Review: Four Seasons Bali At Jimbaran Bay

The Four Seasons Bali at Jimbaran Bay was such an enjoyable splurge and is a beautiful resort with superb staff.

Four Seasons Bali At Jimbaran Bay Review

After sampling the Hyatt Regency and Andaz, I spent my final three nights here while in Bali. At $550 night it was a huge step up in price, but that rate still represents a fraction of what you might pay for a comparable hotel in Hawaii or Tahiti.

Upon arrival, an employee washed my hands scented flowers and also presented a welcome drink and cold towel.

The semi-enclosed lobby had light snacks and scented water available every day and was a pleasant place to sit.

Golf Cart

I was transported by golf cart from the lobby to my room, 219. By the end of the first day I chose to walk everywhere, but this is a sprawling property with 147 villas and a golf cart is always just a phone call away to take you wherever you want to go on the resort.

If you do walk, be warned you may get lost amongst the labyrinth of villas (yes, I did…).

Villa

Each guest has a private villa with a gated entrance, garden, guest room, covered patio, and pool. In that sense, I would have been perfectly content to remain in my villa the entire trip and never leave.

The guest room includes sliding glass doors on two sides, a large desk in the center of the room, a daybed in front of it, a round table with two chairs, and a bed.

Coffee and tea are available in the room, including team from Brew Me and excellent espresso pods from Java Mountain Coffee.

The minibar was well-stocked.

The bathroom was large with a huge porcelain tub, two sinks, and a separate shower area and water closet.

Outside the bathroom was an outdoor shower.

Here’s a video tour of the room:

A welcome gift of sliced fruits and coconut water was placed on my round table.

For comparison purposes, my friend had a room with an unobstructed view of Jimbaran Bay at about triple the price:

Gym

With decadent food on site, I made it a point to pound it out at the gym each morning. The gym was located next to the spa near the lobby. Equipment included free weights, medicine balls, kettlebells, and a large assortment of strength training and cardio machines (treadmills, bikes, ellipticals).

Spa

I used the wellness faculties at the Healing Village Spa every morning and every evening and loved how tranquil the entire spa area was. In all but one instance I had it to myself.

Inside the locker room was a sauna, steam room, and plunge pool.

It’s tough to justify an expensive massage here when massages are so cheap in Bali, but many treatment options are available.

Pools

In addition to your personal villa pool, the hotel has three outdoor pools located on the grounds. Two pools are located in the center of the property:

Another is near Sundara restaurant.

Dining

Although Bali is full of delicious and cheap food, I found it difficult to leave the resort to eat…

Breakfast At Taman Wantilan

If you love a nice breakfast in the morning, you are going to love the breakfast here. I booked via American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts, which included breakfast each morning (from 6:30 am to 10:30 am).

Oh what a treat it was. 

The restaurant called Taman Wantilan, all outdoor (covered), was a bit warm…that was not ideal…but everything else about breakfast was wonderful.

The buffet was extensive with a huge selection of local Balinese food, western food, and other East Asian cuisine. Each day fresh meats and sausages were cooked.

I loved the salad bar and by day two when the kind woman preparing salads saw me coming she would cut up a beet for me (after disliking them for most of my life, I now loves beets).

Coffee was barista-made and quite good (I recommend a double shot of espresso in your drink).

A great juice bar offered freshly-pressed drinks of your choice. I loved that I was able to have my green drink.

White wine for breakfast? It’s 17:00 somewhere…

There was even a full bakery with freshly baked pastries, crepes, waffles, sliced fruit, and even a selection of ice cream.

One other cool aspect of breakfast was the coffee cart available if you wanted to take a cup of coffee or tea and pastry wtih you. It’s a nice touch that I wish more hotels would do.

Chef’s Kitchen – Jala

Watch your food being prepared or lean how to cook it yourself at Jala.

Alu

Poolside dining is available at Alu.

Sundara

Sundara restaurant and bar specializes in BBQ. It is in a beautiful setting.

Telu

One place I missed during my visit was Telu cocktail bar.

Room Service

I hung out with my friend during my stay and we had most of our meals via room service.

The highlight for me was the lamb cutlets, which were thick and juicy and coated with a delectable herb crust.

I also tried the filet mignon, which was acceptable but not memorable and a hamburger.

My friend ordered a club sandwich with avocado and thought it was good.

Service

My experience is that you can generally expect great service at any resort in Bali, but the service here was quite excellent overall, with associates going out of their way to be helpful.

I loved that by day two everyone knew my name in the spa and many did in the breakfast area too. That’s not a dealbreaker for me, yet it is greatly appreciated and seems to be a mark of an excellent Four Seasons property.

Edy, pictured below, was our driver and guide when we went to Ubud. He was excellent…a gracious and kind man who took great care of us.

On that note, you can hire drivers and guides from the hotel. Rates vary. Our afternoon cost about $150.

CONCLUSION

It was a treat to stay at this property and it is no doubt my favorite property in Bali of the four that I have tried. I would certainly come here again and take my family.

Is it worth the fairy large premium over other properties? That’s up to you. The thing about Bali is that splurging here is going to set you back a lot less than splurging at other beautiful hotspots around the world.

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