Stayed at the FS Sayan for four nights and thought we would use it to explore the northern part of Bali. However, it was hard to leave the hotel for a whole day. It is smallish but the location is a ten minute cab ride to Ubud which has lots of restaurant choices as well as some excellent art galleries in the area. Signed up for a day as a "Balinese Farmer" which was expensive but it is at the Four Seasons so nothing was cheap but it was fantastic. It started with Lillie guiding for about a two hour walk down through the rice fields and across a plank bridge to a water fall and then up a hill to a small village ending up a breakfast location overlooking a rice field. After that we were lead back to the FS where we were given instructions on whole to prepare a rice field and give a pair of rubber boots to get active. I am sure they had to re-plant the sections my wife and I attempted but it was great fun. Now we were escorted to the Spa where a shower and soak in a bath tub lead to a scrub with river rocks to clean away the mud, followed by an outstanding massage. Our clothes were a little muddy but when it was time to change, all of our clothes had been washed, even our sneakers. Lastly we were taken to a bale by the river and we presented with a beautiful lunch in our sparkling clothes. Great fun but expensive but you get a lot for your investment.

Wine is expensive in Bali so a $15/bottle in Toronto is sold a wine store for $45 and at the FS restaurant the markup takes it well over $100. Wine is a little cheaper in the Ubud restaurants but might be a great time to have a bottle of their local beer, Bintang.

There are cheaper hotels options in the Ubud area but don't miss the FS Sayan!!

Stayed at the 4 Seasons in Sayan over a year ago now but worth the mention. Sayan is a small town on the outskirts of Ubud, the artistic and increasingly sophisticated centre of Bali. Its about 1 hour from the airport and sits in the middle of the island. Its a deeply traditional part of Bali and one of my favourite parts.

On arrival to the 4 Seasons you are taken across a dramatic bridge spanning a gorge 50ft below. Its a truly dramatic entrance to an architecturally significant building that could be a Bond villains jungle hideaway. The decor is luxurious and the views of the Sayan river and the forest canopy are spectacular.

We stayed in a villa. The decor is Bali luxury and with location and tranquillity it is very easy to relax. Service was good and the food was also good. In particular breakfast on the deck was a great experience.

High points are the riverside pool and deck and also the gardens which is planted almost exclusively with native fruits and vegetables.

Overall, for a stay in the Ubud area this would be a recommendation.

My husband and I spent a few days at this resort on our honeymoon. As newlyweds, we upgraded to one of the villas with a personal pool and it was worth every penny!

Accommodations: The villa was absolutely amazing! It was so nice to have your own private pool and deck to take a morning swim overlooking the jungle. There was an outdoor shower (which was great!) and a bathroom as big as my current apartment. The bed was by far the best bed I've ever slept in at a hotel - we wound up nicknaming it the "cloud bed."

Service: Service here was amazing. I didn't really know what superior service was until we stayed here. Probably the best way to sum it up: every night we returned to our room which was freshly cleaned, with a bedtime story on our bed, and all of our soaps and condiments neatly arranged in height order! They also placed bookmarks in all of my books that we left out.

Grounds: the grounds are huge and hilly but you can ask for a ride from most of the buildings and be transported around the grounds by golf cart. Also, the grounds are immaculate. The grass is kept fresh and green and hand cut by the gardeners. They also have a nice rice patty and garden as well.

Exercise Facility: AMAZING! They serve you cold towels as you workout. They have extra shoes as well to borrow if you forget your tennis shoes. Their cold and hot plunge pools are truly breathtaking as well!

Food: There are so many good places to eat at in town, so we only ate breakfast here. However, it was an amazing breakfast everyday - starting with an amuse buse of the chef's choice. You dine overlooking the grounds with the river raging in the distance.

Getting into Town: We had no difficulty getting to and from the grounds. We typically took their complimentary transport, or a $8 or so cab.

We had two blissful nights at a villa in this resort. The resort is built into one of Bali’s ravine-like jungle river valleys and you enter via an aerial walkway to the main hotel building which is topped with a giant lily pond and seems as if it is suspended in the valley rather like part of the set of Avatar. The main building contains many of the rooms, with the rest spread out around the very large estate as duplex villas. You get around by golf cart or on foot, and the resort not only features the usual, highly decorative tropical greenery, but also vegetable and herb gardens and rice paddies planted and harvested by hand in the traditional Balinese manner. The setting is remarkable: spectacular, dramatic and very beautiful.

The villas we cannot recommend enough – we opted for a villa with a view of the valley but not on the river (having read some TripAdvisor reviews about early morning white water rafters disturbing the peace). All villas are topped by lily ponds covered by a bure style structure, and you descend a stone stairway to a spectacular outdoor/indoor living space with its own private (and I mean private) pool. The outdoor section contained a dining table and chairs and a Balinese divan. The indoor part contained a spacious bedroom furnished with Balinese antique statuary with all relevant mod cons. The bathroom was massive, with a dressing room, separate indoor and outdoor showers to suit your whim, a massive bath and his and hers vanities.

There are two restaurants: one in the main building with breathtaking views of the valley and river below and one right by the river itself. Both are worth a visit. We had an Indonesian BBQ at the latter at a table for two right by the river – the way the tables were arranged we seemed all on our own! Balinese delicacies like suckling pig and crispy skin duck were outstanding, as were the wonderful salads and desserts.

The Sayan is about 15 minutes from the centre of Ubud, which is not a tiny village but rather a major centre and the resort runs a shuttle bus every two hours or so to the centre, a subject of complaint by some other TA reviewers. We hired a car and driver for five hours – at USD 25 an hour, a very cheap and effective option. The drivers are all very keen to show you the best of Bali, don’t hustle you to craft shops you don’t want to go to, and make excellent personalised tour guides. We got a lot more out of the stops we made recommended by the driver than we did from the Ubud markets.

The resort also offers a free guided tour of the rice paddies, the forest and the neighbouring village of Sayan, which was amusing and informative – don’t miss it. Nor should you miss (if it’s on when you are there) the traditional Balinese dance performance held in the lobby – an opportunity to experience traditional dance in somewhat quieter surroundings than the palace in Ubud.

What suggestions could we make for improvement apart from not charging for WiFi? Nothing at all. Keep doing what you’re doing, Four Seasons!