A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to check out W Bali – Seminyak! One of the best aspiring properties in town that everyone raves about. This is especially popular in the region and of course for Marriott Bonvoy members. Imagine the ocean being at the footstep of your room, tons of restaurants and shops less than 5 mins away? The W Bali Seminyak offers it all! This is also a reason why this property is so famous. More than frequent, you are only able to choose one, either a peaceful resort or being close to the centre of everything. Yet, W Bali Seminyak brings you a little oasis of what you usually get in Benoa or Nusa Dua. You are right in the middle of the bustling Seminyak. With the W signature playful teases and tropical vibes, I am excited to see how they can command this price demand.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
The W Bali sits in the middle of the prime Seminyak area which is often known as the “town” of Bali. With Jl. Petitenget just outside the resort, it comes with an enclave of restaurants, bars and shops. W Bali has a good mixture of both the typical rooms and suites as well as villas. Seeing The World In Steps stayed as a guest of W Bali – Seminyak. My media stay booked me into their Spectacular Ocean Facing room. Thank you for inviting me! If you would like to stay here, the best way to stay here will be thru booking via a luxury agent. From booking a Marriott Luminous rate, you basically pay the best available rate and enjoy additional perks such as complimentary daily breakfast for two people, early check-in & late check-out (subject to availability), complimentary room upgrade (subject to availability at check-in), local welcome amenity as well as a hotel credit valued at 100USD once per stay. This is a no-brainer. This rate is especially lucrative when you are doing a one-night stay. Currently, Marriott Luminous have a stay 5 pay 4 promotion for W Bali Seminyak. It helps at least a little since W Bali is by no means on the affordable side.
This is a Category 8 hotel and you can book an award stay from around 44,000 to 70,000 points per night depending on when would you like to stay. W Hotels have a unique naming for their rooms and suites and it is no different here at W Bali. Starting with the Wonderful room to the Marvelous suite. They have one of the largest rooms in Bali and coming at 64 Sqm for the base-level rooms, they are spacious. Guests will also appreciate that the rooms come in both king beds or double queen beds for twin configurations. That will be comfortable for bigger groups rather than just those squeezy twin single beds. For those who require some additional space, the Marvelous Suite boasts a mind-boggling 127 Sqm that will surely ensure a comfortable time here. Then you have the Villas which are just perfect for parties and hen nights. W Bali features 229 guest rooms, suites and villas spread across 8 categories. All room types here come with a bathtub and private pool for their villas.
| Rooms | Bathtub | Room Size | No.of Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wonderful Garden Escape | Yes | 64 Sqm | 75 |
| Spectacular Ocean Facing | Yes | 64 Sqm | 76 |
| Marvelous One Bedroom Suite | Yes | 127 Sqm | 4 |
| Marvelous One Bedroom Pool Villa | Yes & Private Pool | 225 Sqm | 58 |
| Wow Two Bedroom Larger Suite | Yes | 274 Sqm | 1 |
| Wow Two Bedroom Pool Villa | Yes & Private Pool | 352 Sqm | 10 |
| Extreme Wow Two Bedroom Bi-level Suite | Yes | 532 Sqm | 1 |
| Extreme Wow Three Bedroom Pool Villa | Yes & Private Pool | 625 Sqm | 4 |
Checking In
I arrive shortly after 10am and made it a point to cater more time exploring the sprawling grounds. Much of the space between the main street and the main building are the villas while the rooms and suites are in the main building which is located near the beach. I love the vibes here, the W brand resonates so well with Bali! Upon entering the entryway lined up with trees, you entered into the W oasis! What a lovely sight. There is a security checkpoint where the car is screened and everything was perfect from this point onwards. The security guard gave me a warm welcome to W Bali.
Once on the hotel grounds, it is as if you are transiting from Bali into a totally different place. The bellboy immediately came over to help me with my bags. They are so polished and even assist in checking if there is anything left behind in the car. The lobby is airy and gorgeous with the bold decor of W branding in those striking purple colours.
Check in was prompt and fast. A welcome drink is offered and the staff ask for your preference for an alcoholic drink or non-alcoholic drink. It was a choice between roselle tea or rose wine. The shot of rose was great to get the W mood on, ready to party all day, all night!
My room is not ready at this time which is understandable and I took the time to explore some of the hotel facilities and grounds. My room ends up being ready around 1.30pm. Buggy services are offered for those who are staying in the villas since they are located far away from the main building. You can also use it to get between the main building and the entrance. They call their buggy WHEELS! How cute is that!
Spectacular Ocean Facing Room
My room is located on the fourth floor, at the end of the corridor in room 428. I had quite a hard time finding the room at first as I didn’t realise that the number are scribbled on the stones hanging outside. It is a cute design but at the first look, you might not be able to tell the room number as they are painted in almost the same colour as the stones. Perhaps a black font would make it more prominent from the white stones.
W does have its vibes and theme. It is just on point here as you enter your room with the sound system blasting out music. The room doors are behind a set of double doors which allow the room and the one next to it to be combined into connecting rooms. This will be good for bigger groups. I was so happy to have the sight of the ocean in front of me when I first entered the room. The tons of natural light with the faint sound of the waves crashing is such a great welcome.
The spectacular Ocean Facing room measures 64 Sqm and it is so spacious. The room comes in a pale green palette that goes well with the tropical vibe. The highlight here is the ocean view but let me come back to it later on. Immediately on your right, you have three huge spacious wardrobes. The sheer amount of space is great for any length of stay. I can easily fit all of my suitcases inside. It is also equipped with a safe, an ironing kit, bath slippers, bathrobes as well as a portable clothing rack. The hairdryer can be found here too as well as extra pillows. Those mood lightings are cute.
On the left, you can find the bathroom and I love the look of it. The bathroom comes with double sinks located on both sides and all sorts of amenities are provided from a dental kit to a comb. Toiletries are from Oaken Lab, a local brand. This is different from the usual Bliss products.
The toilet and the shower are located on opposite sides and look how cute this figuring is in the toilet!
The shower room is very spacious and you should have no issue sharing it with your partner! You have both a standing shower as well as a freestanding deep-soaking bathtub inside. I love the concept as you can simply get from the tub to the shower by crossing over and preventing water from dripping all over the bathroom. The tub is super spacious and deep, perfect for a soak with your partner. I appreciated that a bath pillow is provided here! The shower comes with both a rainforest shower head as well as a handheld one. Water pressure and temperature control are good. I do feel that they had missed out on the layout. A switch in the location of the shower room and the toilet would give you the ocean view while soaking in the tub. That would be perfect.
The minibar is set up in a gorgeous chest and is fully equipped with drinks and boozes. You have some packaged tea and local Bali filter coffee. I do wish that they had an actual coffee machine in the room. Complimentary bottles of mineral water are provided. These are refilled during daily housekeeping and turndown service.
There is a sliding door that separates the bedroom from the entrance and the bathroom itself which makes the bedroom it very cosy.
You can find the king-size bed in the middle. The bedding and mattress here are posh and high quality. I had such a great sleep with the plush pillows which offer great neck support. The mattress is a little on the softer side but so plush and comfy as you sink in slightly into the mattress. I fell into a deep slumber every night. On both sides of the bed, you can find nightstands and it is equipped with multiple power outlets as well as controls for the lighting. I do wish that they had controls for the blinds and sheers here as well but sadly they are manually operated. There is an ottoman in front of the bed for some additional seating and storage.
Opposite the bed, you can find the work desk which is a long table along the wall and the high-quality flat screen smart TV mounted on the wall. The TV is high-quality and a good size for the room. It comes with a good number of cable TV channels and you can also stream content from your phone to the television. A Bose Bluetooth speaker is equipped in the room too. I have to commend that they had all sorts of power outlets and even adapters for HDMI and USB nicely installed above the desk so that you can easily connect your laptop or devices to the television. The armchair offers decent back support for a short period of working.
In the corner of the room, you can find an L-shaped couch. It is always nice to have a separate seating area in your room other than the bed itself. With this set-up, the room could easily be a junior suite. The sofa set could sit 3 to 4 people and surrounds a circular coffee table that is large enough to act as a dining table if you order room service or have some takeaway. It would be a delight to dine in the room with this view and the faint sound of the wave crashing.
Now let me come to the view! The amazing selling point of this Spectacular Ocean Facing room! The ocean view together with the resort grounds makes up such an idyllic, jaw-dropping view!
The spacious balcony is of a good size and comes equipped with a daybed as well as an armchair. This is the perfect spot to gaze down the sunset, have a cup of coffee or read a book. I took so many pictures here. Who says that you can only choose between an ocean view or a pool view, have you have the best of both worlds! This is one room where you should sleep with the curtains open. In fact, if you love to sleep with some white noise, the faint sound of the waves crashing will be perfect. A soothing lullaby!
Turndown service is offered in the evening. There is nothing much to fault about the room here. Despite the place being 10 to 11 years old, everything is still very well maintained. I wish that if they had a chance to renovate or remodel some of the rooms in the future, they should do something better for the bathroom.
WET
W Bali always has playful names for their facilities and restaurants and of course, this includes their pool and gym. It is so fun and hyped. The pool here is known as WET! The W Bali has a huge pool and this is one of the most popular areas in the entire resort. Everyone is hanging around here during the day. The pool is open 24 hours and you can always go in for a dip at any time of the day. The pool is also one of the most popular places to catch the sunset in the evening.
There are different areas of the pool and the design is inspired by the shape of Balinese rice fields and the Subak, a traditional Balinese cooperative irrigation system. There are tons of sunbeds and cabanas by the side of the pool and these are easily taken up. You can find them all taken even before 11am. Plenty of them are hogged by guests who simply place a book and they stay empty for hours. Staff should be more attentive to prevent this from happening. I also do wish that they provide ice water by the pool and beach. Here are some pictures of the pool area. This place is as good as a beach club.
You can find the menu by the pool below! I love how they call it WET Food and WET Drink! Do note that the Marriott Bonvoy discount is not applicable for orders by the pool. A tip here would be to order your food and drinks from the WooBar rather than by the poolside and have them there. It is just a few extra steps away.
It is always time for a coconut by the pool. How cute are these!
The resort comes with direct beach access and just a few steps in front of the pool. The beach is clean and powdery. There wasn’t many people swimming in the ocean as the waves are pretty strong. It would be great if the hotel have some sunbeds exclusive for hotel guests to use on the beach. This is another great spot for sunsets.
FIT
It then goes without saying that the gym is known as FIT. Similar to the pool, it is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It is slightly on the smaller side and might get full easily at times. I love how pumped up the place is with music and to keep the momentum going. An attendant is on hand to take care of things and is very polite. There are numerous types of gym equipments here from treadmills to bikes, leg presses, exercise balls and even a boxing punching bag. The equipment here is well maintained. In-house guests can also take part in various daily classes.
You can find the list of classes here. They are free to take part and you can sign up for it. Water, fruits and towels are provided in the gym.
AWAY Spa
The AWAY Spa is located in the main building, just towards the side of the lobby and the driveway. It is located next to the gym. This is one of the best spas in Seminyak. In-house guests can use the spa facilities even without going for a treatment. Another unique point of the AWAY Spa is that they are open 24 hours a day. This means that you can come for a treatment at any time. One after clubbing? Sure! One before your morning flight? Definitely! Currently, you can also enjoy a 25% discount on treatments from 12 to 6am.
Some of the spa facilities here include an oxygen room where guests can take in brief oxygen therapy for recovery.
In the changing room, you can also find other spa facilities for your relaxation like the hot and cold pool. There is also a hamam inside.
I did an Asian Balinese Massage and it was an excellent experience. This is one of their signature massages. A local Jamu welcome drink was offered as well as a refreshing towel. I was then shown to the changing room. Lockers are provided for guests’ use and all sorts of amenities are provided from bathrobes to slippers and disposable underwear. I went to use the hot pool for a bit before starting my massage.
The AWAY Spa have 7 single and 3 double treatment rooms. They are super gorgeous and comfortable. They do only come with a garden view and this is not one of those places where you can have an ocean view massage. I did really love the mood lighting on the massage bed which is so W!
My therapist was super polished and polite. First, we had a foot bath and while doing so, I was given a brief intro to the massage and the product they use. They also enquire if I have any allergies. We then kick-start the massage. One of my favourite part of the massage was when they give you a hot compress on the back with ginger while they work on your legs. That is amazing and soothing.
I appreciate it when the treatment is coming to an end, they will take a hot towel to wipe the excess oils off your feet. After noting that I would like to take a shower, the therapist very kindly prep the shower for me and even adjust the water to the ideal temperature. Finally, I am brought to the relaxation room and offered some snacks and drinks. What an awesome time. The service is excellent and the product is great! Things are well maintained and clean. I do wish that the pool can be hotter and they had a jacuzzi.
Wired and Words
Wired and Words is like a little business centre and lounge for guests to relax in. It offers an alternative sort of waiting area for guests that is air-conditioned in contrast to the rest of the resort which is open air. The place is open from 8am to 6pm. It is a cosy place to stay here to relax, to read a book or perhaps to use your laptop. They also offer some books and movies for rental. Complimentary coffee and tea are offered here. There are also a couple of computers for guest usage and a meeting room can be booked.
W Lounge
The W Lounge is an all-day lounge located just by the lobby area of the main building. You can simply grab a drink here or have afternoon tea. It has a great view of the resort and is just lovely for some quick drinks or a nightcap.
WooBar
This is the renowned bar of the hotel and the place to be. It is great for any time of the day! The place is open till 1am and this is where you come for the iconic sunset downers every evening. Do make a reservation if you would like to have one of the sofas and tables right in front of the beach. Check out the setting here. It is awesome.
The menu of WooBar can be found here. They do have minimum spending for the sofas and the cabanas which are good seats but thankfully it is waived for hotel guests. You are also able to reserve it in advance. Marriott Bonvoy can enjoy a 15% discount here.
I was here for sunset every evening and throughout my stay, I got the Flower Mojito, Bintang and Paint Your Life. I feel that the prices are reasonable, especially for this location and this setting.
The sunset view is amazing and I took so many pictures here. My eyes were glued to the skies.
Starfish Bloo Restaurant
The Starfish Bloo is one of the two restaurants at W Bali – Seminyak. It is open from noon for lunch till late at night. From 6pm onwards, the dinner menu is served. I came here for lunch during my stay. The restaurant is really pretty and I love how airy the place is. The restaurant boasts an amazing view of the ocean and you can get the outdoor seats which are so lovely with the sea breeze and the sound of the waves crashing to accompany your meal.
Check out the menu of the restaurant here.
We got the Starfish Bloo Platter which came with 6 pieces of nigiri and 6 pieces of sashimi as well as a maki roll of your choice. It was pretty good and I love the unagi roll especially.
We also got the Squid Ink Tempura Prawns and a side of the kalian. It took some time for the food to arrive but everything was delicious. I love the fusion of the tempura prawns with squid ink.
The restaurant comes with a great sunset view as well so it might be ideal to come here for an early dinner.
Fire Restaurant
Another signature restaurant of the resort here is the Fire Restaurant. I came here for dinner on my final night and it was such a good finale. The Fire Restaurant is inspired by the traditional Kecak Dance. It specialised in steaks. I was warmly welcomed by the host and a very nice touch is the interaction from the staff here. Upon knowing that it is my first time visiting the restaurant, they offer me a tour of the restaurant and introduce the history behind the place.
We then got a welcome drink which is made with Arak as well as a blessing. So unique and lovely. I appreciate that they do ask you beforehand if you do take alcohol before serving the drink as since they receive both locals and international travellers, there might be some dietary or religious restrictions.
I was then offered an Ayam Betutu amuse-bouche. I love the unique welcome to a restaurant. I have not experienced this, even in fancy Michelin restaurants. You can check out the restaurant food menu and wine menu here.
Service started with a bread service I was offered some freshly baked flatbread together with some chilli-infused oil as well as a garlic herb dip which is extremely good.
The staff then very came by with a chest of various steak knives and you are then supposed to choose your weapon of your night for your main course. I went with one of the cleaver-looking ones! According to the staff, this is known as the French yakuza chopper.
I ordered the Iga Bakar Maranggi. The beef short ribs were excellent, super tender and flavourful. I love the crispy char crust. The spicy salsa and some sort of cassava bits were a nice touch to add up some texture.
I also got a side of fries but sadly this is a little disappointing. I would have expected something more handmade personally by the chef, like steak fries or something. This just seems to be frozen and something like what you can get a McDonalds. Don’t get me wrong, it is still tasty. Nicely fried, crispy and fluffy but it doesn’t feel like I should be getting this at a place of this calibre. The staff very kindly came over with a little cheese plate to go with my wine after seeing that I had some left after finishing my meal. I love Balinese hospitality!
Service is excellent here and I love the whole presentation of the concept. Fantastic experience and the price point is decent. The ability to enjoy your Marriott dining discount here makes everything even better.
Breakfast at Fire Restaurant
Breakfast is served at both hotel restaurants, Fire and Starfish Bloo! Breakfast is buffet style, just like the good old days. It starts from 6.30am to 11am for Fire and from 7am for Starfish Bloo. That got to be one of the longest service timing I have experienced in a hotel which is a good thing, especially in a vacation/resort destination. Anything earlier would be an injustice! Since I was staying here for 2 nights, I tried each outlet once to see how different the experience and offering would be. On the first morning, I went to Fire restaurant. You can choose to sit inside or outside. Despite it being peak breakfast hour the place was still quiet and the place never gets too busy. I was warmly welcomed by the staff and the entire place looks so gorgeous. What is really interesting here is that they had this lineup of mugs on the shelves as you enter the restaurant. I was informed by the staff that I could choose one of them for my coffee and tea. So unique!
After hearing that it is my first time here, I was given an introduction to the buffet line and the various area. To the left, you can find all sorts of whole and cut fruits and then they had some detox shots to kick start your day. Ironically, next to it is a bloody mary station where you can make another form of shots with vodka to get it going.
Then you have a cold cut station. Hot dishes which include some beans, vegetables, bacon, tomatoes and oatmeals. Everything looks so delicious. There is also an egg station where you can order eggs to your liking in the middle. The pastry collection here is good with anything that you might think of from danishes, croissants, doughnuts and sourdough. They also have a dedicated gluten-free section. You can also find a whole honeycomb. The doughnuts and local Balinese pastries look especially good.
On the other side, there are even more hot dishes like hash browns, steam fish, mee goreng, nasi goreng and a chicken Cumberland sausage that tastes amazing.
Then at the end, you have a salad station where you can find some of their creations or make your own salad. Everything looks very fresh and delicious!
There is also a couple of live station in the restaurant where you can order sweet stuff like french toast, pancakes, and cruffle! Yum! These are made to order so they stay fresh. A noodle station is on hand too where you can create your own Ayam Soto. This is my favourite! Last but not least, there is an extensive à la carte menu to supplement the buffet and look at the amazing offerings here. They are as good as a fancy cafe outside! I mainly order off the menu here since everything looks so delicious. Some of the items can be found on the buffet line as well. Breakfast is definitely a feast here.
I love the coffee drinks and the fresh juices are excellent! I love that they have a good selection of local dishes as well as some of the fancy stuff like a dragon fruit yoghurt smoothie with chia seeds. Some of the dishes that I tried include steak and eggs, fried chicken and waffles, nasi jinggo and soto ayam.
Excellent breakfast! I love that the à la carte dishes are on the smaller side on purpose so that you can try more items. I would wish that they had some sparkling wine on offer too cause it’s the W and at this price point it should not be tough! The place never gets too crowded despite the high occupancy. I am glad that they open up both restaurants to help with the crowd. While Star Fish Bloo is the more popular choice for guests with the vibes and environment, I enjoyed the breakfast at Fire more. It is more intimate and you get better service.
Breakfast at Star Fish Bloo Restaurant
On my second morning, I had breakfast at Starfish Bloo instead. In a stark contrast to my previous day’s experience, the entire restaurant was packed full of guests. Now, I know where everyone went! I was close to making my way over to Fire but had to give this a try as well. A staff warmly welcome me and I was shown to one of the outdoor tables near the ocean. I guess a reason why this is more popular is the ambience and the vibes you get here! It is more like Bali and has a more resort feel. You get to have your breakfast with the ocean view, the sound of the waves crashing and the sea breeze.
The food and drinks items are more or less the same, with just a slight difference in the buffet line up but seeing how the à la carte menu is the way to go, to me this is negligible. In addition to what is available in Fire, you have some dim sum items here and a sushi bar with some rolls. Here are some pictures of the breakfast at Star Fish Bloo.
With a bigger crowd here, the food goes faster as well and doesn’t look as good as it is at Fire. The same goes for the presentation. The ala carte menu is the same in both restaurants. Some of the dishes I ordered here include the fruit bowl, steak and egg again as I like it, the Babi Guling omelette and the teriyaki marinated beef noodle bowl. It is not too bad, the beef is tender and the broth is slightly tart with the pickled ginger. Great for starting the meal.
A slight tip here would be to get the Southern Star fried chicken with the Maple Honey without the waffle. It is so good and addictive that you can’t stop munching them. They are freshly fried to serve. I got the cruffle which was excellent for a sweet ending.
Conclusion
This stay has been nothing short of excellent. It is close to perfect. I can finally understand why W Bali – Seminyak is so popular among travellers here. It might just be the best resort that I have ever stayed in Bali. The staff, the rooms, the F&B as well as the facilities. Everything is top-notch. Furthermore, the location is right where you want to be in Bali and this is something the other similar resorts can’t provide. The only 2 parts that I wish they can improve on are the hogging of the seats by the pool as well as the bathroom orientation. Of course, a stay here comes at a premium and this is not easy to swing but it is absolutely worth every penny. Do check them out if you are ever headed to Bali. I myself, already can’t wait to be back. W Bali Seminyak offers you the best of both worlds. A quaint resort and proximity to the buzzing Seminyak area in Bali.
This was a hosted media stay, all views expressed are my own.
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