Of course everything is more beautiful in Bali, but this Conrad deserves a refresher

The third hotel on our Bali vacation Was the Conrad, Perhaps one of the most famous resorts on the entire island And one of the largest. With an extension of more than 350mt Is a journey moving from one end of the resort to the other. This is one of the 4 Hilton facilities and is by far the most booked.

Why a one-night stay

We stayed only one night in this hotel and the reason was only one: renew the status. Unlike Marriott, which only counts nights stayed for the purpose of obtaining status, in the Hilton household there are 3 possible ways: the stays, nights and points accumulated in a year. If last year, thanks to rollover nights and to the many promos I had renewed the Diamond with the nights stayed, this year I went all in on the 30 stays instead of 60 nights.

The difference is perceptible because in the former case 30 one-night stays are enough, while in the latter you need 60 nights, even consecutive nights in a single reservation, but still 2 months to spend in a hotel within a year. So here we made two one-night stays in Hilton facilities to get me closer to 30.

Reservation

As always, you book via app and as always you book the cheapest room possible so much with the gold level, that included in the American Express Platinum you get free breakfast and (often) room upgrades. In my case being a step above at the status level compared to gold the benefits are even greater.

The price for one night was 300€ , the cheapest facility among those where we stayed during this vacation, a stay that when you add up all the promotions and bonuses including the X2 rate that alone doubles the points you accumulate, put over 15k points in my pocket, enough for a free night around the world.

Location

We arrived late in the morning after checking out of the Ritz Carlton, we are still in Nusa Dua, but this hotel is definitely more central than the RC. Actually, this was the only hotel on this vacation where we heard the noises of outside life such as traffic and people's voices.

The hotel overlooks the sea at Nusa Dua and is about 20 minutes from Depansar Airport.

Check-in

We arrived while many were still checking out, took a seat at one of the three desks, and did the paperwork. This time, however, it didn't last 60 seconds because the clerk seemed novice and second because they had a lot to tell us.

The most interesting news was the'upgrade from basic room to Conrad Suite, of course upgrades in Hilton are not discounted, but being Diamond and doing only one night the odds are definitely very high, particularly if you stay out of season such as October.

Not only many things to say, but also a promotion that we accepted almost without delay. By buying a 2M Rupee credit, about 120€, we would receive 1M free, or 60€ to spend in the hotel. Nothing easier having to eat, drink and spend in the best way 24h inside the resort.

Although Diamond customers get a 25% discount on all expenses at the resort: from spa to restaurants to paid activities, we got a bigger advantage from using this cashback.

The Suite

We were escorted to our suite and it was quite a journey. From the reception desk, we walked all the way down the hallway, past the indoor mall, past the tennis courts, past the spa, and after using two elevators and passing through two gardens and as many waterfalls, we finally arrived at our room door.

All suites are located in a building called Conrad Suites, here is also the Suites Lounge. Agè is the feeling throughout the entire structure. Opened in the early 2000s it would definitely need a refresh, or perhaps better said an extreme makeover.

The room was huge, about that there is no doubt. A real apartment with eat-in kitchen, living room, bedroom, walk-in closet and master bathroom with shower and bathtub. As well as a small terrace overlooking one of the resort's many pools.

The bedroom had two queen beds instead of the usual king, but the mattress was not Conrad-style and there wasn't even a topper. Of suite there is only the space, but everything else looks too lived-in, especially compared to others Conrad I have visited over the years.

There was nothing in the room that made people say WOW I am in a 5-star hotel, and actually not even in the rest of the hotel.

To remind us that we are in a Conrad the little monkey symbol of this hotel that joins the other puppets collected in hotels around the world like the Conrad's teddy bear family on Koh Samui, a tradition that is carried on all over the world (or almost).

Excellent attention to the environment with zero plastic and only environmentally sustainable products, starting with the "cube" for choosing a pillow, made from reclaimed wood like all the rest of the signage in the hotel.

The resort

As mentioned. Is a huge hotel consisting of more than a dozen buildings, connected by a very scenic walkway among fountains, plants and a few small stores.

It is developed completely facing the sea, and the direct access to the beach is the most beautiful side of the facility.

At one end of the resort is the kid's club and at the other end is the chapel for ceremonies, again as at The Ritz Carlton, a white glass and steel pyramid elevated above the beach to give the effect of floating above the Bali sea.

In between there is a lot of green, an immense swimming pool that goes around the buildings and which, I found on the net, turns out to be longest in all of Indonesia.

There are rooms on the ground floor with direct access to the pool, others that allow you to go to the garden by coming out of the veranda, this convenience pays off in terms of privacy, impossible to stay in the room with the curtains open if you do not want to have h24 spectators.

There are four restaurants and three bars spread throughout.

It is a very majestic structure, we are not at the level of some of the resorts in Hawaii or Dubai, but for Indonesia it is definitely one of the biggest. I dread to imagine what a redesign might cost; it could probably cost less to "downgrade" from Conrad to a lower Hilton family sign and a small makeover of the 358 rooms.

Swimming pools

The main pool at Conrad Bali measures 35 meters and is open daily until 10 p.m.. It is located just across the street from Suku Restaurant, and it is the one you see looking out from the lobby terrace.

Perfect for those who want to keep fit and do a series of laps, but also for those who want to keep the children under control since it is an enclosed space from which it is not possible to leave except by going outside. Surrounded by lots of greenery it is possible to find yourself your favorite spot and a crib in the position you prefer.

Definitely more fun instead is the lagoon pool. not only because at the ends it has a real sandy shoreline that extends several meters into the pool, perfect for younger children to play, but also because it runs along the entire resort.

E as in a lagoon city to move from one point to another one must cross bridges that connect the various areas of the resort.

Guests of the Conrad Suites have their own pool, although the only real access control is its absolute distance from the main hotel since it remains slightly set back from the rest of the resort.

This pool enjoys more shade due to the surrounding greenery, and unlike the main pool, has 10 cabanas perfect for enjoying the shade, sleeping, eating and relaxing if you prefer sunbathing there are classic sunbeds.

The beach

The sea is more or less 10 steps away from the pool, definitely the most affordable of all the resorts we have visited to date in Bali.

Huge cabanas are available for guests, complete with doors and power outlets, and even a fan on request. Or sunbeds scattered around the beachfront.

Kids club

A must in any self-respecting resort is the kids' club. Kura Kura is open to children from 3 to 12 years old and is operational daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Access is free for all registered guests. Activities rotate daily and include activities such as yoga, jewelry making, Balinese dance, and child makeup. What surprised me were that some of these sessions were chargeable.

My daughter usually wants to live inside these places (she is 9 years old) but from this is the only one where I remember her wanting to escape. Very unattractive facility and decidedly unprofessional employees, "Dad but to work in a kids club they have to do a school? "

The SPA

Jiwa Spa offers nine treatment rooms, two spa villas, a steam room, a sauna, hot tubs and a 25-meter private pool. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with last reservation at 6 p.m.

Chapel

Do you want to get married in Bali? There is a picturesque small chapel in the hotel grounds that can accommodate up to 300 people.

Obviously a wedding was in progress, actually there were two. In the chapel a service was being held for a couple ready to ruin their lives, while in the park outside a party was being held for a second couple.

Louge Suites

This room is the executive lounge of the hotel, too bad it's not marked anywhere, the name might suggest it's a venue open to suite guests, but that's not the case the rules are the usual ones, you have to be Hilton Honors Diamond or have booked an executive room.

The lounge is off limits to children under 12 years old, this is good for some, for me carrying a 9-year-old dwarf and often using lounges as kids buffets was not.

It opens in the afternoon for tea time (3 to 5 p.m.) and evening cocktails (5 to 7 p.m.). The room is large, but not huge, and also has a nice terrace overlooking the pool.

Food & Beverage

The first bar is located in the lobby, a small café with a display case with pastries and small snacks. The main bar, Azure, is the pool bar. Dishes and drinks are prepared from here for those who order from the crib.

There are 4 restaurants, although it should say 3 since Spices seems not to have reopened since the pandemic. Breakfast is served in two different locations at Suku Restaurant and Rin, we were told that there is no difference in the offerings having stayed only one night we could not counter test.

Suku is the main restaurant located below the lobby And overlooks the main pool.

Here we had our only dinner at the hotel, we took advantage of the special evening with BBQ and folk show.

Very nice performance, dinner with a huge buffet where we were able to enjoy local dishes that we otherwise would never have chosen from a paper menu.

Then there is the beachfront seafood restaurant Eight Degrees, we did not have a chance to try it, but it is definitely the most scenic one in the whole hotel.

In the area of the suites is the Japanese restaurant Rin, open for breakfast and dinner. During the rest of the hours, he is in charge of serving pool guests.

We had lunch here by fishing from their menu for two "bento", or the Japanese version of schiscetta. One with wagyu and the other with tempura shrimp, all accompanied by rice, salad and fruit and the inevitable miso soup.

Also at the Rin, we had breakfast, because we were lazy and didn't want to walk to the center of the resort.

Unlike the quality of the bento, breakfast disappointed us a little bit. Reduced buffet and dismal mise en place, it is evident that this restaurant was not designed to accommodate self-service, and dishes are scattered on all the usable shelves.

There is also a menu from which to order freshly prepared dishes, say. With this option, the breakfast reached sufficiency.

In conclusion

It is clear that we are in a lower 5-star hotel than the other hotels booked, it is really a shame to stay in such a low-quality Conrad, especially since the property is the same as the Ritz Carlton, but here it feels like two stars below the RC.

I would definitely never return to this facility.a, but if you are looking for the right middle ground at an affordable price can still be a choice that meets the needs of many travelers, especially those who like the idea of staying at a resort and living in it.

• Hilton Honors