Mahagiri Villas

When planning our round-tip of Bali, we wanted to make sure that we had a couple of days towards the end of our trip where we could relax and just enjoy the sun and the good life. Our travel agency Fernwärts Reisen suggested a couple of great hotels; and we ended up choosing Mahagiri Villas due to the general impression and reviews online. And I think that we definitely made the right decision!

The Mahagiri Villas hotel complex is located on a parallel road to the Sanur main street. The road itself is only poorly lit, so I would advise to take a flashlight or a headlamp with you at night as the road is full of potholes, making it quite hazardous to walk in the dark. However, we never felt unsafe and you can reach the main road in 5 to 10 minutes. There is a shortcut through back alleys but you need to know where you are going and certain hotel reviews on different sites online mentioned that they did not quite feel safe at night passing through there. We passed through the back alleys during the day and night but needed the help of some locals to find the right way the first time. The alley will lead you to central Sanur's main street, so you do save some time than going all the way around.

We actually really liked the location as it was quiet but still really central and close to shops, bars and restaurants. In the beginning we had some trouble finding the beach access but that was all. We did however always bring a flashlight with us when we were out during the evening and night.

One thing I wanted to really take advantage of was that in Bali you can find relatively affordable rooms which have a private pool; and at Mahagiri Villas, private means private. Your room complex is surrounded by high walls, shielding you from any preying eyes, though not from noisy neighbors, which luckily we did not have any. We had actually booked a one-bedroom pool villa. However, upon arrival we were told that they were actually all occupied, and we were given a two-bedroom villa instead. We did not have access to the separate second bedroom as it had been locked by staff. This was of no inconvenience for us at all.

The room complex consisted of a large pool, a Bali bed and extra sun beds, an open space kitchen (fully equipped), dining and lounge area, with a dinning table, a large sofa and a TV. The bedroom was actually an adjoining building, with a large bed, a second TV, a large wardrobe with mirror and vanity station, leading to the bathroom with a double sink, toilet, bathtub and outdoor shower. The door leading outside could be securely locked.

Both the bedroom and the living room were equipped with very performant air conditioners, allowing you to set the temperatures yourself. Both rooms had large panel doors which could be opened all the way should you wish so, to give the whole complex a more open-space layout.

The pool area and the rooms were kept impeccably clean, as they send in a whole cleaning crew up to twice a day to clean the pool, surrounding areas and all the rooms. The only critic I have is that the top mattress of the Bali bed had quite a few stains and the towels were not quite big enough to cover a large enough area to really lounge at ease without having to touch the mattress all the time.

We had booked the accommodation with breakfast only, as we like to try local food and restaurants for lunch and dinner. The hotel offered the option to have your breakfast delivered to your room, which we really enjoyed, so much, that we actually never went to the hotel restaurant. There is an extensive list of different breakfast menus you can choose from, ranging from continental to American and Balinese. They usually come with a choice of either tea or coffee and fresh fruit or fresh fruit juice. Personally, I did not like the traditional Balinese coffee, and so I opted for an iced cappuccino most of the time. Many of their drinks come with a separate little can of sugar syrup, so you can individually adapt the sweetness of your drink. Overall, the waiting time for the food was always acceptable, mostly about 15 to 20 minutes. The food was nicely cooked and good standard quality food. Besides the traditional eggs over easy on toast I also tried Balinese specialties like black-rice-coconut-porridge or a Balinese breakfast burrito.

Also included in the package came a free Afternoon Tea service, which could be order from 2 pm to 4 pm and included a beverage of your choice from a fixed list of items as well as a small tray of little sweet and salty hours-d'oeuvres and puddings, making for a great little afternoon snack.

We did opt to have dinner in the room one night. They have a variety of dishes on the menu with meat, seafood and vegetarian choices. The food was good and very nicely presented, however compared to some smaller Warungs on the island it could not quite keep up in terms of flavors and price.

Something we did really appreciate was having access to a large water fountain in the living room, which dispensed either cold, temperate or hot water. This was an easy and accessible way to keep hydrated and reduce the use of plastic bottles, though plastic bottles were provided in the bathroom to use while brushing your teeth. A fancy tea box with a nice selection of TWG teas was complimentary as well.

As everywhere else in Bali, the hotel staff was friendly and forthcoming, but never pushy or intrusive and everything was done with a smile. Reception staff was always quite readily available via phone and restaurant staff delivering the food were always very cautious and discrete. However, when having food in the room the plates were not automatically cleared away after some time, you had to either call for someone to pick them up or wait for the cleaning crew to pass.

At the front gate the hotel has stationed a security guard at all hours of the day and night. No matter how many times you will pass them during the day, the security guards always made an effort to come out of their little cabin to greet you.

It was actually quite impressive to see how the cleaning crew operates. The team included a couple of maids who cleaned the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, there was somebody taking care of the pool area, as leaves and flowers from the surrounding trees did fall in the pool and one person cleaning the pool itself. All of this was done at an immense speed but it never felt hectic or rushed.

The hotel also offers a turn down service at night, around 7 pm, should you wish so. At the entrance door to your pool villa, which could also be locked and has a peephole, you can hang up a "do not disturb" sign or you can flip it over which portrays a sun, letting staff know that they are free to enter. We found that turn down service was only done when we had the sun-sign out.

The hotel complex has quite an extensive flora and fauna and the hotel employs a gardening crew to take care of the plants and keep the guest areas nice and tidy. This sometimes seemed like a Sisyphean task as leaves and flowers kept falling on the walking paths throughout the day, and were almost immediately cleared away. It is quite beautiful and you can see hat the gardening staff is really taking care of the trees and plants.

Spa

Mahagiri Villas has a Spa on site which offers an array of massages and treatments. However, as it is a luxury resort, prices are much higher than in the little spas outside of the complex or even in the pricier main street spas. They do offer you a 15-minute complimentary massage for staying with them, which we did not use as I preferred to just get a full treatment at the spa across the street.

Beach Club

The name "beach club" might be a bit deceiving in this case. All it is, is a small, reserved area on the beach where they put up a couple of sunbeds and parasols, only available to guest at Mahagiri Villas. A pool boy was always on site to set up the beds and parasols and towels were also available. The time we wanted to go there we could actually not find it and only discovered it because we ran into one of the hotel drivers who showed us the spot. We didn't end up using the beach club as we found hanging out by the pool all day way more comfortable.

Shuttle Service

The hotel offers a shuttle service which drops you off and picks you up anywhere you want in the central Sanur area. A lot of people used it to get to and from the beach club; we used it to get to certain restaurants or shops which were further away to pick up some souvenirs and gifts (Sensatia Botanicals). You just need to call ahead to reception, and they will arrange for a driver and one of their comfortable and new cars. For pick up from a location outside the hotel you could just had to give the driver a call or arrange a pick-up and point time with him. We never waited more than 10, 15 minutes for a pick up and it was just so convenient for the times when you were too lazy to walk.

Looking back, we had a great experience at Mahagiri Villas and hotel staff tried their best to make our stay as pleasant as possible. It is a luxury resort without being too posh or pretentious and it is still able to keep a homey and relaxing feel.

The price per night for the room was about 200 Euros, so 100 Euros per person, which considering the whole package was absolutely appropriate and well worth it. Our stay was a special experience and it is going to be hard to beat by other resort-style hotels.