Villa Seminyak Estate & Spa - By Astadala

We recently stayed in the Presidential Villa and, unfortunately, our experience was extremely disappointing. Based on our stay, I struggle to understand how this property is marketed as a five-star hotel. In its current condition, it falls far below that standard. While the villa itself is spacious, the space is poorly designed and maintained. The bedrooms are large, yet the wardrobes are surprisingly small, leaving much of the room empty and impractical. The furnishings and facilities throughout the villa are very worn and outdated. The technology felt like it hadn’t been updated in decades—the television barely functioned, and there was an old sound system that couldn’t even connect to a modern phone or laptop. The kitchen was another major disappointment. Despite booking a villa with a full kitchen, it lacked even the basic equipment needed to prepare a simple meal. One particularly frustrating design flaw was the dining table. The oversized chairs fit underneath the table when empty, but once someone sat down, they no longer fit, making it impossible to dine comfortably. We mentioned this to the manager, who brought us a single replacement chair and claimed he was unaware of the issue. However, I had already seen multiple reviews mentioning exactly the same problem, so it clearly isn’t new. The outdoor living area was another major disappointment. Despite this being a three-bedroom Presidential Villa, it was furnished with only a single outdoor sofa that was both uncomfortable and impractical. There was simply nowhere for a family or group to sit together and enjoy the space, so we found ourselves avoiding it altogether. To make matters worse, the area was constantly filled with mosquitoes and frequented by bats, making it even less inviting. The mosquito nets around the beds were old, torn, and ineffective. As a result, all of us were covered in mosquito bites, including our newborn baby, despite her sleeping under a mosquito net in her cot. The staff offered to spray the room daily with chemicals, but this made little difference and wasn’t something we were comfortable exposing our baby to. Cleanliness was also well below expectations. When we arrived, the bedsheets contained someone else’s hair, the bathrooms were dirty, and the outdoor living area was covered in bat droppings. During our stay, we noticed that the entire three-bedroom villa was being “cleaned” in around 10 minutes, which explains why the standard was so poor. While the swimming pool was maintained, the jacuzzi was not working. Breakfast was equally disappointing. There were ants around the bread station, some of the fruit was no longer fresh, and the coffee was surprisingly poor—especially considering how easy it is to find excellent coffee almost anywhere else in Bali. Overall, this property is in desperate need of a complete renovation and much better maintenance. Bali has countless accommodation options that offer significantly better quality, cleanliness, and value for the same price—or less. This was one of the most disappointing hotel experiences we’ve had, and we would not return or recommend it in its current condition.