The great thing about being a Conrad Suites guest a the Conrad Bali is that you get 15% off all on-site dining and 15-25% off spa treatments. Everything at the resort was reasonably priced to begin with, so this discount made it even cheaper. Combine that with the 30 Hilton points per $1 I was earning and the fact that I had tons of Arrival miles to cover incidentals and we had plenty of incentive to splurge on dining and spa treatments.
Conrad Suites Club Lounge
The Conrad Suites Club Lounge is located right above RIN and consists of both an indoor and outdoor area. In the evening, drinks and appetizers are served in the lounge. Breakfast and afternoon tea are served at RIN.
The lounge is open throughout the day and serves mostly as a place to hang out. Its also where Conrad Suites guests get checked in.
Kids under 12 are not allowed in the Conrad Bali club lounge, but the hotel offers a separate lounge for families at East during designated hours. I thought East was actually nicer than the Conrad Suites Lounge. It has high ceilings, an open layout, and a balcony overlooking the pool and ocean.
I definitely don’t think families with kids will mind being relegated to East for their afternoon tea and evening cocktails. For families with kids, breakfast is served at Suku, which is also located in the main section of the resort.
Evening drinks and appetizers are served between 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. The portions are small and not meant to substitute an actual meal. That being said, you can ask the servers to bring out more items and they’ll gladly do it.
Usually there would be four small plates consisting of sushi, spring rolls and dumplings. The drink menu consisted of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails.
RIN Restaurant
As I mentioned before, RIN is where breakfast and afternoon tea are served. RIN has both indoor and outdoor seating. Most people chose to sit outside, but for some reason it was never crowded.
Breakfast at RIN
This was by far the quietest breakfast atmosphere I’ve ever encountered. When you’re from an Afghan family and used to mealtimes being lively and boisterous occasions, it’s kind of a strange scene to get used to.
Breakfast was served from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM. There’s a huge Asian buffet and a large menu with every western option you’d want: French toast, eggs any style, omelettes, Belgian waffles, pancakes, etc.
I had the Eggs Benedict on the first morning and didn’t care for it much, since it was served on a bagel instead of an english muffin. After that, I stuck mostly to the french toast and eggs with chicken sausage, which were always good.
The best part of the French toast was the butter. If I had to guess, I’d say it was freshly churned every morning and infused with sugar – insanely good and a great way to top off the French toast.
Iced Coffee at RIN
My favorite part of breakfast was the iced coffee, which was served with a side of simple syrup. When I got home, I actually got rid of my Keurig after realizing what I’d been missing out on in terms of good coffee.
Afternoon tea at RIN
Afternoon tea at RIN takes place from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, during which a variety of sandwiches, scones and desserts are served. Usually, the servers bring out one tower for every two people, which is plenty but you can always ask them to bring out more. The food was plentiful and could substitute for a light lunch.
The staff took very good care of guests and often came around to ask what we liked, what we didn’t, and if they could get us more. Despite this, the service was a bit on the slow side in that it took a very long time to get food and drinks delivered.
Based on a similar experience at Villa Bulung Daya, that might just be the pace of things on the island. It’s pretty much my only complaint about the entire stay and it’s a relatively minor one.
Eight Degrees South
Eight Degrees South is located right on the beach and has an open-air feel, with huge glass doors that open outward and let in the ocean breeze. We ate at Eight Degrees South twice. Once while renting a beachfront cabana and another time for dinner.
Eight Degrees South Cabana Service
At the beach, the cabana attendant brought us a tray with towels, bottled water, and a lunch menu. We ordered a variety of appetizers and drinks (Note: Some of the drinks are served free of charge at the club lounge).
The food was served hot, which I didn’t expect since it had to make its way out of the kitchen and through a vast maze of outdoor space before finally being delivered to us.
Dinner at Eight Degrees South
Dinner is a great time to visit Eight Degrees South. We were seated right by the glass doors as and had a great view – not of the actual sunset (which you can’t see on this part of the island), but of the ocean and beach.
I ordered the braised lamb pasta while the rest of the group ordered a variety of things: lamb chops, salmon, pasta, and the surf and turf.
Dessert at Eight Degrees South
My parents decided to skip dessert and relax at the club lounge. I asked the waiter what to get for dessert and he recommended the Chocolate Lover’s something or other. Aside from the gold leaf it was topped with, this dessert was like a chocolate explosion. My sister and I shared it while my brother looked at us in disgust.
Eight Degrees South Service
The only bad part about dinner was the terrible couple seated next to our table who were unbelievably rude and condescending to the staff. Our waiter was the nicest and most polite person and this couple took that as a free pass to treat him like dirt.
They were upset that the wine list wasn’t up to par and blamed it on the poor waiter, snapping at him “We’re not zoo animals!” in reference to being subjected to such low-end wine. She was right, the animals at the zoo are much better behaved during feeding times than these two.
The poor guy tried to make them happy, offering to get a manager. He came back and informed them the manager would be there shortly. “No!” Mrs. Sourpuss hissed, “We want to see a manager NOW. Not ‘shortly.’ NOW!!!” If anything were to ever motivate a person to invent an instant transport device, it would be having this shouted at them in such an angry, condescending manner. But somehow, it didn’t work.
The couple got up and hunted down the manager like hyenas on a gazelle. They berated him in a quiet, tight tone to maintain at least a veneer of civility, then left without paying. I felt bad for our waiter, who had been treated so badly yet maintained a professional demeanor.
“I’m sorry they were so terrible to you. Obviously, they’re demented and forgot their medication this morning.” I wouldn’t have held it against him if he chimed in with a few insults of his own, but he remained stoic and simply remarked, “It’s ok. They were not happy with the wine list.”
If it’s one thing I can’t stand it’s entitled a**holes going abroad and treating people worse off than themselves with contempt. Those are the very same types who look down at tourists and immigrants in their own country when they misbehave, but can’t be bothered to act any better themselves.
Room Service
We did order room service a couple of times, including on our last night when we didn’t want to leave the Penthouse Suite. From what I recall, it was better than most hotel room service food. For one, the food was actually warm when it arrived and there were no leftovers, so that’s a good sign.
Jiwa Spa
The Jiwa Spa at Conrad Bali gets pretty booked up so I suggest you make reservations at least 1-2 days in advance. I know that’s not an unreasonable amount of time, but on a short stay its good to keep this in mind if you’re hoping to make several trips to the spa.
We all had a variety of spa treatments (massages, scrubs, facials) and agreed the facials were the best part. My mom had the anti-aging super lift facial and relaxation massage, both of which she raved about. My dad, who’s not a guy who spends his days getting spa treatments, picked the hydrotherapy massage and reflexology treatment. He described the reflexology session as “just a foot massage.”
My brother had the 60-minute active deep tissue massage. My mom also made him get a facial, which made a huge difference in his skin. His feedback on the massage? “It was good.” That is about as descriptive as he gets when it comes to sharing his enthusiasm. I had the organic facial and a massage. I didn’t particularly care for the massage but the facial was great.
Conrad Bali Restaurants and Spa: Final Thoughts
Overall, I was happy with the dining and spa facilities at the Conrad Bali. The club lounge offerings are high quality but not always a meal substitute. However, the restaurant food is worth checking out. You can also eat at local restaurants, many of which will pick you up free of charge. But if you want to stay on site, there’s plenty to choose from. Oh and don’t skip the spa – if nothing else, treat yourself to a nice facial.