You never know if you have saved the best till last – until you get to the end. But on this occasion – I think we can safely say that we did….just.
The Four Seasons at Jimbaran Bay is about as close to perfect as any resort, we have ever stayed in, anywhere.
That is a big call for this trip, let alone when you add it to all the other amazing places we have been lucky enough to stay in.
The hotel is on a hillside just at the end of Jimbaran Bay. Close enough to walk to other restaurants or hotels, but far enough away for it to feel quiet and secluded. The hotel itself was busy with the IMF annual meeting so lots of extra security and people, but you really didn’t notice. There are only pool villa’s in the resort and 3 main pools, so you can always get a seat and they never feel crowded.
Sundura is the beach club pool, so it is shared with the public (who pay of course), but other than late in the afternoon, we never struggled to get a seat. It is clearly very popular and it is stunning, with its Olympic sized beach front lap pool. It is amazing to sit there at sunset with live music and cocktail in hand. The meals served are reasonably priced and lovely. The usual fare during the day but come night time it becomes Asian fusion with lots of tasting platters to share.
We preferred the terrace pool, located in the middle of the resort, partly because it was almost always empty, it had stunning views and it was close to our room. The small person also was decidedly happy to have a really deep pool to swim in – 2.4 metres in parts. Simon loved watching the planes take off and land across the bay and I had the delight of swallows ducking and diving between chapters in my book.
Below is a more kid friendly pool and a series of plunge pools, with a waterfall backdrop.
My only gripe is that the pool terrace was often used for events so on at least 2 occasions the terrace pool was closed. There were other options, but if its your favourite pool – you might feel a little cheated.
The resort grounds are lovely. Full of colour and manicured gardens, all lit at night with lanterns. It really is the stuff of dreams.
The flowers in the gardens are amazing and the colours at sunset, spectacular. There are many choices for where you can have sundowners or dinner – but the resort could really do with one more restaurant. We ate at the next door Intercontinental on one evening. Their Italian restaurant is reasonably priced and you can sit outside under candle light and eat beautifully prepared Italian dishes.
Otherwise we had 3 good evening meals at the Four Seasons, one at Sundura (the beach club), one at the main buffet restaurant and one in our room. All were good and what you would expect at a resort.
The buffet breakfast was fantastic, lots of choice from healthy to waffles and French crepes.
The villas themselves are spread out across the vast park like grounds. Laid out like a Balinese village -they are traditional on the outside and modern on the inside. Equiped with outdoor showers and plunge pools, day beds and sun loungers. They really are perfect.
Ours came with its own birds nest and baby bird next to the outdoor shower.
We were upgraded to a deluxe Villa with a partial view of the ocean and – more importantly from the husbands perspective a view of the steady stream of planes taking off and landing in the distance. The airport is close enough to see but not so close you hear anything. I could imagine that view might put some people off, but given the nightmare that traffic is here, I am really happy we are close enough to get to the airport easily, given we fly home late tonight.
Our pool was warm, if a little on the small side. (I think we have been spoilt by the size of the Villa pool at the Four Seasons Nam Hai) It was private but we didn’t use it all that much. That may have had more to do with the alternatives rather than the villa pool itself.
The entry level villas here are not cheap but if you can stretch the budget – then this place is well worth it. I doubt there is a bad room – it is just great, greater or greatest. If you like the beach, request a room low down on the club side. If you want peace and views – the higher the better. If you like to walk to most things then you want to be somewhere in the middle.
Children are always catered for well at the Four Seasons, from special amenities, to treats, to a take home beach bag and swim top. They genuinely love kids and are happy to wisk them away to feed fish, hunt for water lizards and be entertained.
As you would expect from a Four Seasons the service was impeccable. They have a great iPhone app from which you can text for a buggy, make a restaurant reservation or order up room service. It is prompt and easy and made a big difference. It was too easy to be at the beach and just magically text for a buggy to deliver you back to the room, or to track down the flip flops your small person left at the other end of the property.
Our days were spent poolside reading, playing outdoor table tennis, cards or just hanging but had we wanted to engage in any activities there were plenty on offer. You can head to coconut grove and take a surf lesson, ride a water bike, sail a catamaran, head to the spa, take a cooking lesson, watch a cultural dance, visit a temple…. the list is endless.
We chose not to do much of anything and I feel completely relaxed. Moving villas every few days might sound crazy to some people, but not to us. We like new hotels, we like new places and it meant that really made the most of each villa and hotel we were in. Sightseeing took a back seat. I don’t regret that at all – we will be back in Bali soon enough and the small person has exams to go home to, so she diligently studied every day before breakfast – while Mum and Dad worked. I have always wondered who used hotel desks – now I know!
We saw a lot of the island and definitely know where we’d come back to and what we would avoid next time without traipsing to temples in the heat.
Concluding this degustation tour here, at this resort was the right call. There was no better place to finish up our last day.
Like all good reviewers we have assessed each hotel against certain criteria and that will be published next week – watch out for it!
Meanwhile I have a few hours left in paradise, so I’m off to get my last cocktail and watch my final sunset. The journey home begins…
Highlights from small heights
Awesome. No more needs to be said.
Rating: 10\10
Top two tips: Go there. Go there again.
As we head towards the end of this Bali Villa degustation tour I am starting to feel hungry rather than full! There are so many resorts to explore and so much possibility. The great thing about Bali is the variety and how well they do it. I can see why it is a favourite for many people.
A complimentary guided walk, takes you through the jungle to a local house, where you are welcomed inside and can see close up how the Balinese people in the area live. They were incredibly welcoming and kind. It also gives you an insight into how the hotel has helped its community, paying rent, providing jobs and supporting their way of life.
Along with the guided walk there are also numerous complimentary yoga classes, cycle tours and paid activities on offer every day – like river rafting, secret temple tours and a Balinese cooking school. In the evenings there is traditional music and dance in the lobby bar.
The villa pool is deep and perfectly big enough, but the riverside main pool was outstanding so we swam there each day. The villa pool was perfect for a quick dip to cool off if you needed to. Once again it is incredibly private.
It has been a very different experience and one I would absolutely recommend. No visit to Bali is complete without some time spent in Ubud. It is worth the hassle to get here and if budget allows, definitely worth staying a few nights at this resort.
Is it worthy of the travel and leisure magazine award – best hotel in the world?
Villa: Huge and wonderfully so. Good value for money (but who cares I don’t pay) and a garden of our own, not to mention a huge deck complete with three seating areas. Bliss. Villa Pool: Finally, a deep pool! I have been dealing with 1.2 and 1.3M this entire holiday. How wonderful this feels with an amazing 1.56M deep private pool. I have high hopes for the next place.
Hands down the 
You enter via a stunning gilded door into a courtyard that has the pool, a day bed, loungers and an outdoor writing desk. The small person has made great use of the desk especially. There is an outdoor shower and access from the lounge, indoor shower or bathroom. It is well thought out and the spaces is beautiful.
St. Regis still wins, but probably because I don’t pay any of the money for these places. Advantages of childhood. Personally, I believe the villa is great. Though the swimming pool is only 1.2m deep, a little chilly, and there is a serious lack of a garden, the villa is amazing and thank goodness, it doesn’t look like a cell! Unfortunately several tiles fell off the roof during our stay onto the floor and into the pool. Unbelievable. The people we phoned didn’t believe us either.
My personal favourite thing in the Purple Hotel is the shared space outside our villa with the hammock. It’s wonderful. And I only fell off once, despite what my mother will tell you…
To say that arriving at the W after the St Regis was a culture shock, was a bit of an understatement!
The hotel was fully booked with a summer music festival and concert in a few days. That meant the main pool was a construction site as they built a stage covering half of it. A little frustrating as on line they advised that construction would start on the 4th, a day after we checked out. Because of that I suspect we missed the full glory of what the shared pool spaces should be. Still we were fairly happy to hang in our villa pool rather than fight the hoards for a pink bean bag in the sun.
The views across the beach to the sunset are spectacular and there are two bars to choose from to have you sundowner offering happy hour discounts.
The beach is full of sunset seekers, surfers and families. But it is far from a beautiful pristine beach, littered with rubbish and plastic. Swimming was not advised when we were there as the surf was pounding and currents strong. The sand is course and brown, so not as pretty as where we were in Nusa Dua. If you had young children and swimming in the sea was important to you- Seminyak is not the beach for you. But every hotel or beach club has a great pool area.
Dotted along the surf are hotel after hotel with beach clubs interspersed between, so you are never far from a cold dip or a drink at a bar. The Legian a short stroll down the beach front offered spectacular sunset views across the pool.
The W is definitely fun, tongue in check and just a little bit naughty.
This was a step-down. The only step-up was dinner and the private pool. The main pool was half gone because of some construction for a music festival
The entrance to the hotel was pretty cool.
I still dislike the service, because I suspect they are the reason for the disappearance of my pretzel sticks…that, or my father. He didn’t disappear – unfortunately.
This trip was meant to be a sneaky 10 day bonus holiday to use up some air miles that were expiring. For all sorts of reasons (floods, rebuilds, work, and cheap airfares) it took on a life of its own. For a while there it seemed like a complete extravagance. To be fair – it was and still is. But by the time we boarded the flight, I really needed a break.
First, when you step off the plane, they are there to greet you and whisk you through customs and immigration. While we sat in a lounge, they grabbed our bags and a car. It was incredibly easy and complimentary when staying at the hotel.
Now, to be fair, we could not afford a room like this. It was an eye watering $4,000 NZD a night plus taxes. But if you wanted to mark a special occasion, a wedding, a 50th – this is the place. It is not unlike the
The beach is immaculate, the hotel beautiful, the grounds lovingly tended and the staff warm and friendly. Nothing was an issue. Extra tea bags, no problem madam. Another towel? Ice cold water? How about complimentary hats and beach bags? Magically tending to the pool, garden or room when you go to breakfast? They are just waiting to help. So alongside the stunning gardens, the stunning location, the incredible pools, the service was second to none.
One of the things I love most on a holiday is the sunrise. It’s completely peaceful, no one is around. There is nothing I enjoy more than a cup of tea, watching the world wake up. When you can just step outside your walled garden onto the beach, to your private deck chair, in your fluffy bathrobe – it doesn’t get much better in my book. The sun rises on this side of Bali. A nice way to start a holiday – we’ll be enjoying sunsets by the end.
The breakfast was vast – lots of choice and friendly attentive staff. Other meals were a little hit and miss. I think partly it is the quality of the ingredients that can be sourced locally. However the cakes and pastries are perfection. Any any hotel that offers ice cream and pancakes for breakfast gets the vote of the small person.
And yes, our room is lovely. The private pool is a little cold, but once you’re in, you’re in. The garden is probably the best part. I’ve never had so much outdoor space. It’s amazing, though the room we were upgraded from is pretty amazing too. I agree with Mum on the whole mansion part…. Yes, for once I agree with her.
The pool is probably the second-best part in the resort, after our room. Personally the whole salt-water part of a salt-water lagoon irritates me – I’d prefer it to be freshwater for when I’m swimming and accidentally inhale some. It burns.
We have loved every one of the 13 nights we spent in the Danang/HoiAn area of central Vietnam.
We went with a guide who was able to unearth the site’s secrets. The sign posts and information generally is lacking so you gain a lot more if you have someone who can explain the history.
Before coming on this trip I researched the hotels in the area thoroughly and I kept coming back to the Four Seasons near Hoi An. Near enough to the action (10 minutes by free shuttle bus) but far enough away that it feels like you can truly relax.
The room is quite cool too, and the fact we have our own little garden is great. The Kid’s Menu is everything a child could possibly want, and available in every restaurant, as well as for room service. Burgers, pizza, pasta, chicken or fish fingers, some with sides of fries…well it’s perfect.