September 2010
The Tune Hotel Double Six is part of Air Asia's new (started in 2007) Tune Hotels venture, using the same "only the basics, pay for the extras" model of the low cost airlines. There are now around a dozen Tune Hotels in three countries, with many more on the way.
On my recent trip to Indonesia I needed a hotel for just one night in Bali before flying back to Bangkok, so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to give a Tune Hotel a try. The subject for this first trial is the Tune Hotel Double Six in the Legian area of South Bali. I've stayed around Double Six before. It's a good area, with lots of restaurants and only 20 minutes or so from the airport. The Tune Double Six is located far down Jalan Double Six, deep in a narrow alley off the road, and about 100 meters from the beach. The lobby is open-air (saving on air conditioning costs) and has several comfortable sofas as well as a big screen television. Note they have a strict "no check-ins before 2:00 pm" policy. If you want to leave your bag and go out, they will charge you 7,000 Rupiah (0.42 USD).
The Tune Hotel room.
The base rate for a room at the Tune is around US$25 to $35 a night. However, this being a hotel in the model of budget airlines, the price of the room basically only covers the cost of the bed. You want air conditioning? It will cost you extra, about $4 for 12 hours or $5.50 for 24. You want a towel and toiletries? Plan to fork over another $1.65 (approximately). You also need to pay a $3 refundable deposit on the towel. While such charges might seem strange, even outrageous, to experienced travelers familiar with traditional hotels, the fees themselves are not that much. Even with them added in, the cost of the room is still very competitive. In fact, the $4 charge for 24 hours of wi-fi access is a real bargain compared to the $5 per hour I've been charged by nearby 'full service' hotels. So, it's cheap, but is it worth giving up all the comforts and perks of a full service hotel? That's what I wanted to find out by staying there.
The corridors at this hotel are all on the exterior, again saving on air conditioning. My room has a large double bed, and is just big enough to hold the bed. Aside from two side tables filling the narrow space on either side of the bed, there is no other furniture. On one side of the bed is a fold-down shelf fixed to the wall. It's big enough that you can comfortably work on your laptop on the shelf while sitting on the bed. There's even a universal electrical outlet next to the shelf to plug in the computer. It's actually one of the more comfortable working setups I've experienced in a hotel room.
The bed itself is very comfortable, and I can honestly say I had a good night's sleep on it. The bathroom, located behind the bedroom, was small but not too cramped. The shower stall was in fact rather roomy, and the rain-shower head delivered a good flow of hot water.
The room had a ceiling fan which cooled the room enough during the afternoon. There is no television in the room, but there is a big-screen TV in the lobby. Of course, there's no mini-bar either, but there is a convenience store in the lobby as well. The only windows in the room looked out onto the hallway, which means the room lacked some privacy, and this is my only real complaint about the Tune Hotel.
Outside the room, the hotel has a small Mini-Mart (an Indonesian 7-11 style convenience store) and a branch of the local fast food chain ES Teller Juara. You can order breakfast with your booking, which will be served in the fast food restaurant. However, there's a nice little warung Double Six very close to the hotel which does a very good Western (or Asian) breakfast for a very good price.
The bottom line: Tune Hotels definitely delivers on their promise of a five-star bed, at a one-star price. For the cheap price, you don't get much more than the bed, but as long as you're prepared for that it shouldn't be an issue. Would I stay at a Tune Hotel again? Yes, I very likely will stay at one at some point in the future. I might not choose Tune for a long vacation, as the limited space would probably get cramped after several days, but I would select them for a short stay of two or three nights.
Hotel facilities include one restaurant, a mini-mart and spa.
Rooms feature air conditioning (extra charge), hair dryer (extra charge) and ceiling fan.
Pluses: Comfortable beds.
Minuses: Small room, lacking much privacy.
Rooms at the Tune Hotel Double Six may be booked through Hotels Combined which compares rates for the resort from dozens of online booking sites.