Hotel Review: Conrad Bali Suites

I visited the beautiful Conrad Bali earlier this year and fell in love with it. I stayed in a Deluxe Ocean View Room (click HERE to access my previous review of the Ocean View Room in Conrad Bali) the last time I visited but missed out on certain parts of the property that is exclusive to guests from the Suites Wing only. As such, I decided to stay at the Conrad Bali Suites this time (after hearing so much about it from frequent travellers) on my birthday weekend. I flew on Garuda Indonesia from Singapore Changi Airport to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali. As mentioned in my previous review of the property, one of things I truly hate to deal with (on a vacation especially) is to haggle with drivers for fear of getting ripped off. Therefore, I decided to arrange for Airport Transfer with the hotel itself - fuss-free and convenient! 

While I had to wait in the Reflections Lounge the last time I visited, my suite was ready when I proceeded to check-in. I was escorted from the main entrance to my suite located on the far end of the property. Funny thing though, since the Conrad Bali Suites had a separate entrance, I was surprised that the limo from the airport did not send me directly to that entrance but took me to the main entrance instead. That being said, nothing beats the view of the impressive pool at the main lobby. 

The Conrad Suite that I stayed in measures 110sqm (approximately 1200 sqft for all you imperial fans) in size, with a separate dining room, living room, bedroom, dressing room, bathroom and a balcony. While the suite adopted a clean and contemporary design, the woody and earthly tones helped to assimilate this private haven into the lush green surroundings of the Conrad Bali Suites wing. Here are the key features of being in the Conrad Suites wing (with the ones in bold being my favourites):

• Complimentary WiFi inside suite and Conrad Suites Lounge
• Complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktail
• Unlimited laundry and dry cleaning service
• 15% discount on food and beverage consumption, spa treatment and business center service
• Exclusive access to Conrad Suites Lounge and Conrad Suites Pool
• Spacious marble bathroom with rain shower, separate tub with TV, walk-in wardrobe and powder room
• Choice of luxury bathroom amenities
• Complimentary meals for kids below 12 years old from Kids Menu when parents are dining at the hotel's restaurants
• Complimentary access to Reflection Lounge

The air-conditioning goes down to a luxurious 16 degree Celsius (which in reality, does go down to that temperature!). Some hotels I have been to allow you to set the temperature at 18 degree Celsius but the thermostat never registers anything less than 20. The heat is definitely something you will not have to deal with from your beautifully appointed suite. 

Your dining area comes fully equipped with proper dining cutlery, an illy coffee machine, generous selection of teabags, a toast maker, fruit juicer (uh-huh) and two minibar fridges (one for personal use, one stocked by the hotel). You will also find a fruit platter (which seems to be replenished daily although I can't be certain since I did not actually touch it on the third day) and a pot of freshly brewed tea. Light in the dining area can also be dimmed if required to set the mood right. 

The living area can sit four adults very comfortably (with two adults almost lying down fully) so you can be certain that this suite will fit you and your kids (should you have any). If you prefer to more in touch with nature, slide open the balcony door and turn on the fan instead. The air-conditioning in the suite is smart enough to shut off automatically when the balcony doors are open. 

The balcony overlooks the private adults-only Conrad Bali Suites pool and is beautiful in the day with all the lush greenery around. The trees also provide some cover for privacy but just remember that if you can see them, they can see you too. Nothing spells vacation like reading a good book on a day bed with an iced tea in hand. Do note that the jealous mosquitoes do attack (very much so at night) while you are most vulnerable. 

Enjoy a selection of different international satellite channels in the comfort of your very own living room. There is also HDMI input for those that prefers to watch things on the big screen - if you do not have a HDMI cable just call your up friendly concierge. 

The Conrad Suites come with either one King bed or two Queen beds (like the one I stayed in). Like most good hotels, your bedroom will come with your very own TV (even though there is one just behind the wall) because let's be serious, there's no way you are going to get out of that comfortable bed once you are in it. 

The dressing room separates the bedroom and the bathroom with really good noise-isolating doors. In fact, if you close both doors and try to fill the bathtub, you will not be able to hear anything at all from the bedroom - this is also great for private affairs of the bathroom. You will also find your laundry bags here and remember as a Suites guest, you will receive unlimited laundry and dry cleaning service - so don't be afraid to dress up with a well-pressed shirt and linen shorts. Without having to iron (or wash) it yourself, you really do not have any excuse to under-dress. 

I usually request for my laundry to be picked up in the evening and will receive them the following morning by the time I get back from breakfast (although YMMV). My clothes were always beautifully laundered (and they smell amazing!) and my shirts were lightly starched (the way I like it). One of the greatest benefits of staying in Conrad is the Conrad Concierge app which allows you to request for additional amenities, turndown service and room service (amongst other things) from the convenience of your gadget. While I was not able to request for laundry pick-up from the Conrad Concierge app while I was there, it was an option that was "coming-soon". 

Click HERE for more information on the Conrad Concierge App. 

As a Conrad Suites guest, you will enjoy complimentary evening drinks and canapés from 5pm to 7pm. There is a few things I love about it and some not so much. First the Executive Lounge has an indoor and outdoor (smoking) seating area. I personally recommend the outdoor area as there are a handful of daybeds that you can utilise so get there early! Canapés here are served by portion - one piece per person - so you can't actually substitute this for dinner unless you have a really tiny appetite. The quality of food however is really great - I particularly like the Fish Satays that were served during my stay. 

Something special about the Conrad Suites Lounge - you actually get an extensive drinks menu to choose from! In fact, they are all complimentary during 5pm to 7pm so if you're staying here for a couple of nights, be sure to try out the different concoctions. Amongst the detailed list of drinks are a selection of homemade lemonades, fruit mocktails, smoothies, milk shares, liquor and cocktails. I am sure there is a beverage that will suit your mood and preference. 

Breakfast is served at the exclusive RIN restaurant for Conrad Suites guests from 7am to 11am daily (it is a resort after all so no need to rush for the 10am deadline). Having been to the Suku restaurant last time I was in Conrad Bali, I chose to have my breakfast (for all three days actually) at the RIN restaurant instead. RIN is a lot quieter and even though there is a smaller buffet spread (as compared to Suku), the a la carte items are excellent! 

Since these items are made to order, feel free to customise them the way you like it - more hash browns, sautéed mushrooms or extra hollandaise sauce. The smoked salmon eggs benedict with toasted bagel is my personal favourite! 

Assemble your own Bubur Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Congee) or Soto Ayam (Indonesian Yellow Spicy Chicken Soup) if you are craving for something local - ask for the special spicy soy sauce which goes really well with the porridge! 

Enjoy a selection of traditional Indonesian desserts from the buffet spread too - you are in Indonesia after all so substitute your ice cream for some yummy Gula Melaka goodness! 

If you want the full resort experience, request to sit outside (in the sun if you like) at the RIN restaurant. The restaurant is also open for lunch and dinner (to public or other non-suites guests) should you decide to enjoy some contemporary Japanese flavours. The outdoor area overlooks the private Conrad Suites pool which is beautiful in the evening. 

Afternoon Tea for the Conrad Suites guests is also served in the RIN restaurant - don't give it a miss! 

Since I spent my birthday at Conrad Bali, I was surprised with a birthday cake in my room when I got back after breakfast - definitely a nice gesture by the amazing team at Conrad Bali. 

If you spend your afternoon by the beach, be sure to order the Banana Fritters (IDR 65,000++) served with cheddar cheese, dark chocolate sauce or palm sugar syrup and a cup of vanilla ice cream. There is a jack fruit version of this dish apparently but I haven't had the luck to try it the last two times I have been there - apparently not in season! 

The Mini Burgers (IDR 300,000++) come with five beef and five chicken (ten in all) mini burgers with a side of golden french fries. The beef ones are extremely delicious so I would highly recommend the Beef Burger (IDR 176,000++) if you do not wish to share at all. Canned beers are generally IDR 60,000++ to IDR 67,000++ each (with the exception of Corona which is priced at IDR 90,000++ at the time of writing). Remember that as a Conrad Suites guest, you will receive 15% off all F&B charged to the room - and earn Hilton Honors Points too! 

To truly tune out and get away from everything, I brought the QuietComfort® 25 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones by Bose along. These headphones are priced at S$529 and you can purchase them for Atlas Singapore (click HERE to buy them). They require 1x AAA Battery for the noise cancelling to operate but the difference is impressive. The noise reduction is truly outstanding and extremely pronounced when you use them on the plane. The headphones are also specifically designed for use with select iPod®, iPhone® and iPad® models, so the inline microphone/remote puts music and call controls at your fingertips.

Conrad Bali
Jalan Pratama, South Kuta, Badung, Bali 80363, Indonesia
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