Stayed here for second part of our holidays in last week of January 2012.

Location: Hotel built on a cliff, with reception located on the 15th floor (penthouse level!). View of the beach is stunning from here. It is secluded and out of the way from everything else. There's a complimentary hourly shuttle to nearby shops.

Check in and Room: Smooth and quick check in, and given a very nicely appointed room, with large king bed, and a roll-away bed for daughter. Flat screen TV, and modern bathroom nicely round the impression off.

Stay was disrupted by crying toddler next door - 8pm for an hour, again at 11pm, and 12 pm. Reception was advised at each instace, and eventually manager was contacted and we were shifted to a temp room for the night, and upgraded to a suite the following night. Noise from the crying toddler was clearly heard through the adjoining door, which was unfortunate. Pity it had to take 3 calls to get this sorted.

Suite: Wow! Bedding was similar in size to previous room, but the adjoining sitting area is again as big. Room easily measured 10mx15m, with a glass divider partitioning the two. 2 toilets in room, and a glass window to the ensuite is a very modern touch. DVD player, with a good choice of movie available for borrowing from the kids club. Internet available for a fee.

Weather: Had perfect sunny weather for the duration of stay despite it being wet season.

Beach: Pristine and many workers cleaning it constantly of seaweed, litter etc. Surf here is superb, and a vast improvement from what is seen near Kuta. Long breakers with a nice trough and rip to take you out. Locals can access the beach, but not the easiest to get to due to the cliff face.

Pool: Private infinity pool and cabanas on 2nd floor for Nikko Club and suite guests. Ground floor had several pools. One large sandy pool, and play area for children, including a small water slide. One large pool with a 3 storey high water slide for bigger 'kids' (min age 10, but no one monitors it). The slide is fast. Waterfalls, and 2 poolside bars (only 1 was open) and plenty of lounge chairs available.

Dining: Several restaurants (Balinese/Asian, Japanese, Italian) on site. Buffet breakfast had a good variety of food - Balinese/Asian, Japanese, continental, cooked and fruits. Skipped lunch daily due to overindulging in breakfast.

Grounds and activites: Resort style grounds, covering a high area. Hour long camel rides (for a fee) available at the beach, complimentary kids club during the day has sufficeint activities to entertain the 9 year old when she wants to go. They also set up a Sony PS for her in the room.

Wedding chapel: 3 story high glass chapel is a sight to behold. Top floor of chapel is all glass, with a stunning view.

Service: Apart from the need to complain 3 times to get any action on the first night, could not fault the staff. All very attentive and cheerful/polite. Room service and housekeeping all very prompt. Entire resort kept meticulously clean by the troop of cleaners. Well done.

Other guests: Not something the hotel could control, but it can spoil a holiday. Many are from countries that are non English speaking and simply do not understand the concept of queuing. At buffet meals this is very evident. You could be patiently waiting in line to be served hot food only to have one abruptly cut in, and gesticulating to the chef that they need to be served first and walk off with 'your' food. Not sure if causing a scene is worth the effort, nor that they could understand you. Smoking within the restaurant at all meals is also one issue we have to get used to.

Poolside life rings all gets taken and used as toys. Lifeguards would spend many minutes gesticulating to them to get the rings off them, and often without success. No sooner would the rings be returned to place before another fellow countryman would take it into the pool.

Overall: Apart of minor gripes, it is a large resort that would exceed one's expectations of a 5 star hotel. A great place to relax and unwind, and not feel crowded like the hustle and bustle of Kuta.

I was at Nikko Bali Resort and Spa for a birthday treat. During the day trip using the day pass, I had the chance to enjoy 90 mins spa sampler massage, which was sublime!
Lunching at The Shore, their restaurant by the beach, and using the pool for the rest of the day. What a great way to spend a birthday!

Credit goes to Nikko staff, from the guest relations officer to the pool staff and the well-trained spa therapist. A big thank you to make my birthday a memorable one.

Already planning a return with friends and their kid for a day playing at the pool. Can't wait!

We stayed here a couple of years ago and found the hotel to meet all our expectations. The hotel itself being built into the cliff side is quite amazing, the grounds of the hotel were spotless and constantly being cleaned and the pools and beach were lovely. Our only gripe was it is slightly out of the way and you needed transport to pop out on every visit. This wasnt the end of the world and didnt cost too much so overall we were very impressed and plan to return one day.

This Resort has some pro's and cons. The concept of arriving on level 15 and going with the lift to the beach on level 1 is kind of fun... the resort is pretty massive and not what you would call cozy, but the beach is nice and the pools are good.
Pretty expensive food and beverage as usual in such a resort. Nothing outside of the Hiotel at all, not even a local shop so be prepared to do everything with a taxi. (luckily they are quite cheap)
The best thing about this resort are the wild monkeys in the garden! Unfortunately the GM has hired people to chase them away, utter maddness!
Be aware that you will be sitting amongst mostly Japanese and Russians at this resort. Draw your own conclusions on that.