I stayed at Grand Istana Rama for one week with some friends. We loved our stay - the breakfast was fantastic with so much to choose from. We also had a lunch and dinner here which was equally as good - we were addicted to the Sates (satays). The pool is big with a swim up bar. At first we were disappointed because we thought the pool closed at 7pm, but when we asked staff they said it was only the pool bar that closed at 7pm, however they would be more then happy for the main bar to serve us drinks in the pool if we wished to stay in there longer. The Tequila Bar is lots of fun! Ask the singers if you can see their song book and make some requests! Lots of songs to pick from and most of our songs were played. The shower water in our room was always cold, however it may have just been an issue with our room because other guests said theirs was fine. The location is a bit further away from things then I hoped for, but for $1-$2 taxi rides to get around it's really not an issue (and is good to walk off the big breakfast too!). Our only negative was the facial. We had several massages that were great, but for the facial (for 2 of us) the girls were texting on their phone repeatedly and then one left (we think she was doing laundry in the next room - we could hear a washing machine) and one went between us both and finished it off by herself. Hint for other travellers - organise your own transfers to and from the airport. If you organise it with the hotel it will cost $40AUD each way. Cheaper to organise your own.

As a traveller having stayed in 1 star accomodation in Europe to 5 star accomodation on family vacations, the Grand Istana Rama was a perfect choice for our holiday. We were a group of 20 recently graduated university students, staying in Nov-Dec 2011. For our needs this hotel was all we needed.
It was very clean- rooms cleaned every morning by the time we returned from breakfast at 10am. The staff are very friendly and for the most part very helpful. We had a slight issue getting some extra blankets dropped to our room but I dont think they totally understood the request- got them eventually though! The breakfast was awesome, try the banana pancakes! We did a cooking class, I thoroughly enjoyed it- particularly visiting the local market, a very cultural, eye-opening experience when you compare it to a trip to coles back home!
We loved the pool, particularly enjoyed the fact that it doesnt close after 7pm like most hotel pools, bali is hot! its nice to go swimming before bed!
While our group was most certainly not a bunch of loud, drunk youths out to go wild in Bali, I would warn families or older couples that this is perhaps not the best place for your type of holiday. It's definitely a younger people's kind of place (price! location!) and I felt a little sorry for the one middle aged couple I saw by the pool, surrounded by people in their twenties. If you are a young person looking for a holiday that is in your budget, the Grand Istana Rama is perfectly suited for your needs, and this is definitely the place for you to stay.

Stayed here many of times and would stay again. It's across from Kuta beach so when you walk out of the hotel you don’t get haggled by locales as much as you do if staying in poppies lane. Pay the extra and get the garden suite or bungalow style rooms. These are on the ground floor. If you get a standard room you could be walking up 2 flights of stairs. The pool is nice and big with sun chairs and a great swim up bar (drinks can be more expensive then a restaurant) at hotel price. The breakfast is great with lots of variety and you can eat as much as you like. Rooms service is yum and the sandwiches are great especially when sitting at the pool bar with a cocktail. The hotel is clean and fresh towels etc every day. It's in walking distance to poppies lane where you can bargain bargain bargian and if your craving McDonalds it’s just down the road.

Stayed from Dec 24 2011 until January 3rd 2012. Staff were fantastic spoke good english. Rooms were moderate & clean. Breakfast was the best in all my 7 visits to Bali. So much choice and all very fresh. The Ladies at Reception were my favourite and always so happy. Some renovation going on but did not interupt or upset our stay. Pool was great good size and always a good atmosphere. Although the food and drinks were expensive which is normal for hotels there are plenty of cheap places to eat nearby especially Benasari St. I have never experienced a New Years dinner like they had here AWESOME!!! Location location location opposite the beach and within walking distance to all Kuta has to offer. Definately would stay here again and reccomend it to anyone. The squirells are really cute. Only negatives would be had to pay for ICE, climbing the stairs & no DVD players.