Our Meru Sanur review takes you inside one of Sanur’s best luxury hotels to see what it’s like to stay here… and how kid friendly it is.
The Meru Sanur is a beautiful luxury all-suite hotel located at the northern end of the Sanur beach stretch. With a focus on wellness, connecting with nature and relaxation, it might not seem on the surface to be a particularly family-friendly option.
But don’t be fooled – there is plenty for families at this Sanur hotel, including a Kids Club and a whole schedule of kid-friendly activities.
Families will also love the spacious suites, the two enormous swimming pools, the choice of restaurants and the proximity to the beach. The pedestrian beach promenade walk makes it safe and easy to explore the local area.
I checked in for two nights with my kids to check it out.
Click here to check prices and availability for The Meru Sanur.
Want a closer look? Check my Instagram Reel of The Meru Sanur below:
Disclaimer: We were guests of Meru Sanur for the purposes of writing this review. All opinions, as always, are honest and my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a booking using the link, we may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Table of Contents
Reasons to love the The Meru Sanur
- The design, both the architecture and interior design, is incredible.
- There are two massive swimming pools with plenty of loungers, both with poolside service.
- The sun rises directly in front of the hotel, making mornings magical.
- It is absolute beachfront, with a calm, clean stretch of beach.
- The staff are warm and welcoming.
Arriving at The Meru Sanur
I don’t remember ever experiencing such a grand entrance to a hotel as at The Meru Sanur.
In Hinduism and Buddhism, the word ‘Meru’ refers to the ‘centre of the universe’, and the divine dwelling place of the Gods. As you are drawn along the arrival corridor, this sense of grandeur is immediate.
Its rough marble walls, shiny floor tiles and reflective ceiling have a cocooning effect and your eye is drawn to the hidden caves on either side, each safeguarding a whimsical statue of a musician playing a local Balinese instrument.
The expansive lobby with its soaring ceilings, trickling waterfalls, oversized sofas and Balinese statues sets the tone of striking design and oversized luxury that permeates the resort.
The architecture of The Meru Sanur is incredible. Designed to be a calming blend of cultural heritage and contemporary living, it features locally sourced wood and natural stone, along with an abundance of natural greenery.
The four buildings of the resort are interconnected by breezy bridges, allowing natural airflow, while the wooden cladding features impressively intricate joinery.
With this abundance of wood, natural greenery and water features, the overall feeling is one of natural immersion and calm.
Click here to check prices and availability for The Meru Sanur.
Location
The Meru Sanur lies just steps from Sanur Beach, at the quiet northern end where you’ll find a long stretch of sandy beach and calm waters.
Sanur beach stretches for 8km, and you’ll find a good choice of beachside temples, cafes, restaurants and warungs to check out. The new Icon Bali shopping mall is just a 15-minute walk or 5-minute bike ride away.
The boardwalk that runs the length of the beach makes for easy exploring, either by foot or bike and is popular with joggers at sunrise too.
If you’re an early riser (or even if you’re not usually, I recommend you set your alarm) then don’t miss the famous Sanur sunrise. Watching the sun rise out of the ocean directly in front of The Meru is a most magical start to a morning.
The Meru is located within the new Sanur Health Special Economic Zone (Sanur SEZ), an integrated resort which aims to blend medical services with recreation. Also within the Sanur SEZ is the brand new state-of-the-art Bali International Hospital, the Bali Beach Hotel and the Meru Convention Centre.
Click here to check prices and availability for The Meru Sanur.
Rooms at The Meru Sanur
The Meru is an all-suite hotel and, as with everything else here, the 184 suites are large. They range from the 83 square metre Tropical Suite all the way to the vast 209 square metre Presidential Suite.
They are intentionally spacious and private, designed to accommodate longer stays for those who come to recuperate after a hospital stay.
My Premier Tropical Suite at 125 square metres is enormous and impressive. It features a sizeable bedroom area with lounge space, and a separate dining area.
The walk-in wardrobe is huge and leads to a stunning luxurious bathroom, with deep-soaking bathtub and separate rainshower and WC (complete with all-singing, all-dancing Toto Japanese toilet). My private garden is almost as big as my backyard at home.
As with the external architecture, the interior design is stunning, drawing inspiration from the local Balinese neighbourhood.
The bedside lamps echo traditional Balinese tiered umbrellas, while the rattan weaving on dividers and walls evoke fishermen’s nets, reminiscent of Sanur’s origins as a fisherman’s village.
If you want to understand the colour palette, head on down to the beach in front of the hotel for sunrise (and I highly recommend that you do; Sanur sunrises are spectacular), and you will soon recognise the calm blue shades of first light and the vibrant oranges of dawn.
The paintings are inspired by Bali’s native flora and fauna, with starlings, pandan leaves and the famous snake fruit all making appearances.
Next door, my kids’ suite is not quite as grand (no separate dining area and a more modest walk-in wardrobe) but at 83 square metres, it is still huge, and bigger than most hotels rooms we have stayed in.
It features the same beautiful design, with a lounge area next to the bed and a large opulent bathroom.
If you are travelling as a family, it is worth noting that all suites have king-sized beds (no twin bed option) and there are no interconnecting rooms.
Click here to check prices and availability for The Meru Sanur.
Facilities
Our toughest decision of the day is choosing which of the two swimming pools to chill at. Both are enormous and offer beach and ocean views, so we are equally happy at both.
The Main Pool (above) spans an impressive 57 x 37 meters. It features a large shallow shelf, perfect for positioning sunloungers, and also for little kids to play in. There’s an additional shallow area, with a lifeguard watching over the kids as they play.
We find The Meru Pool (above) to be the quieter option and we even manage to score one of the large four-poster day beds to chill on for the afternoon.
Both pools offer poolside service, with call-buttons meaning refreshments are just a push of a button away. Chilling in the sunshine, sipping on an ice-cold coconut = bliss.
Inspired by the wellness ethos around us, my daughter and I gravitate towards the spa. Unfortunately, the large Svasana Spa is not yet complete (opening later this year), so we are accommodated in a hotel suite.
It matters not, as the 60-minute Balinese massage is blissful, and we float back to our room to enjoy a cup of tea in our private garden area.
In addition to the spa, The Meru has a focus on active wellness: there are yoga classes on the large lawn at sunrise, a fully equipped fitness centre and bikes to hire (including kids bikes), with cycling tours of the local area on offer.
There’s also an on-site gift shop and a small indoor kids club, with a selection of games, crafts and activities, a reading nook and a small slide.
The hotel tour desk also books us in for pottery class at the amazing Kevala Ceramics studio nearby, where we learn how to throw and turn a bowl on the potters wheel and decorate a piece of pottery to take home with us.
Keep a look out for Kevala ceramics – you’ll find their beautiful pieces at hotels and restaurants all over Bali.
Click here to check prices and availability for The Meru Sanur.
Food & Drink
There’s a good choice of restaurants and bars at The Meru:
- Arunika – Indonesian / International with live cooking stations
- Roso – fine-dining Indonesian
- Bali Beach Bar & Grill – beachside bar with seafood & grill
- Sutasoma Lounge – lounge bar with a library ambience
- Meru Pool Bar – drinks and light bites by the Meru Pool
If you prefer to venture outside of the hotel, you’ll also find plenty of cafes, restaurants and warungs throughout Sanur. These are just a short walk, bike or Grab/Gojek away.
We start each morning with breakfast at Arunika, an all-day dining restaurant overlooking the main pool and gardens.
We are overwhelmed by choice, with an extensive buffet of Indonesian, Asian, Indian and Western dishes, including live cooking stations (my son says the omelette is one of the best he’s had).
We also return here for lunch a couple of times, enjoying delicious local dishes of Nasi Goreng and Beef Rendang, and some western favourites, Lobster Pasta and Braised Lamb Shank. There’s also a Kids Menu on offer.
Unfortunately, we are not around on a Sunday, or we would be tempted by the Family Sunday Brunch, a large buffet spread accompanied by free-flow bubbles as an option.
At the end of the day, we make our way down to the Bali Beach Bar & Grill. Being on the east side of the island, there are no impressive sunsets here, but it’s still the perfect spot to enjoy a sundowner to the sound of the ocean lapping the shore.
Our final culinary experience at the Meru is Roso, the fine-dining Indonesian restaurant, where we enjoy a range of local specialties.
Our meal kicks off with homemade Rengginang (rice crackers) with an incredible selection of spicy Nusantara Sambal, before moving onto Spring Rolls with peanut dipping sauce and Crispy Calamari.
For mains, we opt for the highly recommended Dendeng Basah Balado (Wagyu short rib), Satay Lilit Ikan (pictured above) and a Tengkleng Kambing (Lamb Shank). Everything is packed with flavour and spice, and we roll out of there without even room for dessert.
Click here to check prices and availability for The Meru Sanur.
Conclusion
We loved our stay at The Meru Sanur. If you’re looking for spacious rooms, a beachfront location, great restaurants and a sense of quiet luxury, then this resort is for you.
From the moment we arrived, we felt the warmth and hospitality of the staff and we left feeling relaxed and recharged ready for the rest of our Bali itinerary.
Highlights include our luxurious suites, relaxing by the enormous swimming pools, blissful massages at the spa, Indonesian fine-dining at Roso, taking a guided cycling tour of the local area and, of course, those magical sunrises.
Click here to check prices and availability for The Meru Sanur.