Editor's Rating

8.5
Location
7
Room Comfort
8.5
Hospitality
8
Hotel Condition
9
Food/Drink

Last week, we came back to the Island of God (Bali) for a short trip and we got the chance to stay for 2 nights at this relatively new boutique hotel called Tijili in Seminyak. Tijili Seminyak itself is a 3.5 star hotel situated by the ocean, with some beaches located nearby, such as Gado Gado Beach, Kuta Beach, and Legian Beach.

Sourced from the website: “Tijili” refers to a Balinese traditional motif that represents the rice goddess – Dewi Sri; a symbol of prosperity and fertility. Tijili’s motif often used for a cultural occasion in Balinese ceremonial and made from palm leaves, clay, janur and rice cakes. This motif has been reinterpreted in a modern form as it reflects the dynamic and creative culture of Seminyak; places where influences by the traditional Balinese culture and modern ideas produce something fresh and different.

Our first impression upon entering this hotel was as colorful as the hotel looks. The colorful and vibrant atmosphere brings a warm and inviting welcome, playful yet beautiful at the same time. Everything is attractively put up altogether, Tijili is a pleasure to experience, with materials and artwork from local artisans scattered throughout the hotel’s constantly changing interior.

Starting from lobby and reception area, it’s very pretty with playground alike theme, which we think will definitely attract family guests. The combination between trendy and traditional elements blend in perfectly, creating a wonderful harmony for people who seek for something Indonesian with modern and creative touch here and there.

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For the room, we stayed at Deluxe Balcony Room for 2 nights (rate of +/- IDR 850,000/night including taxes). Although the room size is considerably small (24 sqm), it comes with a balcony overlooking the central pool.

Keeping up with the hotel’s artistic theme, the room is enhanced with unique, sculptured furnishings and handmade décor. It’s indeed easy to the eyes, and with minimum furniture in the room, it looks quite spacious. The gray tiles are cute but they bring this tropical cottage feeling into the whole room, and although I can’t say these are not exactly my favorite, they successfully created the most suitable Balinese ambiance here.

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The bathroom is small but comfortable enough for us. There is no door lock whatsoever so it can be a little tricky for non-couple guests if they share the room. If you think it’s a turn off, here’s another thing: the wall separating the shower with bedroom is made from glass with motives, but your bedroom partner can still watch your silhouette (and your bare legs) when you shower.

But again, according to them, Tijili is targeted more for couples rather than family guests so these kinds of setting is somehow reasonable.

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For the room comfort, we only gave it 7 point mainly because of the bed. It was not THAT bad, but the mattress is quite hard and we woke up with backaches in the mornings. The problem is, for us, the good sleep is like a mandatory when staying at hotels so although we had no particular complaints about the room in general, the backaches really disturbed us.

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Since we arrived at this hotel around 8 PM, we were afraid we couldn’t try the pool since other hotels’ pools usually have shorter operational hours until 9 PM only. Luckily here in Tijili, the pool is open until 11 PM so we could take a night dip right after checking in, YAY!

The pool itself is accessible through the main lobby, just before the restaurant. The pool is not too big but is very pretty surrounded by greens, cute colorful bean bags chairs, and illuminating cubic tables. The pool area also connects directly to the restaurant and lounge area (more on that later), where you can also lazy around in the sofa while ordering signature drinks from the bar.

However, the pool’s depth is not clearly written anywhere near the pool and the staffs were not exactly helpful in term of providing the information, but we were quite surprised that it was quite deep (140 centimeters). We think that despite of the cute and colorful theme, the hotel doesn’t seem to provide kids-friendly environment.

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The main restaurant in Tijili is the Kakatua Tropic Lounge, located just next to the lobby, it’s definitely something that will catch your attention right away.

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From the entrance, we fell in love to two rattan chairs painted in colorful turquoise blue mixed with red and green cushions. This set is so beautiful that it’s difficult not to take one (or more) self shots around this area. XD The rest of the restaurant and lounge area is also designed with matching colors, I can actually picture myself spending hours in this place.

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The breakfasts also also served in this place, and currently they only have 3 options of a la carte breakfasts from American, Intercontinental, and Indonesian. Although at first, we were quite disappointed about this limited selections, we changed our mind later because the breakfast sets are very fulfilling. However, they are preparing the buffet station for the breakfast and hopefully it will be available starting from next month.

American Breakfast

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Indonesian Breakfast

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Intercontinental Breakfast

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We also tried some signature dishes available in Kakatua Tropic Lounge for lunch, and the dishes were pretty good. We loved the melting-in-the-mouth sweet pork belly, the smooth mahi mahi with perfect risotto by the side, but the favorite went to Bebek Betutu Goreng, which was crispy and got a lot of kick!

Pork Belly

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Pan Seared Mahi Mahi

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Bebek Betutu Goreng

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In conclusion, we think Tijili can be a good option for couples, art lovers, or guests who want to experience a tropical resort ambiance with affordable rate. Thanks for reading!

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** This review is written based on our stays on 12-14 April 2016.

 

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TIJILI HOTEL SEMINYAK
Jl. Drupadi 9, Seminyak

Bali – Indonesia 80361
Ph.+62 361 4741 888
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