Introduction
There are more than 30 Four Seasons hotels in Asia, and I have to be honest... a lot of them are just a very nice room in a tower. Nothing wrong with that - but they're not the hotels that get you excited about a trip.
Below are the 10 I think are the best. Being the Four Seasons lover that I am, you know I pulled my hair out figuring out which ones to cut. Okay, let's get into it.
The best beach resorts
1. Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru
Heaven on earth - if I could only send you to one Four Seasons beach resort in Asia, this is it.
Landaa sits in Baa Atoll, right next to Hanifaru Bay, which is THE place in the Maldives to swim with manta rays. From roughly June to November they gather there to feed, sometimes dozens at a time. The resort hands you a "manta phone" in a waterproof pouch, and when the marine team spots them, it rings and you run for the speedboat. I mean... come on.
It's also a big island by Maldives standards, big enough that every villa comes with bicycles. There's a marine centre with resident biologists and a turtle hospital, plus a 50-metre pool. Kids love it here. So do I.
Now, the part nobody enjoys: what everything around the room costs. The seaplane from Male only flies in daylight and runs to four figures for a couple, and if you land late you're paying for a night near the airport first. Tax and service add close to 30% to the rate. Dinner is very expensive, so be prepared to spend much more overall than just the room nights.
A few other things. The water villas sit close enough together that you can see your neighbours from your pool. The snorkelling straight off the beach is a bit of a letdown. And there's no butler, which is odd at this price in the Maldives.
My tip: book a Beach Villa with Pool over a water villa. You get a walled garden and a lot more privacy (ask for one with thick hedges). Come between July and October for the mantas, even though it's the wetter season, and stay at least five nights, because the seaplane eats half a day each way.
Who it's for: families, snorkellers, and anyone who wants more from the Maldives than a sunbed. If you're on honeymoon and want total privacy and a butler, this isn't your island.
2. Four Seasons Koh Samui
If your idea of a beach holiday is never leaving your villa, this is the one. All 60 villas have their own infinity pool, stacked up a jungle hillside over the Gulf of Thailand. The view from your pool at sunset is the reason you came.
You feel very looked-after here too. Down at the beach, the attendants turn up with cold towels, papaya juice and coconut ice cream before you've even thought to ask, and there's a 50-metre pool right by the sand.
So what's the catch? The hill. It's steep, you need a buggy to go anywhere, and at busy times you'll be waiting for one. The mosquitoes are fierce (bring the strong stuff). The beach is small and more beige than white. The villa pools aren't heated, and they're cooler than you'd expect.
The resort also opened in 2007 and hasn't had a big renovation. And you're a good half hour from Chaweng, so you'll eat pretty much every meal here, at resort prices. Something to think about.
My tip: stay four nights, and skip October to December, which is the rainy season on Samui.
Who it's for: honeymooners and couples who want to hide away with a pool to themselves. If you want a big swimming beach or nightlife, or you have bad knees, this isn't it.
3. Four Seasons The Nam Hai, Hoi An
Every single room at The Nam Hai is a villa. There are a hundred of them along a kilometre of Ha My beach, each with its own terrace and outdoor shower. And in summer that beach is fantastic, with powder-white sand and a sea you'll want to be in all day.
What I love most is how easy it is to do absolutely nothing here. There are three pools (one for families, one for laps, and a quiet adults-only one by the beach), and the service is the best thing about the place. At breakfast, skip the buffet one morning and order the cao lau or the mi Quang, the local noodle dishes. And when you get bored of doing nothing, Hoi An old town is a short drive away.
But here's the thing... it's a summer beach. From October to February the sea gets rough and it rains a lot, so you'll be in the pools instead.
It's also by far the most expensive hotel in the area, and lunch and dinner aren't good enough for what they charge. Eat in Hoi An. And the pool villas that haven't been renovated yet have dated bathrooms, with bedroom and living pavilions that aren't connected indoors. Fun when it rains.
My tip: book a One-Bedroom Pool Villa, which comes with more inclusions than the standard one, including airport transfers and free laundry. Ask for the renovated ones (we always do for our clients). Come between March and August, when the beach is at its best.
Who it's for: couples and families who want a villa, a great beach and a lovely old town next door. Just don't book it for the beach in winter.
The best city hotels
1. Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River
This is where I stay when I'm in Bangkok, and I think it's the best city hotel Four Seasons has in Asia. There, I said it.
It's a low-rise resort on the river, with courtyards, water gardens and two pools right over the Chao Phraya. Most Bangkok hotels give you a lap pool on a roof. Here you can spend a whole afternoon by the water and completely forget you're in one of the most chaotic cities in the world.
The rooms are fantastic: high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and a bathtub big enough for two. Someone even keeps the ice bucket filled all day! Nothing I asked for took more than a few minutes. And please, please book dinner at Yu Ting Yuan. The Peking duck is as good as the ones I've had in Beijing.
Now don't get me wrong, it's not perfect. The location is the weak spot. There's very little around the hotel, and Sukhumvit and Siam are a slow drive through traffic. The free shuttle boat helps, but check the timetable, because only some of the boats go on to ICONSIAM (I learned that the hard way).
Also, the cheapest rooms face the courtyard, and the river is the whole reason to be here. And the pool loungers were almost always full when I came down. By early afternoon the only free ones are in full sun.
My tip: book a river view room... or book the entry room through me and cross your fingers. Almost every client I've sent has been upgraded to a river view. I've compared it with its neighbours here: Mandarin Oriental vs Four Seasons Bangkok and Four Seasons vs Capella Bangkok.
Who it's for: couples, food lovers, and anyone who wants pool time in the city. If you need to walk to the malls, stay in town instead.
2. Four Seasons Hong Kong
This is the flagship. If you ask me which Four Seasons in Asia feels the MOST like a Four Seasons, it's Hong Kong.
Let's start with the harbour. The hotel sits right on the water in Central, and a harbour-view room has floor-to-ceiling windows looking straight across to Kowloon. The pool terrace has an infinity pool, a lap pool and a hot tub over Victoria Harbour, and that's about as good as a city pool gets.
Then there's the food. Caprice for French, Lung King Heen for Cantonese, Sushi Saito with just 16 seats, Noi for Italian, and ARGO for a drink afterwards. No other Four Seasons I know has a line-up like that. Book before you fly!
It's also the easiest hotel on this list to get to. It's on top of the IFC mall, with the MTR and the Airport Express right underneath, and the rooms were all redone in 2022.
So what's not to love? Well... the price, and the cheapest rooms. They face the Peak, which in practice means a hillside and other buildings, and that's the room people leave disappointed with. Housekeeping isn't always as sharp as it should be for the money. And it's attached to a shopping mall, so don't expect much character when you step outside.
My tip: book a harbour-view room or don't bother. Really.
Who it's for: food lovers, and first-timers who want Central on the doorstep. If you want something newer and quieter, look elsewhere.
3. Four Seasons Kyoto
I went back and forth between Kyoto and the new Four Seasons Osaka for this spot. Kyoto wins, and it's because of the garden.
The whole hotel is built around Shakusui-en, a pond garden that's about 800 years old. It's one of the most beautiful hotel gardens I've ever seen. You have breakfast on a terrace over the water, and a glass bridge leads to a little tea house where they pour sake and champagne in the afternoon. Most luxury hotels in Kyoto are squeezed onto small plots, so this much garden is rare. In late autumn the maples around the pond turn bright red, and that's when the garden is at its best. There's also a 20-metre indoor pool and Japanese baths, and Sanjusangendo temple is a six-minute walk away.
My complaint? The inside doesn't feel very Kyoto. It's pale marble and a big bright lobby, and it could be a Four Seasons anywhere. The entry rooms face the driveway, which kind of misses the point.
It's expensive too. In cherry blossom and autumn weeks it can cost DOUBLE what Osaka charges. And it's a big, spread-out hotel, so the service isn't as personal as at the smaller places in town, and arriving can feel chaotic when it's full.
My tip: book a Heritage Garden room and ask them to confirm the pond view in writing. If you just want a new room at a much lower rate, the Four Seasons Osaka is two years old and has a whole floor of tatami rooms.
Who it's for: first-timers in Kyoto and families who want a pool and space. If you want a small, deeply Japanese hotel, this isn't it.
4. Four Seasons Seoul
Seoul makes the list for two reasons: the location and the sauna.
The hotel is in Gwanghwamun, the old centre of the city, three minutes from the subway and close to the palaces, Bukchon and Insadong. For a first trip to Seoul, I can't think of a better base.
And then there's the Korean sauna. It's a full bathhouse inside the hotel, with hot, warm and cold baths, dry and wet saunas, and lounges to lie around in afterwards. Add three indoor pools (one just for kids) and Charles H., the speakeasy in the basement, and you could happily lose a rainy day without going outside.
A few things do annoy me, though. The sauna costs KRW 60,000 a visit unless you're in a suite... at a Four Seasons! And you share it, and the gym, with local club members and their personal trainers. Housekeeping is hit and miss. The restaurants are expensive and not the reason to stay, so eat out. This is Seoul!
Also, the city-view rooms look straight at office buildings, and Gwanghwamun is the government and business district, so it's quiet at night and a long way from Gangnam.
My tip: book a palace-view room, which looks towards Gyeongbokgung, or the Corner Premier, which feels like a small apartment with a tub by the window. Reserve Charles H. ahead, because it fills up even on a Sunday.
Who it's for: first-timers in Seoul and families. If you're coming for Gangnam shopping and nightlife, stay south of the river.
The scenic ones
1. Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle
This is the most special Four Seasons in Asia, full stop. If you can afford it, GO.
You arrive by longtail boat up the river, with Myanmar on one side and Laos in the distance. There are only 15 tents, so there are never more than about 30 guests in the whole camp.
And then the elephants turn up. The camp supports a foundation that looks after around 20 of them, many rescued, and they wander through at breakfast so you can hand them bananas. There's no riding and there are no shows. You feed them, watch them bathe and just hang out with them, and it's wonderful.
It's also all-inclusive, and I mean everything: every meal, house wines and spirits, the minibar, airport transfers, the elephant experience and a 90-minute spa treatment. The food is far better than it needs to be for a camp with one restaurant.
But it really is a camp, so let's be clear about what that means. The tents are 20 years old and haven't had a big renovation. The air conditioning struggles on hot afternoons, the toilet is behind two zips and isn't cooled, and the restaurant, bar and spa are all open-air, so there's nowhere cold to hide. There are bugs. It's hilly, with an 80-metre suspension bridge between most tents and the restaurant.
There's also no gym and no TV, the pool is small and the bar shuts at 8pm. And for that you'll pay well over $2,000 a night, with a two-night minimum.
My tip: stay three nights, and only come between November and February. March to May is brutally hot and it's burning season in northern Thailand, so the sky is full of smoke.
Who it's for: couples, honeymooners and anyone who wants a story to tell. If you need strong air conditioning or you're unsteady on your feet, skip it, and check the minimum age before you book with children.
2. Four Seasons Hangzhou at West Lake
Most Four Seasons in China are towers. This one is a two-storey garden estate on the edge of West Lake, with bamboo, lily ponds and little pavilions, and it's the calmest hotel I know in a Chinese city. It has about 80 rooms, and you can walk straight out onto the lake paths.
The best thing here is Jin Sha, the Chinese restaurant. You walk through the gardens at night to your own dining pavilion over the water. Book it before you arrive, because tables are hard to get.
So what's wrong with it? It opened in 2010 and the rooms are starting to show it. It's built on water, so it's humid, and there are mosquitoes from late spring to early autumn. Some rooms smell a little damp (ask to move if yours does).
And despite the name, most rooms look at gardens. Only the suites get a full view of the lake. West Lake itself is packed at weekends and on Chinese holidays, so whatever you do, don't come in the first week of October.
My tip: book a Premier room for the glass conservatory or the terrace onto the gardens (usually only a little more than the entry room), stay two nights, and walk the lake at dawn before the tour groups arrive.
Who it's for: food lovers, and couples adding two quiet nights to Shanghai. If you want a new room with all the tech, look elsewhere.
3. Four Seasons Bali at Sayan
On setting and architecture alone, Sayan is up there with the best Four Seasons in the world. You cross a long bridge through the treetops, the Ayung valley opens up underneath you, and you land on a lotus pond on the roof of the hotel while gamelan players start up in the lobby below. It's the best hotel arrival I know.
The villas are the thing to book. Each has its own garden hidden in the jungle and a plunge pool looking down the valley. Breakfast is a la carte and you can order as much as you like (get the Japanese set with grilled fish). And the main pool by the river was nearly empty every time I went down, even when the resort was full.
So why is it last in this group? I have to be honest... it's showing its age. The resort opened in 1998, and in my suite the heavy wooden louvres didn't quite seal, the river was loud at night and the room felt a little damp. There are only two real restaurants, and they're good, not great. The whole place is steps and steep paths.
And then there's Mandapa, just up the same river, with newer and bigger villas and much better food, usually for less money. I compare the two in Four Seasons Sayan vs Mandapa.
My tip: three nights is plenty. Book a villa if you like to live outdoors. If you'd rather have a suite, ask for one of the seven riverside suites that were redone in 2026. My full review is here: Four Seasons Bali at Sayan review.
Who it's for: Four Seasons fans, and couples who want to slow right down. It's hard work with bad knees or a stroller.
So which one should you book?
Okay, bottom line.
Want a beach with something to do on it? Landaa Giraavaru, in manta season. A pool to yourself and no reason to leave? Koh Samui. A villa, a white-sand beach and an old town next door? The Nam Hai, in summer.
The best all-round city hotel? Bangkok, easily. Coming to eat? Hong Kong, in a harbour-view room. First time in Japan? Kyoto, in a garden room. First time in Seoul? The Four Seasons, on the palace side.
And if you want the one you'll never forget, it's the Tented Camp. Just go in winter.
All ten are Four Seasons Preferred Partner hotels, so when you book through me you typically get daily breakfast for two, a hotel credit, upgrade priority, and early check-in or late checkout when available, at the same rate as booking direct. Send me your dates and I'll tell you which one I'd pick for your trip.
