The Andaz Bali boasts a tropical, green setting and stylish rooms, but the service and organisation leave a lot to be desired. Read for yourself to discover why, despite its shortcomings, it could still be worth a visit!
Review #48
Table of contents
Destination
Andaz Bali is located in the heart of lively Sanur, not far from the island’s capital, Denpasar. Ngurah Rai International Airport is approximately 15 kilometres away.
Getting there
In Bali, you will usually arrive by plane at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, the island’s capital. If you are flying in from outside Indonesia, you will also need to clear immigration and pay your tourist tax. The process can take quite a long time, so we recommend that you prepare for both in advance. It’s really easy and quick to do the visa and tax online and you’ll be much quicker than most travellers. We arrived at the domestic terminal on a local flight and didn’t have to show any proof of visa or tax.
Outside the airport, you will be directed through a long line of shops before you even get to the pick-up point. Bear this in mind when organising your onward travel.
Alternatively, you can land at various ports by ferry – or, of course, in your own yacht 😉.
How to get to the resort
Bali doesn’t really have a well developed public transport network, so the car is usually the mode of transport of choice.
We travelled by grab from our previous hotel, Alila Villas Uluwatu, to Andaz Bali and it took us an incredible one and a half hours to cover the not too long distance! As soon as you arrive at the driveway of Andaz Bali in Sanur, you are asked if you are checking in, your name is checked against a list, your car and boot are checked and only then are you allowed to enter and drive up to the entrance.
As we got out of the car we were greeted in a very friendly manner and our suitcases was unloaded for us. After confirming that there were only two pieces of luggage, they were stored and later taken straight to our room.
Check-in
Once you get past the small water feature in the entrance area, you enter the large open lobby. We were warmly greeted and, after a brief explanation that we were checking in, were ushered to one of the side seats. The very tasty and cold welcome drink and a cool, fragrant towel arrived fairly quickly.
There is no real “reception” here. On the right side of the room is a block with the computers and a large flower arrangement on it. This is where the receptionists work and you can always go there if you happen to have any questions.
We left our passports to be scanned and were then able to complete all the formalities at our seat, were informed that our room was ready and also received confirmation that we had booked a Hyatt Priveé rate and that this included the following benefits:
- 100 dollar credit
- Upgrade to the next room category
- Early check-in (subject to availability)
- Late check-out (subject to availability)
- Complimentary breakfast for two
As we had Discoverist status with Hyatt in addition to this rate, we emailed in advance to see if we could get upgraded to a suite or villa – unfortunately, our request went unanswered. At check-in we raised the issue again and asked, but were initially refused. Upon askeing again if there was any chance of getting a villa, we were told that a villa was available for an extra charge. However, this surcharge was the normal price of a booking – but we had already paid the not particularly cheap price for our room. So we thankfully declined the offer.
After checking in, we were escorted to our room and given a little more information about the hotel on the way.
By the way, the room cards are handed over in a small folder that also contains a map of the resort and a card with a QR code that you can use to access all sorts of information about the hotel. As part of Andaz Bali’s commitment to sustainability, the folder is made locally and the room cards are made from bamboo.
Andaz Bali at a glimpse
Andaz Bali opened in December 2018 and offers 149 rooms, including 12 suites and 22 villas. It shares the property and various facilities, such as the gym and spa, with its sister hotel Hyatt Regency Bali. The various blocks of up to two-storey hold the rooms and are spread throughout the property. The garden pool villas are divided into Dukuh (note: right on the road) and Dangin (better located by the pool). The Andaz Bali also offers four Beach Villas – but these are located directly on the boardwalk and have no (!) direct access to the beach! The area reserved for the individual beachfront villas is fully visible and you have to cross the boardwalk to get to the water.
Above is the private area of the beach villas as seen from the promenade.
Adjoining to the large open lobby is the Village Square, around which the lounge, studio and 4 of the 5 restaurants are located. The Quiet Pool is at the back of the resort, with the other pools at the front, facing the beach. This is also where you will find Andaz Bali’s 5th restaurant.
The entire resort is beautifully landscaped and, even after such a short time since opening, has grown with beautiful tropical plants.
Room
As always, we also booked the cheapest room here at the Andaz Bali Рin this case a King Garden View room Рwith the Hyatt Prive̩ rate, which includes an upgrade subject to availability, and were upgraded to a King Deluxe room accordingly.
Our block was Daja D and consisted of the first and second floors, with a deluxe room on the side of the upper floor with a slightly larger balcony. Room number 2213 was to be ours for the night.
It’s important to mention that the first floor is only accessible via a staircase – you should definitely bear this in mind if climbing stairs is a problem for you.
Welcome
As we got to our room, we were shown around and our suitcases were delivered straight away. The welcome gifts were waiting for us on the table. As well as fruit, sweets and 3 (!) welcome gifts, there were two cold bottles of the hotel’s own beer.
Walk-in closet
Opposite the front door in the Deluxe rooms is a fairly large walk-in wardrobe. Straight ahead is the safe and drawers, and to the right is a large shelf with a clothes rail running the length of it. There are also drawers in the storage shelf.
Here you will also find the iron and ironing board, as well as slippers, everything for shoe care and dry cleaning. There is also a set of bathroom scales.
Living room and bedroom
Past the walk-in wardrobe you enter the shared living and sleeping area. The bed dominates the centre of the room, opposite is a sideboard with a large TV. In front of the floor-to-ceiling patio window is a large, comfortable sofa and round table.
The super-comfortable king-size bed has two pillows of the same size, but of different firmness, for each sleeper, and a cosy large blanket for both. On either side of the bed are bedside tables with drawers, well-labelled light switches and charging points. The telephone is on the left and a radio with clock and alarm on the right.
Inside the sideboard, the two large drawers below hold the refrigerated minibar, while the drawers above hold crockery, snacks and teas. On the worktop, there is a capsule coffee maker on the left and a teapot with cups on the right. So you have everything you need to make coffee and tea. The whole range is included in the price, and replenished daily.
In front of the patio door is a cosy deep couch with a small stool and a round table where you can eat comfortably.
Bathroom
The beautifully large bathroom runs the length of the room, with entrances from the bedroom on either side of the sideboard.
To the left of the main entrance there is a walk-in rain shower with hand shower and stool. In-house brand shampoo, body wash and conditioner are provided.
The washbasin has two basins and provides water for brushing teeth, as well as body lotion and soap. Amenities and a hairdryer are stored in drawers under the basins.
At the far end of the room, in front of the patio door, there is a large freestanding bathtub. Andaz Bali provides a bath bomb and a Loofa sponge.
Washroom
The high-tech, Japanese-style toilet is located in a separate room at the entrance to the room.
Turndown
Andaz Bali also offers guests a turndown service and while you dine in the evening, the hardworking housekeeping team will prepare your room for the night. Bed rugs and slippers are placed on both sides of the bed, and water and glasses are placed on each bedside table. The curtains are drawn and the lights are turned up to a cosy level. The room is tidied up and, if necessary, toiletries are refilled in the bathroom.
Terrace
At the end of the room is a truly impressive terrace. A large, deep 1.5 seater sofa with side table can be comfortably placed here, and even an added table and two chairs don´t make the space feel cramped or crowded.
View
The view from the large terrace overlooks a small square between three houses with rooms and the back of the studio. The whole area, like the rest of the property, is beautifully overgrown with tropical greenery. The buildings opposite are barely visible through the thick vegetation.
Lagoon Access Rooms
Between the village square with its restaurants and the beach restaurant there are two buildings with rooms, where first floor rooms have access to two lagoons, which are exclusively accessible by guests occupying these room types. We were able to get a few impressions from the path – but the whole area is barely visible and beautifully landscaped (see the two pictures on the right).
There is also another lagoon off the main pool with rooms that get exclusive access to it. These rooms are much more exposed to the public eye, but closer to the beach (left picture).
Lounge
The Andaz Lounge is similar in concept to a club lounge at other hotels, but at Andaz Bali it is open to all guests and offers a reduced range of food and drinks. In the afternoons, the variety expands a little, but it is not to be mistaken for a real club lounge where guests are invited to enjoy afternoon cocktails.
Resort activities
Liang Beachfront Pool
The large swimming pool is located right by the beach promenade and is open to all guests. There is a choice of standard sun loungers and sun beds, as well as four-poster beds. Not too many options are available right by the pool, but there are plenty of places to relax on the sand in front of the pool and along the promenade – these also extend to the outdoor area of the beach restaurant. During our stay, everything was quite full and there weren’t many free sunbeds.
And you have to bear in mind that the beach promenade is very busy and all the passers-by also check out the resort, so you’re pretty much on show… You really need to like that to be honest – we felt rather on display when relaxing by the pool. All pool activities, such as aqua aerobics, take place in this pool and it is usually very busy due to the many families staying at the resort.
Santhi Silent Pool
At the back of the resort, off the beaten track and completely surrounded by rooms, is the Quiet Pool (we also call it the Adults Only Pool). Unfortunately, no one was lying here during our stay, which we thought was a real shame. The area is beautifully landscaped and it really does feel like you’re right in a jungle.
Alit Kid´s Pool
This shallow pool is located just off the large pool by the beach and is reserved for children and their families.
Beach
The beach at Andaz Bali is separated from the hotel grounds by a public walkway. There is only one row of sun loungers with parasols. Bali is not the best destination for swimming in the sea, as the tides are relatively strong here and there is not much sea left to swim in at low tide.
Fitness Center
As the Andaz Bali shares some facilities with its sister hotel, the Hyatt Regency Bali, the fitness centre is located on the premises of the neighbouring hotel.
Spa
The spa is the same as the fitness centre. Both are located on the grounds of the Hyatt Regency – if you would like to see more of both of these areas, please feel free to also read our review of the Hyatt Regency Bali.
Kids Club
The Kid’s Club Kemu Mai is located at the back of the hotel grounds. Here the little ones can let off steam with fun and games, where different activities are on offer every day.
Bicycle rental
The Andaz Bali offers guests the opportunity to hire bicycles free of charge to explore the beach promenade. However, you are not allowed to take the bikes on a ride through the streets of Sanur as it is really too dangerous – I experienced this first hand in Ubud. Just don’t do it with the crazy traffic on Bali’s roads – it’s no fun anyway! Believe me!
You can just go to one of the staff by the pool and get the bikes on the spot. But please be informed that unfortunately they are not very well maintained.
Special features
The Turtle Nursery, located on the beach promenade between the Andaz Bali and Hyatt Regency hotels, is an exciting place to visit. Here you can learn about and see first-hand how turtles are protected and raised on the island of Bali, so that they are not being harmed on the crowded beaches before they hatch and are better able to survive once released into the sea.
Known clutches of eggs are transferred to the nursery and the hatchlings are raised until they are ready to be released into the sea. Sick or injured turtles are also cared for and nursed back to health.
Restaurants
Village Square
The Andaz Bali has a total of 5 restaurants, with the Fisherman’s Club by the beach and the other 4 restaurants grouped around the Village Square. In the evening, you can sit wherever you like and still be served food from all the restaurants.
Wok Wok
This restaurant serves Indonesian food for lunch and dinner.
Blue Oven
Here you can enjoy Mediterranean delicacies for lunch and dinner.
Fire Fox
This Asian steakhouse serves grilled meat and fish for dinner and you can even share a Korean barbecue table.
Deli & Bakery
Located between the restaurants is a covered outdoor bar, which at the Andaz Bali is home to the desserts and café.
Fischerman´s Club
Located next to the main pool and right by the beach promenade, this is the only restaurant at Andaz Bali that is not integrated into the Village Square. The restaurant serves Indonesian and international cuisine, with a focus on fish, for lunch and dinner. There is also a special menu for guests wishing to dine by the pool and a dedicated menu with great options for the kids.
We spent an afternoon by the pool and chose a sun lounger right next to the restaurant, but were not served water, nor were we greeted or welcomed by the staff. The used crockery of guests who had used the space before us was still lying around and was only cleared up at our request.
We wanted to order but it was extremely difficult to get the attention of the staff. And once our food arrived, there was a lot of confusion about where to put our drinks – as if this was the first time this had happened. We were then left alone with the empty tray until I took it to the counter myself 20 minutes later, in total annoyance. This was all the more surprising as we sat perhaps 15 metres from the nearest service point, which was mostly manned by several staff.
Interestingly, we weren’t the only ones who were treated this way, as there were empty glasses and eaten trays all over the place. And thats not exactly a pretty sight considering that we’re still talking about a still rather new 5-star hotel!
Breakfast
Andaz Bali offers a la carte breakfast only at Village Square. All of the restaurants in the Square join together in the mornings, so you can sit anywhere and get the same menu at every table.
You are greeted at the entrance sign and taken to your seat. Unfortunately, this didn’t work very well for us. We chose a table that had just become vacant and was still been cleared, which took quite a while, so we were seated at the bar first to wait for the table to be ready. While the table was still being cleared, another staff member simply sat another family there.
That caused a bit of a stir. Not that there’s anything wrong with other people sitting there, but it was very disorganised. We then had to wait for the next vacant space, which meant we easily waited 20 minutes without getting a table for breakfast. I’m not very good at dealing with that in the morning, to be honest.
Basically, all the dishes on the menu are ordered and served at your table, but you can also simply go and help yourself from the buffet. Personally, I found the selection a bit odd – I didn’t read the menu carefully and ordered the French toast as usual, which came with a scoop of ice cream as standard. Somehow a strange combination for breakfast to me…
Check-out
To check out, our luggage was kindly collected at the room and prepared for loading into the car. (Again, remember that the luggage has to be carried down the stairs from the second floor!)
As usual, check-out time is 12:00, and we decided to leave earlier, even though late check-out until 16:00 had already been confirmed. Regrettably, our timing was not very good and we arrived in the lobby at 12:15 – just as the worst 12:00 check-out time hustle and bustle went on. Unfortunately, the open layout of the room didn’t help with the check-in process, but we only stood around awjwardly for a moment before a lady approached us and checked us out in a very friendly and competent manner. The bill had to be adjusted as the $100 hotel credit still needed to be deducted, but this was then handled without any further problems.
She asked again how our stay had been and we evolved in a short chat. It turned out that she was the manager on duty and had heard about our problems. She then thanked us for our feedback and kindly gave us two coasters and Andaz wristbands as an apology.
Costs
For that one night at the Andaz Bali, we paid IDR 6,273,197 for the Hyatt Priveé rate including benefits, which was the equivalent of 372.50 euro at the time of our stay.
Departure and onward journey
From the Andaz Bali we took a grab back to the airport, ending our Bali tour. We were given two bottles of water on the way and it took us almost three-quarters of an hour to cover the short distance. Bear this in mind when planning your trip!
Conclusion
We were extremely disappointed with the Andaz Bali on site – but afterwards we got a little more positive. Somehow we are left with mixed feelings and couldn´t quite make anything of it.
On the one hand, the hotel shines with beautiful, spacious new rooms and lovely green grounds. Personally, I find the lobby situation impractical and it stresses me out that there is no clear order or anything like that. The service was always rather helpful during our stay, but unfortunately not really to the point, and to be honest I found the beach promenade, which cuts off the hotel from the beach, to be extremely annoying – a beach doesn’t always have to belong exclusively to a hotel. Beaches are open to the public all over Thailand. But this promenade really made us feel like we were on display.
Our recommendation
We recommend the Andaz Bali, especially for families. There are plenty of things for the little ones to do and the hotel is full of playmates! Couples and single travellers who don’t mind the latent family party atmosphere can have a great time here, but if you’re looking for peace, relaxation and wellness, the Andaz Bali may not be the right choice for you – we can recommend other hotels for that! And Business travellers are obviously not the right clientele for this hotel.
Hotel Homepage
Rating
We award Andaz Bali 7 out of 10 possible points.
One point is deducted for the check-in situation with the astronomical price for an upgrade to a villa, another one is deducted for the service situation by the pool and one last point is deducted for the placement at breakfast.
We place Andaz Bali in the premium segment.
Go there?
Yes and no. If the hotel suits you – definitely go for it. But as someone without a family and/or child(ren), I would think twice about staying at Andaz Bali!
Our small Bali round trip
Are you also interested in other hotels in Bali? Then feel invited to also read our other reviews of Alila Ubud, Hyatt Regency Bali, Alila Villas Uluwatu and La Reserve 1785 – we’d be delighted if you´d stay tuned.
YouTube Review
And for more great pictures and a better insight into Andaz Bali, check out our YouTube review. Have fun with it!
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Great review as always! Been wondering how’s the inside of it since I’ve been driving past this resort a couple of times before and now I finally got to see it from your blog 🙂
Just a little correction, Andaz Bali was previously an empty land (based on Google Street View imagery from 2013) and Grand Nikko Bali was originally located at Nusa Dua at the southern most part of the island from 1996 until it moved out to Tanjung Benoa in the 2010s by acquiring another hotel. The old Grand Nikko is now the Hilton Bali. I know this because I had lived in Bali for almost 15 years so I know a little bit of some hotel history in Bali.
Btw, the beach promenade was my favorite route for morning cycling almost every week as it’s really nice 🙂
Dear Editya,
it´s so nice to read from you again as a loyal member of you crew!
And thank you very much for your comment! We very much appreciate it.
Initially we did a quick research and found an article stating, that Andaz Bali was built on the ground of the former Grand Nikko Hotel.
But after reading your text we dug a little deeper and discovered that you were very much right.
Accordingly to this I removed the respective part from our homepage.
We are very grateful to have such attentive readers! Thank you.
Regarding your cycling routine I can very much relate that the promenade is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the fabulous balinese nature. I would probably do the same.
Greetings to Bali
Fabi & Micha
You’re welcome. Online sources can sometimes a bit inaccurate but I’m glad that I’ve helped you a bit about the history of this resort. Looking forward for your Hyatt Regency Sanur article 🙂
In my opinion, Sanur is a good place to stay as it’s much more cleaner and queter compared to the busting Kuta or Seminyak area, which is why it is a favorable place for retirees in Bali.