Last fall we had the pleasure of visiting Indonesia with my sister and decided to spend the last part of our trip in Lombok and the Gili Islands. Tragically, Indonesia was struck by a serious of earthquakes and subsequent tsunami just prior to our arrival, leading us to cancel our reservation in the Gili’s due to damage to our hotel and travel advisories. However, we kept our reservation at Jeeva Klui on Lombok, and looking back are so grateful we did as we had an amazing stay at what is surely one of the loveliest hotels in Lombok. Apparently other people agree because Jeeva Klui has been awarded as one of the top 25 hotels in Indonesia almost every year since 2012.
Read moreA Review Of Sal Secret Spot, Uluwatu
A Review Of Sal Secret Spot, Uluwatu
If you’re anything like me, when you visit a place as iconic as Bali, you want to stay in a dreamy boutique versus some big hotel in a chain. A small boutique hotel may not have as many amenities as other options, but in my opinion, it’s all about the ambience. When we decided to visit Bali last November, we knew we didn’t want to stay in the thick of the tourist scene and ended up deciding to head south to a more laid back coastal area called Uluwatu. Known for its world class surfing and cliffside views, Uluwatu is also home to some fabulously unique boutique hotels, most of which come with a prohibitive price tag. I’d just about given up on finding something affordable with the vibe I was looking for when I stumbled across Sal Secret Spot nestled just above Bingin Beach.
Price Point
$10-50 $$50-100 $$$100+
How To Get There
Sal Secret Spot is an easy 30 minute drive south from Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar. I didn’t see anything about transport on Sal Secret Spot’s website so I emailed them and was told that they could arrange airport pickup for approximately $20 USD. After doing some research we came to the conclusion that $18-20 USD was the going rate for transport from Denpasar to Uluwatu and ended up just arranging our own transport in advance with a driver that friends of my sister had used multiple times during their travels to Bali. Other options include public transport (we arrived too late in the evening for public transit) which obviously would be cheaper, catching a taxi from the airport, or getting Sal Secret Spot to set things up. While you could rent a car, things could get tricky as Sal Secret Spot doesn’t really have a parking area and the streets around it are very narrow so street parking isn’t an option.
Beach Access
While Sal Secret Place isn’t exactly beach front, it’s only a five minute walk to a flight of stairs down to Bingin Beach and they do have some sea view rooms and apartments. The bummer with the sea view rooms is that they aren’t connected to the main hotel (they are a 15 minute walk away per the hotel) so we opted for a regular room, which was of course also better priced.
Amenities
Pool
WiFi (including all the rooms)
Hot water
AC
Safe
Babysitting
Surf board rentals
Breakfast included
A Few of Our Favorite Things
We loved the overall vibe of the place from the white washed walls and carved wooden doors to the outdoor reading nook and cushions on the floor around the tables in the restaurant. I’m a huge fan of outdoor bathrooms, so loved the fact that our room had an outdoor shower. Although the breakfast menu was limited, we didn’t care since the fruit pancakes (almost more of a crepe like consistency with the fruit baked in) were so delicious we just ate them every day. The pool had a lot of comfy loungers and plenty of shade and all the staff were lovely. Last but not least, with only 14 rooms it was never crowded around the pool, at breakfast etc.
Things To Know
Children are not allowed in the deluxe sea view rooms and children under 5 are not allowed in the apartments (for safety reasons)
$20 per person per night plus taxes (21%) for extra guests (breakfast is included in that price)
All the deluxe sea view rooms and apartments are a 15 minute walk from the main property and include traversing a steep flight of stairs, so not a good option for people with a lot of luggage or poor mobility
Contact
Email: sal.bungalows@outlook.com
Phone: +62 (0) 8123 8942 686
Review of The Temple Lodge - Paradise in Uluwatu
Anyone else out there who thinks that finding unique hotels in amazing locations is one of the best aspects of trip planning? We just got back from a trip to Indonesia and our hotel in Uluwatu, The Temple Lodge, really took the cake. In fact, I think it’s my favorite place I’ve ever stayed. Yes, I’ve stayed at places with access to nicer beaches (or right on the beach), a great variety of amenities, and more attentive staff, but the combination of amazing views + incredibly unique rooms won me over.
Read moreReview of Feels Like Home Rossio Prime Suites: Lisbon
The view from our bedroom window
This February Justin and I took a short trip to Spain and Portugal after scoring an absolute steal on tickets from a travel site we follow. I spent a lot of time researching where we should stay in Lisbon and finally booked at Rossio Prime Suites where we ended up having an exceptional stay. As such, I wanted to write a review for those of you who are like me and have a hard time picking lodging. Sometimes reading a review that's not from, say, TripAdvisor is what you need to make a final decision.
Read moreThe Renaissance: Luxury Living on Koh Samui
When Bri and I planned our trip to Thailand, we decided to spend the first part of the trip in hostels and budget hotels and end with something splurgy. Well, two somethings splurgy as it turned out (see Glamping in Thailand post). However, since every fiber of my body rebels against paying exorbitant prices for lodging, we scoured the internet for something that would give us a taste of luxury without the usual painful price tag. Fortunately, most of Asia is a great place to do just that, and when we stumbled upon the Renaissance and saw that it was a great price split two ways, we decided to give it a go and ended up having an incredible experience.
Read moreGlamping in Thailand: A Review of Khwan Beach Resort
As some of you know, my sister, Bri, lives in Australia, and this year we decided to have our annual get together in Asia. After a lot of research and indecision, we settled on Thailand and decided to spend some time up north in Chiang Mai, followed by a couple of weeks on the island of Koh Samui. While researching where to stay on Koh Samui, we stumbled across a place called Khwan Beach Resort and were immediately obsessed with the fact that they offer glamping, which is basically super posh camping.
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