Bali beckoned us again and this time, we decided to give artistic Ubud a try over happening Seminyak and other places. Friends recommended a host of hotels from Four Seasons Sayan, The Chedi Club to the more boutique options like Viceroy and Komaneka at Bisma. We wanted to avoid the holiday crowds and therefore decided to skip chain hotels like Four Seasons. We opted instead for the family owned Viceroy which we believed would not be frequented by families with young children due to its hilly topography. Viceroy seemed the right choice for us as we wanted a quiet holiday far from the madding crowds.
The Viceroy staff was very prompt on emails and my reservation took less than a day to confirm after a slew of back and forth emails wherein they answered all my queries. A word of caution here : Viceroy does not have a consistent pricing policy and you will see a wide range of rates on different websites like Kiwi Collection, Tablet Hotels etc. Inclusions also differ. Hence, I strongly recommend you to scour the internet thoroughly before making your booking. We opted for the express immigration service provided by the hotel and it is a real boon. For a fee of USD 25 per person, there is a gentleman waiting for you at Denpasar airport who will collect your passport and get the visa (additional visa fee of USD 25 per person) and custom clearance in less than 10 minutes. This service was especially useful since the Denpasar airport is a very busy airport and is generally packed to the gills with enthusiastic travellers, kids and pets in tow.
We were met by Viceroy's friendly driver Made (Nova) who welcomed us with face towels and chilled water. Viceroy is a 90 minutes drive from the airport and the drive is very comfortable in the Toyota SUVs which comprise bulk of Viceroy's fleet. You can avoid the long drive from the airport by availing Viceroy's helicopter service which takes 45 minutes for a one way transfer and costs approx USD 1000++. As you pull into the hotel's driveway, you drive past Viceroy's exclusive helipad. Very luxurious touch indeed.
We were met by Viceroy's friendly driver Made (Nova) who welcomed us with face towels and chilled water. Viceroy is a 90 minutes drive from the airport and the drive is very comfortable in the Toyota SUVs which comprise bulk of Viceroy's fleet. You can avoid the long drive from the airport by availing Viceroy's helicopter service which takes 45 minutes for a one way transfer and costs approx USD 1000++. As you pull into the hotel's driveway, you drive past Viceroy's exclusive helipad. Very luxurious touch indeed.
We were greeted warmly at the reception and check-in was a smooth process. We had booked a terrace villa which was sufficiently removed from the reception thus ensuring complete tranquility. All villas have views of the valley and are constructed so as to give complete privacy. As we entered our villa, a wow escaped our lips since the villa is quite simply breathtaking. You enter past a small infinity pool which has a small Balinese pavilion called a 'bale' perched over it. It is an ideal place to read a book and sip some wine overlooking the spectacular Petanu river gorge. The villas offer complete privacy so much so you can skinny dip without a second thought. However, the pool water was ice cold and that was one major gripe I had with the hotel. To maintain the infinity look, the pool water spills over the edge and goes underground to be piped again through a beautiful statue in the pool. This means the water is chilly even when it is a bright and sunny day.
The interior of the villa is large and is essentially one large room with coffee maker, LCD television in one corner, a large bed in the centre flanked by cupboards on both sides and shower area at the other end. The shower area is not demarcated by a door or wall from the rest of the room and hence offers no privacy. The tub is in fact situated right behind the bed in the open. I guess this kind of bathing option will not appeal to older and more conservative guests. One thoughtless aspect of the room is that whilst the lavatory has a door, one entire wall opens to the tub area. Which effectively means your partner can hear your business while lying on the bed ! Not sure if the owners find this open bathroom concept romantic but I would call it an ideal case of style over substance. The mini-bar is well stocked and non-alcoholic drinks are complimentary. There is a Bose IPod docking station in the room allowing you to hear music at fairly high decibels without disturbing your neighbours who are located a fair distance away. Free wifi is provided in the rooms and there is a library in the hotel from where you can borrow books and DVDs. Bicycles are also available for free hire from the hotel.
Now to the most important feature of any hotel, i.e., food and beverages. Viceroy has only one restaurant on its premises - Cascades and it is a very well known name on the Balinese culinary landscape. We had a 3 course dinner included in our package and had it on our first night there. The pre-decided dessert was unavailable and we made do with an alternative. This left a poor impression on us and clearly points to the fact that Cascades does not run a full-scale kitchen with food being cooked in limited quantities. We dined out for the remainder of our trip except one occasion when we ordered room service. The food came promptly in ten minutes and unlike our first experience, the food was delicious. So the problem seems to be consistency. This aspect was confirmed the next day when we had breakfast. This is indeed the biggest let down at Viceroy. There is no buffet system and you order from a breakfast menu. Fruit platter and assorted breads along with a glass of juice and tea/coffee is included and apart from this, you can order any one main course free of charge. For a second dish order, you have to pay. The fruit platter and bread basket were the same everyday and so were the choice of 3 fruit juices. The size of the main course is very inconsistent. If you order pancakes, be prepared to go hungry since the portion is of a child-meal. On the other hand, an omelette is made of 3 eggs and very filling ! I am puzzled that Viceroy should adopt this approach at breakfast. I can understand a full scale kitchen is not feasible for a 25 room property (though a full kitchen is a must for a 5 star deluxe property) but then is it not more practical to offer more choices of smaller portions rather than one main course only which is more at risk of being wasted ? Either ways, this had to be the most boring and frugal breakfast I've had in an upscale hotel.
The concierge services at Viceroy are excellent. We expressed our interest to see a coffee plantation to taste genuine Kopi Luwak or civet coffee (popularly known as 'poo' coffee), rice fields, spice garden and Mas village renowned for its furniture, woodwork and art galleries. Made gladly agreed to drive us around and at USD 60 for a 4 hour car hire, this is actually value-for-money. After our visit to the coffee plantation, we had some spare time and Made suggested a trip to the much-hyped Monkey Forest. If you are Asian, chances are you would have had seen many monkeys in your life thus making this excursion somewhat a waste of time.
Where I'd withhold some marks from Viceroy in the concierge and services division would be that they under-sell their beautiful property. We noticed one day a wine event being held by the poolside and on enquiring were told this is a monthly get together for expats in Bali that the Viceroy owners arrange. It is open for hotel guests also by paying a fee. Had we known about it earlier, we might have made time for it in our itinerary as would have other guests I am sure. But the event was not publicized and Viceroy lost an opportunity to make money as also provide their guests with additional recreation options.
Where I'd withhold some marks from Viceroy in the concierge and services division would be that they under-sell their beautiful property. We noticed one day a wine event being held by the poolside and on enquiring were told this is a monthly get together for expats in Bali that the Viceroy owners arrange. It is open for hotel guests also by paying a fee. Had we known about it earlier, we might have made time for it in our itinerary as would have other guests I am sure. But the event was not publicized and Viceroy lost an opportunity to make money as also provide their guests with additional recreation options.
Finally, a word on the much acclaimed Lembah spa. The setting of the spa is absolutely gorgeous and pictures on the website do full justice to the spa's fantastic location and breathtaking views. Apart from massage and sauna/steam, you can avail hair and nail services as well. We had a one hour couple spa treatment booked along with use of steam and jacuzzi. The jacuzzi pressure was just right and I could have been there the entire day. For the massage, you can choose from a range of aroma oils. The massage itself was nothing to write home about. Considering we were at the home of the Balinese massage style, the therapists were not that skilled and somehow, the strokes were not as relaxing as at some other places where I've tried the same. The massage room itself was not that conducive for relaxation with bright light streaming through the windows.
At the end of the trip, I have mixed sentiments for Viceroy. It is better than the Shangri-La's of the world but nowhere close to Aman resorts. The price point is only a couple of hundred dollars lower than Aman but the overall experience is several notches lower. The service is polite, smiling and efficient but seems to lack soul. Viceroy provides an excellent pick-up and drop-off complimentary car service to the main Ubud town centre. In this respect, the drivers were always prompt. The hotel offers some nice touches which are unfortunately negated by sub-standard service in other key areas like breakfast. Boutique hotel owners are seen on-site usually but in our case, we did not see them around at all. I don't mind returning to Viceroy but it won't be in a hurry.
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