This is a continuation of our Bali & Tokyo trip. You can find the full trip itinerary here.
For our last 2 nights in Bali, I originally booked a private villa for my family via Airbnb. We checked in to the villa and were not happy with the condition of the villa. So we decided to find another accommodation last minute. Thankfully, the W in Seminyak had availability for 4 rooms. We made reservations online and checked in to the resort after lunch.
Hotel Lobby
This was actually my very first time staying at a W property. We all noticed a very different vibe from our stay at the Mulia. Where the Mulia's style was more classic, elegant and luxurious, the W was very hip and modern and had a boutique feel to it. The size of the W was a lot smaller compared to the Mulia.
The lobby was open air and had views of the pool and the ocean. During our check-in, we were introduced to the daily drink refreshment free of charge at the lobby. For our first day, it was mint iced tea. For our second day, it was mango/pineapple juice.
Room
The room was good sized, with the first half being the bathroom, and the second part the actual bedroom. Bottled water and milk were free of charged at the minibar (which was huge since we were traveling with a toddler). They also had movies available to borrow for free.
The bathroom had dual sinks, a tub and a big shower area. I actually noticed some minor wear and tear in the bathroom area, specifically near the shower. I'm not sure if it's the material that they used, or if the maintenance was not up to par, but something about the bathroom didn't look terribly clean.
We booked a garden view room, so our room overlooked the back of the property. There's a good size balcony area with a table & lounge chair.
Our rooms at this hotel were all right next to each other, so it made coordinating meals and excursions a whole lot easier compared to the Mulia where our rooms were all quite far from each other.
Breakfast
Breakfast was included in the rate and we all liked the W breakfast more than the Mulia. I think because the W was a much smaller resort, they were able to offer a higher quality breakfast. The decor was very modern and interesting. You can choose to sit inside or outside.
Upon entering the restaurant for breakfast, we were given an option to select our own mug from a selection of vintage mugs, which I thought added a nice touch.
There were different stations such as dim sum/porridge, pastries, desserts (with chocolate fountain!), egg station, and even their own barrista station! We could also order from the a la carte menu if we didn't want the buffet, and they had a huge menu selection! Overall I think this breakfast was probably one of the better ones we have ever had. We highly recommend it.
Buggy Service
Since the resort was quite a long walk from the main road, the hotel offered complimentary buggy service to take us to the main street. My mom and sister used this service quite a few times to go shopping. :)
The location of this hotel was definitely more convenient for shopping and just being in the hustle & bustle of Seminyak.
Lounge Area
Just next to the lobby, there's lots of seating/lounge area where you can order drinks & snacks, and enjoy the view of the pool and the Ocean. Dan & I spent a few hours lounging on one of these sofas.
General Observations
For our last 2 nights in Bali, I originally booked a private villa for my family via Airbnb. We checked in to the villa and were not happy with the condition of the villa. So we decided to find another accommodation last minute. Thankfully, the W in Seminyak had availability for 4 rooms. We made reservations online and checked in to the resort after lunch.
Hotel Lobby
This was actually my very first time staying at a W property. We all noticed a very different vibe from our stay at the Mulia. Where the Mulia's style was more classic, elegant and luxurious, the W was very hip and modern and had a boutique feel to it. The size of the W was a lot smaller compared to the Mulia.
The lobby was open air and had views of the pool and the ocean. During our check-in, we were introduced to the daily drink refreshment free of charge at the lobby. For our first day, it was mint iced tea. For our second day, it was mango/pineapple juice.
Room
The room was good sized, with the first half being the bathroom, and the second part the actual bedroom. Bottled water and milk were free of charged at the minibar (which was huge since we were traveling with a toddler). They also had movies available to borrow for free.
The bathroom had dual sinks, a tub and a big shower area. I actually noticed some minor wear and tear in the bathroom area, specifically near the shower. I'm not sure if it's the material that they used, or if the maintenance was not up to par, but something about the bathroom didn't look terribly clean.
There's a sectional that actually turns into a bed. My sister shared a room with my parents, and they converted the sectional into an extra bed.
We booked a garden view room, so our room overlooked the back of the property. There's a good size balcony area with a table & lounge chair.
Our rooms at this hotel were all right next to each other, so it made coordinating meals and excursions a whole lot easier compared to the Mulia where our rooms were all quite far from each other.
Breakfast
Breakfast was included in the rate and we all liked the W breakfast more than the Mulia. I think because the W was a much smaller resort, they were able to offer a higher quality breakfast. The decor was very modern and interesting. You can choose to sit inside or outside.
Upon entering the restaurant for breakfast, we were given an option to select our own mug from a selection of vintage mugs, which I thought added a nice touch.
There were different stations such as dim sum/porridge, pastries, desserts (with chocolate fountain!), egg station, and even their own barrista station! We could also order from the a la carte menu if we didn't want the buffet, and they had a huge menu selection! Overall I think this breakfast was probably one of the better ones we have ever had. We highly recommend it.
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| Cheese & Cold Cut Station |
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| Cereal/Milk Station |
I loved their pastries display which were in between books as if the pastries were part of the display. Can you see the hanging donuts below?
I ordered an ice latte, and it was just perfect!
Fitness & Spa
We checked out the fitness center and spa. I saw a special which was 100 minute spa treatment (massage, wrap) for around $100 USD, which was a pretty good deal. However, our schedule was so packed we didn't get a chance to try the spa.
Buggy Service
Since the resort was quite a long walk from the main road, the hotel offered complimentary buggy service to take us to the main street. My mom and sister used this service quite a few times to go shopping. :)
The location of this hotel was definitely more convenient for shopping and just being in the hustle & bustle of Seminyak.
Just next to the lobby, there's lots of seating/lounge area where you can order drinks & snacks, and enjoy the view of the pool and the Ocean. Dan & I spent a few hours lounging on one of these sofas.
Pool & Beach Area
The pool was tiered and had a beautiful curved design, overlooking the ocean.
The pool area was not that big (especially compared to the Mulia), but it never felt crowded.
The ocean waves in Seminyak were much stronger compared to Nusa Dua. I do not think the beach in Seminyak was actually safe for swimming. During our time in December, the waves were very strong and people were not allowed to swim. Additionally, when we walked by the beach in the morning, there were tons of debris and trash on the shores and local people cleaning them up. I talked with the security guy to ask why there's so much trash on the shores and he said that from January-March (rainy season in Bali), there's lots of tree branches/debris that got swept away to this part of the shore.
So in general, I would recommend staying away from the main beach and just spend your time "inside" the hotel resort boundaries. :)
- Service generally was really good. The workers were very friendly and helpful.
- At night, the hotel/lounge area looked like a Vegas nightclub :)
- Majority of the clientele appeared to be from Europe or the US
- I noticed that they tried to use unique short words to describe different areas. Such as "Wet" for the pool and "Away"for the spa. Sometimes it was confusing because it wasn't super clear what things meant. However, I appreciated the concept of it.
- Although the hotel was not too old, I could see some wear & tear, especially in the bathroom.
- The location was great if you enjoy being in the middle of the hottest restaurants/clubs/shopping.
- In summary, we really enjoyed our stay at the hotel and we were really glad that we were able to get a last minute reservation.
