Bali: Hotels

We stayed in 2 different hotels in Bali and I absolutely love both the hotels!!!

The first 3 nights, we stayed in Ramayana Resort & Spa which was located right in the heart of Kuta and within walking distance to the famous Kuta beach. Though we were located right in the heart of town, there was this feeling of tranquility when we were within the hotel compound. The hotel was surrounded by beautiful blooming tropical gardens with small water gardens and a nice pool.

Because of our packed itinerary, Alan and I made sure we wake up on time every morning for their breakfast. Breakfast is served at the coffee house next to the pool.

The room was cozy, clean and comfortable too.

Plus, it was very near the Kuta beach.

Since we had a pack itinerary, we didn't spent too much time at the beach but I managed to get a manicure and pedicure at the beach:

The best part about living right in the center of Kuta is that there are plenty of places to shop. There are large shopping boutiques like D&G, Quiksilver, Roxy and more!

Heck, there are even McD and Starbucks here.

At night, we only had to walk to the entrance of the hotel for drinks.

On our last 2 days in Bali, we moved to Nusa Dua. We stayed in Melia Benoa Resort which was located just next to Club Med. This is the lobby where they served us the welcome drinks:

The concept here is totally different from Ramayana. While Ramayana was all about the convenience of being located right in the middle of the town and yet offered the tranquility of a peaceful surrounding, Melia Benoa offers privacy and was near secluded as we didn't bump into anyone at all.

Within the hotel compound, there were beautiful landscaping with ponds of various shapes and sizes. The compound was wayyy larger than Ramayana:

There was also this nice swimming pool with a bar next to pool:

Room wise, we stayed in a suite thus the room was extra large! Here's where the bed is:

Followed by the chill out area next to the bed.

The study area and oh the TV can be turned 180 degree around the suite.

The large window panes which offers plenty of sunshine. Words can't describe the happiness of waking up to a beautiful morning! Just by looking at the bright sunny day outside, one could smile endlessly!

Our balcony which faces the pool:

Though Ramayana was a walking distance from the beach, Melia Benoa has its own private beach!

The beach was nicely landscaped too:

Unlike Ramayana, there was nothing to shop near the surrounding of the resort, thus we took the couple spa package. This was our first spa experience. Sure, I've been to massages and reflexology before but spa... this was really my first time let alone a couple spa. Here's the entrance to the spa:

We took the complete package that offered feet scrub, massage, honey body wrap, green tea body scrub, herbal bath and facial honey mask. The entire package took a couple of hours. We left the spa feeling relaxed, rejuvenated and recharged! Not to mention smooth too... hehehe...

So if you ask me which hotel I prefer, I would say I like them both.

Ramayana is in the middle of everything from booze to shopping places to the beach. While Melia Benoa has the privacy that is hard to get in KL. If you want to spend quality time with your other half, Melia Benoa is definitely the place to be. Plus, the private beach way nicer than the crowded Kuta beach!