What is is like to stay at the Four Seasons Jimbaran resort and spa in Bali? It is known as one of the best hotels in Bali but is it worth its reputation? This is my personal review of the luxury beach resort so that you know what to expect before you book and make sure it is the best hotel for your vacation in Bali.

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Arriving at the Four Seasons Jimbaran in Bali

The Four Seasons Bali  Jimbaran is conveniently located very close to the Bali airport. With limited traffic, it takes a mere 20 minutes to get there. You can get a taxi at the airport for about 100000 rpies (6 USD), or you can ask the Four Seasons for an airport transfer, and they will have a driver waiting for you at the airport exit.

The arrival to the luxury beach resort was seamless. My temperature was checked at the security gate. I was then driven to the lobby and offered a drink and a cold towel. The reception staff had already prepared all the documents, so I just needed to give my passport and credit card. Within a few minutes,  I was escorted to my room by a golf cart. The trip was starting well with a five stars check-in experience!

Review of the Four Seasons Jimbaran resort and spa

The Four Seasons Jimbaran in Bali is a luxury complex located in the South of Bali composed of luxury suites.

Each room is its own mini villa and has a private pool and an outdoor seating area. The rooms are surrounded by beautiful gardens and are located on a cliff by the ocean. Consequently, you can see the ocean from most places in the resort.

The location on a cliff is exclusive and gives you a lot of privacy. But what is fantastic is that the north side of the Four Seasons resort and spa in Bali is located on Jimbaran beach. So, it is easy to walk out of the resort to try the local restaurants and shops. So you get the best of both worlds. The exclusivity and quiet of the resort and the action and busyness of the Jimbaran beach.

Most of the newer luxury beach resorts in Bali are large concrete buildings with little Bali atmosphere. In that sense, the Four Seasons Jimbaran was refreshing. No high-rise buildings and the design of a small Balinese village with nature all around. Balinese art is very present, with stone and wood carvings all around.

Moving within the Four Seasons Jimbaran

The resort is immense, and it can take 10-15 minutes to go from one end to the other. Little golf carts are only a call away to drive you to the pool, restaurant or spa. During my stay, they were fast and efficient. However, I enjoyed walking through the resort as many of the sidewalls are seafront and surrounded by fragrant plants.

Amongst the villas at the Jimbaran resort and spa, there are many gazebos and inviting areas to relax. You can also book a romantic diner in one of those areas and it looked gorgeous. This luxury beach resort is perfect for your honeymoon in Bali!

The pools at the Four Seasons Jimbaran

Besides the 150 plunge pools in each villa, there are two public pools at the Four Seasons Jimbaran resort and spa in Bali.

The main pool is located in the middle of the resort and is above the cliff. The pool is built on a stone terrace by the sea. The sun rays warm up your body while the pool water keeps you fresh and cool. You can enjoy cocktails and sun tanning on the double daybeds lined along with the pool. The deep blue colour of the pool water will make you feel so energetic and refreshed. It was always empty during my stay as guests preferred to use their private pools or the Sundara pool on the beach.

The Sundara beach club pool is located directly on the Jimbaran beach. Sundara beach club is part of the Four Seasons but is also open to the public.

It is the nicest pool in the resort due to its size and location on the beach. However, it can get quite busy as it is open to outside guests.

Tip: Even if you are not staying at the Four Seasons, you can still enjoy the Sundara pool. The price for a two-person day bed is 500000 rpies (about 30 USD), and you get that money as restaurant credit!

You can find the menu and other practical info on the Sundara beach club here

I would usually go there for the sunset. The pool is over 50 meters long, and the long chairs are super comfortable. The Four Seasons resort and spa inBali faces the south, so you can’t exactly see the sunset behind the hills, but you can see the reflections. and those were stunning!

Tip: Often, when it rains in the afternoon and clears up before the sunset, it clears up the air. The volcanos become visible in the background, and it often announces a mesmerizing sunset that you don’t want to miss.

The Sundara beach club can get busy at sunset. One afternoon, a group of 15 people came to sit near my lounge chairs. They brought their mini speaker and started to listen to music… I was surprised that it would be allowed as it doesn’t fit with my experience of the Four Seasons usually sophisticated ambiance. Fortunately, I moved to another area of the beach club and avoided the music and cigarette smoke…

The Sundara beach club is proud to have an ‘arak mixologist’, who creates cocktails with Bali traditional alcohol. I tried two cocktails. They were too strong for me!

The Jimbaran beach is also busy but don’t worry. If you want peace and quiet, you can always retreat to the main area of the Four Seasons luxury beach resort.  At sunset, there were so many restaurants tables on the beach that it can hard to walk on the public Jimbaran beach without getting your feet wet as you need to walk close to the waterline. 

Review of the bedroom at the Four Seasons Jimbaran

I stayed in the premier ocean villa number 205

Review of the Bedroom

The bedroom of the premier ocean villa is spacious and comfortable. It is equipped with the comfiest wooden King size bed you can ever lay on. The bed is equipped with classic white bedsheets and embroidered pillowcases and side tables with lamps. It allows you to enjoy your favorite book or a cup of tea before you sleep. The bed is surrounded by a white mosquito net, giving it a vintage look. The room has a tropical regal vibe to itself. One of the walls behind the bed is carved and gives away the well-balanced classical yet contemporary ambiance.

Along the pathway to the bathroom is a unique piece of furniture. The room has a wooden chest/storage box, a working desk, and a chair by the window. The room is furnished based on Balinese courtyard houses.

It is also well insulated as I didn’t hear anyone staying in the villas around me. The lighting has been carefully designed to provide a different ambiance, depending on whether you want to work or relax. Still, I wish they had a master switch near the bed as I sometimes find it annoying to have to turn off all the lights manually before going to bed.

The minibar is well equipped, and drinking water bottles are provided free of charge. I appreciated that they use reusable glass bottles to avoid plastic pollution. I had six of those bottles in my room, but as the staff realized I drink a lot of water, they gave me extra water bottles for the next few days without me having to ask. (this is just an example of how excellent and proactive the service is at the Four Seasons). There is a good selection of tea and coffee in the room’s minibar at the Jimbaran resort and spa in Bali.

The room would be cleaned in the morning and turned down at night. They asked me my preferred time for cleaning during checking, and they were fast at cleaning the room, so I mostly had the space to myself and could enjoy it fully.

The Bathroom

The bathroom allows you to enjoy both indoor and outdoor showers. It has a large soaking bathtub by the window, large enough for two people so you can relish a relaxing bubble bath and felt fantastic. I enjoyed the bath salt, incent and candles provided near the bath for those special moments.

The bathroom has a relaxing ambiance and is amazingly spacious. It is equipped with toiletries, bathrobes, towels, luxury soaps, sanitizer, etc. There are mirrors fixed over the sinks. There is a full-size mirror perfect for capturing your entire outfit snaps. The bathroom is well-lit due to the natural light and is also supported with artificial lights.

A private pool with an incredible view

One of the most remarkable features of getting the premier ocean view villa is access to a private infinity pool facing the ocean. The plunge pool is covered by exotic flowers and trees on one side. It is not huge, but I found it large enough to do a few laps.

The room has an additional living area in the form of a thatched-roof pavilion in the garden area. The pavilion has the perfect balance to capture the sunlight, as well as a shaded area. The overall environment complements the serenity you are looking for when on vacation. It provides a cozy space to spend your time with your partner or kids, enjoy your breakfast, or even sun tanning. I enjoyed the pool and the garden so much that I ended up spending most of my time relaxing in the garden!

The photo below is the view from the villa pool at sunset. And it is without any filters! The colors were absolutely magical!

What room to choose at the Four Seasons Jimbaran, Bali?

The entry-level room at the Four Seasons Jimbaran resort and spa in Bali is the garden villa. Then you have the Jimbaran Bay villa, and the higher end villa is the premier ocean villa.

All the villas have a similar layout and size. The main difference between the villa types is their location in the resort’s proximity to the ocean and their sea view.

The garden villas have no or limited sea view. The deluxe and premier villas also have a slightly larger pool, but that’s a very small difference. So, if you plan to spend a lot of time in your villa and enjoy being close to the ocean, it is worth upgrading to a premier ocean villa. I loved every minute I spent on the terrace, watching the waves crashing down below and the birds playing in the garden.

For families, they also have 2 bedrooms villas but I didn’t see those.

Review of the food at the Four Seasons resort

Due to Covid restrictions, the only restaurant open during my stay was the Sundara beach club, so I ate there for breakfast and dinner.

Breakfast at Sundara beach club

Breakfast is offered on the upstairs terrace of Sundara beach club. It provides the most fantastic view of Jimbaran Bay.

It is a la carte and has a wide choice of eggs, healthy options, and more consistent dishes. You can see the menu below.

The quality of the food is high. I appreciated the freshly squeezed fruit juices. The selection of tea is interesting. I adored their Macha green tea as it was not too bitter.

Tip: Breakfast is advertised from 6:30 to 10:00 am, but they are not strict on the timing. I was there until 10:45 am, and they were still serving a few tables.

Unfortunately, the area allows smokers. The table next to me was chain-smoking with the wind blowing their smoke towards me, which was unpleasant. It might be good to have a section exclusively for smokers as most other hotels do

Jimbaran beach Barbecue at the Four Seasons Sundara restaurant.

Jimbaran luxury beach  beach barbecue is one of the must-do activities in Bali. Tourists can go to Jimbaran beach around sunset time and eat freshly caught seafood grilled just for you. It is usually overcrowded, with thousands of tourists sitting on the beach.

Few people know that the Four Seasons offers its own take on the Jimbaran barbecue dinner. The Sundara restaurant seating area is much more stylish and spacious. The pool and waterlilies pond create a gorgeous sunset reflection.

Sundara restaurant offers a set BBQ menu that is surprisingly affordable. You can choose three main courses between fish, seafood, meat, and vegetarian options. The menu is below:

My favorite dish was the spicy feta gnocchi. The flavors packed into them were incredible, so even if you go there for the seafood, don’t overlook the vegetarian options. It’s worth noting that the portions are large, and I ended up with too much food.

Tip: Sundara beach club restaurant is open to the public and booking is advisable.

Besides the barbecue, you can also see their all-day menu here.

Review of the service at Four Seasons Jimbaran

Beyond the understated elegance, the reason many people keep returning to Four seasons luxury beach resorts over and over is the quality of the service. And the Four Seasons Jimbaran didn’t disappoint. The service was absolutely flawless. My needs were often anticipated, and everything I asked for was delivered promptly and with a smile. The service also felt personal, with many people addressing me by name.

What to do at the Four Seasons Jimbaran?

Let’s be honest, I enjoyed my villa so much that I did very few activities while at the Four Seasons. I spent my days between my private ocean-facing pool, the beach club pool, and the spa… It was pure and total relaxation.

Weekly activities at the Four Seasons Jimbaran

As customary for the Four Seasons hotels, weekly activities are offered to guests. Compared to other Four Seasons hotels I have stayed at, the complementary activities were very limited and not inspiring, so I didn’t do any during my stay. They only offered 3 complimentary yoga classes per week and those were all in the afternoon.

You can see the schedule of activities during my stay below.

Watersport at the Four Seasons Jimbaran

The water sports center is located on the beach past the Sundara beach club. They offer complimentary kayaks and paddleboards. They also have a hobby cat for guests, but it was out of order during my stay.

The Gym at the Four Seasons Jimbaran

The Four Seasons Jimbaran has a gym. It is not the biggest gym in Bali but it has a few high-quality machines to keep you moving if that is what you want to do during your holiday. 

Review of the Spa at Four Seasons Jimbaran

The Four Seasons Jimbaran has developed a whole healing village. It is big and beautiful and shows you how serious the Four Seasons Jimbaran in Bali is about the Spa experience. Make sure you don’t miss it!

The treatment list is innovative, with a focus on light and sound healing.

They even have a soundproof room with a massage bed covered by warm stones and gold! The Four Seasons Jimbaran spa is at the forefront of healing technologies as sound therapy is increasingly viewed as a therapeutic modality ( with lots of scientific studies to back it up). In the sound room, they do sound and color therapy sessions. Just entering the room felt weird, and I already felt more relaxed.

I did the Baru Detox treatment. It is a 135 minutes treatment that includes a scrub. The body brushing really woke up my skin. I was then covered by a citrus oil and clay wrap with detoxification powders and wrapped in warm blankets.

The massage table is hyper-advanced. It is heated and moves in all directions, a bit like a first-class plane seat. So the therapist can easily put your body in the most comfortable position.

During the wrap, the spa therapist did a mini facial. I was then treated to a Vichy shower to rinse off. The Vichy shower is covered by colour lights ( chromotherapy) that represent the Chakras. The water flowing on my body was super relaxing. Still, I was a bit skeptical about the chakra light because they were not positioned above my chakra body.

The massage was divine, and I wanted to stay on the massage bed forever. I left absolutely relaxed, with my skin soft and glowing!

The four seasons resort and spa is not cheap,  especially compared to other spas in Bali, but it is worth it. It is one of the best spas I have ever been to, and you must try it at least once in your life!

Tip: arrive a bit early to use the steam room. It will relax your muscles even more before the spa treatment.

In conclusion of my review of the Four Seasons Luxury Beach Resort

It is easy to see why the Four Seasons is considered one of the best hotels in Bali. Its fragrant garden, charming villas, private pool, outstanding spa, and excellent service are recipes for a relaxing vacation. I enjoyed my villa so much that I found it hard to go out and explore the area and the magic of Bali!

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For more beach resorts in Bali, read my reviews of the Mulia resort, the Sofitel Nusa Dua, and the Six Senses Bali

If you want to discover  Bali, read my articles about visiting East Bali, visiting central Bali, and the best restaurants in Ubud.

And if you have more time and want to escape for a few days, check out  North Bali. Few tourists make it to north Bali, but it is delightful, where waterfalls, volcanos, and dolphins await the more adventurous travelers. There are no super luxury hotels in North Bali but you can find beachfront private pool villas like villa Seaview that will provide a different experience.