When we decided to go to Bali, my wife informed me that the best shelling beach was in Sanur, which is about 30-45 minutes east of the airport and is a more relaxed area than the party beaches of Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu on the west side. There’s a Hyatt Regency and Andaz side-by-side on the beach. The Hyatt is much cheaper and older than the Andaz, which was only just opened in 2021. I decided that the Andaz was a better fit for us as it looked nicer and would likely have fewer kids and families since the Hyatt has a club lounge which families love for the free food all day for the kids.

We were fortunate that the Andaz was available for off-peak booking at 17k Hyatt points per night. I applied a Suite Upgrade Award and the booking immediately showed we had been placed into an Andaz Suite. The day before we arrived, I noticed the app showed us in an Andaz Deluxe Suite, which is a bit larger. Then, as we landed in Bali and I checked the app again, I saw we had been upgraded again to a Lagoon Suite. These are the same size as the Deluxe Suites, but also open onto a semi-private lagoon.

We arrived at the Andaz around 4pm after a quick ride from the airport. The lobby area is behind a large pool full of fish. We were led to an open-air check-in area and given cold towels and a welcome drink.

Our passports and credit card were checked and we were walked to our suite by one of the staff. He showed us the features of the suite. There was a large living area and a separate bedroom. There was a huge bathroom with a separate WC with a Japanese toilet that opened into both the living area and main bathroom. There was also a large closet area where we could store our bags.

The outdoor space included the lagoon (we were on the end) and seating areas.

We were provided with several welcome gifts and a nice display on the bed wishing us (early) happy anniversary.

We really enjoyed our room as we took full advantage of the lagoon. It was pleasant in the shade out there and the lagoon was a nice temperature to cool off after being on the beach.

The resort has several restaurants arranged around a courtyard near the lobby. There is also a beachfront restaurant called Fisherman’s Club. Gym and spa facilities are at the Hyatt, just a short walk away. There’s also a main pool and several smaller pools on the property.

This map of both the Andaz and Hyatt shows our villa circled in black and the larger pool villas circled in red. You can see how far away they are from the beach. I was glad we ended up with a lagoon villa. The names in red are all the restaurants.

Breakfast at the Andaz was fantastic. You can sit at any of the three restaurants around the courtyard. There is a menu with some rotating daily specials. You order as much as you want and it’s mostly small plates so you can have several things each day. There’s also a bakery area where you can go see what they have freshly baked and order some things for your table.

Here’s the menu:

Here’s some pictures of our daily feasts:

On the first day, I walked over to the gym at the Hyatt. It was a pleasant, but hot, walk to get over there.

The gym was nice and cool, with new equipment and water/towels available.

On the first night, we ate dinner at Fisherman’s Club and it was a bit disappointing. The drinks were good, but the fish was a bit overcooked.

On the second night, we ate at the Indonesian restaurant in the courtyard and it was much better. I really enjoyed my curry. The last two nights, we left the property and ate at Naughty Nuri’s, a famous local barbecue ribs place a short Grab ride away and then a sushi restaurant within walking distance.

In front of the main pool area, there are loungers on some sand where you can order drinks and food. There’s a beach path just outside the hotel property that is about eight kilometers long and allows you to walk up and down the beach area without dealing with scooters or cars. There are vendors and restaurants along the beach path as well as a huge mall called Icon Bali that I walked to one morning.

There is also a lounge available throughout the day with coffee and tea and some snacks. We never visited the lounge as we had a free minibar with soft drinks and snacks in our room that was refilled daily (sometimes more than once per day).

If you’re looking for a relaxed beachfront location in Bali, I definitely recommend the Andaz. If you have young kids, you might prefer the Hyatt next door because of the lounge. Either way, Sanur is a great place to start or end your Bali trip.

Up Next: Nusa Penida Snorkeling Tour

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