Review: The Ritz-Carlton Bali

Room Type
Sawangan Junior Suite with Pool Access
Elite Status
Marriott Platinum
Date
December 2017
Rating

 

After three days spent in the tranquility of Bambu Indah, it was time to discover a whole new side of Bali. I had booked two nights at the Ritz-Carlton in Nusa Dua, a region on Bali’s southern coast known for its luxurious seaside resorts.

This is a Tier 2 property within the combined Marriott/Ritz-Carlton Rewards program, meaning that a free night goes for 40,000 points. In my opinion that’s an absolute steal, and hopefully this review will demonstrate why.

In This Post

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Location & Arrival

The first thing you notice about the resort is its striking physical features. The Ritz-Carlton is built into the steep cliffs of Nusa Dua, with the lobby, several restaurants, and some of its most coveted private villas located up on the top of the cliffs. Meanwhile, down below by the beach is where you’ll find the main pools, guest rooms, and the majority of the resort grounds. The entire resort is only three years old, and still carries that new property feeling.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Entrance sign

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Entrance sign

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Entrance

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Entrance

A bellhop helped us with our bags as we arrived at the resort’s stunning lobby, which boasts killer views of the resort grounds below as well as the glimmering Indian Ocean in the distance.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Lobby

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Lobby

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Lobby

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Lobby

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Views from the lobby

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Views from the lobby

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Check-in

The check-in procedures were completed in a highly impressive and personalized fashion, which set the tone for the hospitality throughout our stay. A member of the check-in staff sat down with us as we sipped our welcome tea, patiently explained the room upgrade we had received as well as the amenities we could enjoy, and then walked us to our room. What a way to welcome your guests!

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Welcome tea

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Welcome tea

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Check-in couches

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Check-in couches

We had been assigned Room 2108, which is located on the first floor of Guest Wing 2 of the guest suites. Getting there involved taking the elevator down to the lower levels and then walking for a few minutes.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Hallway to elevators

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Hallway to elevators

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Guest Wing 2 entrance

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Guest Wing 2 entrance

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Guest Wing 2 walkway

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Guest Wing 2 walkway

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Sawangan Junior Suite with Pool Access

This was my first time staying at a Ritz-Carlton property, so I was eager to see how it lived up to the glamour of the Ritz-Carlton brand. And as soon as I stepped into the room, I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Sawangan Junior Suite with Pool Access

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Sawangan Junior Suite with Pool Access

Even the most basic rooms here at the Ritz-Carlton are considered suites – they’re known as the Sawangan Junior Suite – and the spaciousness of the room certainly lives up to the name. Moreover, as a Gold Elite member in the Marriott/Ritz-Carlton Rewards program, I had requested an upgrade to the next room category, which would be a Sawangan Junior Suite with Pool Access.

These rooms are located on the first floor of each wing of guest rooms, and enjoy patios with direct access to a small lagoon along the side of the wing. The lagoons are hidden away from the resort’s public areas thanks to a thick layer of shrubs, giving the ground-floor guests in each block a decent measure of privacy.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Pool access

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Pool access

Meanwhile, the regular Sawangan Junior Suites occupy the upper floors of each wing, the only difference being that those rooms have balconies instead of patios. There are six such wings of guest rooms throughout the resort, each with their own lagoon.

Jessica and I were thrilled that our upgrade request had been granted, and the first thing we did as soon as we settled into the room was to go for a dip in the pool. (I had also cheekily asked if it were possible to upgrade into one of the hotel’s breathtaking standalone villas, a request which was understandably turned down. Oh well, you never know…)

Taking a look at the room itself, you immediately see that the immense space is utilized to great effect, with countless features to make your stay as comfortable as possible. We begin with the hallway near the door, flanked by the walk-in closet and the toilet.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Walk-in closet

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Walk-in closet

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Toilet

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Toilet

The hallway then opens up to the bathroom, where the bathtub and shower sit opposite to a glorious set of double mirrors and sinks.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Bathtub

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Bathtub

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Double sinks

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Double sinks

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Toiletries

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Toiletries

The attention to detail is simply incredible – check out this little tub of bath salts, complete with a tiny spoon to scoop with.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Bath salts

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Bath salts

While the open-concept bathroom is unified with the rest of the suite, there are sliding doors that you can use to close off the bathroom from the bedroom, or even to close off the bathtub and shower area from the sinks. You get to choose how much privacy you’d like at all times.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Open concept

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Open concept

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Sliding doors

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Sliding doors

The king-sized bed dominates the rest of the space, sitting underneath an imposing wooden frame. On the opposite wall, you have a television screen that almost feels a bit small given the size of the room.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – King bed

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – King bed

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – King bed

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – King bed

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Television

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Television

Then you arrive at the living area, where a lounger and a table complete the room’s interior pieces.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Indoor daybed

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Indoor daybed

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Indoor table

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Indoor table

The in-room amenities are plentiful, including a coffee machine, bottled water, and a fresh bucket of ice (no need to hunt down an ice machine; simply call up guest services for a refill!)

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Ice and bottled water

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Ice and bottled water

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Coffee machine

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Coffee machine

Of course, the highlight of the Sawangan Junior Suite with Pool Access is the outdoor patio, where you’ll find a mirror image of the indoor furniture. From the patio, you can step off directly into the water.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Outdoor patio

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Outdoor patio

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Outdoor daybed

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Outdoor daybed

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Pool access

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Pool access

The lagoons are pretty shallow all the way across. It’s not safe for diving, but it’s pretty great for some casual swimming (arguably even better than the main pool for that purpose, given that all of the resort’s guests tend to congregate at the main pool, while at most a dozen or so guests have access to each block’s lagoon).

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Lagoon

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Lagoon

If you’re staying in one of these suites on the ground floor, you’ll want to be mindful of privacy while inside your room, since any of the other ground-floor guests might wade by in the pool. Use the electronic blinds and shades to fend off any stray glances!

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Resort

As dazzling as the room may be, there’s so much more to the resort that’s yours to discover. The natural sea breeze makes walking around the property a pleasant experience, while you can always make use of the free buggy service by ringing up guest services using the in-room or publicly available telephones.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Exterior

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Exterior

The Ritz-Carlton Bar & Lounge is located centrally, a short distance away from where the elevator from the lobby drops you off. Views of the mesmerizing Indian Ocean flood in via the floor-to-ceiling windows, making this the ideal place to catch a break from the sun or get a bit of work done.

From there, the paths open out onto the resort’s immaculate front lawns. Here, you can stroll through the herb garden, sharpen your skills on a life-sized chessboard, or visit the Ritz-Carlton Club, nestled away in a secluded corner of the front lawns behind a row of shrubs.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Front lawns

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Front lawns

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Herb garden

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Herb garden

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Life-sized chessboard

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Life-sized chessboard

As far as I know, Club Level access is not complimentary even with Marriott/Ritz-Carlton Platinum status, since the lounge access benefit isn’t necessarily honoured at resort properties. Instead, access can be purchased for US$75 per person per day, and this price is reduced for members with elite status.

As a Gold Elite member, I ended up paying US$58 per person per day, which was tremendously worthwhile. I’ll finish up our tour of the grounds before coming back to the Club Lounge to showcase its numerous outstanding features and amenities.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club entryway

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club entryway

The pathway to the beach takes you across a charming koi pond, where you are welcome to feed the fishes. For what it’s worth, you can traverse the entirety of the resort in about five minutes on foot, but personally I find riding the buggies to be lots of fun as well.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Pathway

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Pathway

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Koi pond

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Koi pond

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Pools & Beach

At long last, you arrive at the main swimming area, which is composed of two large infinity pools cascading into one another, flanked by several shallower wading pools.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Main pool area

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Main pool area

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Main pool area

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Main pool area

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Infinity pool #1

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Infinity pool #1

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Infinity pool #2

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Infinity pool #2

This is one of the most physically beautiful resort pools I’ve had the pleasure of dipping my toes in. My favourite thing was how they had a few loungers set up within the shallow wading pools themselves, so you could easily keep yourself cool while perfecting your sun tan.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Loungers

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Loungers

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – In-pool loungers

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – In-pool loungers

Thinking over my grievances...

Thinking over my grievances…

A handful of large cabanas can be found around the pools and on the beach, and as far as I could tell, they were available for use on a first come, first served basis. It’s especially worthwhile to come out here early in the morning, since there’s relative peace and quiet until around midday when all the families with children come out to play.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Poolside cabanas

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Poolside cabanas

The pool area transforms into Sawangan Beach (which the resort’s suites are named after), where a few more banks of lounge chairs are available. The beach here is massive, both in width – meaning that it stretches beyond the premises of the Ritz-Carlton, morphing into a public beach – as well as depth, since the sandbar extends way out into the ocean, meaning that you’re able to walk about 100 metres into the relatively shallow water. The sand is extremely rocky and uncomfortable on your feet, though, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it!

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Sawangan Beach

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Sawangan Beach

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Beach cabanas

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Beach cabanas

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Beach loungers

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Beach loungers

When you’re out here on the beach (perhaps catching the incredible sunset over the Indian Ocean), you can’t help but notice the striking Balinese chapel that the Ritz-Carlton maintains on its grounds. It’s a popular venue for weddings, and no wonder – just look at it!

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Chapel

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Chapel

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club Lounge

Now let’s discuss the amenities and activities at the Ritz-Carlton. The resort boasts six restaurants covering a wide range of cuisines, from a tapas on the beach, to classic Western fine-dining, to gourmet sushi. But for those of you who are frugally minded, I have to say that there’s no better deal than purchasing Club Level access and making the most of it.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club entrance

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club entrance

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club interior

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club interior

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club dining area

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club dining area

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club dining area

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club dining area

For US$58 per person per day (a reduced rate for Gold Elite members, a status you can obtain simply by applying for one credit card), you get to enjoy five exquisite meal presentations, sundown cocktails, and unlimited hot and cold beverages, including alcohol, throughout the day. Essentially, your stay at the resort transforms into an all-inclusive vacation!

Hold on. Did I say five meals? Yep. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and evening hors d’oeuvres. I knew that Ritz-Carlton properties tend to take their Club Lounge offerings a little more seriously, but even still, I was blown away by the amount of food on offer.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club buffet

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club buffet

The breakfast buffet is as comprehensive as what you’ll find in any luxury hotel.

On top of that, the Ritz-Carlton Club has a small à la carte breakfast menu as well, featuring some truly impressive dishes. Lobster scrambled eggs? Yes please!

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Breakfast à la carte menu

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Breakfast à la carte menu

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Lobster scrambled egg

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Lobster scrambled egg

While the next meal is advertised as a “light lunch”, there’s really nothing light about a buffet spread where you can keep going back for more portions.

I didn’t get a chance to take pictures of the lunch or the late-night spread, but we did enjoy a few afternoon treats on one occasion.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Afternoon tea

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Afternoon tea

As for dinner? Well, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves… 

While most of your meals will be centred around the buffet, the Club staff are extremely attentive, and their trademark Balinese hospitality was in excellent form. Every member of the Club staff would greet us whenever we arrived, our drinks were always refilled promptly, we were proactively asked whether we wanted coffee or tea during breakfast or after our dinner, etc.

And I haven’t even mentioned that as a Club Level guest, you have access to an exclusive pool within the backyard of the Ritz-Carlton Club!

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club patio

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Club patio

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Exclusive Club pool

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Exclusive Club pool

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Exclusive Club pool

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Exclusive Club pool

Throw in the self-serve cocktails every afternoon, the two pieces of complimentary laundry per day, and the complimentary garment pressing upon arrival, and I think you’d genuinely struggle to not get your money’s worth when paying for Club Level.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Sundown cocktails

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Sundown cocktails

And that’s doubly true if you have kids, since you’re allowed to bring up to two children, aged 6 or below, into the Ritz-Carlton Club with you at no extra charge. After all, while the restaurants here look impressive, they all tend to charge “resort prices”!

One last thing about the Ritz-Carlton Club: I’m pretty sure that the first lunch we had there gave me a terrible stomach bug, which was the only thing that marred my stay somewhat. After all it’s kind of difficult to enjoy the pool and beach when I’m running to the bathroom every half an hour. 

However, I’m hesitant to lay the blame squarely on the resort, since that’s something that could happen in any kitchen. It won’t stop me from returning to this otherwise excellent resort, unless I find out that this is somehow a common occurrence.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Activities

The final thing I wanted to comment on is the sheer variety of free recreational activities at the resort. When we checked in, we were provided with a list of all the activities for the upcoming week, and boy is there plenty to keep you occupied. 

There’s morning yoga, aquatic yoga, surf lessons, dance lessons, Indonesian language lessons, etc. We only stayed here for two days, but I don’t think we would’ve been bored at all if we had stayed for longer.

The only activity Jessica and I ended up participating in was the cocktail class, where we sharpened our mixology skills at the Raku restaurant by crafting (and consuming) our own Japanese pear mojitos.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Raku Lounge

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Raku Lounge

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Cocktail class

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Cocktail class

We would’ve definitely tried our hands at more activities, if it weren’t for the debilitating stomach bug that hit me soon after I had downed my concoction.

Conclusion

While it’s certainly a shame that I was struck by illness during my stay, it remains undeniable that the Ritz-Carlton, Bali is a truly world-class luxury resort, featuring stunning guest rooms (aim for that Pool Access upgrade!), an insanely valuable Club Level package, the best of Balinese hospitality, and a gorgeous (albeit rocky) beachfront.

All of that makes redeeming your points here one of the best possible uses of Marriott Rewards points, in my mind. 40,000 points for a free night is daylight robbery, especially if you get five nights for 160,000 points using the 5th Night Free benefit. On top of that, you can take advantage of the attractive Club Level pricing to make your stay essentially all-inclusive. It doesn’t get much better than that when it comes to splurging on a vacation using your hard-earned points!

 
10 Comments
  1. peyton

    My fiance and I are staying at the ritz for part of our honeymoon. Would you mind telling me what you ate that may have caused the issue? We had that same thing happen in Costa Rica eating lobster so want to maybe avoid whatever you ate! Thanks for the great review – we did the club so glad it is worth it!

    1. Ricky YVR

      I honestly wasn’t sure whether it was the Club Lounge food that caused it, and even if I were, I can’t recall now what exactly I ate. I’m willing to chalk this one up to a random bout of food-borne illness that could’ve happened anywhere.

  2. PK

    My girlfriend and I plan on staying at here for our spring / summer trip. Quick question though: I have Gold membership at the Ritz but she doesn’t. Would she still be able to get the discounted club access rate of $58 USD / day? Or would she need to have Gold membership in order to qualify for the discount? (If so, what’s the regular price?)

    Also, did you purchase the club access when you checked-in or well in-advance online?

    Thanks in advance for your help and the great post, Ricky! Keep it up.
    P

    1. Ricky YVR

      Hey there,

      As long as the room is booked in the Gold Elite member’s name, all guests should be able to enjoy the discounted rate. The normal rate was US$75/night, although 21% tax and service charge is added on top of all the rates.

      I had emailed the hotel in advance to secure club lounge access for my stay.

      Cheers,
      Ricky

      1. PK

        Brilliant. Thanks!
        P

  3. Al

    Hi Ricky. Did you feel safe there? I’ve read reports that Bali can be an unsafe place and to be careful. Also the resort looks empty or was it early in the morning when u took the pics? Also what was the feel of the resort. Was there a lot of Americans and Europeans there? Thanks

    1. Ricky YVR

      Absolutely safe and no issues as long as you keep your wits about you. The resort never felt crowded (aside from the beach and pool areas in the middle of the day), and you’d rarely see other people walking around (many people prefer to make use of the buggy service to get from place to place). Having said that, I usually do try to leave out the crowds as much as possible when taking pictures of places, just to put the focus more on the places themselves.

      In terms of the demographics, there was a good mixture of Westerners/Aussies and tourists from other Asian countries.

  4. Bernard

    Thank you for such a thorough review. You did well getting an upgrade as RC is not known to honor Marriott Gold since they have their own reward points. The $58 upgrade to Club level is a steal.

    Bernard

  5. Pablo Rincon

    Hey, couple of questions if you don’t mind answering, hopefully soon as im arriving to Bali Saturday and plan to go to Nusa Dua on Monday.

    I had booked at the Laguna Bali!for 5 days, but just cancelled ( there is still availability in case ).

    I had seen the Ritz but the main factor was that it seems much farther from everything. It this an issue?

    Regarding the club access, you mentioned $58 us per person? I looked online and it said $1’120000 around per person plus %20 tax. Big difference there. I guess onsite you get the discount as s gold member? Are you gold or platinum?

    With the club access, is there any need to buy any food in there?

    The upgrade, you mentioned it had pool access?

    What would you recommend?, i have 5 nights, and had booked the Laguna Bali, but the difference in points with the Ritz would be around 5k Spg points only.

    1. Ricky YVR

      Hey,

      It may be an issue if you’re looking to explore the rest of the island, although taxis are always an inexpensive option. What we did was we stayed in Ubud for three nights, seeing the best of that area, before moving to Nusa Dua and just relaxing at the resort.

      Yes it’s US$58 per person per day for Gold members I believe (I’m Gold). There’s a 21% tax and service charge added to all your expenses at the resort.

      No need to buy food in the Ritz-Carlton Club. Everything is free. And yes the standard upgrade is to the next room category, which would be the Sawangan Junior Suite with Pool Access (as opposed to the regular Sawangan Junior Suite).

      I’d highly recommend the Ritz, but the truth is that stunning resorts are a dime a dozen in Bali. I don’t think you can go wrong.

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