pjt

We are trying decide between the Uma and the Four Seasons in Ubud for the first part of our trip and then moving on to either the Four Seasons or the Ritz Jimbaran. This will be our first trip to Bali and is for our Honeymoon.

Would appreciate suggestions and guidance!

StanKase

The Four Seasons-Sayan in Ubad is the "best". Get a river room in the middle price range they are offering now. You will not be sorry. The food at the hotel is very good plus several good restaurants within a 20 minutes taxi ride.We found 4 full days the "right" amount of time.A number of sights to see, monkey preserve-not a zoo, art galleries, beautiful rice fields,etc.
You should get a guide/driver for 2-3 days. I do not remember our's but in 2002 it was about $30 for a 6-7 hour day of touring.

Jimbaran Bay area is not my personal favorite place but if you go the Ritz I think is better having stayed at both the FS and Ritz. I personally think 2 full days/3nights sufficient.
The FS in Java is maybe a better bet. Cost of flight and hotel will likely not exceed cost of staying in Jimbaran Bay by more than $300-$400 and you will have quite a different experience.
You MUST have a guide/driver from an established firm in Java, in my opinion. A visit there is worth 4 days.

marmot

The Uma and the 4 Seasons are both good choices in Ubud but are very different in size, location and ambience. The Uma is in the town of Ubud proper and is within walking distance of shops, restaurants and cultural events. It’s squeezed into a narrow property and although it’s very stylish – a bit Japanese in feeling – the overall feeling is somewhat cramped. The 4 Seasons is about 20 minutes outside of Ubud on the ledge overlooking a river valley. It has spacious grounds and public areas. The rooms, especially the villas, are lovely. To me, the restaurant and main buildings overwhelm the property, but this is a minor complaint. I’m sure you’d be well taken care of at either place.

I personally really like the villas at the 4 Seasons in Jimbaran. They’re on the side of a hill overlooking the sea so every villa has a lovely view. The beach itself is just so-so, although good for swimming. You can walk to the beach or you can be zipped around the property in one of those little electric cars. There are three (or four?) restaurants on site and the food is good. The spa is wonderful. There aren’t too many options in nearby restaurants except for the seafood barbeques on Jimbaran beach. (This was the site of the bombing last year.)

The Ritz is much bigger and is more isolated and self contained. It’s also on a cliff overlooking the sea with beautiful views and sunsets, but to get to the beach you have to drive then descend (and eventually ascend) a LOT of steps. There’s a wide range of accommodation within the resort and a good option of restaurants and activities on the site. It’s lively and social whereas the 4 Seasons is more serene and secluded.

My current favorites are the Kayumanis in Ubud and the Legian in Seminyak beach. Both would be great choices for a honeymoon.

Stankase, do you mean the Amanjiwo in Borobudur?

gechaffee

The Four Season in Ubud looks out over rice paddies to the Ayung River and the views are sooo beautiful don't know the Uma except for websites but if its beauty your looking for the Four Seasons Ubud has it.They provide transportation to Ubud for shopping and some great food. Have a great honeymoon

MPT

We stayed at the FS Sayan for our honeymoon last April. The staff were so friendly and attentive (greeted us by name everyday, gave me the recipe for a drink I liked, made my husband consumme when he was sick). The villas are magnificant with awesome views of the rainforest and your own private plunge pool. They also provide a shuttle to Ubud to sightsee, shop, or eat out. The restaurant on site is pretty good too. We loved it so much that we cut short our trip to Candi Dasa to return. On our return, they even upgraded us back ot our original villa at no extra cost. I always think about going back.

We also stayed at the FS Jimbaran and had a similar experience. I highly recommend both.

24Lisa

We were in Bali in November and stayed at the Four Seasons Ubud and can honestly say it was one of the best hotels we have ever stayed at. The food was really good (we only ate one meal there, there are a number of excellent restaurants in downtown Ubud for much cheaper). We did not have a river view room and if we went again, we would spend the extra, although we had a wonderful view of rice paddies with a temple that was visited each morning by a local woman to make offerings (very cool).

As far as beach location, we opted for the Legian in Seminyak. I would highly recommend this resort. Excellent food, beach, pool, staff and walking distance to about 3-4 excellent restaurants. We did go to Jimbaran and saw the outside of the FS. It looked very nice, but I prefer the area around The Legian.

We also spent time at Amanjiwo in Java which I would also recommend. Very different from Bali. Very, Very upscale accomodations (while FS was incredible, the Aman was definatly a few steps above). The service at the Aman was unbelievable. Views, while in the distance, of Borobudur. Very highly recommend this resort. Just keep in mind that Java is hot. I was warned about this before we went and I was thinking I have been to hot places before, this can't be much worse. Oh my gosh, were they right. Very humid, but very worth the experience.

Hope this helps, if you have any other questions I would be happy to answer.