Hotel Review: Ketapang Indah Hotel

Hotel Review: Ketapang Indah Hotel 

First time visit to Banyuwangi was in early 2013 for a family event and we stayed at this hotel. Having a good experience and knowledge that this hotel is close to the train station and the Ketapang Ferry Port, I decided to make my second stay at Ketapang Indah Hotel when I was going to hike the Ijen Mountain.

Also find this hotel here:

Agoda Hotel Page

Tripadvisor Hotel Page

Location: 9/10

The location for this hotel is easily accessible by car. Banyuwangi City itself is not that big. This hotel lies between the Centre of Banyuwangi City and the Ketapang Port. It's closer to Ketapang Port side and the train station than to the centre of the city. In order to get some local foods, you might need to rent a taxi to the city central. I did rent a taxi without the meter on, we negotiated with the taxi driver to take us to a couple points in Banyuwangi City, mostly different restaurants and fruit vendors, and take us back to our hotel. We ended up paying about IDR 100.000 for the one-hour taxi ride.

Hotel Quality: 8.5/10

The hotel is like a Balinese Hotel and probably the most decent hotel in Banyuwangi. They have a nice lobby with a welcoming drink readily sitting beside the receptionist. The hotel itself is huge and hotel rooms are separated in many different buildings. First time around, you might get lost inside the hotel. 

Room Quality: 8/10

It's quite decent. Not a 5 star, but enough for a transit or a two-night stay. The bathroom is alright but again not a 5 star.

Facitilies: 8/10

They have a swimming pool and a children area which makes me think that this is a children friendly hotel. The breakfast area is a spot in the hotel that I like to spend in the morning.

Staffs: 9/10

This hotel lives up to the standard of Balinese Hotels in terms of the friendliness and helpfulness of the staffs. The staffs are very friendly and would help you to give any information from a hike to Mount Ijen, Banyuwangi art parades, to a taxi rental around Banyuwangi. 

My overall rating of this hotel would be:

8.5/10

Hotel Review: W Spa & Retreat, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

Hotel Review: W Spa & Retreat, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

I had a one night stay at a two bedroom villa here at W Spa & Retreat Hotel at the end of July 2014. Generally, W Hotel is an upscale hotel located in Seminyak, Bali, and in my opinion it is one of the best luxury hotel in Seminyak and probably one of the most well known among Indonesian or international tourists. It's a beachfront hotel which means that you can go directly to the beach from the resort. There is a big swimming pool area close to the beach.

Value For Money: 10/10
If you want some great time in a luxury resort where you can enjoy a walk on the beach, good quality breakfast, awesome swimming pool to relax, great amazing hotel personnels, high quality of sleep, and various other luxury hotel or villa facilities, then I recommend this hotel for you.

Price: $$$$$
Of course this is not for those who are on a tight budget since it may cost a lot to stay at a luxury hotel like W Spa & Retreat Seminyak.

Location: 9/10
It is located in Seminyak where you could find a lot of store outside the hotel. It's pretty far to walk from the lobby or rooms or villas to the main street. However, the hotel provides boogey cart that you can take freely to get to the main road.

Breakfast: 9/10
The breakfast at the restaurant is so great. There are a lot of options from Classic English breakfast to Japanese sushi to Indonesian delicacies.... The atmosphere at the breakfast restaurant is also awesome giving me one of the best feeling during a morning breakfast by the beach.

Villa Quality: 9/10
The villa is awesome but it's pretty common which means that I have been to villas like this somewhere else in Bali. It has a small pool which is also common in any private villa in Bali.

Staffs: 10/10
I really think they deserve the 5 star quality acknowledgement due to their quality of staffs. Each and everyone I met was very friendly and loves to smile and also was very helpful.

Would I recommend you to stay at this hotel?
Yes, ABSOLUTELY..... But only if you got some money saved in your bank account :)

My Photos of W Retreat & Spa could be found here:
http://ferrystraveladventures.blogspot.com/2014/08/photos-from-w-spa-retreat-seminyak-bali.html
http://ferrystraveladventures.blogspot.com/2014/08/more-photos-of-w-spa-retrea-seminya-balu.html

My Overall Rating on This Hotel:

9.5 / 10

Hotel Review: Sofitel Nusa Dua Beach Resort, Bali, Indonesia

Hotel Review: Sofitel Nusa Dua Beach Resort, Bali, Indonesia

May I just say the first word that came out of my mouth when I entered the lobby and to the reception area? "WOW"...... I loved the ambiance and the design of the common areas in this hotel. It feels so elegant and luxurious. I also like the fact that Sofitel is a French themed hotel since all hotel staffs always greet us with a "bonjour" instead of "good morning/afternoon/night".

Value For Money: 10/10
For an upscale hotel like Sofitel, the money is well spent since we all get the perfect ambiance, awesome feelings, complete resort facilities, and great hotel room and bathroom.

Price: $$$$$
Like any other upscale hotel in Nusa Dua Bali, the hotel room costs us more than IDR 2 million.

Location: 10/10
It is located in Nusa Dua BTDC (Bali Tourism Development Centre). It's away from the bustling and over crowded Kuta or Legian area of Bali. It's the upscale and more luxurious and quite part of Bali. If you want a quieter time in Bali and got some more money saved in your bank account to afford any hotel in this area, Sofitel is definitely a must try. Sofitel is also located straight by the beach which means you can get to the beach directly from your hotel. It's also very well located and is very accessible from Tanjung Benoa, Uluwatu, Pecatu, or even Jimbaran.

Breakfast: 10/10
The breakfast restaurant is awesome. It's very big with many different chambers of different kind of foods. I think from my two morning breakfasts here, I saw at least Indonesian, Indian, Japanese, English, and French cuisines. The quality of the breakfast is also awesome.

Room Quality: 9/10
Our rooms were on the first floor which gives us direct access into the swimming pool from our balcony. It means we could go directly swimming in the pool right from our hotel room and the come back to our hotel room by swimming back, it's one of the greatest experience or feeling. The room size is also quite great with the awesome quality of beds. However, the bathroom was almost perfect for me except the fact that the water could get out of the shower area into the bedroom area which we withheld with some stacks of towels on the floor.

Staffs: 10/10
Staffs are very courteous, helpful, friendly, informative, respectful, and love to smile. At some point, in my mind I was thinking that they must be given some sort of great training everyday to act and serve that well.

Facilities: 10/10
Like any upscale resport, it has huge and well designed swimming pool, direct access to the beach, great lobby, great hotel room, etc. However, I need to mention that they have absolutely great lounge that feels a lot like a library to me. I was so ecstatic about it since I wanted to spend some of my times there reading great books that they have.

Would I recommend you to stay at this hotel?
Yes, ABSOLUTELY..... Sofitel Nusa Dua Beach Resort is one of the hotels you should save money for :)

For my pictures of Sofitel Nusa Dua Beach Resort, find it here:
http://ferrystraveladventures.blogspot.com/2014/08/photos-of-sofitel-nusa-dua-beach-resort.html

My Overall Rating on This Hotel:

9.8 / 10

For my other reviews on hotels and villas in Bali, click below:

Amadea Resort & Villas

Sofitel Nusa Dua Beach Resort

The Haven Bali Seminyak

W Spa & Retreat Seminyak Bali