Best Bali bargains

As our time in Bali comes to an end, for now at least, we had a few more places to tick off on our list of accomodation places to revisit. First was the Anvaya which in a previous life had been the Santika Plaza. The old Santika had been completely demolished and over the last few years we had noticed the construction going on for the new Anvaya so wanted to see what they had done.
They have done very well actually, the Anvaya is right on Kuta beach so one side has beach views while along the long driveway you can immerse yourself in all that Kuta is famous for. Shops, bars, restaurants and traffic! To be fair to Kuta we don't find it that bad really and you never have to go far to find pretty much anything you might need. The resort still has a quite new feel to it and although not on a huge plot of land still manages to keep an open feel to it. The breakfast buffet was probably one of the best we've come across and the rooms and common areas were very clean and modern.
Just a sarong's toss down the beach we revisited a place we had stayed at years ago called the Sandi Phala. When we stayed there last time we thought it was just great, it was a more boutique style with just a handful of rooms in a very traditional Balinese style. The pool is small but I can't remember actually having to share it with anyone else. The first time there were sunlounges under the palm trees along the beachfront that were just lovely to spend time on. Management has chosen to move them waaaay back to where the pool is and so there are only a few chairs next to the only bar where you can spend time anywhere near the beach. Ma Joli is the restaurant attached to Sandhi Phala which again used to be top-notch but these days falls a little short of the mark. We had noticed that the tariff was quite cheap for what we remembered so that should have been a tipoff but...really for the money it was quite reasonable and as they say, you should never go back.
However we did go back to the Holiday Inn in Tuban which is very handy to the airport and so suited us for our last night in Bali. Of course Holiday Inn is a bit like the Macca's of hotels as one is pretty much the same as the next and the quality is usually very good. The main attraction at this one is the beachside restaurant called Envy Bar and this place is consistantly great. It has a wonderful position for sunsets, the food is really good and priced well and the staff somehow just manage to be very professional while keeping  a friendly approach. The hotel rooms are varied from more traditional Balinese decor to very modern so take your pick. There is one large pool with plenty of sun-lounges to find a place to yourself. The only possible criticism might be that the air conditioned area for breakfast is quite limited, in fact the non A/C area is also a bit limited too but nothing's perfect is it?
​See our reviews - HERE 

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