the great bali escape: may ‘09: masa inn

Posted at May 20, 2009

I did most of the planning about a week before we were supposed to go. I guess it was mostly because I didn’t want to make *the* decision — of course we won’t be spending much time in the room so it really shouldn’t matter *that* much. On the other hand, it would be nice not to have bed bugs and roaches as roomies. Initially I thought we’d just book the first night, then walk around the next morning to get cheaper (or maybe nicer) digs. Then my OCD got the better of me and I spent some time checking out places to stay in Kuta/ Legian.

I checked out reviews for about 50+ hotels listed on Trip Advisor, probably spent way too much time on the site. Finally settled on Masa Inn because 99% of the reviews were positive. Checked out Masa Inn’s website, the rates seemed reasonable. For a while I was fretting if we should be spending RM100+ per room per night: after all Kuta was supposed to have lots of cheap accommodations!

Finally I told myself to stfu and e-mailed the hotel to check for room availability. They replied that they had a twin room for the first 2 nights, then only a triple room for the following 2 nights. For 2 people per night, the twin room costs Rp300,000 (RM103) and the triple room costs Rp330,000 (RM113). FA gave the okay and I proceeded with the booking.

Masa Inn, Kuta in Bali - twin room 01 Masa Inn, Kuta in Bali - triple room 01
Twin room and triple room at the Masa Inn

Entrance to the hotel and the reception area are a bit shady. Doesn’t give much hope to what the rest of the place looks like, especially when you’ve passed by La Walon with their nice-looking exterior. Looks, as they say, can be deceiving. Walk past the reception area and you’d be WTF-ed (in a pleasant way).

There are two courtyards, each with their own pool. For the first 2 nights, we stayed at the inner courtyard facing a bigger swimming pool located in the middle ground. A bit like chalets facing the pool. I didn’t take photos of this, go look up photos on Trip Advisor if you want. I woke up the second morning, took a peek out the window and saw this half-naked dude sitting at the pool deck chair reading a book and looking every bit like a Greek Adonis. Didn’t take photos but FA can vouch for it. What a great way to start my day, heh.

Masa Inn, Kuta in Bali - garden
Well-maintained garden leading to the second courtyard

For the last 2 nights, we switched to the triple room located at the first courtyard, quite near to the reception area. I really recommend that you spend the extra Rp30,000 because the additional space is worth it. It’s also cheaper if you opt for rooms on the 2nd or 3rd floors, but I’m glad we weren’t given those, don’t think we could have tahan-ed.

The showers work though the taps are a bit worn, the bathroom floor is a tad slippery, no problems with the toilet flush. Water tastes salty for some reasons (e.g. Kuta being next to the sea :P ). The hotel provides towels but not shampoo, soap etc.

Staff was friendly, courteous, helpful and nice. My only complain was that it could get a tad noisy because everything is made of wood. So if you are a light sleeper and your neighbour opens his door, be prepared to wake up with a slight jolt. Or if some guests gather at the balcony and chit-chat. Shouldn’t be much of a problem though; hopefully you’d be too tired to give a damn when you return to your room.

Masa Inn, Kuta in Bali - first pool 02 Masa Inn, Kuta in Bali - first pool 01
Left: 1st pool facing garden; Right: 1st pool facing wall next to reception

Exit Masa Inn, turn left, walk a bit and you’ll reach Jalan Pantai Kuta which is next to the beach, where you’ll find Hard Rock Hotel + Cafe, Mercure Hotel and McDonalds. Also touters of all kinds. Exit Masa Inn, turn left, walk a bit more and you’ll reach Legian Street — turn left and you’ll be heading off to the pubs and clubs. There are a few nice restaurants and pubs along Poppies Lane 1, not far from the hotel. Also very nearby: 24-hour convenience shops, Internet cafes, massage places, stalls selling clothes and souvenirs etc. You could choose not to leave Poppies Lane 1 if you wished to, heh.

By the way you wouldn’t hear any of this commotion on the streets if your room’s located in the second courtyard. First courtyard, maybe a little but not enough to bitch about.

Masa Inn, Kuta in Bali - toasted sandwich breakfast Masa Inn, Kuta in Bali - breakfast of jaffles
Ohai REAL bacon, om nom nom nom nom

The hotel rates include breakfast, available from 8 till 11 a.m. It’s a small menu with 5 options. Of course I took the bacon ones. Oh by the way they sell a big bottle of Bintang for Rp18,000 (RM6.20). Cheapest price in Kuta (that I saw anyway).

I’d definitely stay at the Masa Inn again. Nice, beautiful, unexpected, warm feel about it, good price, lovely to return to after a long and exhausting day exploring Bali. Walk-in prices are the same as their Internet rates. I felt very good about it after our tour guide told me later that it was a cheap price, and he only saw the first courtyard. I’d recommend that you secure your booking early (at least a week or two, more if during peak season) if you want to stay there. We saw lots of people walking in trying to get rooms only to be disappointed.

Crap la, now I REALLY feel like going back :-(

*Complete Flickr set of Bali, May 2009 here, including photos not published on blog.

Holidays/ Trips
« « Previous: the great bali escape: may ‘09: day one: departure, arrival, blasted taxi driver

Next: the great bali escape: may ‘09: day two: legian beach, kuta streets, sunset @ ku de ta » »


Related Posts


If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Comments

9 Responses to “the great bali escape: may ‘09: masa inn”

Leave Comment

(required)

(required)