[HOTEL] Bisma Eight Ubud, Bali (Part 1)

If you have been following our Instagram, you have probably known that we went to Bali last month for a short weekend getaway at Bisma Eight hotel in Ubud.

Bisma Eight itself is a relatively new hotel that has been operating since February 2015, but it has gained so much popularity among tourists who come to Ubud. If you see the ratings and reviews about this hotel in Agoda or Tripadvisor, you’ll see that the guests obviously enjoyed their times and that’s why people give high ratings for their experiences there.

We used to live in Bali for a while few years ago and Ubud is always one of our favorite areas to visit, because of the surroundings, the great restaurants, and so on. I don’t know, but Ubud always has something elegant, classy, and majestic about the area and no wonder even until now many foreigners prefer to stay in that area for getaway, holiday, or even spending the rest of their lives there.

During this stay, we experienced a fabulous 3-nights stay at The Garden Suite (more details later) and their newly-launched package for foodies called The Foodie Frenzy, which we hopefully can share with all of you on these blog posts. Why “posts”? Because we took so many pictures and after some serious picking, we decided to keep almost 200 photos and it’s better to make separated posts, so please check Part 2 & Part 3 as well, thank you!

First of all, the package included transport from and to the airport, which was neat. The driver was already waiting for us when we arrived, and the car was comfortable with fully-working air conditioners. First impression: checked!

After 1,5 hours drive from Ngurah Rai airport to Ubud, we finally arrived at Bisma Eight. My first impression was just neutral, the hotel doesn’t look extravagant or magnificent from the outside. Located about 10 minutes walk away from Central Ubud, our car needed to go through smaller path/alley to reach the hotel. The surrounding is so much green, which is amazing.

From the entrance, we went straight away to the reception area connecting to the lobby. Check-in was fast and smooth, and our receptionist who assisted us until the room (Ms. Ayu) was very attentive and helpful. During our stay there, we really received a lot of assistance from her and we would love to thank her for that!

Welcome drink was this Rosemary and Lemon Ginger Tea, which was a super thirst quencher! It’s November and usually Bali’s weather is not too friendly during these months (raining non-stop), but luckily this year the November had been great according to locals. However, the weather was extremely hot since when we landed, we were told that the ground temperature was like 32C or something. This drink was a refresher as well as “wake-up call” for the still-sleepy us (took 6AM flight that day and barely got any sleep before).

By the other side of the lobby, there is a small “shrine” for Ganesha, one of the best-known and most worshiped deities in Hindu religion, which is symbol of wisdom, prosperity, and attainment.

We were given “canang sari” after check-in process and we could put those on the shrine or bring them to our room. Canang is a kind of daily offerings made by Balinese Hindu as part of their praise and prayers to their Gods. If you have ever been in Bali, it’s impossible that you have never seen one, because Balinese people usually put these everywhere, including in the street.

For the first day, we didn’t really have many activities because we wanted to enjoy the hotel itself and slowly explore the surrounding areas. We directly went to our room one level below the entrance and lobby area. The path to the rooms are fulfilled with green tropical garden, it is just breathtakingly beautiful and peaceful.

The Garden Suite

The Garden Suite features a 54 sqm room and 15 sqm private outdoor garden. The room itself is divided into 3 areas: the bedroom, the living room, and bathroom, each separated by sliding doors.

Before we arrived here, we were already excited upon seeing the bathroom’s photos of Bisma Eight’s suites. Yes, something is definitely not usual and that is the Japanese-style onsen soaking tub! I don’t know if the photo can do the judge (probably not), but the tub is HUGE. It can probably fit up to 3 person altogether, no kidding!

The Japanese-style tub comes with scented bath salts provided nearby, which give soothing and relaxing sensation to the tired mind, body, and soul. The not so good thing about this huge tub is that it takes really long time (up to 45 minutes) to fill in the water, and it felt like forever waiting to jump in! But alright, I am not complaining, because this is too cool to find here in Indonesia. 😉

The private garden area is accessible from the room through sliding glass door, or outside the room. Perfect for an afternoon sky-watching session or, just smoking.

For the first day, we ordered In-Room Dining service, which was fast and impressive. I heard from friends that Bisma Eight’s main restaurant, Copper Kitchen & Bar, serves great food and it’s one of must-visit restaurants if we are in Ubud area. FYI, all the food mentioned in our Bisma Eight posts came from this restaurant because it’s the only one in the hotel.

Neighbourhood Nasi Goreng Seafood IDR 135,000

The fried rice had a fragrant, smokey aroma and flavor with perfect texture, not soggy and not dry, just perfect. The additional “seafood” (for additional IDR 20,000) was only 2 prawns skewers, which is a bit disappointing, to be honest. Portion was small and bigger one would have been much appreciated.

Black Angus Beef Burger Sliders IDR 160,000

One word to describe this: YUMM-O! The patty was awesomely good, well-seasoned, the texture was so right, tender with a bit of crunch on the sides. Veggies were as fresh as it can get. This is like a simple harmony in one bite. Comes with the super addictive ubi (sweet potato) fries, MUST TRY!

After dinner, we just continued taking photos and lazying around. The room looks even more beautiful with the lights on and this is my personal favorite among all shoots! Feeling full, we couldn’t wait to throw ourselves onto the bed and have good night sleep. ZZZ!

TO BE CONTINUED….!!

PART 2 | PART 3

*The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.

** This review is written based on our visit on 27-30 November 2015.

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BISMA EIGHT
53 Jalan Bisma
Gianyar, Ubud, Bali 80571
Indonesia
Ph.+62 361 4792888