Raffles Bali 5 stars

We were assigned a butler named Chris Kila for our stay. What is marketed as a butler service is anything but. Our butler was rarely present, offered no personalised service, and functioned primarily as a buggy driver — and not even a good one at that. Regular buggy drivers at other resorts we have visited would at least greet you with a smile and ask how you were. Chris never once did. We travelled with a nanny who has worked across many of Bali’s top resorts and has a strong benchmark for what genuine hospitality looks like. Her assessment was unambiguous — the service here was poor, and the staff should not be calling themselves butlers. Every interaction felt transactional, with no genuine intent to anticipate or meet our needs. Throughout the entire stay, not one staff member asked how we were enjoying ourselves. Communication between teams was consistently poor, and service standards were low across the board. I have stayed at many resorts in Bali, and the service at Raffles falls far short of what the price commands. Resorts charging a fifth of the rate have treated us considerably better. To give some specific examples: On check-in day, we requested a turn-down service no later than 6:30 PM, as we have a baby who sleeps shortly after. The butler acknowledged this — but on the second night, no service came and no message was sent to explain why. When we called a buggy to go to dinner at 7pm, he appeared and half-heartedly asked if we needed a turn-down service. By that point it was too late, as our baby had already fallen asleep. We needed the service to replenish towels, water, and bug spray, none of which we received. One has to wonder whether he would have raised it at all had we not called the buggy. His explanation was simply, “Oh, they are busy cleaning other villas now.” The following morning — our check-out day, after another night without turn-down service — the butler asked whether we needed housekeeping. Given that we still had no fresh towels, water, or bug spray, the answer was obviously yes. His tone made it clear he was hoping we’d say no. We checked out at 8 PM, which we appreciated — though it is worth noting this was only offered after we raised a complaint about the lunch situation below, rather than as a gesture of genuine hospitality. That evening when we called a buggy to go to dinner, he said nothing — no farewell, no enquiry about our stay. We did not see him again. Early in our stay, we requested a non-slip mat for the shower, as we were travelling with an infant. The butler immediately said they didn’t have one — without checking. When the room cleaning team came by later, I asked them directly. They confirmed one was available and agreed to bring it the following day. Only after that conversation did the butler return to say they did have one after all. It never arrived before we checked out. On another occasion, I ordered room service lunch for my baby well ahead of his usual lunchtime. The butler acknowledged the order 25 minutes later, advising it would take 30 to 45 minutes — which was acceptable at the time. About 15 minutes after that, we were told the kitchen was not yet open and we would need to wait until 12 PM. Nearly an hour had passed since I placed the order. As any parent will understand, a hungry and frustrated baby is deeply stressful. The kitchen hours are not the issue — being informed an hour after ordering, with no opportunity to make other arrangements, absolutely is. At the pool, a staff member placed our drinks on a side table well out of reach. Rather than moving the table closer to us, he attempted to slide it while still holding a plate, gave up, and walked away — leaving the drink stranded. We had to retrieve it ourselves. At dinner at Loloan, every other table received a refreshed towel service except ours. When we requested an additional bowl of rice, we waited around 15 minutes, only to watch the table next to us receive a bowl that turned out to be ours. A staff member came over to apologise, though a simple acknowledgement upfront would have been more appropriate. Our sparkling water was never proactively refilled throughout the meal, and when we finally asked for the bottle to be brought to the table, it arrived without an ice bucket. The villa itself sits between two active construction sites, with noise running from morning until 9 PM. Workers had a direct sightline into our villa. The space felt smaller than expected, with a poor layout and too much wasted room. The food quality across restaurants was genuinely good, and our only positive experience was at Rumari for breakfasts and dinner — particularly Ann and Dika, who stood out for all the right reasons.