The Nusa Dua Beach Hotel is the area’s first and hence, oldest hotel. The hotel has a total of 382 rooms and suites, covering 8.5 hectares of prime beachfront real estate. Opened in May 1983 by President Soeharto, the hotel’s design takes its cue from traditional Balinese architecture. In fact, this hotel might be the most Balinese-looking hotel in the entire Nusa Dua area!

Interestingly, it has never been operated by an international brand, unlike most hotels in the area. For the most part, Nusa Dua Beach Hotel has been independent for much of its history. One thing to note, this hotel is in no way related to the similarly named Bali Nusa Dua Hotel, located down the street. What a confusing coincidence!

Location

As its name suggests, the hotel is located within the ITDC Nusa Dua area. As such, there is nothing much in the direct vicinity of the hotel, apart from the other large ‘5-star’ resorts in this gated community. Likewise, the area is incessantly manicured, leaving it looking a bit sterile compared to the rest of the island. Specifically, this hotel is wedged between the Westin Bali and the excellent Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua.

Around a 10-minute drive northwards is Tanjung Benoa, popular for its water sports activities. Additionally, around a 20-30 minute drive away are the beaches and cliffs of Uluwatu.

Arrival and Check-in

I arrived at the hotel by car at 13.00. Curiously, the security check at the entrance was quite tight, requiring me to answer several questions about my stay details. Once past, I was really impressed by the look of the hotel! Unlike much of Nusa Dua, it genuinely felt like there was an air of authenticity on the hotel’s grounds. A large and mature-looking Candi Bentar gate greets guests on arrival.

The hotel was completely deserted when I arrived. Despite that, the desks were always manned and check-in was honestly easy enough. Following a quick registration process, I received my keys and was brought to the room by the porter. Both the reception host and the porter were well-intentioned and friendly; they looked quite sincere in doing their jobs!

As I was walked to my room, I had a chance to observe the aging but very grand lobby. It honestly looked incredibly Balinese, how I’d imagine a modern-day Balinese palace. The lobby is lined with many ornate decorations, including a statue of the mystical Hindu bird Garuda on the grand staircase.

Separately, vouchers for a welcome drink were also issued at check-in. These are to be redeemed at the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant called Wedang Jahe. Funnily enough, wedang jahe is also the name of a Javanese ginger drink. I wasn’t precisely sure what the drink was, but it tasted like a mixed juice of some kind, with spices mixed in.

My Deluxe Room

I booked an entry-level Deluxe Room and received one as such. At 34 sqm, the room isn’t the most spacious out there, but it interestingly felt quite airy and reasonably roomy. The room was completely spotless and looked to be in excellent condition! The wooden floors in particular made the room feel warm and cozy, although it stayed cool thanks to the good air-conditioning.

Bedroom

In addition to the king-sized bed, there is a vanity desk and a nice and comfortable lounge chair. I also really liked that there are many table surfaces to place things, as well as a lot of storage places. It just boggles the mind how many other hotels miss these details. Additionally, the bed was firm but not overly so, and the lighting of the space is inviting. Honestly, colour me surprised!

I thought that the design of the room is modern and bright while retaining many comforts of a hotel room from the 90s. For instance, there is a bedside control panel for the lights and air-conditioning. A complete room directory catalogue, and a complete set of stationery were also provided. It looked like there weren’t any cost-cutting on the part of the hotel, which I didn’t quite expect. Very impressive!

Finally, I also really liked that the cultural details and touches around the room. In addition to the batik-patterned headboard, I also noticed the cute wooden do-not-disturb sign. All the furniture also felt like they were made with very high-quality materials, which I guess is expected from an older hotel.

In addition, a fully equipped and functioning minibar was also available.

Bathroom

Unfortunately, a bathtub is not provisioned in the entry-level Deluxe Rooms. In its place are a rain and handheld shower-combo with reasonably good water pressure. The sandstone-lined bathroom does feel a bit cramped but was sufficiently serviceable. The only real negative was the toiletries, which were those unbranded and nondescript green and yellow tubes of shower gel from the 90s.

Balcony

Finally, there’s also a small balcony with two cushioned chairs that views the hotel’s expansive gardens. Whilst sea views are not unfortunately available in this wing, I thought the hotel’s garden and lawn were a sufficiently beautiful alternative.

Hotel Grounds and Amenities

Whilst the room is quite small, I think the hotel’s amenities are where the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel really shines. The facilities were undeniably old, but I just couldn’t help feel impressed at how well they managed to maintain them. Honestly, nothing I saw looked broken or even worn.

Pools

The Nusa Dua Beach Hotel has three pools, along with a lagoon pool that seemed to be open only to lagoon guests. Two of the pools are placed behind the hotel and near the beach. The third pool is an infinity pool located by the Spa, towards the entrance of the hotel. All three public area pools looked very clean and well-kept, which I found to be quite impressive given the very low occupancy of the hotel. In fact, at one point during my stay, I was sadly told that less than five percent of the rooms were occupied…

When swimming, I was quite surprised when I noticed how deep certain sections of the Main Pool were. Despite that, the calm water and the pool’s deep blue hue made it quite a serene setting. The second pool isn’t pictured, but appeared to a water polo venue, complete with an artificial beach. Of course, this was unnecessary since the actual beach was right behind it.

The infinity pool by the spa was much smaller compared to the main pool. Whilst meant as a lap pool, this too looked nice and peaceful. I imagine this would be a welcome escape for when the hotel is more crowded.

Gym and Tennis Courts

In addition to the lap pool, the gym and tennis courts are similarly located in the spa complex. The gym is quite small compared to the size of the hotel, but is fully equipped. As such, it feels quite cramped and not as inviting as the rest of the hotel. Despite that, I was quite surprised and impressed to see a rowing machine, which I think is quite rare on the island. Like the rest of the hotel, the tennis courts also look well-maintained.

Beach

Being the oldest hotel in the area does have its perks… the hotel has a large, pristine beachfront that I think is very appealing for a beach vacation. On the expansive beachfront is a row of beach chairs, some under the shade of trees. Like the rest of Nusa Dua, the sand looks pristine and well-kept. Additionally, the water is calm, making it ideal for swimming.

Gardens and Amphitheatre

I found it interesting that the hotel has a large amphitheatre in the central section of its garden. I honestly have no idea what purpose it serves nowadays, but it would be pretty interesting had a traditional Balinese dance performance been conducted there.

I also found the gardens at the hotel to be very nicely appointed and well-manicured. It honestly looked like a very inviting place to spend time had benches been available.

Restaurants

Whilst I didn’t dine at the hotel, I’d note that they have several restaurants spread around the complex. This is similar to the provisions at many of Nusa Dua’s older resorts. I can’t comment on the food since I didn’t eat anything.

Service

Despite its size, the hotel seemed rather understaffed, which made sense given the low occupancy rates. Despite that, all the staff members I encountered were well-intentioned and friendly. They also appeared to be as helpful as they could within their authorised capacity. Service isn’t exactly personal, but that is to be expected from a hotel of this size… although the reception staff did seem to remember my name.

Overall

Overall, I think The Nusa Dua Beach is a sufficiently nice and perfectly serviceable hotel! This conclusion is something I definitely hadn’t expected. Particularly not from a hotel I virtually didn’t know about until I stayed at the next-door Kayumanis, two years prior. I was impressed with the architecture of the hotel and the adequate provisions of the modern-looking room. As such, I don’t have any qualms about this hotel, and would happily say that the hotel is a solid choice for this type of accommodation in its price range! I’d even consider it as an excellent nice transit hotel had it been closer to the airport.

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