The Istana — Attraction in Kuta Selatan

DON'T BRING YOUR KIDS AND TODDLERS TO A MEDITATION CENTER AND SAUNA!!! Не водите ребенка в спа||||It defies imagination why anyone would think it appropriate to bring a four-year-old and toddler to a supposed place of tranquility. What moron brings their screaming two-year-old into the steam sauna and thinks it okay to dip them into the cold plunge? ||||One guest commented they recently saw a three-month-old/newborn in the sauna. Is this even legal? At the very least, management needs to enforce a child free policy. I'm skeptical that Istana as Daycare aligns with its design "to be a space for meditation and health optimisation." It puts guests in the uncomfortable position to enforce spa etiquette. Even at the most basic spas, there are published signs with hygiene best practices and expected social norms. The Istana has none except the standard suggestion to shower before entering the pool. ||||Long term expat who was excited to visit The Istana after many recommendations from friends. Visited The Istana on a 3pm weekday slot.||||Even without screaming children, The Istana underwhelms. The property markets itself as "a world class experience" that attempts to answer an elation and exhilaration "of our surroundings." It's cliffside design inspires, but so do the other dozens of places along the Bukit Peninsula. We can (and did) go next door at Mana for the same view. ||||Even the adults don't make any attempt to establish quiet. There are no published rules about maintaining silence or respecting people who meditate. The Cafe right next to the sauna facilities with shared tables makes me wonder if The Istana has a clear identity, or if it's trying to have a high vibes Cafe while masquerading as a meditation space. Enforcing a site wide quiet zone would go a lot toward creating a rejuvenating experience. ||||At legitimately luxurious spas and saunas, there is a concerted attempt by designers and architects to separate spaces. Cafe separated from lockers and space between the facilities. Having the pools and saunas clustered so close together and not distinct from the rest of the property doesn't allow for an adequate transition from the outside world to the inside. I'd rather not listen to a spiritual pickup artist woo a naive prospect with tantric mysteries. ||||A parking lot gate half closed just makes it harder to exit. It doesn't inspire confidence for entering a special experience. Exiting also took a long time to retrieve our locker key and unlock the phone bag. ||||Maybe I missed it, but another thing The Istana lacks is a chill out area away from the crowds. Other spas I've been to have dedicated warm or cool down rooms to read or wind down. There is only the unshaded lawn, noisy Cafe, or the covered cabana (next to screaming children.) A wind down climate controlled and shaded area would be a welcome addition. ||||Submitting your phone to the chastity belt seems like a half baked attempt to provide an electronics minimal environment. But when hotel guests have their phones out, and you can still type on your phone, what's the point? Owners should have the courage to go all the way and enforce a no phone/tablet/laptop standard with dedicated lockers. At least the plague of Instagram influencers can't easily descend on The Istanas picturesque infinity pool. Also, who brings an iPad into a steam sauna? ||||Their claim to provide "individualising methods to suit their personal rhythms and needs" translates to an overcrowded dry sauna and undersized plunge pools. One outside shower means there's a wait to transition between modalities. Istana feels more like a cattle call than an attempt to optimize life. I don't see the point in state-of-the-art technologies if the overall ambience and layout misses the mark. ||||I wouldn't be so critical and would give The Istana the benefit of the doubt if they didn't make such grandiose promises. They could use with a little less marketing/brand management and a little more delivery on their claims. ||||I wouldn't come here with the expectation of serenity and quiet. They pack way too much stuff into a small space. It doesn't quite rise to the standard of a money grab, but for the prices they charge, especially for accommodation, you can find better value on the island or in Southeast Asia. If you're in Uluwatu, check it out and see if it's for you, but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit. It is far from a world class spa and wellness destination. ||||Like so many places in Bali, a spectacular setting and ambitious vision doesn't compensate for the mediocre execution of faux spirituality and...

DON'T BRING YOUR KIDS AND TODDLERS TO A MEDITATION CENTER AND SAUNA!!! Не водите ребенка в спа||||It defies imagination why anyone would think it appropriate to bring a four-year-old and toddler to a supposed place of tranquility. What moron brings their screaming two-year-old into the steam sauna and thinks it okay to dip them into the cold plunge? ||||One guest commented they recently saw a three-month-old/newborn in the sauna. Is this even legal? At the very least, management needs to enforce a child free policy. I'm skeptical that Istana as Daycare aligns with its design "to be a space for meditation and health optimisation." It puts guests in the uncomfortable position to enforce spa etiquette. Even at the most basic spas, there are published signs with hygiene best practices and expected social norms. The Istana has none except the standard suggestion to shower before entering the pool. ||||Long term expat who was excited to visit The Istana after many recommendations from friends. Visited The Istana on a 3pm weekday slot.||||Even without screaming children, The Istana underwhelms. The property markets itself as "a world class experience" that attempts to answer an elation and exhilaration "of our surroundings." It's cliffside design inspires, but so do the other dozens of places along the Bukit Peninsula. We can (and did) go next door at Mana for the same view. ||||Even the adults don't make any attempt to establish quiet. There are no published rules about maintaining silence or respecting people who meditate. The Cafe right next to the sauna facilities with shared tables makes me wonder if The Istana has a clear identity, or if it's trying to have a high vibes Cafe while masquerading as a meditation space. Enforcing a site wide quiet zone would go a lot toward creating a rejuvenating experience. ||||At legitimately luxurious spas and saunas, there is a concerted attempt by designers and architects to separate spaces. Cafe separated from lockers and space between the facilities. Having the pools and saunas clustered so close together and not distinct from the rest of the property doesn't allow for an adequate transition from the outside world to the inside. I'd rather not listen to a spiritual pickup artist woo a naive prospect with tantric mysteries. ||||A parking lot gate half closed just makes it harder to exit. It doesn't inspire confidence for entering a special experience. Exiting also took a long time to retrieve our locker key and unlock the phone bag. ||||Maybe I missed it, but another thing The Istana lacks is a chill out area away from the crowds. Other spas I've been to have dedicated warm or cool down rooms to read or wind down. There is only the unshaded lawn, noisy Cafe, or the covered cabana (next to screaming children.) A wind down climate controlled and shaded area would be a welcome addition. ||||Submitting your phone to the chastity belt seems like a half baked attempt to provide an electronics minimal environment. But when hotel guests have their phones out, and you can still type on your phone, what's the point? Owners should have the courage to go all the way and enforce a no phone/tablet/laptop standard with dedicated lockers. At least the plague of Instagram influencers can't easily descend on The Istanas picturesque infinity pool. Also, who brings an iPad into a steam sauna? ||||Their claim to provide "individualising methods to suit their personal rhythms and needs" translates to an overcrowded dry sauna and undersized plunge pools. One outside shower means there's a wait to transition between modalities. Istana feels more like a cattle call than an attempt to optimize life. I don't see the point in state-of-the-art technologies if the overall ambience and layout misses the mark. ||||I wouldn't be so critical and would give The Istana the benefit of the doubt if they didn't make such grandiose promises. They could use with a little less marketing/brand management and a little more delivery on their claims. ||||I wouldn't come here with the expectation of serenity and quiet. They pack way too much stuff into a small space. It doesn't quite rise to the standard of a money grab, but for the prices they charge, especially for accommodation, you can find better value on the island or in Southeast Asia. If you're in Uluwatu, check it out and see if it's for you, but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit. It is far from a world class spa and wellness destination. ||||Like so many places in Bali, a spectacular setting and ambitious vision doesn't compensate for the mediocre execution of faux spirituality and...

Only writing this with the intent that management starts caring more about its customers and trains its staff to be more customer oriented.

I love Istana as a place and what they offer but the staff and how they handle customers is simply not to par with today’s standards whether in Bali or outside. They just don’t seem to care. But be aware that we as local community have been very much observant and taking about the poor customer service and slightly unfriendly and “we don’t need to care” attitude.

Just today another instance and example. I went to a yoga class with 5 local friends of mine of which 2 came for the first time and purchased the yoga + spa package. The staff informed them that the morning session is until noon.

After yoga, we went to the restaurant to eat and the kitchen took almost 60 mins to serve all our food. We did frequent check ins with the bar staff (3 times) as we had a couple of meals served after 20 mins. But one meal kept being delayed without specific time info “It’s coming right away Miss” was the repeat answer. Thus; we waited with our friend as we didn’t want to be rude and leave her alone and “it was suppose to come any minute”. But it took 60 mins. Finally done with food, the two girls who got the spa package walked to the spa area now almost noon and it was getting all shut down and they could no longer use the spa they purchased.

At checkout they asked if they can both get a credit for another day to use the spa. They explained that:

1. the food took 1 hour to be served to all of us
2. they didn’t know noon was a hard deadline in the sense that they shut down all facilities. It was their first time and they just thought it was a soft deadline to not have too many people at the same time use the spa.

The staff informed them that they told them that the spa was only open until noon. They responded with the above explaining what happened with the food order and that it was the first time. The staff didn’t care and was just on repeat.

We then asked them to check with the manager. Not sure if they actually did or pretended. As a result of me pushing them, they then said they offer 1 person a spa credit to which we answered that it wouldn’t make any sense to only offer 1 since they were 2 people and what if they didn’t know each other you should treat both people equally. We then asked to speak with the manager in person to which we were informed he is not available.

From our perspective this could have been handled much more elegantly given that the kitchen took 1 hours to serve food and the noon deadline was a spa shut down not closing of the time slot. They didn’t know this as it was their first time. They should have simply offered both women a credit for another time.

Know that the local community has noticed, is talking amongst each other and is giving your customer service a fair to poor rating. I am leaving this review so that management and the team starts caring more and values its customers more.

Here is what I suggest would have been appropriate and valued customer service:

1. apologize to the person waiting about 1h for her huevos rancheros (simple dish), offer her a free beverage for the continuous wait, or have her get her meal for free

2. offer BOTH people another spa shift and tell them it’s an exception as it’s their first time

3. highly recommend staff training by Servicable

Ps: lastly, I understand and value your no phone policy but somehow the bag search always leaves me feel like it could be handled more relaxed and friendly assuming people will respect it and come to Istana with...