Small, boutique hotels are few and far between if you want to stay in Jimbaran town, so The Open House, located a few minutes walk from the beach has carved out a bit of a niche for itself. It’s a fresh, contemporary space that utilises bamboo and cool tiles to create an environment that balances traditional Balinese style with an urban feel. Made up of 17 suites housed over two levels with two bales at either end of the complex (one housing the kitchen and dining area and the other as a space for guests to read or partake in a spa treatment) and centralised around a tranquil, refreshing pool, The Open House is a compact but undoubtedly comfortable place in which to base yourself.
We arrive to a welcome drink and cold towel (sorely needed) as the staff whisk our luggage up to our room. The Open House is located on a street away from the main drag and we feel ourselves slip into a deeper sense of relaxation, if that is even possible, given we are on holiday.
We’ve booked a deluxe suite which houses a king size bed, tea and coffee making facilities, television, rain-head shower, wifi, iPod dock and air-conditioning. The rooms are beautifully appointed with the use of recycled wood in the headboard and vanity and colonial cement tiles underfoot. A large balcony looks out over the pool and contains a day-bed which sees much use during our stay. It’s a generously sized room although the small air-conditioning unit can’t quite keep up and it gets steamy on our first night. We mention this to the staff who are quick to get a repair-man in to investigate and offer us a new room which we decline as we’re only there for one more night. We figure the air-conditioning units are all the same size in any case and the problem seems to be that they’re just too small to service the suites. Although after the repair job, the unit does work a fraction better.
We nibble on the fresh fruit which the staff bring by- a welcome touch and we decide it’s time to test the water.
The pool is magnificent. It’s deep, sparkling clean and the ideal pick me up after a day of walking the dusty streets. Sun-loungers and umbrellas line one side and we easily while away the rest of the afternoon pool side. The Open House also have sun-loungers on the beach and the staff are happy to walk you down to their spot. The only negative I encountered was that some of the towels had stubborn stains on them that weren’t very appealing. They were clean, but in my view just needed to be ditched.
Guests can enjoy spa treatments including massages, manicures and pedicures under the bale. Just give them a bit of warning as the beauticians are called in from a local beauty salon. Pedicures for $10AUD isn’t half bad!
The next morning we wander down for breakfast and are faced with a raft of choices. Guests can order a American, Asian or Healthy set breakfast which comes with coffee or tea, juice, fruit and a main dish. There is also the a la carte menu from which guests may choose two dishes (think croque monsieur, muesli, cereal and noodles but also the peculiar corn and bean soup or assorted dim sum) and coffee or tea and juice. We both decide the Asian set breakfast is the way to go and I opt for rice and TBS for noodles. Both dishes are accompanied by a small pickled carrot salad and two fried won-ton (unnecessary in my view). Both the rice and noodles taste quite similar and we ask for chilli to ramp up the spice levels. The breakfast is fine but not as good as the other hotels we’ve stayed at during our time in Bali.
We leave The Open House with mixed feelings. On the plus side the staff are fantastic- friendly and helpful (Rani in particular), the pool is drop-dead gorgeous and sublime to swim in and we love the design of the hotel. The cons are in the inadequate air-con, the breakfasts which could be better and the price, which we feel was a bit high given the quality of stay in comparison to the other hotels we visited. But, The Open House is still new (only a few months old) and with a bit of tweaking we’re sure it won’t be long until they have it all down pat.
Good to know:
Deluxe Suite $163.50USD per night (approximately $210AUD) (inclusive of taxes and daily breakfast).
If you’re looking for a place to eat in Jimbaran and you’ve already done the obligatory ‘seafood on the beach’ meal, the main street has a wealth of warungs. Check out our blog post on our Top 3 Must Eats in Jimbaran.
The Open House
Jalan Pemelisan Agung No. 25
Jimbaran
Bali
Telephone: +62 361 709 160
Email: info@theopenhouse.bali.com
Images: Thomas Southam
