On My List Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan – Bali High

Usually, a business lunch with our Four Seasons Hotel peeps involves champagne and a scrumptious lunch; it’s been awhile since this lunch with one of my VV Favorite Four Seasons GM’s, Randy Shimabuku, but I’m obsessed with the arrival at Four Seasons Resort, Bali, where he is now the General Manager. He has hosted me in the Maldives, filled my daily schedule with activities from dawn to dusk and a dinner date with an activity director or he & his lovely wife every night. Although my days of resort activities were exhausting, I became an expert on the resort, smart guy, Randy! Stand by for personal photos!

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan

Many travelers balk at beach travel that includes a flight over eight hours. My first vast flight time beach holiday was to The Brando and to the Four Seasons in Bora Bora. Both are worth the journey; Hawaii is not Tahiti! Mexico is not Tahiti!

In Bora Bora, a beautiful beach with an endless horizon, nothing but palm trees or a massive Mountain. Imagine gazing at Mount Otemanu from a bubbling jacuzzi at the Four Seasons Bora Bora, a vista is a thousand times more beautiful than a beach amid humanity. The long flights are truly worth the destination. Bora Bora is in the middle of the Southern Pacific Ocean. And then there are the brilliantly black skies dripping with stars, the Souther Cross comes to mind!

Four Seasons Spa Bora Bora

Maldives invitation seemed so far…longer flight time, initially I was skeptical. Nothing prepared me for the beauty of the Maldives – I stayed two weeks and could have stayed longer. So many activities, endless beauty.

Bali is closer than the Maldives, will you now consider it?! Combine a tropical island getaway with ancient rainforests, enchanting temples and rice fields  With three unique river rafting experiences, there’s something for everyone to do on Bali’s longest river.

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan offers the world’s first arrival by River Raft. I’ve been offered a resort landing with a kite surfer, luckily the wind was up and when the GM took me to the cliff side restaurant where I would have jumped – I said I could never have jumped from there! A river raft arrival, how cool is this? Just say Yes, or Suksema.

For a unique check-in experience, arrive at the Resort by river raft – exclusively available to guests transferring from sister property, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay. Duration: 2.5-3 hours.

Famed for its dramatic treetop arrival via a suspension bridge, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan  offers guests a 180-degree change of perspective, with Bali’s first hotel arrival by river raft.

Submerged in a river valley close to the artistic center of Ubud, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan has launched the innovative rafting check-in as an option for guests transferring from its sister Resort, the beach front Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay on Bali’s south-west coast.

Avoid the usual 90-minute road transfer, travelers combining a stay at both Resorts can instead be taken by private car (60 minutes’ drive) to the departure point for a two-hour rafting adventure down Bali’s longest river, the Ayung.

While you enjoy a leisurely guided adventure through Class III rapids with views of lush jungle, rice terraces and majestic gorges, your luggage continues by car and precedes your arrival at Four Seasons Resort Sayan.

After discovering secluded sites – including a natural holy spring and an historic dam belonging to Bali’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed subak irrigation system – rafters land directly at the Resort’s Riverside Restaurant.

Waiting staff ensure a seamless check-in and within minutes guests are relaxing in their room, delivering a hotel arrival unlike any other.

This new arrival by river offers the opposite view with a slow reveal from under the canopy of trees, making it perfect for repeat guests who have experienced the bridge arrival before.

My mantra – the arrival sets the stage for the Journey, certainly applies to this magical adventure! It does not feel like a check-in experience, but rather a transition to another world, welcomed by the friendliest people on Earth, what could be better?!

Located amid two acres of rice fields and groves of fruit trees, vegetable, and herb gardens, 42 private pool villas and 18 suites enable guests to retreat from the world and embrace the valley’s healing energy. Float above treetops on a dramatic suspension bridge and cross into a different world. With locally inspired experiences and rice bowl-shaped architecture set against the lush Ayung River Valley, the Resort takes you closer to the heart and soul of Bali.

Unpacking List: It’s not the things you take with you that define your journey; it’s the experiences you have and the memories you bring home.

Classic Yachts – Extraordinary Setting

Two stunning offerings for your consideration: One Classic Motor Sail Yacht offering once in a life-time journeys throughout Indonesia and SE Asia from Papua and Raja Ampat, the holy grail of divers in the East, to the Spice Islands of Banda and further West to Thailand and Myanmar and the Andaman Islands of India each year, following clear skies and calm seas.

Yacht CharterThe Komodo-Flores region is a perennial favorite noted for diving, spectacular pink sand beaches, and as the native habitat of the Komodo dragon. This magnificent area has been a long kept secret for many years, but in 2012 Komodo National Park was officially voted one of The Seven Wonders of the World. The dedicated, professional crew is widely acclaimed as “best crew ever” by the frequent return guests of both of these extraordinary ships. Her dedicated crew of 12 will lead guests to little known corners of this magnificent archipelago to experience history, culture and the traditions of its people. Dive or snorkel the best reefs in the world or simply relax on miles of teak deck, sail with fair winds shaded by the magnificent, lofty rust-colored sails billowing in the wind. During the summer, she will cruise in the Flores Archipelago. Composed of a narrow rugged island grouping strung with a chain of dramatic volcanoes, the landscape within the Flores Archipelago is beautiful in an untamed way.  Each island has it’s own traditional culture, specific hand-woven textiles and even language, yet all of the people in this area still live a very traditional life of farming and fishing.

The Portuguese were the first outsiders to arrive in the early 1500’s on the search for spices and left a strong imprint of Christianity upon the islands in this area. They gave the archipelago, the name Cabo das Flores or the Cape of Flowers as the beauty of the underwater coral gardens lining the bays astounded them. This region is world renowned for diving and snorkeling due to the beauty and diversity of the corals and fishes.

Although these islands are among Indonesian’s most beautiful, very few visitors cruise these waters. Enjoy secluded bays, beaches, and scenic anchorages virtually to yourself, and be one of the few to visit the various villages. On this fully crewed charter, anchor underneath a still active puffing volcano, hike into a village to see traditional Ikat textile weaving from cotton boll to finished piece; hand spun, woven and dyed with natural dyes made from local materials. Wander long isolated beaches, littered with beautiful shells, and swim over extensive and extraordinary coral gardens. Hike up the side of an active volcano; later, relax with a fishing rod in hand as the fishing is outstanding. This is a charter location off the beaten track, unspoiled by the modern world and well worth exploring. Accommodates 6 guests.

Yacht Two. We invite you to set sail on a truly modern classic sailing vessel, which was built to the demanding high standards of German Lloyds register of shipping. A powerful hand crafted traditional wooden sailing vessel, this magnificent ship melds the best of the traditional spice island sailing vessels with all of the modern amenities and safety features one would expect in a vessel of her quality. No expense has been spared to ensure that discerning travelers accustomed to understated elegance and exquisite cuisine, discover and admire the majestic scenery, underwater wonders and fascinating artistic expression found along the fabled spice routes of South East Asia. Onboard a traditional teak 2-masted sailing ship, you will explore the little known, yet fascinatingly diverse, island cultures east of Bali. From Komodo dragons, “ikat” textiles, volcanic crater lakes to war dances, explore in-depth, the ancient cultures rimming the Savu Sea. Each dawn will reveal a new island landscape and a different culture, perhaps a gently smoldering volcano, the craggy peaks of Komodo or a sleepy native harbor bustling with traditional fishing craft and local inter- island schooners.

The private yacht sails in Indonesia from April to November every year, before re-positioning up to the West Coast of Malaysia Thailand and Myanmar, from December to March. In deciding when you want to sail, you can choose a quiet beach and dive trip in the Andaman Sea and in Komodo National Park or one of the most memorable cultural trips visiting the tribes of Irian Jaya (Papua), attending the Asmat Auction for their art, visiting the remote and rich Spice Islands and discovering the trade posts and beautiful islands visited during the height of the Spice Trade.

For beach and sailing, cultural trips or astonishing diving in Komodo National Park or Raja Ampat, Indonesia’s Eastern Islands are yours to discover.

Yacht includes five spacious cabin suites; a teak lounge and dining area surrounded by large windows, on deck dining area, and well equipped dive area. Accommodates ten guests.

Most of the islands are blessed with deserted white sand beaches, transparent turquoise waters, and stunning coral reefs waiting to be explored. Each day you will have the opportunity to snorkel, swim, relax or hike.

anchored-in-front-of-active-volcano-