Cross Bali Breakers — Hotel in Kuta Selatan

It’s hard to write this review because I hate to write negative ones but I can’t ignore the fact that this was the most expensive hotel during our stay in Bali but we didn’t see corresponding quality increase when compared to other hotels in Bali for way less money. We know the Uluwatu area is quite expensive but still. Now to the “whys”: Room: absolutely stunning! Great bed and mattress. The pool was quite big and relaxing. 5 stars! Service: the staff was super sweet! They offered activities, which was great! But here comes the first negative factor. Unfortunately the staff was very much overwhelmed by the amount of guests in the breakfast. We had to stand up and look for someone 4 times to order coffee and something from the daily a la carte menu. In the end we spent roughly one hour in the breakfast but mostly waiting. Even so we had to leave without the pancake, which was ordered twice but never came. Since we hade enough time to observe, it was evident that the there’s no structure in the roles. The same staff welcoming guests had to take the orders, refill food, bring dirty dishes back to the kitchen. It was quite chaotic. They also don’t have a trolley to bring more dishes at once or a kitchen window to make it more efficient. So that the staff has to walk through banging doors thousand times back and forth with only a few things to clean tables up. Generally speaking they need to optimize the processes urgently! Breakfast: since we are in this topic I have to say it was rather poor for a 5 star hotel and in comparison to other - much cheaper - hotels in the island. In the more elaborate part there were sausages, bacon, mushrooms and the rest (around 4-5 stations more) was pretty much Asian breakfast - congee and similars. They have champagne in the breakfast but I’d rather save that money to improve the food itself - maybe provide with different kinds of cheese, a couple of warm dishes more, waffles/banana pancakes? Just a suggestion! You can also order form a la carte menu with 3 options, which changes daily. It’s a great idea but the dishes were not that elaborated, so it’s also not a must in my opinion. I’d rather improve the variety and quality of the breakfast itself. Coffee was GREAT though! And again, the staff was super sweet (which makes it very hard to write this) Gym: CrossFit area. Not amazing but they are honest about it in the pictures before you book the hotel. So we already knew, what was to come. Location: quite isolated but the beach is very near. You certainly need a bike or a driver to get around. It’s also not their direct fault, that there’s very few restaurants in the soundings. Either way, you should know this before you book a room there.

Before I finish I must disclosure, I talked to the manager right after the first breakfast to assess the subject and he was open and thankful for the honest perspective. The service improved a lot the next day - there were more staff working in the breakfast and we could tell, they knew we had a problem the day prior. Still I think it’s something I have to write about after the price we payed. In the overall I wouldn’t recommend a friend staying there since you can get a similar experience for a lot less money in the island - probably NOT in Uluwatu! Since the area per se is already much more expensive, but in my opinion not...

We spent ten nights at the Cross Bali Breakers Resort and overall had mixed experiences.

Room and Amenities: Originally, we booked a 1 Bedroom Villa. Unfortunately, it did not meet our expectations – the pool was significantly smaller than depicted in the photos, more like a whirlpool in size, with no real privacy and no loungers, just sandbags, some of which had mold stains. Luckily, we were able to upgrade to a 2 Bedroom Villa for an additional charge of 900k IDR per night. However, we found this surcharge unreasonable, as the difference on the resort’s website at that time was only 600k IDR. Unfortunately, the staff was not very willing to negotiate. The 2 Bedroom Villa was much more spacious and offered a more protected outdoor area with a couch, a dining set, and loungers. The pool was also slightly larger, and the privacy was better. The villas themselves are somewhat dated. For example, there were some mold stains on the curtains, and the outdated key system for the villas made handling cumbersome. We ended up with a total of three keys for our villa?!

Service and Staff: The staff was consistently warm, attentive, and always eager to make our stay pleasant. Particularly noteworthy was the friendliness and helpfulness of the team, who always had a smile on their faces. During Nyepi Day, when there were fewer staff members, there were slight delays, but this was understandable given the special holiday.

Gastronomy: The breakfast buffet was varied and of good quality, featuring changing dishes and freshly prepared egg specialties. Lunch and dinner from the menu tasted very good. The prices were above average, and the portions were rather small. We were particularly disappointed with the cocktails, which did not impress us at all in terms of taste. On Nyepi Day, a buffet was offered with no other option available – we found the price-performance ratio here unsatisfactory. The seat cushions in the restaurant appeared unhygienic and were in urgent need of cleaning.

Wellness and Leisure: The resort has a spa, but the prices, even for a 5-star property, were excessive. Alternatively, there is a smaller, clean spa nearby at a fraction of the cost. The shuttle service to the beach and supermarket is convenient, but renting a scooter or using Grab is more advisable. The resort offers various sports and leisure activities for guests.

Location and Ambience: The resort stands out for its peaceful location and well-maintained grounds, which invite relaxation. The two pools, one of which has a pool bar, are particularly nice. During our stay, the tranquility was occasionally disturbed by loud and disrespectful guests and noisy children early in the morning. Unfortunately, our complaint at the reception was not satisfactorily resolved.

Conclusion: The Cross Bali Breakers Resort did not fully meet our expectations of a 5-star experience. In particular, the discrepancies between advertising and reality, as well as some unreasonable additional costs, tarnished the overall impression. For our next stay in Bali, we would likely choose a different...

Cross Bali Breakers is a beautiful resort. We stayed in a 2 bedroom villa with my family of four - 2 adults and 2 children aged 12 and 14. The cleanliness of the property is to a very high standard and the breakfast was simple but beautiful. They have an egg station near the bar offering freshly cooked poached, fried, scrambled eggs and omelettes. In addition they have a special each day such as crepes, waffles crepes that can be cooked for you at the egg station. There are additional specials available each day that can be ordered off the specials menu located at each table. My absolute favourite was the French toast!!! They also offer you barista style coffee or iced milkshakes/coffee at no extra charge during breakfast. We ordered dinner at Point Break twice and the food was beautiful and to a very high standard at reasonable prices. Guests receive 10% off their food bill. We had no choice but to also have the BBQ buffet dinner on Saturday night as we stayed over Nyepi (day of silence) and found that to be very basic for what you pay. It is a very quiet, calm, peaceful resort and you really do feel relaxed at Cross. If you are after a lively atmosphere then this place is not for you.The location of Cross is between Jimbaran and Uluwatu. There is nothing surrounding the resort so have given a low location score. You can’t walk to any restaurants or nightlife/entertainment. There is a seperate restaurant upon entering the entrance of the resort but it was closed for most of the time we were there and looked a bit isolated and inviting on the days that it did open so we didn’t go there. In saying that we used the Grab taxi service and had no issues getting to and from places we visited while we were there. We organised a day trip to Ubud and did Quad Biking and White Water Rafting through a driver/tour guide that is based at the resort named Widii and he was great. He also stopped at the Coffee Plantation on the way back and was with us for 12 hours on that day. We were able to negotiate the price and he was happy to drive us around all day. The resort offers a shuttle that takes you down to Balangan Beach and will stop at the local supermarket for you along the way there or back. I was very disappointed by the rubbish that was washed up on the shore of Balangan Beach. While the beach has potential to be a beautiful beach due to the colour of the water and position, it definitely was not a beach I would swim in. There were also large logs from trees being washed up during high tide which banged into our feet as we were walking through the water so didn’t spend much time there at all. There were surfers attempting to catch waves but again I wouldn’t take my chances. Overall we were happy with our stay at Cross Bali Breakers. The staff were extremely welcoming and friendly and attended to all of our needs. I would highly recommend for a relaxed and...