This stay has been a long time coming and I finally get to use the voucher that I got during the pandemic at a fire sale. The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud opened its doors on 29 December 2019, just a couple of months before the worldwide lockdowns and travel restriction kicks in. What a time to open a new hotel. As with other hotels, to solve their cash flow there were sales here and there. Some were better than others. The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud did a 2-night stay with breakfast for 1,000,000 IDR. Sub 50 SGD for a night? I was hooked and regret not purchasing more. While the voucher was originally valid till the end of 2021, it did get extended as COVID refuse to go. Since I was in Bali in May, it seems like a good time to finally make full use of this. 

Booking Process & Pre Arrival 

I used the voucher that I got during the start of the pandemic for a 2-night stay in mid-may. It is a good use especially when the rates are much higher these days as travel is back in full swing. I got the voucher at a huge deal and I am only paying 49 SGD a night with the voucher. Prices were going close to 150 SGD a night during my stay. The hotel did try to play with the dates despite blackout dates listed during Christmas to new year’s day period. While the voucher was locked into the Deluxe Garden View room, I receive a one-level to the Deluxe Pool View room. The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud features 120 guest rooms, suites and villas spread across 6 categories. You can find the breakdown below.

RoomsBathtub Room Size
Deluxe Garden ViewYes50 Sqm
Deluxe Pool ViewYes50 Sqm
Junior SuiteYes84 Sqm
Family SuiteNo79 Sqm
Executive SuiteYes103 Sqm
VillaYes244 Sqm

Checking In

I arrive at the hotel shortly after noon. Ubud is pretty far away from everywhere and I got a driver since I had some errands to run in the morning in Uluwatu. From the airport or Kuta, it will cost around 200,000 IDR for a trip. Klook would be the best bet and the cheapest for airport transfer. You can get to around 12 to 13 bucks which is a super good deal. Do cater more time as it’s really far. Upon arrival, the staff came over to help me with my bags and I was offered a blessing ritual which I accepted. That is a really nice touch.

Check in started with some green juice and a cold towel. Well, Ubud is all about wellness and some Eat Pray Love ya? Perfect as I’m here to detox after that crazy night last weekend. They have some desks upon entering where guests will be ushered over for the check in process. I was offered a sit down check in by the lobby instead and the staff inform me that I am upgraded to a Deluxe Pool View room. Late check out was extended till 4pm on the day before I check out. The hotels looks really new and fresh seeing how new everything is given that they open barely 2 months into the pandemic before shutting down. The main lobby is actually on level level 5 and the main facilities such as the pool is on level 1. You have to use a set of elevators to get there from the lobby and another one for the guests rooms. 

Deluxe Pool Room

I was assigned room 616 located on the 6th floor which is just one floor above the lobby and it’s just around the corner from the lift lobby. The staff did offer to usher me to the room although I wanted to walk around and check out the property. This is one of the lower category room and it measures 50 Sqm. The have one of the more spacious base level rooms. The room may not be super spacious but it is certally on the bigger side of things and I appreciated that it is well appropriated.

The room is mainly in a squarish configuration and you can see it in one look with the king size bed in the middle. The bedding was good and plush. It was really comfy despite the mattress here being on the softer side. The pillows were good and offer great neck support and I love the smaller slim pillow that they have. On both side of the bed you have night stands with power outlets installed, they even had USB chargers which was really commendable. Controls for the lighting can be found too. I do wish that they had controls for the blinds here as well. 

Right next to the entrance and you can find the wardrobe it is has all sorts of items that you might need for this stay including bathrobes, bath slippers, hairdryer, a safe and an ironing kit. Plenty of hangers can be found here. It is of a good size. 

The huge high-quality smart TV is mounted on the wall, it is of good quality and a good size for the room. I do love how the designer did the set up and right below the TV they put a little small feature in the partition where there is a power socket so that you can conveniently connect your laptop to the TV via HDMI. Despite this being one of the base level room, there is still a separate seating area and you can find a sofa set in front of the bed. It is nice to have an additional area which added some sitting to the room, this is good for eating or lazing. I love the set up.

On the left of the room, this is where the mini bar and the luggage storage area can be found. The whole area is arranged in a way where the the minibar and the working desk is connected. It is a spacious area and the huge mirror on the wall above to make the room feels even larger than it is. You can fit a carry on suitcase easily here and there are some additional storage below it too. The working desk have easy access to power outlets and a chair that offers decent back support. 

Then you have the mini bar area where you can find some bottles of water, packaged tea and instant coffee as well as a kettle. It is a little bit disappointing to see that there isn’t a proper coffee in the room. The room is equipped with a mini fridge that is left empty for your convenience. The room comes with a balcony and it’s nice to have one even in the entry-level room.The balcony is pretty spacious and you have a table and two chairs outside. 

I’m actually pretty happy with the view because like after all this is what you’re looking for when you’re staying over in Ubud. However, to categorize this as a Deluxe Pool view room is honestly quite a stretch. I can’t even make out the pool from my room. 

Lastly, let me share about the bathroom which is of a good size. I am surprised that despite being one of the entry level rooms they had double sinks installed. The showering space is spacious and comes with a separate standing shower and a bathtub. I love how they are all behind a glass door which prevents water from splashing and you can go directly to the shower after having a soak. 

There is both a rainforest shower head and a handheld one. Water pressure and temperature control is very bad here and I didn’t get a good shower. The tub is on the smaller side too and definitely not good for more than one pax. It’s weird that they didn’t get a bigger size one given that they have the capacity for it and there is no space limitation/ All sorts of amenities are provided and the toiletries are house branded. I do wish that the place was made with some views from the bathroom. Having blinds and the blurred glass feels like double work. It would be quite nice here with the Ubud valley view. 

Pool 

The pool is located in the ground level and right in front of Tall Trees restaurant. It is open from 7am to 7.30pm and no reservations is required. The pool is rather lovely and I love the infinity pool vibes as it overlook the Ubud valley giving you a very tranquil vibe. I spent quite some time by the pool and this is exactly what you are looking for when staying in Ubud. 

Besides the main pool you also have a jacuzzi and a kid wading area by the kids club. Attendants are prompt in clearing things up and with fresh towels. No water are on offer although staff will have no qualms offering you some from the restaurant. The area do gets quite a bit of sun so this is definitely a spot for tanning. You can find sun beds by the side of the pool and the design of the place does makes it kinda private. It is a popular place and sunbeds do get taken up. During the day, the staff will occasionally come by with some treats like fruit skewers! Nice touch! The water temperature is comfortable for a soak and a swim.  

Drinks are served from the pool bar and you can also order food was served from Tall Trees which is located just by the pool. I got the pork prosciutto pinza one day by the pool which was excellent. The pinza is like a flatbread pizza and it is generously stuffed with meat and cheese. It cost 120,000 IDR. Staff service is great here and excited to offer recommendation.

Fitness Centre

The fitness center also known as Westin workout is open 24 hours. No reservations is required to use it. It is also located right next to the Heavenly Spa. The gym is on the smaller side but well equipped. You can find different pieces of equipments including yoga balls and weights. The place is comfortable and well maintained. Water and towels are provided. 

During the day, the resort also have complimentary activities that you can join such as yoga, aqua aerobic, Aqua Yoga, Westin Run. You can find the list here. These requires booking in advance. 

Heavenly Spa by Westin

Westin and Heavenly Spa goes hand in hand and you can frequently find them in Westin locations. I got a couple of treatments here during my stay and it was really good. The ambience was excellent and the staff are great. Prices are really affordable when you compare them to other locations. While hotel spas are definitely much more pricey than those found outside there is something nice about the ease of accessibility with it just below your room. 

I got both the signature massage for 90 mins as well as a facial. You can check out the Spa Treatment Menu here. Frequently, they run some sort of deals where elite members get additional time or something. Treatment first started with a drink which is some sort green juice and a cold towel. You are then invited to choose your treatment oil. I went with their signature white tea and aloe vera essence oil. They then had these stones where you can choose for your treatment. I love that and they will place it below the bed so you can see if during the massage.

We then went thru a blessing ritual before a foot bath with some essence oil, cucumber scrub and bitter tonic water. Very comfortable and professional. The rooms had a view of the greens and check out some pictures here. 

After the massage, I was offered some tea and dark chocolates. The perfect ending. The treatment was excellent and I went for another facial the next day which is equally good. 

Breakfast at Tabia Restaurant

Breakfast is served at Tabia Restaurant located on level 3 from 6.30am to 10.30 am. While they do it in slots from 6.30 to 8am, 8 to 9.30am and 9.30 to 10.30am. You have to make a reservation and choose a slot ahead as there is a cap of 50 people for each timing. I love the arrangement as it kept things rather quiet. The restaurant comes with a view of the valley. Breakfast is served buffet style. Despite it being peak breakfast timing when I was down, it was pretty quiet and I guess this is due to the capacity control. I love how bright the restaurant is. You have your choice of indoor or outdoor seats. I was warmly welcome by the staff and they actually even remember me by name. I was ushered to a table and drinks orders were taken. 

I love the coffee here and they were made by an actual barista behind an actual coffee machine so that is really great. I hate those instant coffee machines. I will not say that the breakfast selection is really huge huge like the ones at the Renaissance and the Ritz-Carlton recently but it was a good selection of food and you have all sorts of your favourites for breakfast. Upon entering, right near the entrance you have a fresh fruit juice counter and they have loads of fresh juice and you can even mix-and-match fruits and the staff will juice them for you on the spot.

Check out some pictures of the offering from the bakery section to live stations serving up waffles and pancakes. Plenty of staff are on hand to help you with the items. I love the loads of freshly cut fruits too.

With regards to hot food, you have two different section from a egg station, a selection of local Indonesian hot dishes as well as a noodles live station where you can create your own bowl of noodles. A piping hot bowl of Soto Ayam gets the day starting for me. Pork bacon are available upon request from the staff. 

A feast that I would wake up for. You should not miss breakfast and I am glad that it is a good one given how remote this place is. 

Conclusion

This is a sweet deal and it is hard to find fault especially at this price. I enjoyed great returns from locking in the voucher during the pandemic. I am paying only around 30% when comparing to the rates these days. However, will I be back? Probably not unless this is the price again. It’s pretty in the middle of nowhere as per resorts are in Bali and especially in Ubud. So you are more or less stuck in the resort you are staying at and I would rather try out new places. This will be a great property for Marriott Bonvoy members and the staff will treat you well here. Upon leaving, the staff presented me with a farewell gift which is a little wooden bowl engraved with the hotel name! Sweet. I do have mix feeling regarding the property. It isn’t exactly luxurious neither is it in a good location. I am trying hard to find a market for this hotel. You either go for a good location or a fancy high class resort for a calm oasis in Ubud, like the Capella or COMO. With that, it’s time for me to leave Bali! This is the last hotel that I stayed in Bali and it’s been a good month.