25 April 2008
Pool Area of the Bali Garden Hotel in Kuta, Bali
I'd noticed the Bali Garden Hotel many times on my frequent visits to Bali on business. To be honest, there were times when I thought it wasn't even open. There aren't many signs of activity when walking past the hotel on the street. However, having walked past the place on the beach, I found out that it was indeed alive and well, and decided to schedule a stay here on a future visit.
One of the reasons I thought the hotel might be closed was the rather run-down look of the place from the street. Inside, the lobby looks nice enough, but other parts of the hotel, including my room, were very run-down. The pool and garden area have been quite recently remodeled. In fact, they were still working on the garden paths while I was there. I also noted that some rooms in another wing were being remodeled, so it seems the hotel is in the midst of a gradual updating.
Rooms are arranged in two wings on either side of the lobby. Rooms in the south wing are reached through an open corridor facing the blank wall of the Discovery Shopping Center. It's not very pleasant, but the rooms themselves face the garden. Rooms in the north wing generally have a better view of the ocean. Breakfast is a rather modest affair served in the coffee shop on the lower level.
Hotel facilities include two swimming pools, spa, restaurant and a pool-side bar. Wi-Fi is available in the lobby and "Internet Bar" just off the lobby. The access cost is a rather reasonable 25,000 Rupiah (1.50 USD) per hour. There's also a tour desk in the lobby.
Rooms feature air conditioning, hot and cold water, refrigerator, complementary coffee and tea, color televisions (many channels) and IDD telephones.
Pluses: Good location (if you like to be near the "action") near restaurants and shopping.
Minuses: Rooms are quite run-down - although upgrades are in progress.
Rooms at the Bali Garden Beach Resort may be booked through Agoda, or use Hotels Combined to compare rates for the resort from dozens of online booking sites.
Rooms at the Bali Garden Hotel may be booked through the link below.