Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan lets guests experience a day in the life of a Balinese farmer, part of increased efforts to enhance 
further their holiday visit.
Four Seasons. The name alone carries a mystique, a reputation, an understanding that if you stay there, you are in for one of the most unforgettable hotel stays in your traveling life. And at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan – what else can you expect but a fulfillment of that mystique, that reputation, that promise of a holiday will surely be one of the best in your life.
Since its opening in 1998, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan has been offering a vacation experience of unlimited variety, along with the highly personalized, anticipatory service that guests expect and value from Four Seasons around the world.
From the location and facilities to the amenities and the services, this hotel never disappoints. Enhancing your holiday experience is at the root of its philosophy and it starts from the moment you set foot at the hotel. And yet, no matter often you return to this hotel, nestled among rice fields along the sacred Ayung River, there is always something new to enrich your stay.
Like giving guests a glimpse into the values that run through this agricultural society, an experience we highly recommend to all guests.
The day begins with a morning trek through the Ayung river valley. With the help of an experienced guide, guests will traverse picturesque terraced rice fields and jungle paths leading to the banks of the fast flowing river. Along the way, they’ll witness the bucolic activities of the local farmers and learn about the complex irrigation system used in the paddy fields, called a Subak. After working up an appetite on the trek, breakfast will be served in a private bale, surrounded by the vivid green rice plantings and the mirror-like watery surfaces of the terraces.
After breakfast and a demonstration, guests yearning for a taste of the traditional lifestyle of the Balinese will have the opportunity to plant rice seeds. The lives of rural Balinese are dependent on this staple crop, and the farmers who tend it are viewed as artists who sculpt the rice terraces. In Bali, the ability to care for the fields is viewed as a gift.
Following a refreshment break of young coconuts, it’s time to relax the sore muscles and scrub away the dirt of a hard day’s labor in the fields with a river stone bathing ritual, called batukali. Bathing in the river is both an age-old ritual and a social event for the Balinese. Over the melodious rhythm of the swift flowing water, villagers share laughter, songs, gossip, and stories. The treatment includes an application of fresh herbal blends on the hair and scalp, an invigorating river stone scrub to revive the skin, and a soothing Balinese massage complete with fragrant coconut oil and freshly grated ginger paste to warm and relax the body.
The day’s adventures end with a traditional lunch of nasi campur. Nasi Campur, literally meaning, “mixed rice,” is an Indonesian dish of red rice topped with vegetables, meat or fish, and other accompaniments that might include egg, tofu, and fried soybean cakes known as tempe. Nasi campur is typical of the everyday Balinese meal that a farmer’s wife might prepare and share with her husband in a small shelter known as a pondok in the rice field.
At Four Seasons Bali at Sayan, the meal will be enjoyed in a private bale along the river and include a memento photograph from the day and the nasi campur recipe to enjoy at home.
Four Seasons – and in Bali: An experience to indulge in, a holiday you must make – again, and again.
Contact Details
Four Seasons Resorts Bali
Jimbaran, Kuta Selatan, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Tel: (+62) 361-701-010
www.fourseasons.com
