Review of the Bali Baruna Holiday Inn hotel in Tuban, good choice for a family holiday.

I recently stayed a few nights at the Bali Baruna Holiday Inn hotel, which is located in Tuban, or south Kuta if you prefer, very close to the airport. It in 2010 was one of the few Indonesian hotels to be listed in the Top 10 of any of the 9 categories of the Trip Advisor Travelers’ Choice Awards for hotels (it placed 4th in the “Trendiest Hotels in Asia” section). Here it is on the map, that’s its pool:

Here is a view of the grounds and looking towards the beach from the hotel lobby; it’s a pleasant place, nice pool which while not that big never felt over-crowded. The beach outside the hotel looks great from a distance, but up close it’s less impressive and people rarely seemed to swim at it- the pool is better for that.

The ground of the hotel and the beach; on the left is the pool, on the right a bar.

This was the room we stayed in, which is a Kids Suite; it has a little cubbyhole room for children, with a bunk bed, desk, tv and x-box, and importantly a door, which can be closed.

The Baruna is ideal for families, there is a Kids Club, pictured below, where you can leave children in the care of the staff for the day, and they have activities to keep them occupied; the Kids Club is free if you stay in a Kids Suite or the bigger Family Suite. Nannies can also be hired for I think $5 an hour, the ones I saw seemed quite good with the kids and spoke English of course.

There’s also a club for teenagers, with internet, games and tv:

Where breakfast is served:

If you’re not bringing kids, then probably this is the standard sort of room you’ll be staying in:

The hotel also has a bar, called Envy, and a spa, called Tea Tree, but in an ascetic (or cheap) spirit your scribe did not partake of either.

Video of the Baruna

And the hotel by night looking at it with the beach to our backs:

All in all a good choice for a family holiday in Bali, popular with Australians in particular, and you can book the hotel at Agoda, prices start from around $110 per room per night.