Bali Resort Reviews

Keraton Jimbaran

Finally wrapping up the Bali recaps: we stayed at two resorts in Bali for our 9 day trip in late November / early December: the Keraton Jimbaran for 2 nights and the Purist Villas & Spas for 6 nights. I like staying in Jimbaran for a few days of beach relaxation in the southern Bali; it's a lot more peaceful than Kuta / Seminyak, and less overbuilt resort-y feeling than Dreamland and Nusa Dua. Plus it's convenient to some excellent BBQ seafood at the beachfront warungs right on Jimbaran Bay. A few days is enough, I prefer to spend more of my time in Ubud, which has great food, local treks, shopping and massages, and is a convenient base to explore the scenery and temples of the rest of Bali. While clearly touristy, it doesn't have the young partying beach crowd of the South.

Keraton Jimbaran Review: Location was great, right on the beach with a large pool and lots of beachfront chairs and umbrellas. The architecture and decor is traditional Balinese style for the lobbies and building exteriors. Our room was very basic, not a villa or suite or anything, and connected to other rooms, but it was perfectly comfortable. Rooms could use a little updating and the bathroom could be a little nicer, but nothing to complain about for about $130 per night including a breakfast buffet. Restaurant was ok, not great, but the middle seafood warungs were right next door. We've stayed at the Four Seasons in the past, which was nice, but probably not worth 5-6x the price. The beach is actually nicer at the Keraton. Free wifi in the lobby only.

Nice gardens at the Keraton

Traditional, fairly ornate lobby

Purist Villas & Spas: I love this place and would stay here again in a heartbeat. It's a small, private place with only 7 villas. I love staying in resorts where I feel like the only guest. The decor is the Balinese modern style that I like, similar to Amankila and the Four Seasons Sayan, lots of dark wood and stone, clean marble lines and sleek fixtures. We had our own private deck / patio with a dining set and couch, where we had breakfast everyday and a little yoga most days, a large bedroom with a sitting area and a huge bathroom with double sinks, separate bathtub and shower as well as a fountain and goldfish pond. It was very private and quiet, with just an occasionally morning noise from neighbors that you could hear from the bathroom, but otherwise you never saw / heard anyone else. The complementary breakfasts were excellent, with lots of fresh fruit and juices, pastries and cooked dishes. We only had dinner once in the resort, which was good and never tried the spa services, but all the facilities looked nice. Service is excellent as you would imagine at such a small place. You definitely get to know the staff well and they are just the best, super accommodating for whatever you need. Wifi was a little spotty in the room, but available in the lobby. The location is a little remote, it's about 1 kilometer north of Raya Ubud, the main road which Ubud Palace is on, so it's a hike to the center of town if you want to walk, especially in the heat of the day, but was fine for us since we had rented a motorbike. We were able to negotiate a great deal since we were there for so many days, and it is so worth it. I've stayed at the Uma Ubud and Four Seasons Sayan in Ubud in the past, as well as Amankila in the North, near Manggis. Uma Ubud is really nice too, and convenient to Naughty Nuri's Warung and my favorite spa, Bali Botanica, but you get a lot more privacy and space at the Purist Villas for the same price. The Four Seasons Sayan and Amankila are stunning resorts with impeccable service (especially at Amankila), but for 4-5x the price, I'd rather stay at the Purist Villas.

Our bathroom goldfish pond

Taiwan Hotel Reviews

Silks Place Taroko

Taipei - Dandy Hotel Da-An: we stayed at the Dandy for two nights, booked through Agoda. The location of this hotel was perfect; right across the street from the Da-An park, a few blocks away from Din Tai Fung and walking distance from my grandparents' apartment. For less than $100 per night, I can't really complain. It did smell a little funky particularly near the bathroom, we were occasionally woken up by hallway noise in the middle of the night, but the room layout was good and it was spacious enough for us and all our luggage (Taipei hotel rooms can be tiny) and free internet worked in our room. The free breakfast was ok; I'm actually glad it wasn't better because there are so many tasty breakfast options in Taipei (ie. here).

Taichung - Hotel One: we stayed at Hotel One for one night. I love this hotel; it's very clean and modern, the staff is young and hip and speaks perfect English, the rooms are huge with amazing views, the beds are super comfortable and the shower is amazing. It didn't hurt that we had an enormous suite for our visit. The breakfast buffet is great with a huge selection and awesome views and we had a celebratory drink in the very hip bar full of trendy people. Free wifi works well in the room and the room is well set-up for work, as it is a business hotel. The location is very convenient as well; walking distance from a Chen Pin (Eslite Bookstore).

Kaohsiung - the Splendor Hotel: we stayed at the Splendor for one night, booked through Agoda. The location is nice, in the iconic 85 Tower, the tallest building in Kaohsiung and second tallest building in Taiwan, also designed by C.Y. Lee. We were very high up, on the 50 something floor, although in the morning, our view was of a giant Ikea. The hotel is somewhat dated; very 80's Trump / Vegas style with lots of gold and mirrors. The HVAC system also gave me the worst allergies and the bed wasn't very comfortable. The free breakfast buffet was pretty extensive and decent and there was internet in the room, but only free if you used the T1 connection. Free wifi in the lobby only.

Taitung - The Chief Spa Hotel: we stayed at the Chief Spa Hotel (Tian Long) in Wulu for one night, booked through Agoda. The location was quite remote; a dark twisty drive that was actually scarier in the daytime when we could see how treacherous the roads were. It had a nice natural outdoor hot spring with two different temperature pools, one that was in the 40s when we got in. It also was across from some nice hiking trails. Very secluded, and a nice break after all the cities we visited. The rooms were a little dingy and the bed was uncomfortable, but at less than $100 a night, it's hard to complain. The free breakfast buffet was extremely limited, but after several days of overstuffing ourselves with breakfast buffets, we were fine.

Taroko - Silks Place Hotel:  we stayed at the Silks Place Hotel in Tianhsiang, right in the middle of Taroko park for one night. The hotel was beautiful; minimalist modern and sleek, and very comfortable. As part of our package, we had an awesome free dinner and breakfast buffet, a really great deal for about $150 a night. I would definitely stay here again, the location can't be beat; it's one of the few hotels actually inside the park, and mostly filled with Western tourists. The free wifi worked well everywhere and service was fantastic; the front desk actually bought train tickets for us and had her colleague pick up the tickets for us at the train station.