While the pool and sea are nice, the rooms are like a collage dorm. No flair- the bathrooms are in need of a major renovation and scrubbing! The drinks overpriced and only half pours. Watch out on snorkeling! I caught an eye bacteria from the mask and had to have a visit from the local md- started me on antibiotics- still was charged for the snorkeling and almost $100 for the physician! Please avoid this place!

Alila Manggis is located in Karangasem, East Part of Bali. It took us about 1,5 hour drive from the airport to reach the hotel. It was pleasant because we could see different views during our long trip to the hotel such as beautiful serene rice paddies with the beach in the background attractive roadside fruits stalls and traditional local eateries as we entered Karangasem. When we arrived at Alila, two staff warmly welcomed us. They personalised the way they greeted us too by using our names. We were told to wait in the lobby and one of the staff took our passports and looked after the check in process for us. While we were in the lobby, we were given the welcome drinks n some refreshing cold towels. Check in was easy and quick. Then, they took us to our superior room which was located on the ground level of the block. All guestrooms are housed within four double-story buildings with traditional Balinese roof.The buildings are designed to maximize views of the coconut grove, swimming pool, beach and lotus gardens which surround the hotel. Our superior room had a private terrace with the stunning views of the nearby coconut groves and swimming pool (you can also see the ocean in the background from this terrace). The pool was the highlight. It was positioned in the center of all the 4 blocks. The water temperature was perfect and they always served us with some icy cold water. Their restaurant, "Seasalt" offered different types of food. I highly recommended you to try it. The seafood was fresh. We ordered Grilled Gurame fish with three types of sauces. It was beautiful! I would recommend this hotel to those of you who would like to enjoy the luxury of a hotel with excellent service, away from the hustle and bustle of Kuta/Seminyak.

We just spent 3 nights at the Alila after finding it on Agoda and here. We had high hopes for a nice quiet hotel and it far exceeded our expectations. The manager Dewa was so helpful with whatever we needed. The room was not very big but really comfortable. The day bed on the balcony looked right onto the pool, which was big, warm and welcoming. They bring cold water to you almost as soon as you claim your lounger. They have poolside service as well as room service.

The grounds are open and spacious with coconut palms all around. While there really isn't a beach to sit on the water is calm and has some great snorkeling. It's only a 15 minute boat ride in a jukung to the "blue lagoon" which is a great reef with all kinds of fish.

The restaurant serves organic and local food both indonesian and western fusion. Amazing! They make fresh breads and pastries daily and breakfast was included. It was so yummy and filling you almost don't need lunch. The staff is very nice and interested in the guests but in no way overbearing. Everyone greets you with big genuine smiles.

Then there is the spa. Great treatments and wonderful staff. Very clean and serene. Got massaged outside and could hear the waves washing ashore. Such a peaceful relaxing treat. We were lucky they were running a special 24 hours unlimited treatments for $120. There was no slacking even on that account. My wife and I spent most of the day and the next morning just getting treatments between eating and dips in the pool. Completely rejuvenating. Two of the best massages I've ever had and I've had hundreds.

We enjoyed our stay so much we are going back for 2 more nights at the end of our trip. It's a great location to explore the eastern part of Bali since it is centrally located. I highly suggest staying here. Great value and experience for the money.

Alila Manggis is located at Manggis Village, Karang Asem. It's about 1.5 hour drive from Ngurah Rai, Bali International Airport. There's practically nothing around the hotel but residential areas. There's a brightly-painted salon right opposite the entrance of the hotel.

The hotel was superb. The service, the people and the amenities were excellent. The staff was very helpful and was trying to listen to what we need. The hotel provides coffee, tea, and two bottles of mineral water. Ice cubes is available upon request. The shower foam, the shampoo and the conditioner have the nice soothing aromatherapic smell. There’s wi-fi all over the hotel premises, and there’s a computer for the guests to use at the shop called Alila Living.

Our room is on the first floor with direct access to the garden and the pool. When we open the back porch door we can hear the sound of the waves splashing onto the sand. Splendid. The swimming pool practically opens till late at night.

The hotel provides a lot of activities. All the activities for the day and the next day are displayed around the lobby and the pool. Otherwise you can always check with the Front Office. Alila has its own boat to bring the guests to the nearby snorkelling spot. Other than that there's a free drop-off and pick-up service to Candidasa Town and Tenganan. The service starts at 9pm at 2-hour interval with 5 pm be the latest shuttle service. It takes only 15 minutes to Candidasa town, and 10 minutes from Candidasa Town to Tenganan. The shuttle will come at the same time they drop off the guests of the next timing. So it's 11.15, 13.15 and so forth with 19.15 be the latest pick up service at Candidasa. Candidasa Town is a typical tourist town with lots of hotels, restaurants, car rentals, and money changers although it’s not as busy as Kuta. There are the two mini-mart operators there, the Alfa Mart & Indomaret. There is the Candi Dasa Pura and the Lotus Pond opposite the Pura (Hindhu Temple). There's an entrance to the beach with food & drink warungs (traditional shop) there
selling Chinese food, local food like Tipat Tahu & Bakso Babi (pork balls with soup). Wherever we go there are people offering us taxi or boat ride. But once we speak Indonesian to them, they ‘let us go’.

Tenganan, the second stop after Candidasa Town, is the original Balinese village. It's a real village with the 'Town Council' in the middle, but every house is open as an art gallery. Visitors can freely enter any houses in the village to see how the traditional weaving is done. Egg-painting is also famous here. If you're interested in buying the woven containers that are widely used in the hotel, Tenganan is the place. Of course the golden rule of bargaining applies.

Now the Lunch Picnic was something that we didn’t have any idea what to expect. We thought it would be on a checked mat somewhere around the hotel’s vast garden. The Lunch Picnic was arranged in the Organic Garden, about 10-minute drive by the hotel van. We were provided by a ‘butler’ who brought the picnic basket and prepared the table for us. The Organic Garden was located in the middle of paddy field, off the beaten track. The ordinary Balinese spices as well as foreign spices alike are grown here. We could find vanilla, tumeric, galangal, kecombrang (fragrant flowers used for fried chicken in Java), mint, kemangi (Indonesian basils), as well as other species of basils, such as Thai and Italian. The gardener was very excited to explain every details of the plants. There was a ‘saung’ (a hut where the farmers has their lunch when working in the field) where the lunch was nicely prepared. It consists of Nasi Jinggo - Balinese Style of mixed rice. It comes with with chicken in thick yellow curry, sate lilit - typical Balinese fish satays, sweet and spicy deep fried tempe - fermented soya bean, and of course the chilly. The drinks was bottled mineral water and herbal concoction made of lemongrass and ginger. It was superb. Having sumptuous lunch in an open air with the afternoon wind and a sight of greeneries around was really a treat. They told us that normally it’s the ‘Breakfast at the Garden’ that is offered by the hotel.

The Seasalt restaurant is of course good, but it’s pricey. It serves a wide variety of Balinese and western food. We didn’t try much of it. The Nasi Goreng Kampung is quite different from what we imagined. It was enriched with chicken and pork chunks. The Pizza was good. One thing worth trying from the restaurant’s drink list is the alcoholic drink mixed with the local ‘Arak’ - Balinese liquor. The Arak Madu is the localized Margarita without salt on the brim of the glass. The restaurant is very flexible. Although pizza is only available in the lunch menu, they are willing to serve it during dinner time. One item that is a must to try is the Es Puter - traditional ice cream made of coconut milk instead of milk. The version of Es Puter here is a mixed of jackfruit, green bean and pandan (fragrant leaves). It is available in the lunch menu.

There’s a complimentary tea break from 3 to 5 pm. They served Balinese coffee and herbal infusion. There’s a complimentary local snacks that come with the tea time as well. The snacks were banana fritters and lempog ubi (sweet potato cake).

The beach is not a white sandy beach, it's rather rocky with black sand. Nevertheless the sound of the wave splashing is audible even from the room. You can walk along the beach for about 100m to the left, but that's all.