As I mentioned last week in my article about our private rafting tour, we were able to check in to the Four Seasons Resort, Sayan, via river raft. It was a cool way to arrive at our second resort for the trip, and gave us some really unique views of the main building of the resort from the river and pool area.

This resort gets voted as the top resort on Bali, and one of the top resorts in the world on a regular basis, and there are about a thousand reasons why. The aura here is calming and special, and the service is outstanding. I absolutely loved it here, and I was really regretting not booking a fourth night. It’s hard to convey via words alone how beautiful the property is.

The resort is very close to Ubud, and offers shuttles to and from the village regularly throughout the day. We never used the shuttles, though, as they didn’t work out with the times we wished to come and go, however, they were happy to arrange private transportation for you, which cost about seven-ish dollars each way.

This resort is set up a little different than the Four Seasons in Jimbaran Bay, which you can read about here. First, there are far fewer villas and suites here, so you definitely see less people around. Second, there is one main building where you have your included breakfast every day. It’s also where there are a bunch of suites as well as the main spa area. There is a lot happening at the main building, and it’s a gorgeous feat of architecture, so we were happy to be in one of the villas close by.

I will do a full overview of our garden view villa, but for now, just a taste. We had a garden view villa, which was right near the main building. There are also river view villas which were a significant jump in price, as well as larger, multi-room villas. Ours was plenty spacious, and we had two queen sized beds and a rollaway. The main space of the room is actually outside, where you have two lounging areas and a plunge pool. It’s cooler in the jungle, so we didn’t use the pool as much as on the beach.

The main bedroom is a very large size with lots of cool touches including art and design details. The bathroom is also large with two sinks, a massive tub and a huge closet/changing room. There is also an outdoor shower.

There are a few restaurants on the property, including the very special Sokasi, which I will be writing about separately – you definitely don’t want to miss the Chef’s tasting here! The Ayung Terrace is where you’ll have your breakfast, which is served a la carte, but they also have other meals like tea and dinner here. The views from the terrace are unparalleled, and the breakfast is always delicious and filling.

Near the beautiful two-level pool, which is seemingly built into the side of the river, giving it a very natural flow and feel, is the Riverside restaurant, where you can have a wide range of foods. We ate here for lunch twice, and not only is the service by the pool excellent, but eating at the restaurant is nice as well. They have excellent bread here, and there is a lot of attention to detail, especially for a pool-side restaurant.

I took advantage of the spa on two different occasions here – once for a massage in the main building, and once for a root chakra ritual down in the spa village on the property. I will write all about those experiences in a separate article, but I absolutely loved each one for different reasons. The spa village is lovely and private, and you really feel relaxed after a long, intricate ritual.

The Four Seasons Sayan is a special place, a place where you feel enveloped in the calm of the lush green surroundings, a place to truly relax and let go, and this was where I really felt like I was on a special vacation. For me, this resort is one of the best I’ve stayed at in the world, and if you have the opportunity to stay here, definitely do it.