Hotel Puri Tempo Doeloe — Hotel in Denpasar Selatan

So I'm not quite sure how we ended up booking Puri Tempo Doeloe, a last-minute, late night rush, from the runway, as our plane took off. We were hunting for somewhere to transit for one night, near the beach, having trouble finding anywhere, and my wife liked the photos.

In reality, it's nowhere near the beach, which is clearly not their fault but ours. Though the location is perfect for our run back to the airport this afternoon. When we checked in at midnight, the lone security guard who did our check-in was very polite and helpful. Our room had two single beds, not the double I had requested, but the guard immediately moved us to a bungalow with a double instead. In hindsight, the way the hotel has done its online listings is far from clear, listing rooms as double or twin, then with a drop-down menu to choose. This clearly allows them to increase occupancy at peak times but comes at a cost of inconvenience for guests if no other options for late upgrade are available. Be careful when booking.

The photos do the place justice. The style is very "Jakarta arisan in Bali". (If you have spent time in Jakarta and Bali and seen the movie Arisan, you will know what I mean) ie very white, clean, low maintenance and very much catering to the Jakarta (on holiday) taste and style and not so much Bali or Western tourist taste and style. I imagine it would also do well with the older Dutch set, as the extensive use of white paint adds a bit of a post colonial feel to it all.

To explain the "Jakarta feel" to those that don't know. As an example, our rooms are lined with old photographs, but images are from Java, not Bali. This is true for most of the artwork, architecture, and landscaping. Leaving a feel of something more suited to Pelabuan Ratu than Sanur.

Our "outdoor" style bathroom wasn't really outdoor except for a token outdoor shower on a concrete pad. But the large indoor hand tiled bathtub was my sized with plenty of hot water, and the soaps and shampoos that were provided were nice. Though the towels and bathmats were old and far from white, well below current international standards.

I had the eggs benedict for breakfast, but actually, it wasn't, because eggs ben uses an English muffin and ham, and this used a sweet bread roll and spinach and mushrooms, presumably to cater more to the Jakarta largely Halal market. The hollandaise sauce was also not really a hollandaise, made with a reduction of lemons, not wine, and using cheap blueband margarine, not butter. My wife (from Java) had the Bubur Ayam, chicken porridge, and noted that Balinese don't really eat bubur ayam for breakfast as it's a Java thing, so while the portion was large the taste was not so great. The only coffee choice was coffee tubruk, and while that might be ok for the average person from Java, it's really below international standard in a world where people are increasingly fussy about their coffee. The juice was disappointingly not fresh which is such an easy thing to do in the tropics.

The beds were lovely four poster beds with mosquito nets, though could have used a mattress topper to soften the springbok. Sheets were lovely and clean, pillows nice. Air conditioner worked well, and was essential with almost no ventilation.

Wifi was good and fast, though we couldn't get the smart TV to connect, barfridge and kettle were OK.

The gardens were beautifully landscaped, though again not quite capturing the essence of Bali. Choosing lower maintenance and minimalism over depth of coulor and layering. The pool was clean but very small and shallow, again well designed for mum and dad from Java on holidays watching the kids who mostly can't swim, have a paddle.

Overall I'd say the place was a solid 4 stars. A bit expensive for what we got, and not quite where we wanted, but again, that's not the owners fault as we booked last minute. A notably "upper middle class Jakarta or older Dutch person on holiday" feel to it all, but clean, friendly, and catering to a particular market niche, which is probably not us, but that's not the...

I Didn't Expect That I Would Have 1 of The Best Stay Experience in This Boutique Hotel. The Most Welcoming & Warm Hospitality From Mbok Dian & Mbok Bulan Truly Leaving A Mark In My Heart, It's Truly Heart Warming, As It's Truly Touching The Depth of My Soul. Well, At First, I Thought It Was A Guest House, But Everything Here Truly Exceeds My Expectations. The Indonesian Breakfast They Serve Is Truly 1 of The Best in Bali. & Surprisingly, I Have 1 of The Best Spa Experience in Bali Here. & Not To Forget To Mention That I Was Being Taken Care By Mbok Merry During The Spa Experience. Well, Seriously I've Never Thought That The Spa Experience Would Be So Nice. After All, No Words Would Ever Be Able To Express My Gratitude That I'm Being Taken Care So Well By Mbok Bulan & Mbok Dian. They Serve Such A Genuine & Heart Warming Hospitality As They Bring A Sense of Warmth In My Heart & A Genuine Smile To My Face As They Ignite A Light To My Soul. I Think, That's The Magic I Found In Bali. & It Feels Like I Found A Hidden Treasure That I Haven't Found For A Such A Long Time in Bali. Well, I Think If Want To Find The Magic of Bali, Think Again, U Might Not Find It In Fancy Places. Maybe U'll Find It In A Humble Place, A Guest House, A Reallly Humble Boutique Hotel, A Place That U've Never Thought That It Will Take A Special Place in Your Heart & Memories, That Will Ignite The Light in U, Your Faith In Genuine Hospitality, In A Heart-Warming Touch in Your Heart That Will Let U Miss A Place Like This. & This Is What I Wanna Tell U, Tempo Doeloe Sanur Is Not Just A Place, It's A Feeling, A Memory, A Heart Warming Experience, An Emotional Story, That Lead U To Find The Magic of Bali, Coz It's Igniting The Light Within You. Suksme Ping Bgd Nggih, Tempo Doeloe Sanur. U'll Always Be In My...

Feels like a resort in the city. Once you get off the main road you don’t hear a thing and the well maintained gardens really make the space comfortable.

There are many staff there but they are in working quietly in the background so you can relax in a quiet environment. The layout is pretty good too with most cottages placed around the central pool/garden with the restaurant to one side and each end of the pool is overlooked by some daybeds with high ceilings. Any chatter from restaurant or these daybeds wouldn’t interfere with you chilling by the pool.

End of October and it felt like there were only a handful of people here and you only realise there are more people at breakfast time.

We had Balinese massage everyday which was really nice timing after a flight and after a long day tour.

As usual if you see the staff genuinely happy you know that the place is well run and maintained.

The lobby and spa have Balinese touches and are well maintained. The cottage we stayed in with garden was really nice to have a sitting out area and the room and decor was quaint, but well maintained as the sheets felt fresh and comfortable and the mosquito net was decorative as well as functional.

We had a tour booked to Nusa Penida and the tour organised a very early to avoid traffic and it took 20mins as the one way road system means you drive away from your destination before u turning and driving towards your destination and then U turn again. Which was fine. But on the way back after a long day snorkelling and hiking, it was just 5 minutes to get back to the hotel and just chill by the pool before dinner. Perfect!!!😍

All in all it has the feeling of a retreat which is good if you are doing a boat based tour to...