Surya Shanti Villa

Experience at SURYA Shanti quite mixed after having completed a long trip across Bali. The staff is welcoming, the hotel is managed by Joël and his wife. The rooms are good but the Agung 1 room lacks privacy, the restaurant is not incredible but does the job. The spa is pleasant even if the view of other hotels is a bit disturbing. It is a decent hotel but not incredible either 🙏🏻

Very beautiful hotel, we recommend it. Reliable establishment. The surroundings are very pretty and well-maintained. Top-notch staff. We had a very spacious and well-appointed 2-story villa. 2 bathrooms. Bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, bath mats, everything was there. Large bathtub, open-air shower, double vanity. 2 beautiful, well-maintained infinity pools. We ate there every night and it was really good; there is local as well as international food (lasagna, mushroom ravioli, etc.) and reasonable prices. Massages were very good. We took the cooking class and it was great. What could be improved: - there is a shortage of lounge chairs at the pool (there are only 6 for everyone) - no umbrellas - the place to have a drink lacks chairs, we are forced to go sit directly in the restaurant - there were only 2 chairs on our terrace even though there were 4 of us, but we made the request and they brought them right away.

After the chaos of Sanur and Lembongan, Sidemen was a welcome spot of peace and quiet. We wanted to stay at a slightly more up-market place in Sidemen so we chose Surya Shanti. What a gem! Before we even arrived, the host Joel arranged a local driver to take us to the villas from Sanur Harbour - and for a decent price. A gong sounded our arrival and we were warmly welcomed by the very friendly staff, including a cooling foot wash. Our room wasn’t quite ready so we had lunch in the open restaurant, which was good, where owners Joel and Sylvie personally welcomed us. In fact, Joel seems to be everywhere and really tries to provide his guests an amazing experience. (They are originally from France, and there are also a lot of French guests here). Our villa was exceptional - large, well designed and inviting. Plus, the AC worked properly. The view from the room and the front deck just stunning. The only complaints I would make is that it takes soooooo long for the kettle to boil, there isn’t a mini-fridge to store any drinks you may like, and it was difficult to get the temperature just right in the shower - either too hot or too cold - but at least it had pressure. This resort is close to walk to the top street for a great variety of restaurants, but they provide a shuttle if needed. The pools are just lovely. And I did the morning yoga which was hot and sticky but very invigorating. There is also a free walk you can do with a staff member through the fields up to the village. We had a 90 minute full body massage in a lovely bungalow overlooking rice fields, without the usual spa music. They also offer guests to join in the morning prayers and offerings with staff at their temple, which I wanted to do but did not get around to it. At night, Sidemen is beautiful and a walk home with all the twinkling lights is a must- do. There are many stairs at Surya Shanti, but they are not too bad for most able people. I would rethink this place if mobility is an issue. Also, a lot of the bathrooms do have areas open to the outside, so do not freak out if you find some extra guests in your villa - we had a frog one morning, but quickly encouraged it to jump outside. Take advantage of all the added extras Surya Shanti offers, as they are well priced and employ local people onsite, especially the cooking class and children’s foundation activities. The restaurant at the hotel is very reasonsble and the food is pretty good. The breakfasts are large and varied too. I wouldn’t hesitate to return to Surya Shanti. It was divine.