SOL by Meliá Benoa Bali

Nice location

Food was always cold and not alot of activities. The pool area paths are in a terrible condition I staved my toe and tore all the skin off with broken tiles. The white wine is of poor quality and not very drinkable and as I only like to have white wine with dinner was very disappointed. Coffee shop doesn't open till midday which was also disappointing as you couldn't get a cup of coffee in the morning, but it's open late in the evening it makes no sense who.drinks coffee in the evening. The coffee shop should be opened at 7am like most other resorts.

Staff went above and beyond expectations …. Food and drinks were good …. Room large and clean

Pool area a little tired and a number of edging stones needed repair.

We arrived to the hotel around 12.30pm after a long flight from London Heathrow via Singapore. We were greeted with a warm smile at reception desk. The person checking us in gave us all the information about the hotel, dining venues and times etc. He was very thorough in his explanation and gave us the room we had requested by email. We were allocated room 8191 which was on top floor with a beautiful sea and pool view. The room was beautifully appointed with a large double bed and a settee which could double as a single bed too. There was a large bathroom with a walk-in shower. The rain shower was powerful and water was always hot. The best part of the room was the balcony which had 2 chairs and a table with views facing Mount Agung and the sea/pool area. We loved sitting here over next 10 days especially in evenings/night and also early mornings before venturing out. We had a mini bar which was included in the all inclusive. Snacks and drinks were replaced daily. Most were non alcoholic like coke zero & orange juice however there were 2 small bottles of draft beer too. Loved the cassava chips snack which we had with our evening beers daily. The storage was limited with mainly hanging space and a couple of drawers however it was adequate for us. There is a large flat screen TV opposite the bed but we never watch TV when on holidays anyway. Only switched it on Nyepi (silent) day but most channels were blocked that day apart from in-house movie channel. The room was serviced daily and the mini bar was refilled too. Never had any cleaning issues. Once the bath towels were not replaced but after a quick phone call to reception, they were promptly delivered. Also once the toilet got blocked but after a phone call to reception, the issue was quickly sorted out. Other then that we never had any problems with any aspect of the room. The hotel has one large pool with a bar where by you could order a drink whilst still in the pool. There were quite a few bar stools in the pool and also around the bar area. We enjoyed our beers and g&ts at the bar. Service was amazing. Always promptly served with a smile and greeting by the lovely barmen. The beach area is small but adequate with many beach beds. We never had an issue finding a bed. Spent a few days lazing around there and swimming in the warm sea water. There is a juice bar kiosk near the beach which served freshly made juices and fresh coconut water, all part of all inclusive. We did miss a bar near the beach as if you wanted an alcoholic drink, you had to walk to the swimming pool bar to get one. However wasn't a big issue for us as we only spent 3 days by the beach as rest of the days, we were out on trips. The other bar was located in the hotel lobby. We usually had a drink there in the evenings. Loved their espresso martinis and whiskeys there. Also this was the bar we used to get a beer or a cocktail after we got back from a long day trip and take it to the room balcony. The hotel has 3 restaurants. There is a main 24hr restaurant on lower level. Breakfast is served here as a buffet with egg/pancake stations. Lunch is served here on a la carte basis. Dinner is served here as a buffet or a la carte option. There is a restaurant by the pool/beach area whereby you can have a buffet lunch. A buffet dinner under the stars is served on the grounds next to the beach on most nights. This is where there is usually entertainment whilst you eat. Sometimes entertainment is moved to the lobby area if there was a turn in the weather. Our favourite restaurant was the Mediterranean fine dining restaurant (Anartha) also located on the lower level of the hotel. You had to book one day in advance. They were open Tuesday to Sunday for an evening meal. Food here was delicious with lots of vegetarian options . It was part of all inclusive and you could dine as often as you liked subject to availability. As we were at this hotel in the off peak season, we never had an issue getting a booking. Food in buffet is limited for vegetarians but we did enjoy couple of meals we had there. Menu in main dining room is limited for vegetarians but we did enjoy all the lunches and one evening meal. I just wish they had another menu on some evenings or more vegetarian options added to the menu just like they have in the fine dining restaurant. Also red wine in Anartha was much better than that served in buffet or main dining room. It was called black velvet served from a bottle. Red wine im other bars was served from a box and not to our taste I'm afraid. Evening entertainment is great. We loved the fire show, the Balinese dance show, the duo of singers who were there on Mondays and Wednesdays and also the cabaret show on Tuesdays. Ogo ogo festival was great and we went to see the parade nearby the hotel in the evening before Nyepi day. It was around 20min walk from the hotel and was amazing to see the demons being paraded on the streets near the intersection between 2 villages. It went on all evening but we left after about an hour as it was getting very crowded. The following day was Nyepi day and we were not allowed to leave hotel or go to the beach. There was no entertainment that day. However pool bar was open and we could get drinks all day. Both, main restaurant and fine dining restaurant were open for evening meals. Most lights around the hotel were switched off that evening and lighting in restaurant was very dim. We were served drinks when dining but after dinner, everyone had to go to their rooms as bars were closed. A very interesting experience indeed. Even airport was closed that day and no car/scooters on streets either. The whole island went quiet. I wish we could have such a day in UK. Checkout was at 12pm on the final day but we got an extension up to 1.30pm. However were allowed to use all inclusive facilities. There was a wellness room available (subject to booking) where one could have a shower before leaving the hotel. On the whole, we had an amazing stay at this 5 star hotel. With a few changes like more vegetarian options being added to menu in main/buffet restaurants, another bar area available near the beach with extra seating and may be more day time activities, this hotel could be further improved. I have to mention here that service by all the hotel staff was excellent. Everyone greeted us daily with a smile and did there best to give us brilliant service. I have never seen this in any hotel before. Hence I am giving this hotel 5 stars. otherwise would give it 4 or 4.5 stars due to a few issues mentioned above.

Totally amazing