Bargain resort has everything you need in a Bali break

The Place

Grand Mercure Bali Seminyak, Indonesia

Check-in

The lobby is huge and cool. An abstract Balinese mural overlooks the reception desk while a musician plays a traditional rindik bamboo xylophone. Check-in is straightforward: the normal protocols, helpful suggestions (pools, gym, restaurant) and a stroll to my room with suitcase soon delivered.

The look

This family-friendly hotel with 269 rooms and suites opened in 2022, but its plain design looks a decade older. A vague explanation offered, is that the Grand Mercure took over an earlier project that hadn’t reached completion. The four-storey accommodation blocks sit in a horseshoe shape around three swimming pools (including a broad, shallow kids’ one) at the heart of the resort. Guest rooms show signs – full-sized bathtubs and some wooden details – of an earlier-era Balinese hotel decor.

The room

The deluxe rooms and suites come in various configurations. My deluxe pool villa, for example, opens directly onto the main pool. Three paces, and I’m in the water. Meanwhile, sunbathers sprawled on airbeds drift past my door like zonked ducks on a pond. I have a sofa, flat-screen TV (with multiple satellite channels), coffee and tea-making essentials and free Wi-Fi. An ornate bedhead replicates the coronet worn by Balinese dancers. The classic bathroom has a great tub; other rooms have a “rain-shower experience” option. For guests with accessibility concerns, everything is on the level, so to speak, except for a few bumpy garden walkways.

Food + drink

The single restaurant, 180-seat Batur overlooks the pool (with swim-up bar) and serves an impressive range of cuisines from Balinese and Indonesian to Korean, Chinese and Western. To go Balinese, try chef Gede Adi Yulyawan’s signature ayam betutu (spiced chicken). Breakfast is a standout: from bagels to bulgogi, omelettes to kimchi or cornflakes, no one gets out of here hungry. Friday night’s special is an all-you-can-eat barbecue feast. Wine is relatively expensive, due to import taxes, at about $15 a glass or $75 a bottle for average labels. For dinner, I enjoy a crab and mango entree, barramundi woku main and a passionfruit-mango kulfi dessert. All on-song. The only unpalatable taste comes when my waiter needs me to rate their performance on a survey – “high, please?” Their service had been flawless but imposing these competitive evaluations on employees – and guests – is demeaning.

Out + about

It’s a three-minute stroll to Mesari (Double Six) Beach, which fills as the day progresses with rental loungers. You can walk forever, south towards Kuta or far north to Canggu. Remember, the surf is powerful and these beaches are mostly unpatrolled. Wander inland along Jalan Arjuna to the blocks of gift shops, boutiques, massage spas, mini-marts, moneychangers and restaurants that now stretch from Kuta to Kerobokan. Or head to Pura Petitenget to see a major Balinese Hindu temple (modest dress required). Getting around is easy: within 30 seconds of wherever you stand, a metered taxi or motorcycle rider awaits you.

The verdict

This very well-priced and well-located resort is unpretentious and fun. Excellent pools and basic gym. The food and service are highly commended. One might pass most of a day here, hitting the pool, spa, bar and even a book, without venturing to the busy world beyond – but never missing the beach’s flamboyant sunset.

The essentials

From $162 a night. Airport shuttle available. Grand Mercure Bali Seminyak, 40 Jalan Arjuna, Seminyak, Kecamatan Kuta, Badung, Bali. Phone +62 361 9342900. See all.accor.com

Our rating out of five

★★★★

Highlight

Lagoon-sized pools for adults and kids, a breakfast of champions and a location near the beach.

Lowlight

Waitstaff feeling as if they need to elicit survey scores from guests.

The writer was a guest of Grand Mercure Bali Seminyak.