Introduction
On setting and architecture alone, Four Seasons Sayan is up there with the best Four Seasons properties in the world. It opened in 1998, built straight into the side of the Ayung River valley outside Ubud, and it has hosted everyone from heads of state to honeymooners who could have gone anywhere.
That said, there are drawbacks that make me hesitate to recommend it outright: dated rooms, dining that's good rather than exceptional, and rates that run above Mandapa, despite delivering less of an experience.
The property is made for one kind of holiday. If you want to slow right down, swim, eat well and do very little, it's close to perfect. If you like to be busy, you'll run out of things to do quickly. I'll explain who it suits in the verdict.
Location
Sayan sits deep in the valley west of central Ubud, and you can't walk into town. Everything outside the resort is a drive away, which is either the whole point or a deal-breaker, depending on what you want.
The entrance is easy to miss. From the road it's a small, unassuming gateway, the sort you'd drive past thinking there's a little guesthouse behind it. What's actually behind it is a large resort stepping all the way down to the river. Security at the gate is thorough, with sniffer dogs checking every car.
Central Ubud and the palace are about 20 minutes away by car. The resort runs a shuttle, but it leaves at set times and comes back early, so we mostly used taxis, which are easy to arrange.
A note on mobility: the property is all hills, steps and steep paths, and there are no lifts. A buggy is available around the clock, so it's manageable for most people, but if walking is genuinely difficult, book a room in the main building rather than a villa, and mention it when you book.
First Impressions
The arrival is the most famous part of Sayan, and it deserves it. From the drop-off you cross a long bridge through the tree canopy, and the valley opens up beneath you. You land on the roof of the main building, a large lotus pond, with the rest of the resort dropping away below.
Before you cross, the staff offer you a coloured sash to wear as a Balinese blessing, and as you walk over the bridge, the gamelan players in the lobby start up to welcome you. It's a lovely touch, and it sets the tone for the whole stay.
The engineering is what stayed with me. Building something this ambitious into a jungle hillside, in this climate, in the late nineties, is remarkable. It's also a place built on common sense rather than safety rails. There are drops and edges everywhere, which are part of the magic, but it's worth keeping an eye on children.
Just off the lobby is the Jati Tea Bar. The tea list is shorter than I'd hoped, but the afternoon tea food was excellent, and I'd recommend booking it at least once.
The Room
We started in a suite in the main building, then moved down to a villa for the rest of the stay.
The suites are split over two floors. You come in to a living room with its own balcony, and a staircase takes you down to the bedroom, the bathroom and a second terrace looking out over the palms. There's a lot of space, and far more of it indoors than in the villa. There was a welcome bottle of sparkling wine, a fruit basket and a selection of Balinese sweets like klepon waiting for us.
The suite is also where Sayan's age shows most. The décor is traditional Balinese, with dark timber, carved panels and solid wooden louvres in place of curtains. It's handsome, but the louvres are heavy to open and close, and the old window frames don't quite seal. With the river rushing just below, the room is noisier at night than you'd expect, and between the older air-conditioning and the humidity, it felt a little damp. None of this spoilt the stay, but at this price I'd expect a room that feels more current.
The villas are set apart from the main building, each with its own rooftop lotus pond as the entrance. You come in at roof level, look out over the valley, then walk down a staircase past a small water feature to the villa itself. As with the arrival, I'd admire the pond from the middle rather than the edge. It's a long drop.
Outside is where the villa really shines:
- A private garden, completely enclosed by jungle, so you have total privacy
- Your own infinity plunge pool, about 1.5 metres deep
- A covered daybed and a sofa on the terrace
Inside, the bedroom is comfortable and well laid out, with folding doors that open straight onto the pool. It's been well looked after, but like the suite, the four-poster, the heavy fabrics and the dark wood feel very much of their era. A rollaway bed was added at no charge. The minibar is priced as you'd expect, though a few snacks were complimentary.
The bathroom is almost as big as the bedroom. It has a double vanity, a freestanding bathtub, an indoor shower, a walk-in wardrobe, a separate toilet in its own timber room and an outdoor shower built into the stone wall.
Two things to know before you book:
- The villa interior is fairly compact. Most of the living space is outside on the terrace, so if you're someone who likes to lounge indoors in the air-conditioning, the main-building suites actually give you more interior space. Choose the villa if you love being outdoors and want your own pool. Choose a suite if you'd rather be indoors and close to everything.
- The keys are traditional metal keys, not key cards. It's a nice nod to tradition, but they're heavy in your pocket and scratch your phone. A waterproof key wristband, like the ones some other Four Seasons resorts use, would make much more sense in a place where you're in and out of the water all day.
Dining
For a resort of this calibre, the dining choice is limited: there are really only two restaurants, plus room service and the tea bar.
Riverside sits by the main pool at the bottom of the valley, and it was my favourite meal at Sayan. The mahi-mahi and the linguine were both excellent, and sitting beside the river on a warm evening is hard to beat.
That said, it's good resort cooking rather than a reason to stay here. Neither restaurant is a destination in its own right the way Kubu is at Mandapa, just up the river.
Ayung Terrace, below the lobby, serves Indonesian food in the evening. It wasn't really to my taste, but that says more about me than the kitchen, and anyone who loves Indonesian cooking may well rate it highly.
In the morning Ayung Terrace becomes the breakfast restaurant, and breakfast was very good. It's mostly unlimited à la carte, so you order as much as you like from a menu, with a small buffet on the side. I suspect keeping most of the food off the buffet also keeps the insects away from it. The Japanese set with grilled fish was the standout, and fresh coconuts and mangosteen kept coming for as long as we wanted them.
For a special occasion, the resort can set up a private candlelit dinner on the deck of the lotus pond, lit with lanterns and scattered with petals.
The Pools
The main pool is down by the river on two levels, right next to Riverside. The most striking thing about it was how empty it always was. The manager told us the resort was full when we checked in, yet I rarely shared the pool with anyone. That's true of the whole property. Apart from the restaurants at peak times, Sayan feels like you have it to yourself. Now
Gym and Spa
The fitness centre is one of the best I've used at a resort. It's officially open from 6 am to 9 pm, but you can ask to use it after hours, and that includes the sauna and plunge pools, which most hotels close at night. I had a late sauna one evening and the staff were happy to arrange it.
There are three plunge pools (ambient, cold and hot) looking out over the river and the main pool, and the changing rooms have both a sauna and a steam room. Bottles of cold water are waiting as you walk out, which is a small detail I really appreciated.
Further along the river is the Sacred River Spa. It looks beautiful, though I didn't book a treatment, so I can't tell you how they compare. If you do want one, book as early as you can, because the treatment rooms fill up quickly in peak season.
Activities
Most of what's on offer here is things you could do anywhere, like cooking classes and art classes. There are two exceptions:
- The Sacred Nap is the one activity I'd genuinely recommend. You're wrapped in a silk hammock, almost like a cocoon, in a pavilion by the river, and someone reads you the story of the Buddha while you drift off for about an hour. I haven't seen anything like it elsewhere.
- River rafting is fun, but the resort's price is very high. You can book the same stretch of river through a local operator for a fraction of the cost.
If you're fit enough for the steep steps, walk past the cooking school to the footbridge over the river. The gate to Sayan village was closed when I went, but the view up and down the river is lovely. There's also a small temple on the grounds that's worth seeing.
In the early evening, there's a Balinese dance performance in the lobby, with a full gamelan orchestra and the valley turning blue behind the dancers. Order a drink and catch it at least once.
Things to Pack
- Your own mosquito repellent. The resort provides one made from essential oils. It smells wonderful, but it didn't do much for me.
- Something for the rain. It rains hard here, often at night and first thing in the morning. Don't panic if the forecast shows a week of storms, though. In Bali that usually means heavy bursts, and afternoons are often clear.
Service
The service at Sayan is warm and attentive, and the staff remember your name almost immediately. When I couldn't get through to a restaurant in Ubud, the concierge booked it for me, called back to confirm, and offered to arrange the car without my having to ask. That's Four Seasons at its best.
My only criticism is that the resort felt a little understaffed. There were a few delays with housekeeping, the lobby team was small, and requests sometimes took longer than they should at this level. With a few more people on the team, the service would be close to perfect.
The Verdict
Overall: 7.5/10
Four Seasons Sayan is a great resort, and one of the most architecturally impressive I've stayed at anywhere. If you're a fan of the Four Seasons brand, it's a good choice.
That said, it isn't particularly friendly for children or older travellers, with all those steps, steep paths and open edges. The dining was also a little below what I'd expect at this level and rooms especially the suites are on the older side. In my opinion, Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, a couple of kilometres up the same river, delivers a better experience at a lower price. And if you want the wilder version of the Ayung valley, Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape is an hour further north with no walls at all.
A few tips if you're booking:
- Three nights is the sweet spot for most people. After three you may start running out of things to do, unless doing nothing is exactly what you want.
- Pick your room by how you like to spend your time. Villas are for people who want to live outdoors by their own pool. Main-building suites have more indoor space and are much easier if mobility is a concern.
- Compare it with Mandapa first. At current rates, Mandapa's villas are newer and much larger, and the dining is in another league. Sayan maybe still worth it if you find a good rate or if you love the Four Seasons brand.
- Pair it with a beach stay. Sayan works best as one part of a Bali trip. I'd follow it with a few nights at the St. Regis Bali in Nusa Dua or The Andaz in Sanur, both situatated much closer to the airport.
Booking Four Seasons Sayan With Perks
As a Four Seasons Preferred Partner travel agency, MT Luxury Travel secures exclusive benefits for our clients at Four Seasons properties worldwide, at no additional cost:
Complimentary daily breakfast for two guests
Room upgrade upon arrival, subject to availability
$100-200 USD hotel credit per stay
Early check-in and late checkout priority
VIP recognition and welcome amenities
Booking is simple: send us a quick message with the hotel, your dates, room type and number of guests, and we'll take care of the rest.
