I've been thinking of writing this review for awhi...

I've been thinking of writing this review for awhile, and I will begin with saying my review has nothing to do with the attitudes of the staff, which were all very warm and positive. But overall I had a negative experience. Google lists this hotel as being 5 star. I have stayed in several 5 star hotels and this is 4 star on its best day. (If you want 5 star in Bali go to Ayana, which from my two night experience was amazing).

To begin with, entering Marriott Nusa Dua felt like being delivered to a secure compound. I get that Bali has had some security issues, but the arrival experience here felt like that of a prison or military barracks. There was no obvious pedestrian path leading out, and so I didn't feel like I could just take a 10 minute walk to the beach. All ins and outs favored shuttles and cars, which went through a security inspection. I felt captive.

Next, the bed was soft and muggy; the A/C in the room must not be run often enough because everything felt absorbed of dampness. I should have inspected the bed much more closely but I was tired from the long flight and car ride, because I ended up getting bitten by bed bugs. The resulting reaction took a couple of months to go away and I still have a slight scars.

The build-quality of the room was poor. I have posted pics of the gaps in the door, which probably explains why there was a mosquito in the room on arrival (which I hunted down before sleeping), and perhaps the dampness.

Speaking of mosquitoes, my room overlooked the pool, above the breakfast area. The mosquitoes were terrible around the pool in the morning making it impossible to relax and enjoy breakfast. I had to swat away mosquitoes and flies several times per minute. I included a pic of the pool from the view of the breakfast table.

After the first night I looked into other hotels in town on the internet and when I tried to place a call to another hotel I was directed to the hotel operator, through whom all calls are apparently placed and I was informed of the premium which would be added to my bill if I wanted to make a call. This further added to the feeling of captivity. The next day I went out and got a local sim, which I was unable to do the first night because of my late-arriving flight.

I would definitely not stay here again. From feeling captive, to the bugs, to the inability to really feel relaxed in the room, to feeling discouraged from just going for a walk to the beach, my memories of this property are all colored negatively.