Vouk Hotel & Suites (Nusa Dua, Indonesia)

This is a really friendly hotel and the reception staff members, in particular, are incredibly good, kind and accommodating. The views from the rooftop pavilion will ‘blow your mind' - staggeringly beautiful.

The buffet breakfast is great. Varied in content, there's plenty of it and it's a great way to start every day. You'll also find yourself looking forward to dinner; the BBQ nights are particularly good. There's no shortage of on-site bars and cafes either.

Elsewhere, hotel laundry services are a bit ‘iffy', but here, clothes etc; are probably cleaner than they've ever been. Fitness equipment is great; so is the pool.There's a free and excellent ‘tuk-tuk' service (* a sort of motorized rickshaw) to and from the beach. Wherever you go, there's a laid back atmosphere combined with friendly efficiency.

Cleanliness is an issue and a side issue is the numbers of insects, flies and mosquitoes. Quite often, you have to remind reception that your room needs servicing. Shouldn't be necessary. Rooms smell of damp.

Water pressure is poor, so there's the old problem of dribbling and cold showers. Surprising when you think about it ... because when it rains, the hotel leaks like a sieve. Showers contain excessive amounts of mould and the air conditioning isn't expect to live much longer.

It is a beautifully quiet location, but it's too far to walk to shops and restaurants. If you want to go anywhere, you are reliant on the taxi service. Fortunately the food here is very good - but the coffee at breakfast is lousy!