Alright folks, let’s dive into how I finally nailed that perfect resort booking with an awesome pool without totally wrecking my wallet. Been down this road way too many times, so buckle up.
Started With Simple Searches (And Got Overwhelmed)
First thing I did? Hopped onto Google like always, typed in “hotels with nice pools in Bali.” Big mistake. Got slammed with a million ads and sketchy-looking sites. Felt totally lost. Clicked on a few top results, but man, the prices were wild or the pools looked tiny in the pics. Felt like I was wasting time.
Switched Gears – Brought Out The Comparison Sites
Okay, time to get smart. Remembered those hotel search engines everyone talks about. Grabbed my laptop and opened up about five tabs:
- Google Hotels
- Kayak
- Trivago
- Skyscanner (they do hotels too!)
Plugged in my dates for Bali, number of people, and slammed that “Search” button on each one. Honestly seeing the difference right away was eye-opening. Same place, crazy different prices sometimes. Started seeing patterns.
Zoomed In On The Pool Problem
Here’s the kicker: Just comparing prices wasn’t enough. Needed that dream pool. Got real specific. On * and Google Hotels, started using their filters like crazy:
“Swimming Pool,” “Outdoor Pool,” and crucially, sorted photos by “pool area.” Started judging hard – looking for big lagoon-style pools, not those sad little rectangles. Clicked through dozens of hotel pages, scrolled straight to the pool pics. Way easier than guessing on a resort’s own messy website.
Price Tracking & Secret Date Tricks
Found like three contenders? Awesome pools, good locations. Time to hunt for deals. On Kayak, used their price tracker feature – watched those specific hotels. Played around with my dates. Accidentally found out moving my trip by just two days saved me almost $200 on one place because of some “shoulder season” thing. Flexibility pays!
Double-Checked Reviews (The Pool Truth)
Couldn’t trust just the glossy photos. Hopped onto TripAdvisor specifically for those contenders. Searched the hotel name + “pool” in the reviews. People love ranting! Found gems like “pool crowded by 10am” or “way smaller than the picture.” That helped me toss out one place immediately. Focused on recent reviews too – nobody wants green pool water!
The Final Booking & Dodging Fees
Alright, decision made. Final price check across Kayak and * one last time. * actually had the best rate that day, plus free cancellation. Went to book and DAMN NEAR missed those hidden fees! Saw the total before hitting confirm, realized resort fees weren’t included on the first price page. Scrolled down carefully to see the real total with taxes/fees. Almost got me! Booked it, took a screenshot of the confirmation and the pool photo I loved for proof. Done!
Definitely takes some legwork messing with multiple sites, but filtering hard for pools specifically and reading the real dirt in reviews? Totally worth it. Skipped the heart attack pricing too. Ready to cannonball!
