It’s the second week of January 2023 but who’s still in a holiday mood? 🙋♀️🙋♂️Don’t worry! When you focus on your job, summer won’t be too far, hehe!
If you’re a conscious spender like me and are planning to travel to Bali during peak seasons, I suggest you stay in unpopular hotels over popular ones.
Last Christmas, I finally realised my dream to stay in a five-star hotel in Nusa Dua. I heard that the big hotels in that area were gorgeous, so I couldn’t wait for my stay.
But I found out that the experience wasn’t fully satisfying, compared to my expectation and the money spent.
Staying in Popular Hotels During Peak Seasons: The Good and the Not-So-Good
I stayed at The Apurva Kempinski Bali for one night with my mom and sister. This five-star hotel was very popular on Instagram, especially during the pandemic.
But I didn’t stay there because social media sold me.
I read a travel article about Koral Restaurant, an aquatic fine dining restaurant located in the hotel. I thought it would be nice to go there for celebrations.
So, since I would celebrate Christmas at Koral Restaurant, I might as well stay for one night at The Apurva Kempinski Bali.
It would be a perfect Christmas celebration, right?
It turned out, my stay at Apurva Kempinski Bali during peak season was… Overall, okay.
To me, the good things were:
- The room and toiletries
- The interior design and decor (i.e entrance, lobby, room, etc)
- The hospitality
While the not-so-good things were:
- The breakfast session was very crowded and not relaxing at all
- The buffet breakfast food didn’t meet our expectation
- The beach wasn’t beautiful (surprisingly!)
The room at Apurva Kempinski Bali was extremely comfortable. My mom literally jumped to the bed with a big smile!
You didn’t know how precious that moment was to me, to be able to see her so happy like that…
I obviously booked the cheapest room (Grand Deluxe) but even so, it was HUGE and as big as a luxury studio or serviced apartment 😍
However, I didn’t pay RM1,200/night (around 272 USD/night) only for a good night’s sleep. I wanted to enjoy the surroundings too.
We woke up in a good mood, looking forward to enjoy the buffet breakfast.
The restaurant was huge and nicely decorated with a Christmas theme. It was like a glass house that was surrounded by ponds and greens.
I chose the seat next to the glass wall. I could have sipped my tea and enjoyed the view, had a relaxing conversation with my mom and sister…
Sadly, that didn’t happen because the hotel was too crowded and noisy.
In the end, we just focused on eating and left.
To be fair, I fully understand that it wasn’t The Apurva Kempinski Bali’s fault if it was crowded during peak seasons.
But even with the breakfast buffet food, we felt some dishes could be improved.
For example, the beef sausage had a beef smell and tasted like bakso (meatballs) instead of sausages😶
So, based on my experience, I wouldn’t stay in popular hotels anymore during peak seasons when in Bali.
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Some Unpopular Hotels in Bali Give Better Overall Satisfaction During Peak Seasons
If you’ve been to Bali before, you’ll know what I mean.
If you haven’t been to this island, one of the exciting things when planning for your Bali trip is looking for a place to stay. Why?
Because there are SO MANY beautiful unpopular hotels in Bali, big and small!! 🌺🌺😍😍
Some of them are actually four or five-star hotels. It’s just that they’re not part of big chain hotel groups, so you may haven’t heard about them.
Of course, your bed may not be as comfy as the ones in popular four or five-star hotels of big chain hotel groups. And the food may taste just okay.
But you’ll be surprised to have a better overall satisfaction staying in unpopular hotels over the popular ones during peak seasons*, because:
- The hotels are also beautiful, although not as grand as the popular ones
- The rooms are comfortable and clean
- The hotels are quiet and not crowded
- The staff are friendly and courteous
- You can have a relaxing walk around the hotel and enjoy zen breakfasts
- Even if the breakfast is just okay, it doesn’t matter because you’ll be food hunting when in Bali
- The prices are within your budget and they’re unpopular hotels, so you don’t have a high expectation
*The statement above is based on personal and my friends’ experiences who stayed at unpopular hotels in Bali during peak seasons. Your experience may differ, depending on the hotels you choose.
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Also read: “White and Blue Christmas at Koral Restaurant, Apurva Kempinski Bali”
Blending In with Nature at Bucu View Resort a Pramana — Ubud, Bali
The video above was about how I would like to spend my mornings in Bali. Calm, blending in with nature…
Having breakfast while admiring the jungle. Listening to the birds chirping and the sound of the river.
Aah, what a feast to the eyes, after eight hours in the office staring at the screen. It was totally relaxing at Bucu View Resort a Pramana, Bali!
The cheapest room during peak seasons like Christmas was around RM257/night (around 58 USD/night).
I booked that room because we were out the whole day exploring Ubud and food hunting. We only arrived at the hotel at 10 pm.
It was the cheapest room but it wasn’t super basic. It had a balcony with a table and chairs, overlooking the hotel’s beautiful garden! 😍👌
The room was clean and we got a welcome drink. The fried rice and fried noodles were nice!
I loved my stay at this “unpopular” Ubud hotel. I said “unpopular” because it’s actually popular on hotel booking websites and has many glowing reviews✨
If you’re planning to stay at Bucu View Resort a Pramana, I want to inform you not to be discouraged by the road on the way to the resort.
The road works outside the hotel might put you off, plus it was very steep. At first, my mom and sister asked me why I booked this kind of “suspicious” hotel.
I even doubted myself, thinking that I got scammed!
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It turned out, some beautiful hotels in Ubud were kept hidden, deep inside the forest. One of them was Bucu View Resort a Pramana.
Only after we woke up the next day we could see how beautiful the hotel was. So, don’t be fooled by the outlook!
P.S. The luxury Ubud hotel Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, was also located deep in a normal-looking alley. We weren’t aware of it until our driver pointed the alley to us!
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“Honeymoon” in a Private Villa at Black Penny Villas, Ubud, Bali
I spent around RM423/night (around 96 USD/night) for an entire villa with a private pool for my last stay in Bali.
We reached the hotel at around 4 pm and spent the rest of the day relaxing at the villa 😍
The villa was very comfortable and beautiful. Besides the private pool overlooking the jungle, the WiFi at Black Penny Villas was very strong.
In addition, you can also watch Netflix and YouTube from the big TV! 🎉
What a great place to lazying around. Remember to buy some snacks before you reach the hotel 😉
I love the interior design and the bathroom. Everything was beautiful and very relaxing. As for the floating breakfast, I personally felt the food didn’t taste good.
But the fresh juice was very nice, the hotel didn’t mix the juice with water.
That was the first time I had a floating breakfast in Bali. Yes, I know that it was super late, many people had done it waaaay long before me.
But it’s better late than never, right? It doesn’t matter if what you’re doing during holidays isn’t trending anymore. Life isn’t a competition 😉
After experiencing it, I now know that floating breakfasts aren’t for me, because… I’m a shortie 🐤
Yes, my feet couldn’t reach the bottom of the 1.5m pool, so how could I have floating breakfasts? I guess this experience is only for tall people 😂😂
Behind the scene was like… me struggling to maintain my pose for the photo shoot 🤣🤣
In the end, after taking photos, we moved all the plates and cups to the coffee table. Only then I could enjoy the breakfast, hehe!
Also read: “Treat Yourself at Rock Bar and AYANA Resort & Spa, Bali”
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Conclusion
So, what if you’re a budget traveller like me who wants to splurge a little bit for special occasions, but wants an overall great stay?
If your destination is Bali, I recommend you stay in unpopular hotels or go all out by choosing luxury hotels.
During peak seasons, I feel The Apurva Kempinski Bali won’t be the only popular hotel that would be crowded.
If you go to similar hotels in Nusa Dua, there’s a high chance that it would be the same.
However, that might not be the case if you go to unpopular and luxury hotels during peak seasons.
By “luxury hotels”, I mean hotels like Bvlgari, Mandapa a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and Hoshinoya.
The cheapest room in those luxury hotels are starting from, around RM3.8K – RM6K/night (around 863 – 1,362 USD/night) in December 😱😱😱
How many people can afford or are willing to stay there?? Well, maybe those who are earning euros or dollars. Or the crazy rich.
But I guess the hotels won’t be too crowded…
So yes, I feel unpopular (and luxury) hotels are better choices to stay during peak seasons in Bali.
What do you think? Do you have any similar experiences? Share it in the comment section below! 😊
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*GLOBAL TOURS: Get 15% off with code CLARA15 when you checkout at onelifeadventures.com
**INDONESIA TOURS: Get 10% off with code CLARA10 at pesonaindo.com and epic.pesonaindo.com
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