Mana Uluwatu Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Kuta Selatan

I would like to raise a concern regarding my experience during a visit to your property on 9th September 2024. The reservation was under Komang Ayu Wiratmi at 17:15 hrs. As a guest who was amazed by the view and the surrounding environment, I started filming our moment at the restaurant since my friends and I were having a reunion after ages.

In the middle of filming, I noticed a staff member looking directly at me with a straight face, no smile (isn’t it standard in the hospitality industry to greet guests with a smile?). I was expecting the staff member to approach us and say something like “Hi, how are you doing? Are you guys comfortable at this table? Do you like the ambiance? How can I assist you?” But, unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead, the staff member came over and, without any pleasantries, informed me that filming was not allowed due to privacy reasons. I was taken aback and began wondering: Is this the Middle East where everything is restricted? Or did we accidentally step into a secret or highly private area?

I tried to understand the reasoning behind the staff member’s words, but I was even more surprised to learn that he was a manager. Shouldn’t a manager, especially in the hospitality industry, handle such situations more delicately? Although I didn’t agree with how this was handled, I chose not to argue with him. Out of respect for my friends and the other guests, I decided not to escalate the situation, but I left feeling like a moment that should have been cherished was unnecessarily disrupted. From my perspective, in this digital era, videos and pictures are the best way to promote or advertise for free. When we take videos or pictures at your property and post them on social media, our friends will naturally ask, “Where is this? How was it?” It’s essentially free advertising and marketing. Did you realize that, dear manager on duty?

Dear Manager, Please take a moment to notice that the video I took was focused solely on our table, so the privacy was ours to manage. Please check my video (I have sent it through WhatsApp) it does not capture other guests, only the six of us. Thank you for your gesture, though it made me feel like a criminal in front of my friends. It took me some time to return to having a normal conversation after that incident. I won’t forget how this situation made me feel, I can't help but wonder, Is this what hospitality in Bali stands for? No racism, right? Please correct me if I’m mistaken. Lastly, I’d like to extend my gratitude to Melly and Vivi, who showed empathy. We could feel that they were doing their job right, making the guests feel welcome and cared for, instead of the terrible feeling I experienced.

Last but not least, the food we ordered was just ordinary, nothing particularly special — but I don’t have an issue with that. My main concern is with the policy about taking videos, and more importantly, how the manager spoke to us. It felt inappropriate, especially considering that I am an Indonesian guest. Thank you for taking the time to read my long message regarding my experience at your property.

My very best...

The setting of this establishment is appealing, but the management leaves much to be desired. The advertised "first come, first served" policy for sunbeds and loungers is clearly not respected. Despite several obvious availabilities, I was refused access on-site, and not in the most courteous manner — the older gentleman at the cashier’s desk being particularly unwelcoming and lacking in diplomacy. Although several WhatsApp exchanges, the establishment later apologized, offering explanations that seemed neither coherent nor sincere. On a positive note, the restaurant staff upstairs are extremely professional, and the food is genuinely good. It is simply unfortunate that such a beautiful venue is tainted by selective and disrespectful management practices. I personally prefer to spend my time — and my money — in places where the quality of service matches the quality of the setting.

Dear Mana Team,

Thank you for your response, but I would like to correct several points you mentioned.

Contrary to what was stated, I was alone and not accompanied, and the restaurant staff can confirm this. I am therefore surprised that you referred to a space "for me and my companion," which suggests either a confusion or a mix-up with another guest. I sincerely hope you are not mistaking me for someone else—though your message does suggest that such situations may occur regularly.

Indeed, upon my arrival around 9:45 a.m., I was offered a spot in the full sun, at a shared table, which I politely declined due to the heat already being intense at that hour. This option did not align with the level of comfort one might expect from an establishment of your standing.

Furthermore, I would like to point out that two cabanas were available at the time of my arrival, making the situation all the more disappointing and difficult to understand.

I truly regret the lack of sincerity in your reply, especially since the reviews that followed mine confirm that my experience was neither isolated nor exaggerated. This was clearly not just a simple misunderstanding.

I still wish you all the best and hope you will take this feedback into account to improve the way you welcome and treat your...

Seems there is a total lack of management in the restaurant and the kitchen. The waiters attend tables only as needed - not dedicated so running around like headless chickens - and you have to coax a smile out of them. Apart from that they have the floor staring problem – ‚I may see a customer that needs something.‘ The food I had in the course of 3 days was not very exciting apart from the calamari. The honey chicken was bland and no sauce to go with it – stole curry sauce from my wife for the rice. One day we were told breakfast would be delayed as they are serving villas in villa dining first. Interesting as we were also staying in a villa but decided to eat at the restaurant instead. After half an hour I asked if I could at least have the soft boiled egg and bread I ordered first (at extra cost from the sides menu). The egg did arrive a few minutes later, cracked, cold and not soft boiled. The sourdough bread (for 1 slice 20k!) arrived with it but without any preserves and butter as per menu. I gave up asking for it as all the staff were too stressed. Finally after 1 hour and asking again, I received a so called ‘classic French toast’, the only problem being it was just toast (egg not to be found on it) with cream on top and sour berry compote & low and behold also cold. No honey was served with it either as per menu. Egg muffins were served with day old muffin not toasted. To nobody’s surprise we did not get a fruit plate that day either - part of villa breakfast. Benefit as a non-villa guest is that that pool is public and expect a lot of the local expats from the area to stay there all day since there is no entry fee as in the beach / cliff clubs nearby. Especially young families with babies to warm up the...