The Sakala Resort

Layla Shaw

Overall a great place to stay, a little bit isolated but that’s what a lot of people are looking for. Shout out to Koming for her kindness, what a lovely lady. She cooked my eggs to perfection and remembered my name and my order every time. Food in the restaurants was nice but sometimes more than you would pay in Australia which shocked me a bit. The 21%tax hurts! We had a great time, gym was awesome, rooms were huge and the grounds were well kept.

Bradley Vernon

Neither of our rooms were ready when wr arrived at just before 4PM. ​It was clear that something wasn't right, as the staff were whispering back and forth. The check-in process for the first room took 30 minutes & the second room wasn't available until 1.5hrs later. ​By way of apology, we were provided with a room upgrade, two massage vouchers, and a 1-hour late check-out. This was a great gesture and much appreciated, as it put our stay back on track. ​The stay itself was very nice. The hotel is lovely, the pool is great, the buffet breakfast is excellent, and the staff throughout the property were friendly. However, please note there is an enormous development site directly next to the property, so some rooms look directly onto it and it may become noisy in the future. ​Unfortunately, checking out was an even bigger shambles than checking in. We were locked out of our room because, despite the agreed-upon late check-out, the system hadn't been updated. As part of our Hotels.com booking, we were entitled to a 20% Food & Beverage discount per room. ​Because of the admin mess at check-in, the front desk could not figure out how to apply the discount. Resolving this took another 30 minutes, we ultimately left with only a part of the discount applied. Because we had a flight to catch, we couldn't spend any more time trying to rectify it. ​ ​​Overall, the front desk was terribly disorganized, making the arrival and departure experiences incredibly frustrating.

jeff xuan

Avoid this hotel, severe food‑poisoning incident with zero accountability My family of five dined at the hotel’s Mediterranean BBQ dinner on the evening of 8th August. Shortly after returning to our room, two of my daughters developed acute gastroenteritis symptoms starting in the early hours: persistent vomiting and diarrhoea. One suffered over seven to eight episodes of diarrhoea, while the other vomited directly onto the bed. Our in‑room telephone was broken, so we walked to the front desk at 6:30 a.m. for urgent help. A doctor and nurse were arranged, who administered injections and IV treatment on‑site. We were charged an extremely high medical fee for this service. Despite two family members falling ill immediately after eating the hotel‑served buffet dinner — a strong indicator of food‑borne illness — the hotel refused to take any responsibility. To make matters worse, while my daughters were still receiving intravenous drips and recovering from violent sickness, the hotel only offered a one‑hour late check‑out. There was no genuine concern for our health, no apology, no compensation, and no proper follow‑up response from management afterwards. We have stayed across countless luxury, mid‑range and budget properties worldwide, and we have never encountered such a disappointing, unaccountable experience. Do not risk your family’s health staying here. ================================================ Reply to The Sakala Resort Bali official response This resort’s reply misrepresents key facts. Different immune systems mean only some diners in one group can get sick from contaminated food. Zero other formal complaints ≠ zero other unwell guests. Post‑incident lab tests cannot guarantee food safety on the night we dined. During our children’s medical emergency, management pushed bureaucratic complaint forms instead of gathering facts in‑room. I refused the form, not factual questioning. Mentioning public reviews was not a threat — it was my right after the hotel refused fair resolution. My compensation requests came from real harm to my daughters. While my daughter was on IV drip, we only got one‑hour free late checkout. Their alternative‑room offer still included extra late‑checkout charges. They arranged doctors in our crisis but gave no clear advance warning of the exorbitant 10 M IDR medical bill, which is 3 times of the local monthly salary. We seldom leave negative feedback. This hotel prioritises denial and procedural defence over compassion for sick minors. Please read both accounts before booking.

J A

My stay at Sakala Resort was a very positive experience overall. The resort itself is beautiful and thoughtfully laid out across both sides of the road. On one side you’ll find the reception, accommodation, breakfast area, spa, and a swimming pool with pool-access rooms, a swim-up bar, and a fun waterslide. On the opposite side is the original Sakala Beach Club, where the resort first began before expanding into what it is today. This side is home to the resort’s main swimming pool, another beachfront pool overlooking the ocean, and a relaxed atmosphere that’s perfect for spending the day. One of the highlights of my stay was the food. The resort offers three fantastic restaurants, all serving fresh, high-quality meals. The Japanese restaurant was excellent (if you’re interested in the teppanyaki experience, I’d recommend booking a few days in advance). My absolute favourite, however, was NOOR Indian Cuisine. I can honestly say it was some of the best if not the best Indian food I’ve ever had which is a big statement! Even if you don’t stay at Sakala Resort, NOOR is worth visiting if you love authentic Indian cuisine. Although the resort was a little further from some of the main tourist areas than I had expected, there are plenty of water sports and everything you need nearby. Most importantly, every staff member I encountered was warm, welcoming, and genuinely lovely. I would happily stay here again. Thank you to the entire team for making our stay so enjoyable. x

Jandra Soares

Our stay was unfortunately very disappointing. When we arrived, the bed was extremely uneven and very uncomfortable. It made it difficult to get a good night’s sleep from the beginning of our stay. Housekeeping was also inconsistent. On several occasions, despite placing the green sign requesting our room to be cleaned, it wasn’t serviced for days. The last two days of our stay, however, were by far the worst part of our experience. Two days before our departure, I requested a late check-out because I found myself in a difficult situation and would be alone with my 2-year-old son during our final days. I had to speak with at least three different staff members before finally being told by a fourth employee that my late check-out had been approved until 5:00 pm. On our departure day, at 12:20 pm, I received a phone call informing me that there had been a misunderstanding and that I needed to leave the room by 1:00 pm instead. At that moment, my son had just finished his shower, and I was about to put him down for a nap since our flight wasn’t until 10:30 pm. Because I had been told I could stay until 5:00 pm, I hadn’t taken my shower yet, hadn’t packed our suitcases, and had planned our entire day around that confirmation. Suddenly, I had less than 40 minutes to shower, pack everything, wake and manage a tired 2-year-old, and leave the room. It was incredibly stressful and completely unnecessary. During that same phone call, I was told they would try to help me, but nobody followed up. I ended up having to run to reception myself to find a solution. Once I arrived at reception, someone offered another room where we could stay, but by then I was already exhausted, frustrated, and emotionally drained. The damage had already been done. I’ve rarely experienced such a lack of empathy and such poor communication from the management of a hotel that claims to provide exceptional service. We stayed at the hotel for 10 days as a family of four. During the last few days, I was travelling with my young son and my elderly godmother, so we spent most of our time at the resort. In addition to the significant amount we spent on accommodation, we also spent thousands of dollars dining at the hotel’s restaurants throughout our stay. As a mother travelling with a young child, this experience left me feeling extremely disappointed, and unfortunately I would not recommend this hotel to other families. I do want to acknowledge that my son had a wonderful time at the Kids Club, and some members of the staff were genuinely kind and caring. However, the management’s handling of this situation was extremely poor and overshadowed what could have been a great holiday.