Courtyard by Marriot, Nusa Dua Bali

Our Bali escape turned out to be a lovely little holiday for my two girls. For Bun, it was her first holiday abroad, not counting our trips to Malaysia to see family. 

We chose to stay at Courtyard by Marriot, at Nusa Dua. We booked via Expedia as we often do, as its search functions are pretty good. Given the short time we had to make a getaway, we skimmed through reviews on TripAdvisor and made our choice based on price, availability, and the fact that this place has a Kids Club. 

 

 

What we didn't know before we got there, was that the hotel is located in a safe, gated area with security. Each hotel in the area requires bomb checks at the main gates, and metal detectors for belongings before entering the hotel lobbies. Even the main shopping and dining area in the vicinity, known as the Bali Collection, has metal detectors at its entrances. While all these meant that the area was touristy, it made us feel secure, especially since I was there for some time alone with my kids, as Roboman had to head back to Singapore for work. Interestingly, there was another mother there with her two kids, also to escape the haze.

We were wowed by the grandeur of the hotel's driveway and lobby, and appreciated the bright, clean, and modern furnishings.

Our kids had a blast at the pool, as always. The pool set-up was such that there is a little island bar in the middle, and in the evenings, there would be live music played from the little island. It was lovely to paddle around the pool listening to the music.

The Kids Club boasts a ball pit, computing gaming nooks, a TV room, and an reading/art & craft area. We were there quite often, and Bubbles had a chance to make a beaded necklace and bracelet. 

 

 

While this hotel does not have its own beach front, as reflected in the price, it has a private beach club just a short drive away. We went there once at low tide, and saw little creatures nestled in the sea bed. 

As with Balinese hospitality, we experienced attentive, friendly service throughout our stay at the hotel. The daily buffet breakfast had a generous spread of Indonesian/Balinese and Western choices, and the food at the in-house restaurant was surprisingly good as well. As an experience for the kids, we ordered room service a few times too. Both my girls loved the spaghetti with tomato sauce and would slurp it up in delight while I hovered around cleaning up spills!

 

 

 

All in all, we were glad we had the opportunity to stay at Courtyard. I was initially concerned about our choice given that it was a last minute decision, but it thankfully turned out to be truly pleasant stay. Bubbles is already asking to return!