Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran 巴厘岛金巴兰艾美酒店 September 2013

Le Meridien Bali Jimabaran is a relatively new property on the Island of Bali, Indonesia.

I have reviewed W Retreat and Spa Bali previously on this blog as well, which is a fantastic property!

The Facebook page of LM Jimbaran is https://www.facebook.com/lemeridienbalijimbaran

The official hotel site is http://www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3744

As mentioned, the property is very new, having opened only early 2013.

Why choose this hotel?

 The property is new and not crowded. The hotel is next to a cluster of seafood restaurants. The beach is relatively quiet in the day compared to Kuta.

The Management

The hotel is managed by Starwood (my current favourite chain), under the Le Meridien brand. (as obvious as it can be).

Getting to the Hotel

The hotel is to the south of the Ngurah Rai Airport (DPS) and is approximately 8.0 km/4.97 miles away according to the official website.
One can take a taxi or arrange for airport transfer with the hotel. Or even rent a car.

The Hotel

On arrival to the hotel, a buggy would fetch the guests to the lobby a level above (just a short distance away) up a slope.
I am quite puzzled by the hotel's decision to put 2 statues at the already narrow driveway

Check-in counters in the background

One can sit at the lobby with a extension filled with water. The lounge bar is named Latitude 8.

The hotel lights up beautifully at night.

The event hall is at the top of the hotel.

Event Hall

The Rooms

The rooms at the hotel are named Classic, Lagoon View, Lagoon Access, Aqua Studio suite, Avantguarde (suite), Aqua Sky Penthouse, Oceanic View Sky Villa and the Grand Avant-guarde Suite.

The Lagoon Access room is directly linked via a ladder as shown below.

We managed to get a variety of rooms, which are the Aqua Studio Suite, Avantguarde and Aqua Sky Penthouse.

Aqua Studio Suite
This is basically a large room without a separate living room. The TV is just in front of the bed as shown.

Avantgarde Suite
This is a true suite with a large living room and large bathroom. I liked this room better than the Sky Penthouse.

It also has a second toilet.

The balcony is also much bigger.

One problem I had with this room was the glass panels which can be a danger in the dark. I highlighted the issue to the front desk upon checkout and hope it has been rectified.

Aqua Sky Penthouse
This room comes with a upper level with a plunge pool and better views of the surroundings.
The room is otherwise not as good in my opinion.

Plunge Pool

A staircase from the room leads to the upper level which can connect to an Aqua Studio suite.

The Food and Drinks

Breakfast is served at Bamboo Chic. The spread is rather good with a mixture of Chinese, Indonesia and International.

Smoqee Lounge and Sky Bar 
This offers great views and sea-breeze for relaxation.

 Latitude 8 Bar
This is the lobby bar as mentioned earlier.

Wala Gelato
This is located next to Bamboo Chic and the lagoon. No comments as we did not consume anything from here.

The Pool (Lagoon)

The Lagoon is at the centre of the hotel and extends to the rooms with Lagoon Access as pictured earlier.
The Kids' pool is located to the side.

One can get drinks at the pool as well.

The Service

I have to say this hotel is great with upgrades and the staff members are friendly and helpful.
We were greeted by our names on many occasions.
Check-in and check-out were both pleasant, although I think the speed can be improved.

We were given welcome drinks and even more drinks while waiting for the rooms to be ready.

Welcome Amenities were placed in the room as well.

The Gym

The gym  is on the smaller side but I feel it serves its purpose well. It overlooks the Kids' pool.

The Serenity Spa

The therapists at the spa are very friendly and the massage is not too bad.
The prices were very reasonable for a hotel due to opening offers.

The Beach

The hotel is located near the beach but does not have direct beach access.
One must leave by the main entrance and walk past the restaurants and go through an opening in the fence to reach the beach. The hotel buggy would drop guests off at the opening as well.

Hotel Buggy

The beach itself is not very clean and is full of pebbles.

The Shops

A small shop is located by the kids' pool, which was not very interesting to me.

The Decorations

As mentioned, the hotel is relatively new. The corridors are quite plain but I am unsure if further decorations are planned. Some of the decorations were unfinished as well and were being painted during our stay.

In Summary

The hotel is very good with regards to service, but parts of the hotel were still unfinished then.
The Jimbaran beach is not that great.

Therefore, I would recommend this hotel based on the great service, with the greatest drawback being the beach which is, unfortunately, beyond the hotel's control.