Take a Sacred Nap in a Hammock Cocoon at This Riverfront Resort in Bali

Stay Here For 

An experience of Bali the way it was back in the day: wild, spiritual, and blissfully quiet. 

Past the trinket shops on Ubud’s main drag, down an unassuming alley and across a teakwood suspension bridge that skims the tops of coconut trees, is a magical world. It’s Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, nestled in Sayan’s bowl-like valley.

Here, Ubud seems stuck in time. There are (almost) no other buildings on the palm-hemmed horizon. The white-noise roar of the sacred Ayung River drowns out the din of traffic. Everywhere, incense-swirled shrines and mossy Hindu sculptures look as if they’ve stood there for ages.

And that’s exactly how Four Seasons wants you to feel. With just 60 rooms and breezy villas on a sprawling 18-acre patch of terraced rice fields and wild gardens perfumed with ylang-ylang, this ultra-private hideaway is designed to let nature work its soul-soothing magic.

Though Four Seasons opened this resort in the late 1990s, and plenty of competitors have popped up in the jungles around it since then, few match the wow factor of this timeless masterpiece. The entrance pavilion—a breezy three-level limestone structure topped with a mirror-flat lotus pond—rises above the trees like a tropical fortress.

Next, you’ll notice the undulating lawns, where gardeners with straw hats work the rice paddies, and the little streams and waterfalls that flow in between. Then you’ll see the villas, barely visible with their camouflaged roofs made from alang-alang thatch. Their spacious verandas and plunge pools are concealed by tangles of tropical greens, making them perfect for long days of pool-lolling in total privacy.

The resort is, essentially, Ubud in a nutshell. Even when all rooms are booked, the sprawling grounds mean you’ll barely ever see more than a handful of guests at a time. This, in short, is what you came all the way here for.

The Essentials

The Location

On a quiet day, the drive from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar to Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan will take just under an hour (the resort can arrange pickups and fast-track service at the airport immigration). While the resort has many of Ubud’s postcard sights—waterfalls, monkey forests, sacred wells—on its doorstep, it also runs a daily shuttle service to the center of Ubud town, where you’ll find dozens of restaurants and boutiques. The concierge team can even hook you up with vetted bicycle rentals, trekking guides and white-water-rafting operators for adventurous jaunts around Ubud’s lush countryside.

The Rooms

The look and feel of the rooms and suites is unmistakably Balinese, with wicker, teak and shell accents.

The one- and two-level suites take over the two wings that jut out from either side of the central pavilion. Their look is brilliantly Balinese: lots of wicker, polished teak and desks, and bedside tables bedecked in shimmery mosaics of coconut shells and mother-of-pearl. Windows come covered with sliding louvered shutters in lieu of curtains (so bring an eye mask if you require total darkness), while creamy terrazzo and dark marble floors keep the bathrooms delightfully cool in the sticky heat.

For the full tropical fantasy, though, you’ll want to book one of the villas, of which there are 42 around the resort. They have similarly modern Balinese interiors but offer a lot more privacy thanks to the thick gardens around their outdoor decks, open-air showers and plunge pools. Yours might be half-embedded in the sloping landscape with a stone stepwell leading to the front door, and a thatch-covered yoga pavilion on its roof for a lovely early-morning session. Score one of the riverfront villas at the bottom of the valley to have the Ayung River lull you to sleep at night.

The Bars and Restaurants

While Ubud has no shortage of destination-worthy dining options, the resort’s restaurants still stand out. A particular highlight is Sokasi, a cooking school by day and chef’s table by night, where you get to sample typically Balinese dishes such as ayam timbungan chicken cooked in bamboo; a babi guling pig roast, which is spun over a fire for hours; and ikan klengis (barramundi marinated in local spices and coconut pulp). You’re seated so close to the action that you can practically feel the heat of the stove on your face, and you’re welcome—encouraged, even—to ask questions. The chef might even send you home with a small bamboo basket of local red rice and a flyer with step-by-step instructions to re-create the dish in your own kitchen.

Breakfast and lunch are more casual affairs. For the former, head to Ayung Terrace and sit on the balcony for dreamy views of the valley draped in mist. Order a jamu shot (a local herbal tonic made from turmeric and ginger) for a throat-scorching energy boost, and don’t miss the chai-spiced granola. In the afternoon, score a lounger at the riverside pool (shaped exactly like the rice paddies that were there before) for pizzas, pastas and meze platters from the adjoining Riverside restaurant.

The Standout Feature

Let a former Buddhist nun lull you to sleep with blissful blessings while you’re cocooned in a silky hammock at the spa.

Essentially a small village of swirling lotus ponds; airy, thatch-roofed treatment rooms; and private relaxation gardens fitted with outdoor showers and bathtubs chiseled from Indonesian stone, the spa is a can’t-miss part of any stay here. The treatment list is very Ubud: This is the place to get all of your chakras balanced with sound healing sessions, Vichy-shower water blessings and breathwork meditations. If all the crystal singing-bowl ceremonies, rose-quartz crystal massages and grounding sessions with frankincense sound a little too woo-woo, just opt for an herbal body wrap or Balinese massage: The therapists have decades of experience, so you’re in excellent hands.

The Time to Go

The high season, between April and September, sees the least amount of rain but the biggest crowds, which could put a damper on sightseeing trips. While you’re more likely to encounter rain in the remaining months, heavy downpours rarely last long.

The Vibe

You know your vacation has started when: You have your luggage whisked away upon arrival, and you cross the bridge, bag-free, toward a giant lotus pond that seemingly floats above the valley. At first, you see nothing but jungle. The rest of the resort appears, piece by piece, only as you descend the stairs to the lobby desk.

What’s on the speakers? What speakers? Ubud’s wild nature delivers the soundtrack here: Dream away to the sound of chirping crickets, singing birds and the meditative rumble of the Ayung River.

Don’t go home without trying: The Sacred Nap ritual with Ibu Fera, a former Buddhist nun whose singsong blessings will lull you into a blissful slumber while you’re rocked in a silky hammock. Seriously.

What are you packing? Ubud has two types of weather: hot and sticky, and hotter and stickier. You’ll want to pack lots of linen, breezy dresses and open-toed footwear. But keep it classy—this is still Four Seasons, after all.

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