Sini Vie Resort & Spa Seminyak by iNi Vie Hospitality — Hotel in Pulau Bali

Firstly, reviewing this in the context of what this place is. It’s not what we would call “luxury” but for the price and as a nice resort it is worth 5 stars. Just dont expect actual luxury if you’re coming from richer countries. We stayed in June in one of the pool villas and overall it was great. Who doesnt love having their own pool?! Though we actually found we were hanging out at the main pool everyday as well as it was quite a nice pool and a nice place to hang out and have our free mocktails (yes, you can definitely have booze if you want so calm down all you Aussies!). To my delight there is also a jumping platform and pool. Loved that. The villas could do with some maintenance as they are a little worn out here and there but nothing to be concerned about and all the public areas are very nice. Our villa pool was quite big and didn’t seem to be heated. Just dont expect actual “luxury” as you wont expect with other places given details like this - luxury is about every detail. Service was quite good but inattentive at times. Try get a towel at the pool and you’ll see what i mean. They used WhatsApp and it was so easy. The people were lovely. The spa was very good. It seemed it was mostly couples which was nice but people do bring their kids. Mostly they were fine until and huge family of bogons turned up with their hyperactive kids and ran amok for a day. The restaurant is quite good for a resort like this. If you have a package with a lunch or dinner included just note it is a fixed menu different from the main menu and does not change. Has good indo, Japanese and western options. It’s location is not the best but is away from the chaos and is priced accordingly so it is ok. Just expect it to look a bit dirty and messy outside and around the resort. They also have a shuttle that runs you into Seminyak square which takes 20-30mins. And very cheap to get a Grab in and out too. They were oddly concerned about some towels that were unaccounted for, which was their fault, and was eventually sorted after 5 minutes of explaining their stuff up. They guy was noce and this was obviously a management thing. Again, “luxury” resorts dont make guess feel like they’re accused of stealing towels. All up, for the price point, you really couldn’t do much better so worth the stay. But if you want actual luxury you need to stay...

Staff were wonderful. Very friendly and always keen to help. Room was tired. Having been to indonesia many times over the last few decades, the saying 'almost everything works most of the time' was consistent here. The basics, like a ceiling fan, or stable internet weren't there. The villa was showing wear with plumbing fittings loose, paint flaking, corossion evident everywhere you look. Lunch and dinner menu were the same - plenty to choose from - quality good. Breakfast - apart from the egg station and fresh fruit [excellent], the balance was either overcooked . [meats, fish] or stale [breads and pastries]. Bar service very good. Beware of the unwritten rules they'll impose upon you for using the 500,000 IDR in room benefit - You have to advise them before you order that you want to use it; if you don't, the benefit is forfeited. They don't tell you this when offering the benefit. The shuttle to Seminyak is a reliable service. When venturing into town be aware that you're a target for hawkers. By comparison to the Eastern side of Bali, the east coast is a different vibe. A hustle on every corner with a smile. Examples included constantly being badgered by moped taxi riders [just because you want to walk], market stall owners using high pressure sales behaviour to encourage you to buy, spruikers at the front of almost every eatery, or my favourite - the offer of a free gift if you'll give 'the' promoter [using teams of 2 riding the streets on mopeds] 60 minutes of your time. I saw a few couples whisked away in a car to a remote location for what was likely a sales pitch to buy time share. Hawkers can be aggressive, so be firm if you don't want to be hassled. Be prepared to haggle for a decent price - do some research on what things cost before going. Street vendors will always start high and then complain that you're being harsh if you counter low. Have your walk away price set in your mind, and be comfortable in the knowledge that there's a dozen vendors selling the same stuff within 100m, most...

I wanted to retract from writing this review, however for other future guests and for management I wanted this to be known for buyer beware and hopefully something to be done to improve for the future...

I'll start by saying on the positives that the staff are extremely friendly and welcoming, and the room itself is aesthetically pleasing and well thought out, however ...that is really the only positives.

Cons: The main reason we booked the resort was due to it being 'Adults only', which was not the case, the resort was filled with families and screaming children heard through the walls at night. Check in was 40 mins late, no apology... First night the power went out 3 times, had to keep going to concierge...we got no sleep..it continued into the second night but was resolved the following day. Apology and airport drop off given. The breakfast option is very poor, all aimed towards Indian cuisine. We were also told that for any beverage containing milk we had to pay extra, so lattes, English breakfast tea etc not included at a '5 star resort'?? We dined out for most of our breakfasts due to this. Resort is situated away from all main areas, you will either have to walk minimum 2km or order a taxi to get anywhere in the main area of Seminyak/Kerobokan, shuttle service is offered but inconvenient times. The resort itself is in a very aloof street, when it rains lightly the main road floods, making walking near impossible. Out the front of the resort is littered with rubbish and general vibe feels off..

+More negatives, but I am too tired to list

To be fair we feel so ripped off for the price we paid that we want compensation, it was such a downer to our holiday that we only get for a short period each year and has soured us coming back to Bali, we have been 8+ times.

Nearly every second booking there was complaining about something, so we definitely aren't the only ones, majority of the reviews listed on...