Intercontinental Bali Resort Review
The Intercontinental Bali Resort (Review) is located just south of the Bali/ Denpasar airport in Jimbaran. It sits on a huge property that opens into a wide sandy bay. This stretch of beach is one of Bali's best with a gentle surf.
I arrived for my stay just at 1.30 PM and was looking forward to check in a bit early - no dice the friendly check-in agent informed my that I would have to wait until 3 PM. That was unexpected - but fair enough - that's what I paid for. While I was waiting I started exploring the huge property. It's so big I feel I barely discovered it during my one night stay. There are a number of pools - lost of beach front chairs and several bars and restaurants.
I had the impression the resort was pretty full as Australia was in the midst of their fall holiday. Many benches and beach chairs were taken but there was still ample space for privacy.
I loved the way the hotels architects had played around with Balinese influence and a traditional resort style. The result just looks fantastic!
It was finally time to get up to my room and it was quite a walk to get there. The room was huge and felt more like a suite than a regular room (I had received no upgrade to my knowledge).
The AC had a firm grip on the room and the Internet was fast with no login procedure at all!
The bathroom was equally huge and also in great shape.
I caught up on some emails and it was soon time for the 5.45PM sunset viewing. Unfortunately it was rather cloudy but I still enjoyed the atmosphere looking over the beach. I ordered pizza from the Intercontinental bar which was served quickly and tasted delicious ($16).
The only issue was the amount of insects including some mosquitos that made it rough to stay outside.
I came back to my room which was now a frigid oasis. However there was a 'show' going on at the main restaurant which was VERY loud. It lasted for about 90 minutes and blasted all over the resort. I'm not sure if that was something that would happen every night but if you are not watching it closely (I did not it was way too loud for anyone to sleep). It felt more like a cheap 'all inclusive' vacation than a Intercontinental resort.
It eventually stopped and I was looking forward to set the AC to 60 degrees and get some rest.
In the morning I decided to try out breakfast (it was not included in my room rate) and thought it was very good - similar to the breakfast at the Intercontinental Moorea (Review) a few weeks ago. There were a lot of items sweet and savory and many of them were high quality. The espresso was great too - I felt the $18 for the buffet per person were a good investment.
There aren't any great breakfast places close to the resort - you will need to drive (i.e. to Kuta) for good breakfast.
Cash rates for the hotel vary a lot - as low as $150 and up to $400. At the time of my stay it was just $180.
In sum this hotel is visually striking, has great staff and wonderful food. There are very few things one can improve and at rates under $200 this place is great. On the other hand Bali can be very cheap and the resorts location gets you far away from the more interesting places in Bali (more about my favorite Things to do in Bali soon). If you have to pay more I'd get a cheaper place and just piece together great day time itineraries instead.
You can book the Intercontinental Bali Resort here.