Back when I was planning my trip to Bali, I had my eye on the Conrad Bali Penthouse Suite. The suite normally goes for over $4,500 per night. Someone on Flyertalk reported being offered an upgrade for $620. This was still steep, but I wanted to see if the slew of cancellations caused by the volcano would get me a lower rate.
If I booked a Conrad Suite, the best they could offer me was an upgrade fee of $800 plus taxes. Needless to say, I decided to stick with the Conrad Pool Suite.
How I got upgraded
During our stay, award space opened up to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, requiring us to stay an additional night. I went to the club lounge to see if they could extend our stay and they notified me that since both pool suites were booked, they were going to upgrade us to the Penthouse Suite.
This was very exciting and while I let my parents have the suite, we all had fun spending our last day hanging out there.
I was given quite a long list of celebrities who had stayed in this suite. Most of them were soccer players, politicians from Asia…and Justin Bieber. Apparently, the staff had no idea he was at the resort until he walked out to the beach and caused a mob scene.
Conrad Bali Penthouse suite entrance
Since the Penthouse Suite is located on a rooftop, you have to take the elevator the fourth floor. After swiping your card key at the door, you then take a flight of stairs up to the rooftop. Past the giant mirror and the fountain, you’ll reach the deck in front of the infinity pool, which overlooks the beach.
Conrad Bali Penthouse Suite master bedroom
On your right is the master bedroom, and to the left is the living room. The bedroom is decorated in simple, neutral tones. It has its own balcony with a small table and chairs. Behind the bed is a large desk with lots of power outlets and the remote control for all the blinds and lights.
Behind the desk, by the bedroom entrance, is an intercom system that lets you see who’s at the door before you buzz them in.
The large walk-in closet
There are two short corridors on either side of the bed, both of which lead to the bathroom. One corridor acts as a closet, with tons of space to store your stuff. Beyond that is a vanity area followed by the bathroom.
The Penthouse Suite bathroom
The bathroom was similar to the one in the Conrad Suite but slightly larger. It had a whirlpool tub and enough towels and amenities for everyone on the island to bathe—twice.
The marble gave the room a bright look, which was further accentuated when you turned on the lights. Kudos to the housekeeping staff for keeping all that marble sparkling clean.
The living room
The living room seemed larger in person than in the photos and video (the camera subtracts 100 sqft?), but it offered plenty of space for the five of us to lounge around.
The floor-to-ceiling windows let in lots of natural light, which is terrible if you’re an amateur photographer like me and can’t take a decent photo that way. Behold the powers of the Instagram filter:
The room was decorated in neutral tones, with the rug, pillows, and dining chairs adding a vibrant touch of color. At one end of the living room were two doors. One of them lead to the bathroom (which matched the master bath) and the other to the kitchen.
I couldn’t take a decent photo of either, but I suggest you check out the video if you’re interested in a more comprehensive look at both. Excuse the annoying sound of my sandals, which I was completely oblivious to at the time.
Conrad Bali Penthouse Suite infinity pool
Now on to the main attraction: The infinity pool. At 430 sqft, it was larger than the one in the Pool Suite and offered infinitely better views (no lame pun intended). The pool was four feet deep, with a fountain at the far end. There is a glass barrier at one end of the pool and the balcony, which should alleviate any safety concerns.
International a**holes pop stars might appreciate the fact that the deck, or the interior of the suite for that matter, can’t be seen from the beach, providing plenty of privacy. Unfortunately, you’re not going to catch the sunset on this part of the island. You can, however, catch the sunrise. At 6 AM I opted to sleep in.
Final thoughts
We had an amazing time at the Conrad Bali, and it kept getting better, culminating in this amazing upgrade. Penthouse Suite upgrade aside, the wonderful staff and relaxed atmosphere made this an incredible stay.
My family and I still talk about how incredibly hospitable the Conrad staff were and how great our time there was.
Since I was the one handling all of our travel arrangements, I was pretty stressed and did not expect to relax much on this trip. However, even I couldn’t help but to enjoy being lazy for a few days.
The only bad part about my stay at the Conrad? It was short at just four nights. I can’t wait to come back, for at least a week next time. I really can’t recommend the Conrad Bali enough.
When you factor in the many generous elite benefits, there’s really no other chain resort that stacks up. If you want a resort that doesn’t have that overcrowded cruise ship feel, then the Conrad Bali (the Conrad Suites section in particular) is a great choice.
Stories from my trip to Asia
- How I booked a $90,000 trip to Singapore, Bali, and Hong Kong for less than $1,500 out of pocket
- Cathay Pacific business class lounge SFO
- Cathay Pacific business class SFO-HKG
- Cathay Pacific business class HKG-SIN
- Dragonair business class lounge Hong Kong Airport
- Grand Hyatt Singapore review
- Garuda Indonesia economy class Singapore to Bali
- Villa Bulung Daya in Antap, Bali review
- Conrad Bali Nusa Dua Resort review
- Cathay Pacific economy class Bali to Hong Kong
- Grand Hyatt Hong Kong review
- Cathay Pacific The Pier first class lounge at Hong Kong Airport
- Cathay Pacific first class Hong Kong to San Francisco
