[HOTEL REVIEW] SenS Hotel & Spa, Ubud, Bali

Hi Eaters.

Everyone loves Bali. What's not to love about Bali? Its exotic and traditional environment and scenery, its peaceful and warm-hearted people, and of course its delicious food.
There are just so much to love about Bali, making it the 2nd most beautiful island in the world, according to Travel + Leisure magazine, beating those of Maldives and Santorini.
Amazing, right?
I, myself, really loved to travel to Bali. Usually when I go to Bali, I prefer to reside at Seminyak or Legian, which I can find a beach (yeah I'm a beach boy, lol) and only go to other areas for sightseeing purposes. But recently I had the chance to experience a staycation in Ubud, at SenS Hotel & Spa.

"Erected on the grounds of Peliatan Kingdom’s extended royal family, minutes walk away from Ubud Market and Ubud Palace, SenS Hotel & Spa + Conference Ubud Town Center is a refreshing addition to the Ubud hospitality scene. SenS represents the fulfillment of a promise to deliver “a boutique experience beyond expectations” to discerning leisure and business travellers who recognize and seek quality, comfort, convenience and value.

The origin of the name SenS is French and has a double meaning. SenS is the name of a commune in the Burgundy region in north-central France, 120 km from Paris. It is crossed by the Rivers Yonne and Vanne. SenS is steeped in history. It has, over time, been an important Roman settlement; the capital of the Senones, a powerful Gallic tribe; and an important religious center and ecclesiastical hub.

SenS, in the French language, also means sense, way, feeling, direction, consciousness, opinion and meaning.

In whatever we do, we aim to be most SenSible, be it in the design of our comfortable and contemporary accommodations with thoughtful conveniences for our guests, our interactions with our guests and our community, or the quality of our service. No detail is too small in achieving a sense of simplicity and purpose. Warm Asian hospitality with personalized service is at the heart of all that SenS and our impeccably trained team has to offer."

source: Sens Hotel & Spa website

Located in the heart of Ubud, so very near to the Ubud market, making it the perfect getaway if you're looking for that wonderful Balinese traditional vibe. You can take the morning stroll to the traditional market, go shopping at various boutiques at the side of the streets or cycling through the vast paddy fields up on the hills. 

SenS Hotel & Spa itself is under the management of SereS Hotels and Resorts, a newly-established developer, syndicator, technical services adviser, project coordinator and manager of hotels under two boutique brands, the 5-star SereS Hotels & Resorts and 4-star SenS Hotels & Resorts. Its upcoming project is the SereS Springs Resort & Spa, located about 7 km or 4.5 miles south of Ubud town center in Singakerta Village, on a site fronted by the Wos River. It is scheduled to be opened at 2017.

MY ROOM

So for this staycation, I've got the chance to try one of their Superior Room. For my luck, my room is just steps away from the swimming pool, yeayy!

"Stylish and modern, our Superior rooms come with luxurious touches and amenities that make your stay with us the perfect getaway. All our rooms are non-smoking and have either a king or two twin beds. 22 sq m."

As you can see above, those are the amenities of my room. The room itself was quite spacious, with oh so cold air conditioner. You gotta love that one, because Bali is so hot you just need this kind of room to cool down your temperature.

I think SenS is really concern with how the guests should enjoy their stay. The room is equipped with its own Pillow Menu, King or 2 Twin Beds, SenS Yukata Bathrobes, High Speed Wireless Internet, Air Conditioning, Cable TV, Tea/Coffee Maker, Mini Fridge, Room Service, Iron/Ironing board, Hairdryer, Telephone, Work Desk, and Personal Safe.

The bathroom is kinda unique. Being merged and located just beside the bed, it has a see-through glass window. As one of my friend said, you can watch TV while doing bathroom activities, lol. But for privacy, there is a shower curtain you can stretch out.

Sens also provides other types of rooms, such as the Superior Plus and the Premium (Suite). More of their pics and amenities are below:

SUPERIOR PLUS

"Our thoughtfully designed Superior Plus rooms are a wonderful haven of calm. The room comes with a French-style divan daybed that can accommodate another person for a total of 3 persons per room. 23.5 sq m."

Basically the Superior Plus has the same amenities as the Superior, but added a Day Bed (third pic at the right side near the window). It's also slightly larger than the Superior in room width.

Amenities: Pillow Menu, King or 2 Twin Beds, Day Bed, SenS Yukata Bathrobes, High Speed Wireless Internet, Air Conditioning, Cable TV, Tea/Coffee Makers, Mini Fridge, Room Service, Iron/Ironing board, Hairdryer, Telephone, Work Desk, and Personal Safe.

PREMIUM (SUITE)

"Sunny and spacious, each of our 6 Premium Rooms features a private balcony overlooking our landscaped courtyard and pool, and are a perfect escape from daily life. Enjoy a glass of sparkling wine on the balcony or relax with a book in our luxurious free-standing tubs after a day of work or play. 26 sq m."

The 6 premium rooms available at the hotel offer their own balcony as a distinctive trademark that differentiates them from other rooms. Note that even though it has its own balcony, smoking cigarettes is restricted. The only smoking area available at the hotel is at the patio, while other areas of the hotel is prohibited. And the other privilege of the suite is the cappuccino and espresso machine (I want that in my room!).

The suite also has its own bathtub. Damn, I would like a room with a bathtub inside (sigh). And do you notice a small chair in the bathroom? Every room in the hotel provides these small chairs. It facilitates the needs of Asian tourist who enjoy sitting while having shower. I guess it might ease the Japanese tourists who frequently do these kind of things. 

Amenities: Pillow Menu, King or 2 Twin Beds, SenS Yukata Bathrobes, High Speed Wireless Internet, Air Conditioning, Bath tub, Cable TV, Cappucino and Espresso Machine, Premium Tea Selection, Complimentary one bottle of sparkling wine for stays exceeding 2 nights, Daily Laundry Service (6 Items), Round-trip Airport Transfer, Complimentary Fruit Basket, Iron/Ironing board, Hairdryer, Telephone, Work Desk, Personal Safe, Umbrella, and Weighing Scale.

OTHER HOTEL FACILITES

SWIMMING POOL

PELIATAN BALLROOM & SUKMA BOARDROOM

"The only hotel in Ubud with world class conference facilities. Flexible meeting spaces and an experienced team of event planners make organizing team retreats and conferences a cinch. Then step out and explore all that Ubud has to offer. It’s all about connecting and inspiring."

SENS SPA

"SenS Spa is a calm retreat featuring 1 couples treatment suite, 2 single suites and 3 foot reflexology stations.

You’ll emerge radiant, relaxed and refreshed. SenS Spa is open till 11 pm – the perfect, soothing end to a day of work or play."

GYM

"Invigorate yourself with a morning run on the treadmill, or simply keep up with your exercise regime while on the road."

Yonne Café & Bar

"Our signature restaurant serves up international favourites and the best of Balinese and Asian cuisine prepared in a vibrant show kitchen. With its elegant curves and effortless sense of space, Yonne Café offers a welcoming and chic, yet comfortable ambience with a view of the pool. Dine in air-conditioned comfort or al fresco."

Helmed by Chef Matthew Wood, Yonne Café & Bar showcases delicious dining options from Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, and Western food.

Yonne Café & Bar has a special Tea Time package. For only IDR 50K you can enjoy their snack buffet plus tea or coffee. Yes, it's an all you can eat tea time buffet. Nothing could be better than this. And trust me when I say this, for only IDR 50K there are quite a lot of snack options to try. It's just so soo soooo worth it!

Tea time is not the only great thing the restaurant can offer. For the rest 2 nights of my staycation I was indulged by the most delicious dinne I've ever had in Bali. To exaggerating? I don't think so.

Day 1 of my wonderful dinner time started out with this delicious chicken soup with tomatoes and chopped leeks. The taste was quite delightful although as much as I like leeks, I would prefer more chicken to pop out rather than the chopped leeks.

The main course was heavenly good. Being hosted by an Australian chef it came as a surprise that the dish presented was a Balinese cuisine. A pair of delicious Indonesian fried chicken, accompanied with a pair of grilled prawns, a pair of sate lilit, perkedel, turmeric rice, vegetables, and crackers.

To light up the flavor the dish was also presented with some Sambal Matah (Balinese tradisional chilli).

I loved the whole plate, and I mean it's such a big portion for one, I even considerely think you can have this dish as a sharing portion. But I bet you don't want to share it.

The chicken, the prawns were all perfectly cooked and well-seasoned. I certainly find the juiciness of the chicken quite addicting. It's freakin' delicious!

For the dessert I had Eclair and Chocolate Lava. Overall I also loved the dessert, although I hope the chocolate lava cake could have more melted chocolate filling. But the taste of these 3 are simply delicious.

If you think day 1 was exciting, wait til you see what I had for day 2's dinner time. This one was absolutely my fave!

It started out with an appetizer that looked like an Indonesian pastel with mashed potatoes and curry fillings. On the top it was dressed with some sweet chilli sauce.

The taste was delicious. Although in my opinion the pastry skin was a bit too thick. But the taste of the curry was spot on.

This was DA BOMB! Seriously. Super delicious. Bali is either famous for its suckling pig or duck. This one was totally different than any other duck cuisines I've tried in Bali. Hands down, the best duck I've tried so far. Super loving its juicy and succulent meat with the awesomely crispy skin. Da yumm! The sauce makes it even better.

God, I just want more of this!

For the dessert I had the Apple struddle which is served along with lemon sorbet and nougat. It's like a party of flavors. It's rich in taste and also in texture. The sweet tender apple struddle mixed with the sour lemon sorbet. Wonderful.

Now you know why I go to sleep happily. lol.

BREAKFAST

Breakfast time is essential. Some people might judge the quality of a hotel based on its breakfast. It's a no wonder since breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

I'm happy to find that SenS provides a decent and balanced breakfast buffet. You know how some hotel focused too much on the heavy meal, they forgot light snacks or pay attention to the dessert station. With the enough kinds of food provided for breakfast, I think it's possible that you can try every dish available on the buffet.

It's a decent breakfast, I think nothing stood out from another. I would love to see an omelette station though somewhere in the future, maybe on my next visit.

Overall conclusion, I had 3 days and 2 wonderful nights well-spent at this marvelous 4 star hotel. I love the impeccable service, the hospitality, I certainly love my room and no doubt I am so so loving the food!

It's a great place to get a Bali-holiday-getaway since its strategic location in the heart of Ubud. There's no doubt I will be bookmarking this lovely hotel as my favourite spot for the night in Ubud. 

In the end, I wish SenS Hotel & Spa the best of luck. You guys there have done a wonderful job. Can't wait to be back!

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

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SenS Hotel & Spa
Jl. Sukma Banjar Tebesaya
Ubud, Kec. Gianyar, Bali
Phone: (0361) 8493328

Infos and bookings: SenS Hotel & Spa website