music.

Sure we're in Bali and in a W Hotel, but the prices are absolutely average and not at all comparable to even remotely nice clubs like this in Mikonos or Ibiza.

Shops and more

Then there are some small stores selling designer products, W-branded gadgets and clothes. The beauty of shopping and Bonvoy points attracted us, but we did not find. anything to our taste.

Food & Beverage

Breakfast is served in both hotel restaurants, Fire and Starfish Bloo!

It starts from 6:30 to 11 for Fire and from 7 for Starfish Bloo. Every day from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., I don't think I've ever found a hotel so generous in breakfast hours. Having spent as many as 5 nights, we did the first two mornings at Fire and the second mornings at Sarfish Bloo, and finally the last one we chose by flipping a coin.

The two establishments have two different souls, in both the "first time" you are taken around to discover the buffet, a la carte menus, and special features of the offerings that diversify the two restaurants.

At Fire the first thing they ask you as soon as you arrive is to choose your favorite cup from the wall. Needless to say, there is everything to eat, although the buffet is not as endless as in other places, but the quality of the product is very high and in addition to what you see displayed you can order from the breakfast menu.

If the Fire overlooks the pools, the Starfish bloo is surrounded by the Bali sea. Breakfast is similar but not identical. Here the noodle station is much larger, there is a large selection of dim sum, and there is also a sushi station with freshly prepared dishes.

As always, we ate everything from noodles to eggs to iconic dishes such as Chicken & Waffle, avocado toast and pancackes  And of course tasted fruit that I had never eaten before. What I appreciated most was the size of the freshly prepared dishes, which were always contained so that the guest could eat more than one proposal.

Another thing I like is that some staff go around the tables offering special dishes or drinks every day, so we tried a very special fresh fruit juice, some Kombucha made by the hotel, and other dishes not found at the buffet.

The Fire is definitely nicer as a venue and a staff of 10, but the Starfish has a killer view and a wider selection of products.

Room Service

We never had dinner at the hotel, except for the evening at Woobar, However, we used the room service, which is operational h24. Level of service in line with everything else in the facility, incredible timing and quality of everything that was offered truly remarkable.

Is it family-friendly?

The answer is YES, to 100%. All pools are a maximum of 1.2m deep, all restaurants and bars have offerings for children, there are also recreational activities to entertain young guests (we found out too late), and the staff's small attentions are multiplied if there are young guests.

In conclusion

This is the second 9.5 to a hotel on the pages of TFC, While Koh Samui's Conrad remains the only 10.

From the first to the last moment, nothing (almost) went wrong. Sure the upgrade in the villa alone is probably worth two points on the final grade, but it was not given away it was a recognition of status, level obtained in the field. If we then add that, consumptions aside, we did not spend 1 euro for the stay I could not but give top marks to this hotel and I can do nothing but recommend it to all TFC readers.

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