Bali is a beautiful island with something to offer everyone. Whether you’re looking for stunning beaches, lush rain-forests, or vibrant culture, you’re sure to find it here.  And if you’re looking for a luxurious place to stay, you’ll have no shortage of options.

Two of the best beach hotels in Bali are the Hyatt Regency Bali and the Grand Hyatt Bali. Both hotels are located in prime locations, offer excellent amenities, and provide outstanding service. So, how do you decide which one is right for you?

Well, it really depends on what you are looking for – an amazing beach or a cool artsy vibe. Here’s a comparison of the two luxury hotels in Bali to help you make the best decision.

This review is 100% our honest opinion.  We do not receive any compensation from Hyatt or anyone else to write this.

Location

Trip map created with Wanderlog, a trip planner on iOS and Android

The Hyatt Regency Bali is located in Sanur, a laid-back beach town with a vibrant arts scene.   The hotel sprawls between the main street in Sanur and it’s boardwalk on the beach.  The boardwalk stretches for 5.4 km and has an incredible variety of restaurants, cafes, spas, shops, grocery stores, etc.,

Sanur is a neighborhood that we walked for hours every day.  The vibrant Balinese culture can be felt throughout every inch of this area.  

The Grand Hyatt Bali is located in Nusa Dua, a more upscale resort area with stunning white-sand beaches lined with resorts and not much else.  The Bali Collection Shopping Mall is across the street and offers boutique shopping and typical North American outlets and restaurants.

Restaurants

Near Hyatt Regency Bali

There are a plethora of restaurants, cafe’s and coffee shops to choose from in Sanur.  You can have anything from fancy resort dining (not our favorite) to great local places (our favorites) and everything in between.  The eateries that we frequented the most are on the map and below:

• Oh My Thai (Sanur) – offers great healthy options with lots of vegan dishes at a good price. It is an air conditioned place with outside seating as well.  There are a few other locations of this chain restaurant as well.
• BaliSabe Poke Bowl (Sanur) – is a build your own bowl or wrap kind of place.  There are many vegan options at a very reasonable price. Even vegan cookies! Air conditioned place with outside seating as well.
• Coco Bistro (Sanur) – this Bistro is right on the beach offering fresh seafood and other Balinese dishes.  Vegan noodles were made for me on request.  
• Massimo Italian Restaurant – The most popular ice cream shop in Sanur! There is a line up here day and night.  And they also serve pizza and pasta.  

Near Grand Hyatt Bali

The Nusa Dua area where the Grand Hyatt is located is flush with resorts.  Therefore it is a bit more difficult to find independent restaurants that are not associated with a hotel brand.  We have listed our favorite eateries in this area on the map as well as below:

• Kekeb Restaurant, Balinese Food Nusa Dua – located right on the beach this place has great ambiance with tables and even bean bags and carpets with pillows to lounge on. The menu is Balinese with a full page that is vegetarian but can be made vegan. Good options for a reasonable price. One of the very few independent restaurants near the Grand Hyatt,

• Angry Chicken (Nusa Dua) – a cute hut with very inexpensive but delicious food. There are vegan wraps and bowls and yes, there are quite a bit of chicken dishes, although mostly deep fried.  

• Arwana Restaurant -Upscale restaurant with fresh seafood and different cuts of meat. A nice wine list is offered as well.  Wine by the glass or the bottle. On the fancier and pricier side. Some vegan options can be ordered off menu.

Spas

One of my favorite spas in the world is near the Hyatt Regency, so I am very biased when it comes to best spas on the island.  While staying at the Grand Hyatt I have been known to travel up to Sanur (45 minutes on the back of a motorcycle) just to get a treatment at the Nest.  Below are my favorite pampering places:

• The Nest Beachside -This Spa is next door to the Hyatt Regency and is my absolute favorite spa on the island. Their level of professionalism and service is the best priced high end spa bar none. Because of it’s popularity one must book a minimum of 5-7 days in advance to get a spot.
• The Nest Boutique Spa -This Spa is the sister spa to the Nest Beachside. and is another great option as it is just a 15 minute walk north of the Hyatt Regency. I got an Oxygen Facial there that was fabulous. Because of this spa’s popularity one must book a minimum of 3-5 days in advance to get a spot.
• Nusa Dua Spa by Lily Treatment -One of the better options in Nusa Dua, however is not as good as The Nest and is double the price.

Rooms and Suites

The Hyatt Regency is a much smaller property than the Grand Hyatt and you can feel it while walking around the grounds and most importantly while being in the rooms.  A typical room in the Regency is 27-34 sq meters (that includes the balcony).  These accommodations feel very tight.  While the typical rooms in the Grand are 49 – 51 sq meters (yes, that also includes the balcony), however they feel quite spacious.

Because the Hyatt Regency property is much smaller there are fewer options for suites as well.  During our 2 week stay in the Regency (during peak season) we only had the suite upgrade for 3 days.  However, it was a spacious and comfortable suite with a beautiful view of the ocean.

The Grand Hyatt has double the suites, therefore even in peak season half of our time here was spent in a gorgeous palatial suite.  This made us feel like we were in a luxury hotel in Bali.

Beach

The Grand Hyatt beach in Nusa Dua is nothing short of spectacular.  Besides the Gilis (the Gili Islands – which are technically part of Lombok), this is my favorite beach in this part of the world.  Is it as good as the Maldives?  Well no, but the beach is a wide, white sandy beach with turquoise water where you can see your toes!  Pretty great in my opinion!

However, the Hyatt Regency beach is quite underwhelming.  It is a narrow beach which is quite dirty.  There are many motor boats that anchor on the sand or in the water making it difficult to go for a walk along the shore.

Pools and Loungers

Again, in the pools and loungers department the Grand Hyatt wins hands down again.  Even during the peak season the beach and pools did not feel full.  There were always many loungers to choose from and a lot of space between us and any other guests.

Unfortunately this category was a major failure for the Hyatt Regency.  In the 2 weeks that we were there we did not find a single empty lounger by the pool or the beach.  Not even once.  Many times even the towels were not available.  

Club Lounge

The Regency Club Lounge in the Hyatt Regency is truly a 5 star lounge.  The staff are assigned to specific guests, know their names and their preferences in advance.  We were guests in October of 2022 and the staff remembered that I was vegan and brought me my almond milk latte even before I asked.  

Now, we are not that special as they treated every person in the lounge that way.  The food was fantastic with a full hot breakfast, snacks and beverages throughout the day and a hot dinner at night with wines, beer and signature cocktails.  This lounge is truly amazing because of the food quality, options and the amazing attentive staff!

On the other hand, the Grand Hyatt Club Lounge is fine.  If we didn’t have the Regency Club Lounge experience we probably would be quite happy with the Grand Lounge.  However, we are here to compare in this post, right?  

The Grand Club Lounge offers a “hot” breakfast.  I must say that by the time that we would arrive at 10 am the food was tepid at best.  Just like at the Regency Club Lounge they offer eggs to order including Eggs Benedict and hot soups.

However, there are only a few beverages on offer during the day and no snacks.  The evening offerings are snacks, beer and wine.  Quire a difference from what was provided at the Regency.  

Amenities

Both hotels offer fabulous amenities that are similar.  Both have lovely spas with Jacuzzi, cold plunge tubs, steam rooms and great (yet in my opinion) over priced pampering sessions.  In addition, both have excellent fitness rooms.

However the Grand Hyatt also has 3 lit tennis courts and a squash court.  There is also a jogging track and a lot of area to roam around and look at different birds, lizards and lily ponds.  There is an on site ATM, Kids Club as well as a shopping arcade to stroll.

Wifi

The WIFI throughout both properties was sufficient.  However, at the Grand Hyatt we had to sign in and re-sign in to the WIFI at least 5 times a day.  It was incredibly annoying.  A lot of the time we were using our data, due to not knowing that our connection to the hotel wifi was dropped yet again.

Wrap Up

This island is one of our favorite places in the world.  We find it difficult to beat the luxury hotels in Bali. 

Both the Hyatt Regency Bali and the Grand Hyatt Bali are excellent hotels. The best choice for you will depend on your individual preferences. If you’re looking for a more laid-back beach town with a vibrant arts scene, the Hyatt Regency Bali is a great option. If you’re looking for a more upscale resort area with stunning white-sand beaches and much larger rooms, the Grand Hyatt Bali is a better choice.

Here is a table that summarizes the key differences between the two hotels:

Which hotel would you choose?

I hope this comparison has helped you decide which hotel is right for you. If you’re still not sure, reach out to us and ask some questions in the comments.  We love to help fellow travelers looking for luxury on a budget.  And if you are curious about how we get to travel in style then check out our blog post about travel hacking or our post about staying for a month in 5 star resort on one credit card sign up.  Or if you are curious about other Hyatts on the island, then you can check out our review of all of them here.

Have you been to any of the best beach hotels in Bali?  We would love to hear from you!