We spent 4 days at Merusaka Nusa Dua, and overall, we were very happy with our stay. In fact, I would say we were almost completely satisfied. The resort is beautiful, the surroundings are lovely, and the staff are exceptionally friendly, helpful and courteous.
Arrival & Check-in
Our first impression of Merusaka Nusa Dua was wonderful.
The enormous entrance lobby is absolutely stunning! Its spectacular high, vaulted roof, supported by beautiful wooden beams, immediately caught my attention. The entire space is wonderfully open and airy, with lovely tropical plants, decorative elements and water features adding to the atmosphere.
One particularly unusual detail caught my eye: high beneath the roof, there were several suspended structures that looked almost like little bridges or walkways for monkeys! I have no idea what their actual purpose was, and I certainly didn't see any monkeys, but that was exactly what they reminded me of.
The lobby is not air-conditioned, but fans keep the air circulating throughout the open space, we didn't find it particularly hot or uncomfortable at all.
And our welcome was just as pleasant as the surroundings.
As soon as we arrived, a young lady approached us and asked whether we were there to check in. She kindly escorted us to a seating area and explained that she would let us know when someone was available to assist us.
We barely had time to sit down! Within two minutes, she returned and took us to the reception desk.
The gentleman who checked us in was very welcoming. He asked for our documents, explained everything we needed to know, and requested our WhatsApp number so that the hotel could notify us when our room was ready.
We were also able to leave our luggage at the hotel and received a luggage claim ticket.
This arrangement suited us perfectly. After more than a week of travelling around Bali, we desperately needed to wash and dry our clothes. We had already planned to visit a nearby laundry, so the waiting time was actually quite useful.
The second part of our check-in was just as well organised.
When we received the WhatsApp message that our room was ready, we returned to the hotel.
Once again, a friendly young lady approached us and took care of everything. She asked us to wait in the seating area and explained that she would come back for us as soon as someone was available to hand over our room keys and arrange our transfer to the room.
And that's exactly what happened.
When everything was ready, we received our keys, and a staff member collected our luggage and escorted us to a small hotel buggy. Our suitcases were loaded, and we were driven to our accommodation building.
The resort is quite large, so this little journey was particularly welcome with all our luggage.
The gentleman helped us carry everything right into our room and showed us how the basic facilities worked.
I particularly appreciated how smoothly the entire process was organised. Both times we arrived at reception, someone immediately took care of us, explained what would happen next and made sure we were looked after.
It was a lovely welcome to the hotel.
Deposit
During check-in, we were asked whether we wanted to leave a deposit. The staff kindly explained how it worked and what the advantages and disadvantages were.
We decided not to leave one, which was absolutely fine. It simply meant that we would need to pay for any additional services or purchases directly at the time of use, rather than charging them to our room.
We appreciated having the choice, and the arrangement suited us perfectly.
Check-out
Almost everything during our stay went remarkably smoothly, but there was one small hiccup during check-out.
We weren't quite sure how to arrange for the hotel buggy to collect us and our luggage from our accommodation building, so I contacted the WhatsApp concierge and asked for assistance.
They replied that they would send someone.
However, half an hour passed, and nobody arrived.
I contacted the concierge again and was told that they were very busy but that someone would come shortly.
Another fifteen minutes passed, and still nothing.
By then, it was getting close to noon, the official check-out time, and I was becoming increasingly anxious about whether we would manage to check out on time.
Rather than waiting any longer, I decided to walk to reception and complete the check-out myself, leaving my husband with our luggage.
Shortly afterwards, my husband messaged me to say that a staff member had finally arrived to help with the suitcases.
In the end, everything worked out perfectly fine. It was only a small hiccup in an otherwise very smooth and pleasant stay, but the uncertainty and lack of clear timing made those 45 minutes rather stressful for me.
Perhaps a clearer procedure for arranging luggage collection, or simply an estimated waiting time, would help avoid this kind of situation.
On a positive note, we were once again able to leave our luggage at the hotel after checking out, which was particularly helpful as our flight wasn't scheduled to depart until almost 10 p.m.
We really appreciated having this option.
QR code
One feature I particularly want to highlight is the hotel's excellent use of QR codes. There was a large QR code displayed both on the TV screen and on a wooden plaque in our room. Scanning it gave us access to detailed hotel information, restaurant menus, activities and much more. I absolutely loved this! Everything was conveniently available in one place, without having to search for information or contact reception. This is exactly how I believe a modern hotel should work, and I wish every hotel offered something like this!
Final Thoughts
What I will remember most about Merusaka Nusa Dua is the beautiful environment and the people working there.
There were a few things that could have been improved, particularly in our room, but they didn't change our overall impression of the hotel.
We spent three lovely nights here and left with very positive memories.
**Rooms
Our room, number 1216, was lovely, with beautiful Balinese decorative details. However, there were a few rather unusual things worth mentioning.
Connecting rooms and noise
Our room had a connecting door to the neighbouring room. Naturally, it was locked, but unfortunately, it offered almost no sound insulation.
We could hear practically everything happening next door.
During the first part of our stay, our neighbours were cheerful guests enjoying their holiday, sometimes until around three in the morning. Later, we had some very talkative Spanish neighbours.
I have absolutely nothing against people enjoying their holidays, but it would have been nice not to hear every conversation & ... through the connecting door.
Interestingly, we never heard anything from the room on the other side.
The bed, bedside tables & electrical outlets
One thing that genuinely surprised me was the arrangement of electrical outlets, bedside tables and light switches.
Nowadays, I think it's reasonable to expect a bedside table and an electrical outlet on each side of the bed, so guests can conveniently charge their phones, Kindles or other devices overnight.
Surprisingly, one side of our bed had neither an electrical outlet nor a bedside table, apparently because of the connecting door (which we had absolutely no interest in using anyway!).
On the other hand, the bed was enormous! It was so wide that three or even four people could probably have slept in it comfortably. So I simply used the middle of the bed as my bedside table.
The mattress was a little worn and sagged slightly in the middle, creating a shallow dip.
There was also a panel with several electrical outlets built into the desk beneath the television. Most of the time, it worked perfectly fine, but occasionally, for reasons we never managed to figure out, it simply stopped working for an entire day.
And then there were the light switches!
For some rather mysterious reason, they were positioned right in the middle of the headboard, exactly where the pillows rested. I don't think I've ever encountered anything quite like this in another hotel. The lights could easily be switched on or off accidentally during the night, simply by moving a pillow or leaning against the headboard.
Certainly an unusual design choice!
Refrigerator & air conditioning
The refrigerator wasn't cold enough, and its contents remained rather warm.
The Daikin air conditioning controller looked rather old-fashioned, but it allowed us to "adjust" the temperature and fan speed.
Unfortunately, the temperature setting didn't seem to work properly. Even when I set it to 25°C, the unit continued blowing extremely cold air.
As we tend to feel cold quite easily, we ended up leaving the air conditioning switched off most of the time.
Housekeeping
One thing I appreciated was the possibility of hanging a sign on the door to indicate whether we wanted our room cleaned.
Surprisingly, after staying in several hotels around Bali, this was the first one where we encountered this familiar system.
I would love to suggest one small addition: a third option saying something like "Just water, please."
There were days when we didn't need our room cleaned at all, but we would still have appreciated having our drinking water replenished.
The housekeeping staff were wonderful. They were always friendly, greeted us warmly, and sometimes asked whether we needed anything.
**Safety
One particularly thoughtful detail was the availability of lockers for personal belongings.
There were lockers near the main swimming pool and even small lockers at the beach towel station.
I found this a wonderful idea. Anyone who has ever wondered what to do with their phone, room key or other valuables while swimming will understand how useful this can be.
Luggage Storage
We appreciated being able to leave our luggage at the hotel both before check-in and after check-out. However, I must admit that the way the luggage was stored made us a little uneasy.
After arriving, we noticed that our suitcases remained in the lobby area for quite some time, perhaps an hour or two, before we left the hotel. When we returned later, they were no longer there.
The situation was similar after check-out. Our suitcases, along with those belonging to other guests, were placed off to one side, almost as though they were on display.
Perhaps this is simply how the hotel's luggage storage system works, and everything was perfectly well organised behind the scenes. We couldn't really tell.
We tend to be rather cautious when it comes to leaving our belongings unattended, so we found the arrangement a little unusual.
I should emphasise, though, that nothing went missing, our luggage was returned without any problems, and everything was absolutely fine.
Lockers for Personal Belongings
On a very positive note, I particularly appreciated the availability of small lockers near the main swimming pool and at the beach towel station.
These were a thoughtful addition, especially for guests who wanted to go swimming without worrying about where to leave their phones, room keys or other valuables.
Beach Safety
We were told that a lifeguard was on duty at the beach during certain hours, possibly until around 6 p.m. However, during our visits to the beach, we never actually noticed one.
Another thing that puzzled me was the beach flag system.
On most days, red flags with "Swimming Forbidden" signs were placed along the beach. Yet there were plenty of people in the water, wading, splashing around, playing with balls and generally enjoying themselves in the shallows.
What made it even more confusing was that the sea appeared remarkably calm, with only tiny waves, sometimes for hours at a time. Of course, I understand that dangerous currents aren't necessarily visible from the shore, but I couldn't help wondering what conditions had prompted the swimming ban.
On one day, the red flags were replaced by two-coloured flags, although the sea looked practically identical to us.
I remember visiting an island in Thailand where a red flag was flying. We had barely put our feet in the water when a beach attendant immediately approached us and explained that entering the sea was forbidden.
Here, despite the red flags and the number of people enjoying themselves in the shallow water, we never witnessed anything similar.
I don't know whether the warnings were being monitored in some other way, but the combination of swimming prohibition signs, people freely entering the water and no visible lifeguard left me rather confused.
**Walkability
The resort is quite large, with lovely pathways connecting the accommodation buildings, swimming pools, gardens and beach. Walking around the beautifully maintained grounds was a pleasure, especially in the evening when everything was illuminated.
The surrounding area is also wonderful for walking. Bali Collection, a shopping complex with various shops and restaurants, is within easy walking distance. There are also lovely parks, scenic viewpoints overlooking the sea and plenty of other restaurants nearby.
For longer distances within the resort, the hotel's little buggy was particularly convenient when travelling with luggage.
Whether you want to explore the surroundings, enjoy a leisurely walk, go shopping or have a meal outside the resort, there's plenty to discover without needing a taxi.
**Food & Drinks
Breakfast area
The breakfast area consisted of several connected spaces. One was a separate dining room that felt quite cold, with several ceiling fans. The other was a larger room where guests could both sit and choose their food from the buffet. This room opened directly onto an outdoor terrace, where guests could also sit and enjoy their breakfast.
My husband absolutely loved the breakfasts!
There was an enormous selection of food, probably a hundred different dishes or even more. He was absolutely delighted.
For me, breakfast was a little more complicated because of my dietary restrictions. As a vegetarian who doesn't eat eggs or avocado, I sometimes struggled to find something suitable.
The cheese situation
One thing I was particularly happy to discover was the selection of cheeses. With my dietary preferences, cheese is an important part of what I normally eat, and I had really missed it during our travels around Bali.
Unfortunately, getting some cheese at breakfast required rather good timing!
There was tiny refrigerator display unit containing cold cuts and cheeses. The cheese was arranged on equally tiny trays, cut into little squares of approximately 4 × 4 cm.
The problem was that these trays emptied remarkably quickly, and they weren't replenished nearly fast enough. Whenever fresh cheese appeared, it seemed to disappear almost immediately.
So although I was delighted that the hotel actually offered cheese, we had to be lucky enough to arrive during that brief window after the trays had been refilled.
Excellent allergen information
One aspect of the breakfast buffet truly impressed me.
Every single dish was labelled with its name and the allergens it contained.
I don't remember ever seeing such a comprehensive labelling system in any hotel I've visited.
This deserves enormous praise. For people with allergies or food intolerances, having this information clearly displayed is incredibly helpful.
After several hotels where breakfast involved choosing something from a printed menu, it was wonderful to finally have a proper buffet again.
Being able to walk around, look at the food and choose whatever appealed to us at that moment was something we really appreciated.
**Noteworthy Details
Beautiful surroundings
This was probably one of my favourite aspects of Merusaka Nusa Dua.
The entire resort is absolutely beautiful.
Everywhere we looked, it was obvious how much care went into maintaining the surroundings.
There were gorgeous tropical flowers, beautifully maintained lawns, trees, water features and lovely pathways connecting the different accommodation buildings.
Another thing I particularly loved was the beautiful Balinese decorative elements throughout the resort.
They were everywhere — in our room, around the accommodation buildings, along the pathways and throughout the gardens.
Lovely traditional ornaments, sculptures and statues added a distinctive Balinese character to the entire place.
The grounds were especially beautiful in the evening, when everything was illuminated.
Along one of the main pathways between the buildings, there were also small stalls selling souvenirs.
Occasionally, someone would perform traditional Balinese music along the pathway. While I appreciate that this is part of the local culture, I must admit that this particular style of music isn't quite my cup of tea.
Accommodation buildings
The corridors between the guest rooms were extraordinarily wide — I don't think I've ever seen such wide hotel corridors anywhere else in the world!
And after staying in several hotels around Bali without elevators, I was absolutely delighted to find proper lifts here.
Swimming pools & beach
The resort has beautiful swimming pools, and the surrounding areas are very well maintained.
Sun loungers were available near the beach, and guests could borrow beach towels.
The beach itself, unfortunately, was a different story.
From a distance, it looked absolutely beautiful.
The sand appeared clean, and the water had that gorgeous tropical colour you see in holiday photographs.
Unfortunately, the reality was rather different.
Once we approached the water, we noticed quite a lot of debris, including seaweed, pieces of wood and coral fragments.
The water simply didn't look particularly clean.
It's a pity, because the beach looks so attractive in photographs, especially when viewed from above.
WhatsApp concierge
Another thing I appreciated was the hotel's WhatsApp concierge service.
Guests could contact the concierge directly through WhatsApp whenever they needed assistance or had a question.
It was a convenient way to communicate with the hotel without having to visit reception.
Taxis & deliveries
I also particularly appreciated something that isn't necessarily available at every hotel in Bali.
Taxis were allowed to drive directly to the hotel lobby.
This might sound obvious, but during our travels, we encountered hotels where outside drivers weren't permitted to enter the property.
At Merusaka, this wasn't a problem.
The hotel also allowed food deliveries and other orders to be brought directly to a designated collection area near the lobby.
Guests could order whatever they wanted and simply collect it there.
I found this arrangement very practical, especially considering that some hotels don't allow external delivery services onto their premises.
Little extras
At check-in, we received several vouchers, including one for a welcome drink and another for a photography session with five digital photographs.
These were nice little extras and a pleasant surprise.
