Toofastcat
Business · October 20258/10
A week at The Samaya was in most ways an enjoyable experience. The Samaya is one of a line of up-market resorts set along Seminyak beach, which is a wide sandy beach with breaking surf. Great sunset v...A week at The Samaya was in most ways an enjoyable experience. The Samaya is one of a line of up-market resorts set along Seminyak beach, which is a wide sandy beach with breaking surf. Great sunset views.
It features a large freshwater pool in the middle of the lovely scenic grounds and has a bar and restaurant beside the ocean, set above the beach.
An early breakfast there was very pleasant. There is a good variety of food items to choose from.
Service from all the staff was friendly, helpful, and usually prompt.
Accommodation is entirely in self-contained villas. These villas are walled and private units, and each includes a small swimming pool as well as spacious air-conditioned accommodation. There is no view beyond your own garden/mini pool area.
The better and more expensive units are around the pool and main hotel grounds, while the rest are in a separate building down the main road and up a side road a little way.
You can get room service meals, laundry, and free buggy rides to and from the main building.
All good, but one thing is missing – atmosphere. Residents appear at breakfast time, then mostly return to their villas, never to be seen again, During the day, the pool and grounds were deserted, despite the hotel being nearly full.
Some people appeared for dinner, but a lot go out to neighbourhood restaurants in Seminyak or along the beach.
I personally missed the communal atmosphere that hotel public lounges and bars bring.
This hotel is designed for people enjoy splendid isolation and if this is your thing, then you will love it.
Of course, you can walk to many restaurants in town in few minutes from here, but do not expect refined experiences. The main eating street is Jl. Kayu Aya and it’s a party street with a ramshackle collection of bars and restaurants of a range of styles, cuisines, and quality. Sidewalks are lumpy, broken and occasionally missing, and traffic is slow but hectic.
Fine dining exists at La Lucciola on the beach nearby, or Ku De Ta, at the southern end of the beach, a few minutes walk from the hotel.
Last, consider the weather. Bali in October was incredibly hot and uncomfortably humid. Far better to visit in June, when it feels much cooler.Show More
