Review: Fairmont Sanur

It is with great delight that I write this review about our recent stay at the Fairmont Sanur Beach Resort. This was the 3rd accommodation we stayed at on a 2 week trip to Bali and had an outstanding stay; the hotel exceeded our expectations and for some aspects ended up being our favorite of the 4 places we stayed at.

 

We had booked when it was a Regent property and when we heard it was now a Fairmont, were excited to see how it compared to other Fairmont resorts we have stayed at in the past in Canada and the USA. While it is a resort and the property is large, you do not feel as though you are in a large resort due to the lower number of rooms and small touches the hotel offers; it reminds me of a boutique hotel under the umbrella of a large and well renowned brand.

The check-in process was pretty smooth and the welcome drink was by far our favourite.

The Room:

The rooms are spacious and well appointed and flow to my favourite part, the outdoor seating area. The decor is zen and harmonious with the environment of the hotel. While the room is a little dark, it lends itself to help you relax and we slept very well in the comfortable bed. The linens though, are a little abrasive and thick. The bathroom is very nice with a large shower and tub, and the Occitane products are also very nice. I especially liked the batik robe, which was my favourite robe from all the hotels as it was silky and light, perfect for warmer weather. As the housekeeping service was sometimes late, our room wasn’t made up by 14:30 sometimes so I do recommend calling your butler to arrange when to have your room made up. The complimentary mini bar is also a nice touch and is replenished every day with non-alcoholic drinks. They also give you a few pieces of fruit everyday in the basket.

The Restaurant:

We had breakfast at the hotel restaurant everyday and liked everything that was offered. While there is a continental breakfast buffet, the selection of a-la-carte items offers options to enjoy local and international dishes. I find the a-la-carte system ensures better tasting food and higher quality; it is definitely worth waiting a few extra minutes for freshly prepared food. My favourite was the wagyu steak and eggs and the vegetarian brown rice dish. We also really like the coffee, the yogurt parfaits, the piseng goreng, and option to get a custom juice. We also had lunch by the pool one day and the rice paper rolls were fantastic but the thai steak salad was so-so as the flavours didn’t go well together and the steak was too rare. The happy hour is nice too; 2 for 1 and small snacks.

The Amenities:

The main pool area is very spacious and comfortable; you definitely don’t feel too crowded. They also have a couple of children’s pools nearby to preserve the quiet atmosphere at the main pool. The gym is well stocked, however, they need mats to do ab/floor work and should open a little earlier, perhaps 06:00 to be in line with other hotels that don’t have 24 hour gyms. We also took advantage of the bikes on site everyday to explore Sanur; they are well maintained and comfortable. The beach is so-so; we tried to swim one day but since it is near a marina of sorts, there is a bit of trash so we stuck to the pool. This is common in the area, and if you want to swim, you should walk past the Hyatt’s construction site for a nicer beach.

The Town:

As for Sanur, it is a nice and cute little town that combines aspects of other Balinese towns. We found it to be low-key overall and easy to explore. If you plan to balance out excursions to other parts of the island with a relaxing beach resort experience, this is a good place to do that, as Sanur is more centrally located. While the beach is not as nice as Nusa Dua, you will enjoy the pool at the hotel and enjoy the local culture in the town.

Overall:

Overall, we like the preservation of Balinese/Indonesian culture at the resort. There is temple in the centre of the property, a Balinese spa, Balinese/Indonesian art all over the property, they hire gamelan players, have an Indonesian restaurant on-site, have Forbes Indonesia in the room, and even perform a farewell ceremony when you leave. As we left, Adrian and Ria came by to see us off which was very appreciated.