When I first planned my Bali trip, I really had no idea how Bali is in terms of location. Like, I've heard a lot of well-known areas around Bali like Kuta, Ubud, Seminyak, or Canggu. And if there's anything that I keep in mind when I started planning out my trip, it was to avoid the Kuta area that is somewhat the least recommended these days.
Long story short, since I've spent around 2 weeks in Bali, I decided to stay at a few different hotels in various areas around the island.
I heard a lot of good stuff about Canggu from some travel groups I'm in on Facebook. However, a few months before my departure, one of my Indonesian friends stayed around Canggu area and she wasn't impressed. She told me that Seminyak seems like a better choice to stay around Bali.
According to some other friend, Seminyak is mostly suitable for young travelers who are keen on some nightlife as well. There are some pubs in the surrounding area, including the famous Mrs. Sippy Bali. Because of this, I then prioritized some hotel options around Seminyak, until I decided to book a room at The Alea Hotel Seminyak.
I usually don't bother much about the accommodation whenever I travel. For me, as long as it has a nice bed and (preferably) a private shower, all is good!
However, I have to admit that since last year, my view of accommodation has slightly changed. Not to mention that since I traveled to Bali with my mom and my brother, I tried my best to cater not only to my personal preference but also theirs.
We didn't mind sharing bed, and our requirements are quite simple. As long as it has an elevator (my mom's knee problem and also our inability to travel light 😛 ), a swimming pool (I was planning to take some time to swim properly in the pool other than getting around the beaches in Bali), and a smoking area for my brother… It's good to go!
The Alea Hotel Seminyak has got everything we needed, and the night rate is super cheap too. Since it was the three of us, we needed an extra bed for our stay. Even though I usually prefer using Agoda to book the accommodation, I had to book the room through Traveloka so the extra bed fee could be included in our booking.
My First Impression at The Alea Hotel Seminyak
It took us around an hour from Ngurah Rai International Airport to get to the hotel, as we landed on Saturday and apparently Bali got their own traffic jam problem. 😛
The Alea Hotel Seminyak isn't located in the main street. But to be fair, it only makes the hotel a better place to stay for the night. Some bars are only walking distance, but you don't really have to worry about the possible noise that might disturb you at night. It's actually located on the sweet spot if you were like me.
You know, a part of me wants to get the party started, but the other part of me knows that I'm too old for that. Anyway, how's my first impression at The Alea Hotel Seminyak?
The hotel lobby at The Alea Hotel Seminyak.
Check-In Process
I did my research weeks before our departure to Bali. And I kinda decided to book a room at The Alea Hotel Seminyak long before we rescheduled the trip for a couple of times.
However, I didn't directly book it as the plan was quite tentative in terms of time, thanks to my cousin's indecisiveness who ended up canceling the road trip altogether. 😐
Initially, we were planning to book 2 (two) rooms separately… One for me and my mom, and the other for my brother and my cousin. For that, I was planning to book a room with the pool view and another one with the pool access. That way, I could write a review of both of the rooms available at the hotel.
Unfortunately, since my cousin canceled the trip just a couple of days before our trip started, we then only booked a room through Traveloka. The only room type available at the time was the room with the pool view. We booked the room without breakfast for 3 nights, and we paid for IDR 1,452,433 in total (around $103 USD).
It was super cheap, considering that the extra bed is included in the price. Our check-in process was super fast, as the receptionist only asked for my ID and they asked me to sign the T&C applied for our stay. One of them is that all the rooms are non-smoking rooms, so if we as tenants get caught smoking inside the room we will get fined for IDR 2,000,000.
Deluxe Room with Pool View
Our room at The Alea Hotel Seminyak.
The good thing is that we got the room on the same floor as the lobby. And the room is in fact super cozy!
The bed is big enough, even for the three of us. And they also provide a small coach close to the window where you can either sit down and look at the pool view or just lie down while watching TV like my mom did every evening. I mean, the coach is actually big enough for you even to take a nap. So honestly, you could also use it as the extra bed.
They also provide you with some amenities like towels, and 2-in-1 shower/shampoo gel. Basically, they've got everything you need in a room. I was quite impressed with their facilities for sure! 🙂
Since my brother is a smoker, I also asked where he could smoke as all rooms are non-smoking rooms. The receptionist said that he could smoke in all open-air areas. He usually smokes around the balcony or just went downstairs to smoke by the pool.
Also, I thought that they have a small size swimming pool due to their low night rate, but guess what? There are actually 2 (two) decent-sized swimming pool that are suitable for exercising.
And from all the hotels I've booked in Bali, actually The Alea Hotel Seminyak was where I went swimming daily. Literally daily, once a day I had like 10-round swimming every morning.
Review: The Alea Hotel Seminyak, Bali
Overall, I had a pleasant stay at The Alea Hotel Seminyak in terms of their facilities as well as hospitality. The amenities were replaced by request, so if you want your towels or sheet changed you should call the receptionist first. Since we didn't book the hotel room with breakfast, we didn't get a chance to try their buffet breakfast.
However, if you've already booked a room without breakfast package, you can also pay extra IDR 100,000 (around $7 USD) per pax for their buffet. We didn't have breakfast there, and instead, we went to the cafe next to the hotel to enjoy their breakfast menu.
The Room and Amenities
They also have cable in the room.
The three of us stayed in the same room during our trip to Bali. A deluxe room might be not an ideal place to stay, but it was enough for us. The bed in the deluxe room was big enough for the three of us, and even though the room isn't so big, it actually has everything we needed during our stay.
There's a mini-fridge in the room, as well as a TV with cable channels and also the teapot for when we're in the mood for tea or coffee. We didn't get slippers when we arrived, but we called the receptionist to get some and they gave one for each one of us.
And most importantly, their wifi connection actually works!
To be fair, out of the 4 properties where I stayed around Bali, half of them had shitty connection when I tried to connect to my netbook. But the wifi connection at The Alea Hotel Seminyak did the wonder, so it was super helpful for my work during my stay there.
Their water heater in the shower also worked perfectly in our room. The shower after my swimming session couldn't have been better!
The only minus that I found around the room is the humidity in the shower that made our shower smell a bit unpleasant. Other than that, everything works well and I almost didn't have anything to complain about my stay at The Alea Hotel Seminyak.
It is for sure a family-friendly accommodation, and the night rate is super affordable too! 😀
The Swimming Pool
The pool, seen from our room.
My main consideration when I booked the hotel is actually their swimming pool. The pool at The Alea Hotel Seminyak looks great to exercise. And I suppose the experience would have been much better if only we got to stay at the room with direct access to the pool.
But to be fair, even though I got the room with only the pool view… I was actually even more excited when I arrived at the hotel. Why? Because there's not only one swimming pool… But two!
The only thing is that both swimming pools have the same depth, and it's quite deep. Like not kids-friendly depth. I forgot whether it's 1.5 meters or 1.6 meters depth, what I know is that I'm 1.58 meters and I couldn't even step on the pool without getting drowned. On the bright side, it makes the pool perfect for exercising.
I mean, that way I basically didn't have any choice but actually swimming. 😛
Overall Review
So, how is The Alea Hotel Seminyak? Here we go!
(+)
The night rate is super affordable. Honestly, it's so cheap that if only I don't have to put the flight ticket and the transportation cost to get around Bali, it would make traveling around Bali super cheap. But nope, I personally find accommodation is the only thing in Bali that is actually cheap.
Cozy room, with almost everything you need during your stay.
It's not located on the main street around Seminyak, but some bars are within walking distance. The hotel area is quiet during the night, so you don't have to complain about the noise when you try to sleep.
A mini-market is only 5-minutes walking from the hotel, and so is a laundry parlor in case you need it.
I can't say it over and over again, but I love their swimming pools!
Their hospitality is so on-point. Fast check-in, and everyone there is super helpful as well.
(-)
The humidity smell at the bathroom. Like, for real though…
The nearest beach from the hotel is Batu Belig beach, which is located around 2 kms from the hotel. My brother and I tried to walk to the beach, and it was quite an exercise! 😛
The smell of humidity that is so strong in the shower is the only thing I complained about my stay at The Alea Hotel Seminyak.
Final Verdict of The Alea Hotel Seminyak, Bali
I would love to stay at The Alea Hotel Seminyak again just for the vibes. I mean, I think The Alea Hotel Seminyak is a great place to stay when you're in the mood for some kind of staycation where you just stay at the hotel for chill or party at Mrs. Sippy.
But if you're looking into chilling around the nearest beach, The Alea Hotel Seminyak is probably not a good alternative for you. That, unless you want to spend some money on Gojek ride. However, if you're planning to rent a scooter to get around… I think The Alea Hotel Seminyak is still one for you to consider! 🙂
So, have you stayed somewhere around Seminyak? Do you have another hotel in Seminyak that you'd recommend as you got a good experience staying there? Sharing is caring, let me know in the comment below and cheerio! 🙂
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