Four Seasons in Ubud, Bali: if it’s good enough for the Obamas ...
Set besides lush paddy fields between two rivers, this is where the former first family of the United States stayed during their recent vacation to Bali. And Julia Roberts has been a guest here, too
So, which of the two Four Seasons in Bali would you recommend? Ah, decisions, decisions. The first, which opened on Jimbaran Bay in 1993 (before almost any of its competitors, so with a plum spot on this piece of prime shoreline), has its charms: pool and private bale (pavilion) with every villa; a beachside activity centre; blessings by an in-house Hindu priest at the 15th-century on-site temple; the hip ’n’ happening Sundara restaurant, where cocktails are sunk as the sun sinks; and a laid-back vibe so enveloping, even the planes landing and taking off, silently, on the other side of the bay, have a hypnotic effect. But Four Seasons Sayan, outside Ubud, shades it with its raw drama.
The one the Obamas stayed in this summer? Yes, although few of us are likely to enjoy the comforts of the Royal Villa, which, as well as the former first family of the United States, has been temporary home to a who’s who of Hollywood talent, including Julia Roberts, who was in residence for a month while shooting the Bali segment of the movie Eat Pray L ove (2010). The resort has 41 slightly less opulent villas, which are spread throughout seven hectares of gardens and rice paddies, and 18 suites, in the main resort building.
You said this place has “raw drama”. Please explain. Built between two rivers – the Subak and the sacred Ayung, Bali’s longest – guests cross a suspension bridge above treetops to enter, and descend, beneath a lotus pond (above), into the resort from the roof. It’s like arriving at the centre of a rice bowl, according to architect John Heah, whose creation rose next to paddy fields that stepped down to the Ayung and were surrounded by dense jungle, much of which has been retained.
Gaze out from the reception, gym or Ayung Terrace restaurant (most popular dishes: Balinese satay and iga babi panggang, or grilled pork ribs) and you look upon a scene unchanged for millennia – well, that’s the idea, anyhow.
