Guest arriving for the first time at Four Season Resort Bali along Jimbaran Bay is greeted with warm smiles, cool drinks and cold towels. Within minutes, they are being whisked by electric buggy to their own private villa; one of 147 clustered around seven village squares.
The squares are spread over landscaped terraces that contain 1500 hand-carved stones statues and more than 200 plant species tended by a gardening staff of 90. Each square administered by a "village chief" who is responsible for the well-being of those in his domain. (In more pragmatic hotel terminology, he is the staff butler charged with house keeping and room service duties for about 20 villas.)
The natural tones and textures of the local Bukit stone used for construction throughout the resort lend a most distinctive look. An immense amount of exacting work by local craftsmen went into the construction. At one point, they were 4200 workmen on site and 5000 laboring elsewhere to cut, polish and otherwise prepare materials.
These statistic left behind by the contractor may some idea of the extent to which traditional means were followed throughout the building process: work on the roofs alone involved 54,695 pieces of bamboo rafter, 750 kilometers (470 miles) of palm string to secure the alang-alang grass and 250 kilometers (155 miles) of bamboo string to tie the alang-alang to the rafters.
There are 139 one-bed room villas at Four Season Resort Bali, plus six more with two bed rooms and two Royal Villas. The latter are particularly luxurious, each with two bedrooms, and attached bathrooms, deep bathtubs, indoor outdoor showers, a private swimming pool, sauna, spa, cold plunge pool and two sun decks. Royal Villa also have kitchen, pantry and the services are a live in maid.
Even the one-bedroom units, though, provide an abundance of space and luxury, with 200 square meters (2150 square feet) of indoor and outdoor living area; luxuriant private gardens fragrant with the aroma of frangipani; three open-side thatched-roof pavilions for reading, dining and general lounging; huge tubs perfect for long scented soaks; personal plunge pools; and (thanks to the altogether natural way the resort is laid along a solve above the beach) outstanding views of the bay area. Guest have their own stereo system and (it they wish) video recorders, too, along with access to the resort extensive library of videos.
Each villa was created as a natural extension of the resort's lovely surrounding. You can sleep in air-conditioned comfort or open the louvered doors and screened windows to slumber under the gentle whir of an overhead fan, with Mozart serving as your lullaby. Thoughtful little touches of luxury are everywhere. The sheets are crisp cool cotton. The shaving and make-up mirrors are first-class. Towels are extra-fluffy. The in-room bar is extremely well-stocked. And donning one of the resort's distinctive Ikat bathrobes will certainly make you feel regal.
