GRIYA SANTRIAN in Bali - Hotel Review with Photos

Essentials
• Location: Jl. Danau Tamblingan, Sanur.
• Hotel website: santrian.com
• Hotel phone: +62 (0)361 288 185
• Check prices for Griya Santrian

Review of Griya Santrian in Sanur, Bali.

Of the 3 pools at Griya Santrian, the main pool by the beachfront is shady and features a swim-up bar, lots of sun loungers, and sea views.

Griya Santrian – Contemporary design and traditional décor, with a tropical setting and convenient location.

This charming resort, family-owned for over thirty years, is set away from the main street, so it’s quiet while still being in the midst of Sanur’s best cluster of shops and cafés. Rooms are in modern but tastefully-designed low-level buildings among lovingly landscaped tropical gardens with Balinese-style statues and fountains. Rooms face the pools and/or gardens from wide balconies and feature colorful Balinese décor. Suites are even more spacious and feature four-poster beds and sunken baths. The three pools are sizable and shady, with unusual designs, and the beach is powdery-white and well-maintained.

Griya Santrian – The Location

Area: Facing the beach and 100m back from the street. Pleasant area midway along Sanur, with plenty of facilities in both directions.
Address: Jl. Danau Tamblingan 47, Sanur. It’s the main road through Sanur, a more relaxed resort region in southern Bali.
How to Get There: The only way to/from the airport is by metered taxi or chartered car with a driver. This takes about 25 minutes (15 km), depending on traffic.
Handy to: Speedboats to Nusa Lembongan island and the Gili Islands. Golf course.

Griya Santrian – The Basics

Guests: Caters well to all. Among families, perhaps the hotel is more suitable for those with older children.
Beach: Well-groomed, with powdery-white sand and plenty of lounge chairs. However, not that private because of people walking along the seaside path.
Views: No accommodation offers sea views. All rooms face the pools and/or gardens. Suites have private gardens.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: None.
Parking: A few free and secure parking spots available, but think long and hard before driving anywhere in Bali.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +62 (0)361 288 185
Email: griyasantrian@santrian.com
Website: santrian.com

Griya Santrian – Amenities

Pool: 3 large and shady pools, with interesting designs that are more appealing than those at other resorts. The one by the beach features a swim-up bar. The other 2 are alongside the buildings housing the suites.
Spa: Within a pretty building, the Rama Sita Spa is classier than rivals. The resort also has a traditional bale hut alongside the beach where massages can be enjoyed.
Fitness Center: None.
For Families: Various tours and classes available, including cycling.
Activities: Classes in cooking and yoga. Demonstrations in Balinese traditions such as flower offerings and woodcarving. Rental of bicycles and canoes.

Griya Santrian – Food and Drink

Restaurants & Bars: Wantilan Restaurant – All-day dining with broad sea views. Breakfast and afternoon tea served here, and themed buffets with traditional music/dance on most nights. • Griya Beach Corner – At the pool and facing the ocean. Specializes in Japanese, Italian, and Asian food. Popular among families for pizza, and also features romantic tables on the sand. Lunch only.
Breakfast: Sometimes included, depending on the room and how it was booked.
Room Service: Available during restaurant hours from 6.30 am to 9.30 pm.

Griya Santrian – Rooms

Room Types: Garden Wing Room • Beach Wing Room • Deluxe Room • Santrian Suite • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: Not permitted in the rooms, but okay anywhere else.
Best Room: Santrian Suites are the most spacious and feature even more appealing traditional décor.
For Families: Most rooms and suites can fit in extra single beds, and many have connecting doors, though nothing is really set up specifically for families.

Griya Santrian – Local Transport

Walking & Cycling: Walking around Sanur is more pleasant than most places in southern Bali. With flat roads and minimal traffic, cycling is also popular, and bikes can be rented from the hotel. Walking and cycling are ideal along the beachside path that stretches over 6. km, almost the entire length of Sanur.
Public Transport: Sanur is unique within southern Bali as local bemos (decrepit minivans with bench seats) ply the main street, but won’t go further north than the golf course. Fares are set but invariably inflated for tourists.
Cars, Motorbikes, & Taxis: Driving anywhere in Bali is not recommended, but renting a car is possible at agencies all over Sanur. Motorbikes are also easy to rent and useful for getting around Sanur – less so for elsewhere in southern Bali. Taxis are plentiful, cheap, and comfortable, and the best way to go anywhere in southern Bali. For longer trips, charter a car with a driver. This can be arranged at any travel agency or better, through the hotel.
Shuttle Bus: To reach any town outside of southern Bali and one that is popular with tourists (e.g. Ubud), buy a ticket at a travel agency for a shuttle bus. Some companies pick up guests from their hotels, but services for Perama, the only island-wide operator, leave from its inconvenient office on Jalan Hang Tuah on the other side of the golf course in northern Sanur. The Kura-Kura Bus company links Sanur with Ubud and the rest of southern Bali, but schedules are convoluted and routes, confusing.

Griya Santrian Beach Resort – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

The Wicked Parrot – 50m south for Irish-themed music, shady setting, and friendly service.
The Porch Café – Quasi-1920’s décor for coffee, pastries, healthy sandwiches, tapas, and several vegetarian options. The burgers are big and service, attentive. Opposite The Wicked Parrot.
Three Monkeys – Attracts the same crowd night after night for wine, pizza, grills, salads, pasta, and funky live music. Just past The Porch.
Retro Kitchen & Bar – Indonesian specials, desserts, pizza, and children’s menu in an attractive setting. About 70m past the Three Monkeys.

Nearby Shops

Uluwatu – Very elegant boutique selling gorgeous things made from lace. Opposite the hotel entrance.
Hardy’s – Supermarket with a few other shops attached is about 500m south down the main street, but is very modest compared to Kuta. Minimarts are present in all directions.

Nearby Attractions

Bali Beach Golf Course – This massive 18-hole dominates northern Sanur, less than 2 km to the north.
Jet-skiing and parasailing, among other fun activities, can be arranged at counters along the beach nearby, but the choice is better at Tanjung Benoa.