A Review Of Sal Secret Spot, Uluwatu
If you’re anything like me, when you visit a place as iconic as Bali, you want to stay in a dreamy boutique versus some big hotel in a chain. A small boutique hotel may not have as many amenities as other options, but in my opinion, it’s all about the ambience. When we decided to visit Bali last November, we knew we didn’t want to stay in the thick of the tourist scene and ended up deciding to head south to a more laid back coastal area called Uluwatu. Known for its world class surfing and cliffside views, Uluwatu is also home to some fabulously unique boutique hotels, most of which come with a prohibitive price tag. I’d just about given up on finding something affordable with the vibe I was looking for when I stumbled across Sal Secret Spot nestled just above Bingin Beach.
Price Point
$10-50 $$50-100 $$$100+
How To Get There
Sal Secret Spot is an easy 30 minute drive south from Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar. I didn’t see anything about transport on Sal Secret Spot’s website so I emailed them and was told that they could arrange airport pickup for approximately $20 USD. After doing some research we came to the conclusion that $18-20 USD was the going rate for transport from Denpasar to Uluwatu and ended up just arranging our own transport in advance with a driver that friends of my sister had used multiple times during their travels to Bali. Other options include public transport (we arrived too late in the evening for public transit) which obviously would be cheaper, catching a taxi from the airport, or getting Sal Secret Spot to set things up. While you could rent a car, things could get tricky as Sal Secret Spot doesn’t really have a parking area and the streets around it are very narrow so street parking isn’t an option.
Beach Access
While Sal Secret Place isn’t exactly beach front, it’s only a five minute walk to a flight of stairs down to Bingin Beach and they do have some sea view rooms and apartments. The bummer with the sea view rooms is that they aren’t connected to the main hotel (they are a 15 minute walk away per the hotel) so we opted for a regular room, which was of course also better priced.
Amenities
Pool
WiFi (including all the rooms)
Hot water
AC
Safe
Babysitting
Surf board rentals
Breakfast included
A Few of Our Favorite Things
We loved the overall vibe of the place from the white washed walls and carved wooden doors to the outdoor reading nook and cushions on the floor around the tables in the restaurant. I’m a huge fan of outdoor bathrooms, so loved the fact that our room had an outdoor shower. Although the breakfast menu was limited, we didn’t care since the fruit pancakes (almost more of a crepe like consistency with the fruit baked in) were so delicious we just ate them every day. The pool had a lot of comfy loungers and plenty of shade and all the staff were lovely. Last but not least, with only 14 rooms it was never crowded around the pool, at breakfast etc.
Things To Know
Children are not allowed in the deluxe sea view rooms and children under 5 are not allowed in the apartments (for safety reasons)
$20 per person per night plus taxes (21%) for extra guests (breakfast is included in that price)
All the deluxe sea view rooms and apartments are a 15 minute walk from the main property and include traversing a steep flight of stairs, so not a good option for people with a lot of luggage or poor mobility
Contact
Email: sal.bungalows@outlook.com
Phone: +62 (0) 8123 8942 686