A holistic wellness experience in lush, jungle-like surroundings awaits you at the dreamlike Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan. The resort is an inspiring starting point for exploring Bali's cultural heart or retreating into the meditative embrace of nature. Just 60 suites and villas are scattered across the sprawling grounds, promising complete seclusion with views of the lush landscape. Yoga, meditation, and authentic wellness rituals are the order of the day here. Culinary highlights include a seven-course Balinese menu, while in your free time you can hike, cycle, raft, or plant rice with local farmers.
The magnificent spa offers Balinese and river stone massages, facials with lymphatic drainage, and the unique 120-minute Muladhara Chakra Ceremony, among other treatments. In the beautiful outdoor yoga bale, you can enjoy anti-gravity yoga as well as the soothing Sacred Nap Ritual, where you are encouraged to fall asleep in fabric cocoons to the calming sounds of singing bowls and Sanskrit blessings. You can hike to the summit of Mount Batur at sunrise, visit magical water temples, or plant rice with local farmers. Rafting on the Ayung River is one of the adrenaline-fueled highlights.
With 18 suites and 42 villas, each with one, two, or three bedrooms offering views of the river or jungle, the resort is manageable and wonderfully intimate. The spacious suites are located in two wings of the main building and feature large furnished terraces overlooking the gardens and rice fields. The elegant villas are scattered across the extensive grounds and all offer private pools, magnificent views, and complete privacy. The décor, a blend of traditional and modern Balinese styles with lots of teak furniture and hand-woven fabrics, is elegant yet cozy and conveys a distinct sense of the region.
At Ayung Terrace, where breakfast is served daily, you can sample modern Indonesian dishes such as spicy satay lilit or red snapper with dabu-dabu sauce. Riverside is a poolside grill restaurant during the day, serving sandwiches, salads, and pizzas, and offers an original "bistronomy" menu with upscale international dishes for dinner. Try to get one of the eight seats at the Chef's Table at Sokasi, where traditional Balinese dishes are prepared right before your eyes as part of a seven-course menu. At the Jati Bar, enjoy afternoon tea or a sundowner with an incredible panoramic view of the lush forest.
Just a ten-minute drive from the elegant boutiques, artists' studios, and atmospheric restaurants of boho-chic Ubud, the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan is a magnificent retreat for getting to know the country from its most philosophical and soulful side. The centerpiece of the property is the dramatic, upside-down main pavilion, crowned by a narrow footbridge and a huge elliptical lotus pond, which hovers high above the lush jungle and the rushing Ayung River. Designed by British-Malaysian architect John Heah, the pavilion was intended to resemble a rice bowl – an offering to the gods. From here, the property cascades down the hill to the two-story swimming pool that juts out over the river, through an enchanting forest that surrounds just 60 suites and villas. It's no surprise that the Obamas spent a few days at this resort after leaving the White House, and Julia Roberts also stayed here while filming "Eat, Pray, Love."
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