Gajah Mina Beach Resort

Our room was very nice, but the grounds needed a lot more attention. Check in was a bit ordinary, and the place was under staffed

After reading earlier reviews I was quite apprehensive about our stay at Gajah Mina. The location was stunning and more than made up for the many shortcomings of the resort. My husband and I stayed in one of the two honeymoon villas on the headland. The bathroom was seriously out dated but the views were so good we could overlook that. There wasn’t a mozzie net over the bed or screens on the windows which meant we chose to have windows closed and air conditioning on rather than enjoy the sea breeze at night. The food at the restaurant was a little overpriced but quite nice. Service was really, really slow but the smiling waiters made up for that. Patience and an early dinner is the way to go. However, the included breakfast was very poor. The pool was lovely and clean and there was ample shade. A new change room was being built by the pool but there wasn’t a lot of noise. I feel this resort is starting to bounce back and rebuild after COVID. If I stayed again I would probably take a villa near the pool or just come for lunch. As I said earlier the location is stunning but the resort needs to lift its game to match. If you can forgive it’s shortcomings and remember that you are in Bali and away from the crowds of kuta then I would stay here for one or two nights. Bonus for us was that an enormous Asia water monitor strolled past our room one afternoon.

I don’t really like writing bad reviews, but I feel it’s the right thing to do for someone who might be having unrealistic expectations. I stayed there with my wife, and two kids in the three bedroom villa with a private pool. The setting is beautiful, and the garden spacious, and it’s very quiet at night, although during the day there was construction of a new hotel next door (not their fault). The place was riddled with ants that would come out at night. The whole place was just a bit rundown and needed a good clean and lick of paint and proper clean. It was cleaned once in our three day stay only superficially. We had one meal in the restaurant and it took one hour to receive the children’s food, and then an additional hour to receive my wife’s and my food, seriously, we had to have it delivered to the room because we had to put the children to bed. It’s shame as the place has a lot of potential. We looked at other places in Balian to stay next time and found several that were much better value and clean.

We stayed at Gaja Mina Resort Balian, in late June 2023. The place was underwhelming. The setting in a large rambling garden is quite lovely, with a walk out to the headland with great views but the resort's gardens and buildings are poorly maintained with piles of rotting compost, construction fences, partially cut trees (logs), scattered litter, unemptied rubbish bins, neglected and broken furniture and water features that were dried up or contained stagnant water infested with mosquito lava. My sons room was grim, concrete and basic, think prison cell, ill matched furniture, with a toilet that regurgitated what went into it (disgusting), a shower that only had cold water and gave you an electric shock when you used it. My room although quite charming in a traditional but dilapidated way had a family of cockroaches in the bedside table, most of the window stays and catches were broken. Without a shower screen or curtain, use the shower and wash the floor at the same time. Annoying and mould making. The lighting was so poor you could not read in the room. In the tropics its nice to sleep with fresh air under a mosquito net (yes there is malaria in Bali), but lack of flyscreens and only a duvet means you have to sleep with ac cold enough to justify a duvet. That’s energy efficient. NOT. There is a pool area with a bar. The bar was always closed and there was no staff to provide drinks (even in the restaurant next to it), so we got them from a local shop about 10 minutes walk away. The pool had mold all around the edge. I suspect they did not use chlorine in it. There was not enough umbrellas if more than two families were there. The restaurant food is ordinary and very expensive; the internal dining room smelt of stale food and damp. Everyone I saw requested salt and pepper to make the food edible, including on their pizzas. My prawns were only just edible, suffering greatly from blandness. The fresh coconut juice directly from a coconut tasted of water not coconut. When I brought it up with the staff he dismissed my concern. The restaurant was also the most expensive in Balian. Considering the waiters did not come to the tables to take orders, barely moved and provided the most meagre level of surly service, the 10% restaurant service charge included on the bill at the end was a complete mystery. Although our tariff noted that included return transfers to the airport, they wanted me to pay for it. 24 hours prior to leaving I provided my voucher to reception but they insisted I contact the resort Owner to sort it out. She did not answer my calls or texts; finally an hour before departure her only response was that she was in a meeting. She is a disgrace. This place is wildly over-priced, horribly neglected and staffed by the most unhappy people I met in Bali. Even the airport security staff were friendlier. It could be so much more.

We can only comment on the food at Secrey Bay restaurant at this resort. Place is cosy, not crowded and very special for us. Went here once for dinner and another time for lunch. Staff is friendly, food is good! Would really recommend and we like to come back!

Gajah Mina more than lived up to my expectations - if you’re looking for nightlife this is emphatically not for you. It is a quiet and tranquil paradise with beautiful gardens alive with birds and butterflies on a rugged and dramatic coastline. We stayed in the three bedroom villa which was well appointed and comfortable with decent linen, excellent air con and very comfy beds. The food is very good, with a constantly changing specials board on top of the standard menu - the coconut cheesecake was delicious. Made in the restaurant deserves a special mention as a really great member of staff but all the staff were lovely. It’s a short walk to Balian beach and lots of people were going down to surf the breaks down there - the waves looked massive to non surfing me. Get a massage on the headland - all you can hear is the roar of the surf and the therapist was very good. Gajah Mina is definitely on our ‘must return’ list.

I'm reluctant to write this review because Gajah Mina is the most delightful place I've ever stayed in. It has sprawling grounds with dramatic scenery in every direction, well-appointed, well-spaced rooms for a sense of privacy, and a large elegantly curved pool. The central restaurant has outdoor seating in lovely setting and serves fresh, organic food. They also make their own bread and ice cream - and the staff are delightfully warm and friendly. Pictures do not show the real beauty of this magnificent resort. I expected it to be expensive, but it's an absolute bargain. I'll certainly come here again. And if I can't get a room because it's booked out, I'll rue the day I wrote this review.

We had lunch at Secret Bay after receiving multiple recommendations from people at our hotel. We sat inside due to the wind, but the restaurant was spacious and clean and the staff were very attentive. We shared the whole red snapper and vegetables. It took a while for the food to come, but it was worth it. Beautiful view of Secret Bay beach. Very reasonable prices and they also serve pizza. The menu offers a wide variety of food.

Fantastic place. Stayed in the honeymoon suite, incredible view and room. Secret Bay has the best food in balian. Competitive prices too. Staff was great. Had a couple minor room issues(always happens) staff came within 30 minutes and resolved issues. Highly recommend the wonderful place.