This was our second stay at the Melia Bali, our first was 5 years ago, pre Covid. We had an amazing time first time round so decided to give it another go. This time we booked “Level” Junior Suite with Lagoon Pool Access. We arranged hotel pick up and it was an absolute winner (last time was a nightmare when we booked an external airport transfer). Driver took care of luggage for my wife (Massive suitcase!). Had a great chat on the way to the hotel about changes over the last 5 years and how Bali had coped with the pandemic. Did not get the dudes name, wish I had just to give him a mention! Again at the hotel, we did not have to mess about with getting luggage out of car. (Decent sized car as well). No messing about with cash and paying as sorted via the hotel (Think it was about £13 GBP) Check in was awesome. In the level lounge / Lobby bar with our dedicated contact. (Yudi) Got all the formalities sorted whilst being plied with cocktails, canapes, snacks, beer, carved coconuts and cold towels! What becomes very apparent is that the Balinese are so happy to see tourism pick up especially by return guest visits. Yudi took care of all our restaurant bookings for the 2 weeks we were there (even though we did swap and change bookings due to doing other things) I would recommend doing this as soon as you get there. As stated you can always chop and change (to a certain extent). Off we went to our room and we were very happy with what was allocated to us. Although it was a trek down to the beach and the pool from our room. The benefit was that it was always super peaceful at all times of the day. The room was spotless clean, well presented and plenty of room for the 2 of us. Big bathroom, plenty of closet space, huge bed, sofa area, dressing area and dinning table. All this with the addition of a nice terrace out to the swim up pool that snakes around the hotel blocks. (If possible next time I would ask for Block 1 room 20, corner plot, biggest part of pool! We were room 21!). I’m really glad to report that even though I had seen reports on TripAdvisor about staffing levels and therefore service levels being poor earlier in the year. There was more than enough staff at the times that really counted. By that I mean generally after 10:30am. Always plenty of staff in and around the “Level” pool and beach area and nothing was too much trouble for those guy’s. Moving sunbeds, drinks, more towels, health drinks (apparently). One thing I would say is that I think the main bar area by the beach prefer people to be table seated for food and drink in terms of customers experienced of speed of service. If you are just sat at the bar. You generally get stuck behind some pretty hefty big drinks orders from table service. Generally this in only between 7pm and 10pm other than this it is fine. Although not really mentioned on these review sites. I would like to recognise the security staff as well. Always subtle in their work but strict enough to make sure they moved on none hotel residents, none “Level” residents and kids (sorry) out of the adults only allocated “Level” areas. (Not an easy job and they were excellent). Going back to the service in the “Level” area’s you cannot fault the attentiveness and endeavour the staff have in these areas. They really make an effort to get to know you, especially if you are there for a decent length of time. Big shout and massive thanks go out to Darma, Oka, Arta and Juni who made us feel like a million dollars looking after our every need. One observation the “Level” beach area I feel needs to be a little bigger or, restrict the number of “Level” guests as a couple of times we had to use the normal beach until a space became available for us. However the same staff did still make sure they had us covered. “Level” Pool area is great, very peaceful apart from the day it was my wife’s birthday when it got a little raucous (sorry if you were there!). Super clean and as stated very well staffed. Our main dining area was Sateria Beachfront Restaurant and I would say apart from the days we spent in Seminyak we had about 80% of our meals here. Massive hugs of thanks to Aris who was an absolute superstar and looked after us for the majority of our meals even if we were in another servers area. He definitely provided proper service with a smile and a chat. Top bloke. Rahayu was one of the supervisor hosts and we actually remembered her from our previous stay at Melia. Again a massive asset to the hotel. Making sure we were looked after and trying her level best to get us seated in our preferred places on the decking area so we could watch the sea as we ate, chatted and generally took advantage of the fantastic All Inclusive drinks and food on offer at Melia. 100% the best AI have ever experienced. Please work your way through the menu it is a great selection and tasted awesome. (Although I could have easily survived of Squid and Wagyu Steaks for 2 weeks!) Sortento the Spanish Restaurant doubles up as the “Level” breakfast area in the morning and then defaults back to a restaurant in the evening. For me the breakfast is a bit too formal for someone who does not really do breakfast. But, if you do, then it’s a pleasant treat for you without the chaos of the families with young kids spinning around the buffet in the main El patio restaurant. (Nothing against families and kids, been there done that, but it’s nice to have peaceful spaces to laze away your days! Being spoilt rotten by great service). In the evening the food is, again, fabulous, with great service. I would really, really, really recommend the Pork Rib Tomahawk! Wow, the seasoning was amazing and although it was way too big for one person. I polished the lot off! So, good food, good service, good wine. Make sure you visit this place. El patio is the buffet style restaurant and to be honest we only had a quick look around. I would suggest that this is a location to eat if you cannot get into any of the other restaurants. Happy to take feedback on this. But, just seemed to offer a bit of what the other restaurants offered. Still looked good and s a really good safety net is you cannot get into a main restaurant. Lotus Asian Restaurant. First time I ate hear, 5 years ago, it really turned me onto noodle dishes and true Asian flavours! This time around the flavouring seemed to be a little turned down and a little less attention to the finish of each dish ordered. It is still very tasty in a “westernised” way. But, not near the true Balinese flavours we experiences last time. The show was still great and well worth a watch and just had to do all the same selfies again. (5 years deffo makes a difference!). In terms of service. I can report that this was spot on and even though the place was full we never had to wait long for attention to order and / or drinks to arrive. Sakura Japanese Restaurant. This was the biggest disappointment of the vacation. It had just reopened the day before we went and we had purposely aimed to book for my Wife’s birthday. We booked a teppanyaki table for 4, My wife and I along with a lovely couple who we had met in Mauritius earlier in the year who had become good friends and by pure coincidence were in Bali at the same time and same place, small world! We had to pay extra for the teppanyaki “experience” and got a portion of steak between 2 that would not feed a mouse. I have been a fair few teppanyaki places in my time. Indeed, we have a great one in my local village. The chef made no attempt to build entertainment value with us, none of the onion volcanos, egg flips and fancy chopping skills. Just a case of cook, plate and eat! For a restaurant charging a premium this needs to be addressed and made better. Everyone we spoke to said the same. However, the standard menu table service was very well received by the people we spoke to. So still a positive note for the place. All across the 2 weeks our main man Yudi would rock up in various places making sure we were happy with our vacation and if we needed anything else. Organising taxi’s to various places and sorting special treats as it was my wife’s birthday and we were celebrating our 15 years anniversary that year (Had to make it a full year celebration!). Best daily schedule. Wake up, coffee by the pool at our room, get ready, get down to “Level” pool, set up sunbeds, off to Kopi Petani for healthy morning shake, back to Pool, work out when the tide is in!. Move to beach when tide is in. Lunch in the huts next the “Level” beach, (Pizza, Burger, Hotdog! I’m not sophisticated so love the odd bit of super tasty pleasure food) afternoon chilling by beach or pool, 4pm off to main bar for drinks, find a spot on the beach for the marshmallow toasting (Kids love this and it is really nice to see them toasting their own marshmallows on the open fire with their parents. Really special moment being made there for some families). Back to room at 7 (ish) get ready, hit one of the restaurants, watch the entertainment have a few drinks and back to room for a couple of nightcaps round our own pool. I cannot recommend this enough. 100% wonderful. One sad point – It was really awful to see that the Bali Collection was virtually closed down. A couple of hardy eateries braving it out. But, compared to the vibrant hub it was last time was were here; it is a sad sight. Recommendations outside of hotel. Please make the time to visit Mr Bobs for their Ribs or the Mie Goreng Ayam (Fried Noodles, Egg and Chicken satay) oh and the Tom Yam Gong (Spicy prawn soup). Great food and great staff. Top place. Yudi sorted our reservations from the hotel so no stress booking and getting their! So, in summary our second stay at Melia Bali was great and I would really recommend people to give it try. Beautiful Hotel, fantastic staff, good food, great ambiance. The All Inclusive is well worth it even if you do eat out on occasions and spend a few days in other town like we did. Again just to highlight some awesome people. Aris, Rahayu, Yudi, Darma, Oka, Juni. I did not get to see who looked after our room but wow what a worker another superstar. Would I come back? Oh yes. We are looking to rebook for this year at the same time (Sept 23) and we have already booked Melia Koh Samui for this April 2023! (Cannot get enough of this hotel chain!) Many thanks Melia for a really awesome holiday. Cannot wait to get back.

My wife, Marie, and I stayed at the Melia Resort mid January 2020 and enjoyed our time there immensely. The ambiance of the hotel reflects the importance and respect the hotel has for its Balinese heritage and culture. They have successfully combined the traditions of the region with a genuine touch of luxury. The staff obviously all take great pride in all their work from the warm welcome at reception to the gardening and maintenance teams. If you haven’t received at least 100 Good Mornings with bright smiles by mid-day it’s because you haven’t left your room! Accommodation options are extensive from nice to luxuriant offered through many different levels. Melia has a good sized lagoon, a children’s pool and a private pool for “The Level” guests. The resort has a private beach and again an extra private one for “The Level” guests. Many choices of activities are available including water aerobics, Bali Cooking class, dance exercise, yoga and many more. Our only point of discontent was the shower in our room. While water pressure was just acceptable the low height of the shower head and the fact the shower was located over the bath necessitating a step out over the rim to exit was not the best! Location of the resort is excellent, offering numerous restaurants, which are reasonably priced and provide an extensive choice of menus. However, if you are seeking a greater choice and some cheap eats out a large shopping complex, Bali Collection, is located an easy and safe 5 minute walk. There you will find some 30 restaurants (ok I didn’t really count but that is a conservative estimate), supermarkets, pharmacies, gift shops and massage/spa options. Consideration should be given when booking to upgrade to a room which entitles the guests to participate in the “Level” inclusions. They include dedicated registration and check out as well as complimentary tea and coffee during the day and evening cocktails and canapes. The service there is absolutely brilliant, so much so I can remember most of the names of the staff: Brilliantly managed by Yuliastuti, she has put together a dream team who pride themselves on delivering exemplary customer service, they know your name and preferences in no time -Ayu, Surya, Dika, Willi, Doni and of course Yudi. But its not just the experienced staff at “The Level”. The staff in the breakfast room running the impressive “Egg Station” (yes, the omelettes are brilliant) are all trainees, although you would never know it. Sugi, Wina,Yuni and Murkeni can cook an awesome egg! I can say that Marie and I will definitely go back.

We chose Melia Bali as we have stayed in other Melia hotels in the past. We were not disappointed, in fact this Hotel rates in our top two, throughout our extensive travel history. From the instant we arrived at the foyer, we were greeted with constant smiles and exceptional service. We opted for a lagoon access room with the level benefits, on an all inclusive basis. For a 14 night holiday AI and the Level upgrade is definitely worth it, as prices for food & drink can be expensive. We checked in at The Level reception, a great experience, air conditioned (33deg outside), glass of bubbly and a detailed explanation of all the benefits and hotel layout, by Yudi, who is a credit to the Hotel and their staff training programme. The level lounge also provides a base for Level guests throughout their stay, offering snacks and drinks along with very well informed staff members, all pleased to assist. Our room was perfect, spacious, spotless and led out onto a private patio into the lagoon pool, perfect for a cool off. Well stocked mini bar, with snacks, including Pringle and Oreos ! The hotel, we were amazed to learn is 34 years old, but in all honesty we felt it was relatively new, as it is immaculate, including the incredible mature landscaped gardens and water features, again the staff, without exclusion are always smiling and willing to say hello, they all do an incredible job to keep the hotel and gardens in such great condition. We visited all of the restaurants several times, each with great choices and excellent service. The Japanese and puri Bali were our personal favourites, but equally Sorrento, Santeria and El patio, provided great places to eat. Special thanks to Redi , Sayu, and Jordi. New Year’s Eve we had choices of places to eat, we chose Puri Bali, which was excellent and all included in our package, which was a first for us. The whole experience was unforgettable, including the Balinese dancers and amazing firework displays. The level package also allows guests to use a private pool and bar, which is where we spent most of our days. We have to say, the staff at the level pool were incredible, nothing was a problem, they provided an excellent service. Special thanks to Adi, Darma, Artha, Nova, Resti and Sari. You each made our holiday extra special, we hope to see each and everyone of you when we return. Overall, we would rate the location, quality and overall experience 10/10, we will definitely return in the near future. Although we have named a few members of staff who really provided excellent service, we experienced equally good service from all staff members, including the Spa. Good luck Yudi with the remainder of your training, we’re sure you will pass. Many thanks to Melia Bali for making our 2019 Christmas and New Year perfect. Best wishes for 2020. Nick & Sharon George