Review : Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa | Marriott Bonvoy

During a stay in Bali, we recommend a stay at the splendid Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort and Spa hotel.

The Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort and Spa is part of the Marriott Bonvoy program.

It’s a category 5 hotel, so you will need between 30,000 and 40,000 points per night depending on the season. As for us, we booked it for only 30,000 points, after a rate change along the way!

Check this page to learn about the best credit card offers for hotel points.

The Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa is located on the southern part of the island of Bali in Uluwatu. Between land and sea, sheltered from the noise, you can enjoy the magnificent panorama of the Balinese coasts.

The Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa, located in the center of the southern part of the island of Bali in Uluwatu, can be reached in 25 minutes from Denpasar International Airport. The hotel is secured, thanks to a guard and a barrier.

Once you arrive, you will be surrounded by absolute calm and amazed by the view.

You can hire a private driver to visit the surroundings. Otherwise, free parking is available as well as free valet parking.

Several beaches on the east side are about 15 minutes away, the most famous of which are:

• Jimbaran beach
• Balangan beach
• Padang Padang beach

Surfers will generally have a great time.

We also went to the beaches on the south side, such as Pandawa beach, to get an idea of what they had to offer. However, we found that the place lacked charm and was overrated. You can still find deck chairs and small restaurants.

It should be noted that access is not always easy, especially in oppressive heat. To get to Nyang Nyang beach, you have to go through a “tunnel dug in the rock”. I do not recommend it. For others, expect hundreds of steps.

About 10 minutes away from the Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa is the New Kuta Golf course.

For a cultural visit, we recommend the historic Pura Luhur temple, perched on the cliffs. You will have a magnificent view of the steep coastline. The temple is usually closed, but you can walk along the cornice. Always be mindful of thieving and sometimes aggressive monkeys.

Finally you will see a 120m high statue on the heights of the Bukit peninsula wherever you go. It is that of Garuda Wisnu Kencana, a deity of Hindu mythology, protector of the universe, on his winged mount, a sign of freedom and loyalty. 3 huge statues sit on the site which can be visited at a cost of Rp65 000. A show happens there every day as well as other activities.

As soon as we arrived in the lobby of the Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa, a feeling of vastness, of escape already takes hold of us. The space is airy, you can breathe and immediately see the panoramic view in front of the entrance.

Two counters face each other on the sides, one for check-in, the other for concierge services. At the center lays a rest area where you can wait. The decoration is simple and made of noble materials.

We went several times to have a drink at the bar and taste small dishes. There’s also a nice gift shop in the lobby.

For the bravest of the cold-blooded, bicycles are available at the reception desk. You have to see how the Balinese drive! We didn’t witness any accidents during our stay… phew!

While Jean-Maximilien checked us in, we got to know one of the staff members, who immediately offered puzzles to the children. She was very nice; Alexandre took her in her arms right away and was even carried to the room!

The Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa is built on 3 levels. There is a reception hall with bar and store, then the restaurant area with the infinity pool and children’s pool, and finally a last level with an infinity pool and a reception room for religious ceremonies.

So we had to take the elevator to go down to the lower level where the different restaurants of the hotel are located, then take another elevator from the adjacent building to finally reach our room. Are you following? I might as well tell you that it took me a while to find my way around, the floor numbers don’t help at all!

If necessary, members can drive you wherever you want by cart.

We were accompanied to our room by the concierge that Alexandra seduced as well as by Synthia, who served Jean-Maximilien at the check-in. Synthia gave us all the information we need. The room is sublime, small for a family of 4, but sublime.

Organized in two separate spaces, one with the King bed, a coffee table with a sofa and the other section is for the bathroom. At the center, there’s a kitchen counter. Original!

A long kitchen countertop sits in the center of the room with a coffee machine, pretty ceramic mugs made in the hotel’s factory, stemmed glasses and other accessories. A surprise was waiting for the children: muffins in the shape of Minions with smarties.

Also, 3 statues on the table, along with names, took us by surprise. We then learned that in Bali, surnames and first names have great importance and meaning. Thus, tradition has it that children generally bear a first name from the Sudra caste:

• the first child will be named Wayan (“the oldest”), Putu (high caste) or Gede (for a boy)
• the second will be called Made (“middle”), Kadek or Nengah (for a girl)
• the third will be Nyoman (“young”) or Komang
• finally the fourth will be Ketut (“the end”).

What about a fifth child? It’s simple, we start again with the same first names and add Balik (“resumed”) afterwards.

We then add “Ni Si” for a girl or “I” for a boy before the name.

This is not all since several rites take place during the first months of the child’s life.

For example, 3 months after their birth, children are given a personalized name to characterize the personality and quality their parents would like them to have. A ceremony takes place with a priest who will name him or her, and roll an egg over the child’s body to give him or her strength, put bracelets and a necklace or amulet around his or her neck containing a piece of the umbilical cord. The children will only touch the ground from this moment on, since they will be protected from harm by the amulet.

The bathroom area is open. The advantage of the bathroom is its large open shower with its opening to the outside. The bathtub is nice and big.

There is no shortage of products. Everything you need is here, meticulously arranged.

The toilets are separate and of good size.

A small terrace is accessible from our room and will allow us to enjoy the view and the tranquility of the place. You can see that some apartments have access to a terrace and swings.

We enjoyed the breakfast very much. We ate it on the second level, at the Clay Craft.

We could decide to eat either inside for the air conditioning and outside to take advantage of the morning breeze.

In the evening, we could choose to have a drink at the RBar on the first level or to dine in one of the restaurants of the hotel, the Double Ikat for Indonesian cuisine or the Clay Craft.

The RBar was our refuge, we hired a babysitter so that we could enjoy it as a couple.

A total of 3 swimming pools are available at Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa. A very large one on the 2nd level which allows direct access to the hotel’s restaurants. A small, round one for the children, facing the Clay Craft, which looks more like a paddling pool. Finally a last one on the 3rd level, which was very intimate and quiet.

The pool is very large and offers a panoramic view on the south of the island of Bali. You have the choice between sitting in wooden armchairs suspended in the shape of an egg or sunbathing in a bamboo bubble, or of course you can sit on the deckchairs out of the water or with your feet in the water.

Several footstools were in the water. It was great for swimming or sunbathing in the pool!

The children had a great time there in the evenings while we finished eating. It is also to this pool that the children are brought by the Kids Club staff.

The gym is clean and bright thanks to its bay window.

The hotel’s Spa offers full body and facial treatments, couples massages, beauty treatments and features a hammam and sauna.

Every day several activities take place. It was fun to watch staff members playing ping pong games for example with hotel guests.

The children were able to take advantage of the activities planned for them. Fun make-up, water games, fish feeding, swimming pool, and even pottery to create their own mug. Unfortunately, since we didn’t stay long enough, we didn’t have time to see the result of Alexandra’s work.

We loved our stay at the Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa, both for the facilities and services and for the welcome we received from the team. We won’t hesitate to come back to it on a future trip to Bali.