Alron Hotel, Kuta: Excellent Facilities For A Backpacker Price

Convenient location

The Alron Hotel is one of the budget hotels in Kuta, which is quiet but within walking distance to the beach, souvenir shops, spas, local restaurants, the Discovery Mall, and convenience stores. It’s in a perfect location for travelers who want a quiet hotel, yet not so far away from the beach. And don’t worry, there is no bar music that will keep you awake till midnight!

Highly facilitated rooms

Rates start from 18 USD, and although rooms are small (about 3 x 3 meters, 10 x 10 ft), you’d get everything you need for your stay, including those you won’t normally get in a hotel with such an affordable price. Not only is there an air-conditioning and hot water with private bathroom, you can also enjoy a big LCD TV, iron, mini fridge, electric kettle, hair dryer, basic toiletries (soap and shampoo), and a safe for your belongings! Not many budget hotels in the area has these amenities included! The hotel is a 4-storey building, but do not fret if you stay on a higher floor while traveling with heavy luggage as this hotel has a lift. Wi-Fi is strong at most areas in the hotel, including the rooms.

Healthy and tasty buffet breakfast is included!

Wait, so the price includes breakfast too? It sure does, and it’s a breakfast buffet, which is simple, but is not bad at all for the attractive room rate you pay! Fried rice and noodles, KFC-style fried chicken, and sandwiches are among the things served in the hotel’s cafe called De Hub. The cafe also serves more varieties of Western foods for lunch and dinner, such as burgers and spaghetti, and proudly states that no MSG is used in the dishes. There are no vegetarian options on the menu, so if you want to have lunch or dinner here, let the chef know and he can prepare one for you.

The Lunar New Year at Vihara Dharmayana

Are you traveling to Kuta during the Lunar New Year (春节 in Chinese)? In 2016, the Lunar New Year falls on February 8th, and is celebrated by many Chinese around the world. There is nothing much going on in Bali during that time, but you will notice many shopping malls throughout the city are decorated with Chinese ornaments (e.g. a boy and girl in red Chinese costumes with a giant goldfish and gold coin) in major areas like entrances and lobbies, and stores may give discounts to shoppers.

However, if you stay at the Alron Hotel, you can have a feel of the Lunar New Year, as there is a Chinese temple named Vihara Dharmayana located a few meters away. Throughout the year, the temple is regularly visited by Asian tourists (typically Chinese) and the local Chinese community, but on Lunar New Year’s Eve, the temple is packed with pilgrims using incense to pray to the gods. Did I mention there is free entrance for everyone!?

More than that, to your surprise, early in the morning on the New Year’s Day around 7am, there will be a very loud Chinese dragon and lion dance performance (舞龙舞狮). This is where you’ll see dancers, wandering on the streets around the temple area and also doing some acrobats, while being accompanied by loud drums and cymbals.