We stayed at this hotel over Christmas & New Year (24.12.05 – 7.1.06)
Room number 114 – ground floor overlooking the pool

Flew out of Manchester with Singapore Airlines and had two nights stopover in Singapore on the way out to Bali and on the return.

We arranged for the hotel to pick us up from the airport in the courtesy bus. No problems here and the driver was waiting for us with a signboard. The cost was 9 US dollars or 80,000 Rupiah. He was very pleasant and informative. I think it is slightly cheaper if you take one outside of the airport, but as 50,000 Rupiah is approx £3 it didn’t break the bank. Our first impressions of the Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel were not good. However, this quickly changed when we got into the reception area. I think that after the glitz of the Singapore hotels it is a little bit of a shock when you get to Bali, as some parts of the buildings all look as if they could do with a good jet clean. We soon found out that this was because of the high humidity and that the statues were all made of dark grey concrete. From the first moment we stepped into the hotel we were very well treated and nothing was too much trouble for any of the staff. The staff are very friendly and cannot do enough for you. We were presented with our room keys and vouchers for breakfast and discounts for the spa. We were then taken to our room by a porter who took charge of our cases and also explained how to use the a/c, TV etc.

The breakfast buffet is very good and caters for all tastes.

ROOM: Pleasant and roomy with a door directly out to a small patio and the pool area. Basic but had a comfortable double bed, TV, mini bar and cocktail cabinet, adequate wardrobe/drawer space (could do with more hangers), two armchairs and small table, dressing table, hairdryer in dressing table drawer (blow drying nozzle) – this was secured to the wall and could not be moved). Sockets are of the European type (2 pin), but there was one 3 pin plug on the cocktail cabinet. Two bottles of drinking water were delivered each day. Tea & coffee making facilities are available and these are also replenished daily.

BATHROOM: Not plush but adequate. Good shower over the bath that had hot water at all times, shower curtain. Wash basin unit with large mirrors on three walls. Flush toilet and tiled floor and walls. Towels were changed every day and toiletries replenished on a regular basis.

POOL TOWELS: Available at the pool – no payment required but you did have to sign for them.

SAFE: In room and free of charge.

You can book trips from the hotel and the service was very efficient. You also book outside as there are many tour operators that are after your business. Outside you will find taxi/mini cab drivers who will take your wherever you want to go and these are very cheap. We used the services of ‘Bobby’ who looked after us for two weeks. He took us all over the island and to places that were not on the regular tourist routes. His phone number is ------. He was very pleasant and only took us to where we wanted to go. The cost of a taxi to Kuta was approx £4/5 = 70,000 Rupiah. Sanur was 20,000 Rupiah that is approx £1.20 – about 10 mins away. Agree the price before you get in.

We only eat in the poolside restaurant and this was very good (Café Komodo). A little bit more expensive than outside, but worth it. We tended to go into Sanur or Kuta in the evening. The food is good and you can get western food if you want a change from the excellent Indonesian noodles and fried rice. The sate we had both in the evening and in the many beach bars was always very good. Alcohol is more expensive, but not over the top. The local wine (Hatten) is drinkable (usually Rosè). You can get Aussie wine, and this usually worked out at about £12.00 bottle.

GROUNDS: Very well kept. Meandering pool area and gardens with pools, fountains and statues. Lush tropical greenery and plants.

The hotel is situated in a street close to a beach that is not used by holidaymakers and is more for the locals. You can walk to the hotel beach if you want to – takes about an hour and is pleasant (turn right at the end of the road). You do have to run the gauntlet of lots of vendors who are keen to sell you there wares. We did this a few times, both ways but mostly took the hotel shuttle bus. The hotel section of the beach is a little disappointing. The access is over a really scruffy section and could be better. There are pool towels available and sun beds. There is only three parasols and these were always taken before 11.00am. If you want shade you will need to move your sun bed under the palm trees (oh dear what a hassle). With a little though the layout could be much better – two sunbeds with table and parasol. There is a small café where you can get snacks and drinks. You will be waiting on hand and foot and you really do not need to stray very far if this is what you want to do. You will be hassled by ladies who want to give you a massage, manicure and pedicure. Again very cheap and we took advantage of all three. The ladies are very pleasant and if you say no will go away. All other hotel beaches are the same and have their own set of ladies. The beach is okay but do not expect pristine soft white sandy beaches as in the Caribbean – they are more golden in colour and not as pretty. There are plenty of boat trips, pedalos, hang gliding etc to be had all along the beach area. Also many different bars and restaurants that offer good food at very cheap prices. Service at all is exceptional and friendly. Sometimes it can be a little slow, but it is hot all said and done and local beer (Bintan) is good.

Hotel is located on the quiet side of Sanur. It would rate a 3.5 just under a 4 star. Rooms are comfy and very clean. Bathrooms are a bit dated and need renovation. Staff are great and very helpful. For the price this hotel is great. If you don’t like catch lots of taxis or like lots of night life then this is not the place to say.

Hotel was lovely, but it was out of the way from the beach and Sanur town. There was nothing around to do round about. Apart from the Hotel restaurant there were only 4 small tavernas - best one was the "Corridor"

Bali was quite a disappointment, doubt I will be going back

We stayed at this hotel in February 2005. It has some definite pros and cons.

The cons: it's not directly on the beach, so it doesn't have any big "views" or direct beach access (the hotel is oriented around a nice inner courtyard/pool area). Rooms were on the small side. The Plaza is an older luxury hotel so it doesn't have the ambiance or services of a newer / more expensive hotel (like the Sanur Hyatt down the street).

The hotel at the edge of the Sanur tourist area, so it's a longer (and hotter) walk (or a short cab ride) to the Sanur main street (shopping, restaurants). The Sanur tourist zone is smaller than the Kuta zone, so it's less "first world / fully westernized" than Kuta is, and has fewer restaurants, shops, bars, etc. The Sanur beach is OK but overall not as nice or pretty as other beaches (Kuta, Nusa Dua, Jimbaran). There also aren't as many water sports options (parasail, banana boat, diving, etc) at Sanur compared to Nusa Dua.

But this hotel has a lot of pros: it's much more affordable than the higher-end luxury hotels (Hyatts, Four Seasons, etc.). By contrast, we had drinks and dinner at the Sanur Hyatt and it was expensive (full American prices, $20 for fruit drinks and $70 for dinner). The Plaza's common spaces and our room were very clean. Staff was pleasant and helpful. Food at the hotel was fine, with several restaurants and bar areas, including poolside. Pool was very nice. Hotel has a spa. Beach is only a 5 min walk away.

There are a number of pleasant restaurants and bars in Sanur, both on the main Sanur street or in the adjoining big hotels. You can walk to them via street or along the beach, or take a a taxi for a dollar or two, there are drivers everywhere offering to drive you. (Check balieats for restaurant recommendations.) If you need western food, Dunkin Donuts and KFC are across the street, as is a nice jazz club, bakery, and restaurant (we had lunch there and it was good).

This hotel great for people-watching, very international: most high end hotels in Bali seem to get dominated by one type of tourist or another (mostly Australians, or mostly Japanese, or mostly local/Indonesian, etc.) but you see a big mix of people at the Plaza. The Plaza has become a place where well-off locals have their wedding parties, etc. so the lobby is always full of people coming and going.

The hotel is a very convenient location if you want to stay near the beach but you're also doing driving tours to the rest of the island. Almost all the island's tourist spots (Ubud, various temples, etc.) are north of Sanur / Denpasar / Jimbaran / Nusa Dua, and traffic is heavy and driving slow. From Sanur, Ubud is only 45 min away, so it's easy to go to Ubud just for the day. If you're down in the Nusa Dua area, it's a 45-min drive just to get to Sanur.

Overall, I would recommend this hotel, as long as the person was aware of the pros and cons. If somebody was only in Bali to do a beach vacation and wanted to pampered and never leave the hotel, then there are other hotels in Nusa Dua or Jimbaran Bay that would offer a better (if more expensive) experience.