Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
Ubud, Indonesia
A lily-pond rooftop and a valley of rice terraces on the edge of Ubud.
The arrival alone is worth the trip: you walk across a timber bridge into a vast rooftop lotus pond, then wind down into the resort, which is folded into the jungle of the Ayung River valley. It's a piece of theatre that never gets old.
This is the Ubud side of Bali, all rice terraces, river rafting, temples and wellness, and the Four Seasons does it with a serious spa, superb food, and villas that open straight onto the green. It's calmer and more grown-up than the island's beach scene.
The Verdict
The best base for spiritual, green, inland Bali, with an arrival you'll never forget. Pair it with a few nights on the coast for the full island.
Yoga at dawn on the deck as mist rises off the Ayung River and the terraced rice paddies wake up green and gold below you.
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