Luxury Hotels - The Club at the Legian Bali vs. FS Sayan

I'm planning to be in Bali in early to mid June this year and originally planned to stay for 7/8 days at my usual place, the Chedi Club at Tanah Gajah. Well, unfortunately it seems that the Chedi Club only has availability for a pool villa for 4 out of my planned 7/8 nights and is fully booked the other nights.

So I'll need to split my stay and in line with this I currently thinking about the Chedi's sister hotel "The Club at the Legian" or about the at the Four Seasons Sayan. The villa at The Club at the Legian certainly looks great and judging from the reviews in the net, the service is (nearly) faultless too, so in the same league as at Tanah Gajah. I love the fact that there are only 11 Club villas secluded from the rest of the Legian, as quietness (and privacy) is an important factor for me. But I'm not quite sure regarding the "quietness"... the Legian is located in Seminyak and judging from Google maps, there is quite something nearby. And the last thing I would like to hear when on holiday is the beat of a night-club :p Would be great to hear your experience about the Seminyak area! Unfortunately there aren't many reviews or posts about The Club at the Legian here on flyertalk.

The second hotel on my "short-list" is the FS Sayan in Ubud (so quite near to the Chedi Club at Tanah Gajah). The pool villa looks nice too and it's also well regarded here.

Price wise, due to a nice offer the combination of The Chedi Club at Tanah Gajah and The Club at the Legian works out a little bit cheaper than the one with FS.

Any thoughts about this? What would you recommend?

I can't speak to the quality of the Legian, but I stayed at both of the Four Seasons Bali hotels in 2010, and I found Sayan to REALLY show its age. The hotel was probably really fabulous 20 years ago when it was built, but now it just looks really tired. It photographs a lot better than it looks in person. The service was fine, but not tip-top four seasons service. If you're looking to stay in Ubud, I would probably stay elsewhere. My top rec would be Amandari.

I can't speak to the quality of the Legian, but I stayed at both of the Four Seasons Bali hotels in 2010, and I found Sayan to REALLY show its age. The hotel was probably really fabulous 20 years ago when it was built, but now it just looks really tired. It photographs a lot better than it looks in person. The service was fine, but not tip-top four seasons service. If you're looking to stay in Ubud, I would probably stay elsewhere. My top rec would be Amandari.

Hi- Thanks for the information. If not Amandari- would you have any other suggestions? I am looking for something in August new to test out.

Frequent_Flyer1

i stayed for 4 nights at chedi club and four nights at club @ legian in september. like u i spent months debating what to do. honestly you should go for the club @ legian . arguably the best hotel experience i have had. YES even better than the amazing chedi. such an elegant , classy hotel with incredible standards. our butler at the club was unbelievable. its one butler to one villa at legian whereas at chedi our butler was doing another villa as well. the villas are massive , another level up from chedi. we left chedi thinking oh well nothing will beat this so were so glad when we enjoyed legian even more!

dont worry about noise you will not hear a thing. it is so peaceful. go for it!!!

i got both on a 4 for 3 deal using DavidO. my tripadvisor review below;

"we stayed here after 4 nights at the amazing GHM Chedi Ubud. We thought that that hotel could not be beaten but how wrong we were .

how this hotel isnt at the top of tripadvisor i do not know. elegant luxury . gorgeous grounds , beach , pools etc etc

we stayed at the club across the road for 4 nights in a pool villa. you get between the hotel and the club by spending about 1 minute travelling by golf cart! i thought the villas at chedi where amazing but they blew even those away. amazing butler called Sura . the great thing about the Legian Club is your butler only works for you - so is always there for you.

just absolutely amazing. service. spa . restaurants . afternoon tea at the villa . free cocktails. my local newspaper from the UK brought to our room every day.

any questions - Sura had an answer. where to get handbags ? where to eat ? where to get authentic Bali souvenirs ? Sura had an answer and a car waiting to take us there!
the list is endless

amazing amazing amazing - truely a leading hotel of the world
we met the assistant manager at a cocktail night and had a note from the manager on arrival and an email after. brilliant service.

we were treated like VIPs from start to finish thanks to the level of service at the hotel and being on honeymoon and booking through the legendary travel agent David Ourisman all helped!

stayed in a lot of 5 star hotels in europe and usa and this was the best"

ps any questions just shout .

I'm an Aman fan, but some comments / suggestions.

FS Sayan is quite nice but has has more of a hotel feel to it. With all the choices in Ubud, I'd pick something a little more intimate. You might try Komaneka Tangayyuda. There are bunch of other local places in Ubud as well. They have a different feel, but are very nice and worth trying.

There is a lot going on in Seminyak but it's not noisy. The beaches are pretty crowded. I liked the Oberoi better than the Legian but that was a while ago. Had a very nice pool villa at the Oberoi. Seminyak is a better choice than Jimbaran or NuaDusa.

If you go to Bali a lot, you might also want to check out the Tugu Hotel. It's an older hotel with a lot of history. Walter Spies used to hang out there, and the decor and decorations are old and authentic. It's not my cup of tea, but certain kinds of people really like it. It's definitely not modern 5 star.

If you go to Bali a lot, you might also want to check out the Tugu Hotel. It's an older hotel with a lot of history. Walter Spies used to hang out there, and the decor and decorations are old and authentic. It's not my cup of tea, but certain kinds of people really like it. It's definitely not modern 5 star.

:D

The Tugu isn't quite 70 years old! It's actually quite new, It has a Walter Spies Pavilion but the buildings are primarily what the owner (an Indonesian antiques dealer) has rescued from historic old buildings in the process of being destroyed and rebuilt them in his properties. Should be rightly applauded as well - amazing how quickly some Indonesia cities have hastily pulled down some beautiful old buildings in favour of 40 storey concrete hellholes.

I've stayed at the Tugu Bali & Lombok, and absolutely love them (especially Lombok - Bhagavit Gita Beachfront Suites are special). However, my love of these individual characterful properties are why I don't post much on this forum - as I would not label them 'Luxury' or an alternative to The Club at The Legian. And Canggu is not the greatest location. But amazing all the same - so i'd urge you to look at Tugu hotels if you like character and charm!

I do love the The Club at The Legian. Only downside it felt a bit 'cold / dark' (I suppose down to the use of dark woods!). But again rooms & staff are great.

However, The Legian is fabulous in it's own right. If you have a Pool Villa in Tanah Gajah, I would weigh up what you are looking for and consider one of the top rooms at The Legian as an alternative. OK, no butler service, or private pool, but outstanding rooms which huge balconies overlooking the beach.

I can't speak to the quality of the Legian, but I stayed at both of the Four Seasons Bali hotels in 2010, and I found Sayan to REALLY show its age. The hotel was probably really fabulous 20 years ago when it was built, but now it just looks really tired. It photographs a lot better than it looks in person. The service was fine, but not tip-top four seasons service. If you're looking to stay in Ubud, I would probably stay elsewhere. My top rec would be Amandari.

This is clearly a question of taste/personal preference, so nobody is "wrong" here. That said, I totally disagree. I don't find the FS Sayan showing age at all, except perhaps in that the garden and grounds are fully grown in. I would say that the service is as good as I've had at any Four Seasons, though in the scheme of things differentiating between the top 1% and top 0.5% of hotels, the Indonesian amans nose out the FS Sayan (which in turn beats the FS Jimbaran).

Mr. Megatop and I liked amandari but weren't blown away by it. For basically the same rates, comparing a pool villa or riverside pool villa at FS Sayan to a village suite or valley suite at amandari (but not a pool suite, which is considerably more expensive), we've decided to go with FS Sayan. Yes, it's a little bit bigger than amandari, and has a little bit more of a hotel feel than the private estate feel at amandari, but all things considered we're perfectly content at Sayan. As much as we enjoyed amandari, we don't think the differences in service, setting, etc. justify the higher rates, which run in the range of $200-$400++ per night when comparing poo villas to pool villas.

Now, we haven't been to Sayan since November 2010, so things might have changed. We'll find out next month. If things have really slipped, we'd consider a switch to amandari for our next visit to Bali later this year.

thanks WEEBOBBY ^

The Tugu isn't quite 70 years old! It's actually quite new, It has a Walter Spies Pavilion but the buildings are primarily what the owner (an Indonesian antiques dealer) has rescued from historic old buildings in the process of being destroyed and rebuilt them in his properties.

tugu >
19?? malang
19?? blitar (centrum > sri lestari > tugu)
1997 bali
2008 lombok

does Anhar Setjadibrata no longer operate the villa tugu in canggu?
this is the guy with whom aman(dari?) arranges an art tour in his private residence?

Sam Bee, at legian the beachfront with pool and next 3 suites now have access to legian club amenities.

:D

I've stayed at the Tugu Bali & Lombok, and absolutely love them (especially Lombok - Bhagavit Gita Beachfront Suites are special). However, my love of these individual characterful properties are why I don't post much on this forum - as I would not label them 'Luxury' or an alternative to The Club at The Legian. And Canggu is not the greatest location. But amazing all the same - so i'd urge you to look at Tugu hotels if you like character and charm!


Good thoughts and nice post. We all know Aman, FS, etc. are great. It's nice to hear about alternatives. Post here more please!!!

It's more than luxury, it's about properties where the owners and management are passionate about what they are doing.

thanks WEEBOBBY ^

tugu >
? malang
? blitar (centrum > sri lestari > tugu)
1997 bali
2008 lombok

does Anhar Setjadibrata no longer operate the villa tugu in canggu?
this is the guy with whom aman(dari?) arranges a tour in his private residence?

Sam Bee, at legian the beachfront with pool and next 3 suites now have access to legian club amenities.

I'm a little confused by the whole post tbh, but I believe Anhar Setjadibrata's daughter runs the properties these days.

Thank you 5khours, much appreciated. I'm a bit hesitant about posting more as i've been told before that some of my suggestions 'are not Luxury Hotels' - which is fair - this is a Luxury Hotel forum after all. The fact that I get hugely disappointed by some Aman / FS etc etc, instead finding high quality, and characterful hotels to be far better in many many ways is, largely irrelevant if they are not 'luxury'. My pet hate is Luxury Hotels in stunning locations, that are so identikit that you could be anywhere in the world. Some call it consistency, I call it blandness.

If there was a forum entitled 'Small, independent hotels of quality with charm and character' - i'd be there :D

hotel service is the primary focus in this forum

Now, we haven't been to Sayan since November 2010, so things might have changed. We'll find out next month. If things have really slipped, we'd consider a switch to amandari for our next visit to Bali later this year.

Hi MegatopLover,

Just curious if would share your thoughts on the FS Sayan on your return trip. My partner and I are currently debating between FS Sayan and Ubud Hanging Gardens. Thank!

Hubby and I just returned (Aug 2012) from Bali (4nts St Regis Nusa Dua, 4nts Four Seasons Sayan), Yogyakarta (3nts Amanjiwo), Siem Reap (3nts Amansara), Bangkok (4nts St Regis Bangkok, in lieu of no availability at Four Seasons Tented Camp on the days we wanted :-(.

re: FourSeasons Sayan
We stayed in a Riverfront 1-Bedroom Villa
Net-net: We were underwhelmed. It was our least favorite stay.

-FS Sayan sent car transfer from St Regis Nusa Dua: New, clean BMW, driver polite and on-time, provided cold drinks and cold towels, running commentary on the island's current state of tourism ;-). Great drive into Ubud.

-Location incredible: The bridge crossing to behold the "flying saucer" architecture, the Ayung River rushing below and the lush, green rice terraces and hills around...

-Check-in: Very warm welcome with fresh cold juice and cold towels, 2 musicians playing the gamelan who invited me to try (I did!)

-Villa #28: A bit of a walk from the main building; took the golf cart and the driver drove us all over the property first to show us the spice garden, the riverside spa, the different bales (where we can have our private dinner), the pools, then finally stopped at #28: You enter from the top/roof which has this rooftop lily pond/yoga area, then walk down the stairs to accommodations on the lower level; open air living/dining room with sofa (looked a bit worn) and armchairs (sagging cushions -ugh), coffee tables, plunge pool w/covered lounge bed (which didn't look clean or new at all), outdoor shower around the corner (dead bugs/insects on the wall and floor), bedroom w/ king bed, ottoman at the foot, big desk and chair, sliding glass doors opens up the bedroom to the plunge pool, bathroom w/ double-sinks, make-up mirror (a must for me), bathtub next to door that opens to the outdoor shower, HUGE walk-in closet, kimono-style bathrobes & matching slippers, iron/ironing board, and lastly, the big disappointment: the TINY shower that did not drain the water fast enough (this is a huge peeve of mine, so I tend to shower with my heeled-rubber flip-flops as I freak out when the water gathers around my foot on the shower floor); I had to turn the shower off-on intermittently -whilst showering - to let the water drain. We talked to management about this, and they told us our Villa#28 was one of the newly-refurbished villas! Hmmm.
They must do something about this tiny, badly-functioning shower. Big letdown. Also had problem with mossies because of the outdoor layout; we asked for 2 mosquito repellents to burn outside and extra spraying inside the bedroom.
-Breakfast room service (FHR benefit): Had this every day; never bothered to walk up and in eat in the restaurant, as our outdoor dining and living area had a spectacular view of rice terraces and Balinese farmers in their quaint hats in the distance, whilst the Ayung River furiously rushed below; Food was delicious and warm (I always had the Indonesian brekkie and hubby had pancakes or french toast). Food arrival always on time (the staff had quite a trek to get to us, down the narrow hill steps, then down our villa staircase, balancing all the stuff).
-We had a surprise gift in our villa: Fresh flowers, anniversary cake, bottle of wine, chocolates and fruits dipped in chocolate, sparkling water, congratulatory letter from the GM
-Spa: Had 2 massages (FHR benefit); just OK, not as good as Amanjiwo, Amansara or the 2 St Regis properties; I had a massage practically every day of this vacation :-)
-Gym: Very clean, with plunge pools, and what a view.
-Pools: Two-level pool situated down by the Ayung River. We had drinks and snacks at the Riverside Cafe; great, friendly staff!
-Ayung Terrace Restaurant: Sadly, very unhappy with the service (agonizingly slow, despite only 3 tables filled); we suspected they were short staffed - we saw the restaurant manager pitch in and help the service staff himself) AND the food taste/quality was very mediocre. The menu dishes seemed too heavy (lamb, duck); I ordered the suckling roast pig (babi guling) but it was cold, hard, not tasty at all. One night there was a Balinese dance performance, which was lovely.
-Special chef dinner (FHR benefit): I actually can't remember what we had, my food photos can't even jog my memory...
-Car excursion: Hired FS car/driver to drive us around Ubud, Tegalalang, go shopping; lunch in Monkey Forest Road, etc.; Highly recommend.
-Service: All around great, except the restaurant staff.
-Ambience: We rarely bumped into other guests; there was another couple in the pool area one time, and another lady waiting for her massage at the spa another time. At dinner, only a few tables were occupied... so we always felt a sense of privacy and seclusion.

After the amazing Lagoon Villa at St Regis Nusa Dua (where I laid waste to the awesome breakfast buffet... lobster omelette, anyone!)... and Amanjiwo/Pool Suite, Amansara/Pool Suite, St Regis Bangkok/John Jacob Astor Suite... well, FS Sayan (though great on its own merits) comes up short, imho.
If you decide to stay there, request one of the refurbished villas.

Hi MegatopLover,

Just curious if would share your thoughts on the FS Sayan on your return trip. My partner and I are currently debating between FS Sayan and Ubud Hanging Gardens. Thank!

My partner and I had a wonderful visit. We were there for five days this past May. I'm 99% certain we had the same villa as mistik321.

In short, we did not have any of the problems that mistik321 had. On previous visits, I do remember having problems in another villa and in some of the suites with the indoor showers not properly draining; that was not a problem in our villa last May. We didn't have too much of a problem with mosquitoes, though we do regularly burn the mosquito coils and use the spray if we're getting assaulted. As for other bugs and creepy-crawlies, when one is staying in a jungle, one must expect some guests to turn up without invitations. In our case, at one breakfast, it was a frog who leapt from the water feature at the foot of the entry stairs, into our living area, into the window, where he got caught behind the wooden blinds. We summoned engineering to rescue him, and he was sent back into the river.

The day bed was fairly new when we were there, and it did not look worn even though it gets hit with daily downpours. In general, we really liked the design, an improvement over the chaise lounges available before. The cover goes up and down, depending on your needs and wish to deal with sunshine or rain. There are little stone ledges on the armrests, perfect for putting drinks or an ashtray. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed having an afternoon cocktail and cigar there while reading a book and listening to the soothing sounds of the Ayung River going by.

The refurbishment of the room itself was very nice. There's a new design wall behind the bed that's really beautiful. The desk now has artisan surfaces that match the new vanities, the outside of the bathtub, and the floor of the bathroom. I did have two aethetic issues with it, though: I thought the color of the surfaces was a little too dark, and I missed the clean beauty of the coral-colored terrazo floor in the bathroom.

We didn't have any service issues in the restaurant. We went for breakfast only once; the issue then was all mine-- I was uncomfortably hot after showering and dressing. So we smartened up and took all further breakfasts in the villa, which has just the right spot for breakfast outdoors facing the river. We ate in the restaurant for dinner one night, for a special wine dinner presented by an Italian wine-making family. The restaurant was packed but service was still good; that said, we were seated at the same table as the visiting winemaker and the resort's F&B manager, so I'm sure we got some sort of special attention, and of course they loaded up on extra staff for the event.

One minor quibble is that FS Sayan does not let guests take bicycles off-property, whereas the amans do. We solved this by asking FS to loan us helmets, which they did, and then drop us in Ubud town, where we rented bikes at reasonable rates.

We do not use hotel-provided drivers for either airport transfers or touring days. The hotel charges basically double the going rate for private drivers, with only marginnally better service. We've come to rely on the services of Dewa Marco & Co. But if it's your first visit, and you feel more comfortable with a hotel driver, that's certainly understandable.

My take on FS Sayan vs. amandari remains the same as before. You can get a pool villa at FS Sayan for the same price or less than a Village Villa with no pool or view at amandari, sometimes considerably less. The inclusions vary, yes, and amandari has a stronger cultural program. But we're perfectly content at FS Sayan and always look forward to going back. At this point, some of the staff are starting to recognize us as returning guests, which is nice of course.

That said, overall, our favorite resorts in Indonesia (and perhaps in the world) are these, in this order: amankila, amanjiwo, and FS Sayan.

Renovation has started at the FS sayan - starting with the river suites

I really do like the FS sayan.. The architecture and view are stunning.. We had a private villa, so it did feel like an Aman.

We just returned from 2.5 weeks in Thailand and Bali. In Bali, we stayed at the FS Bali at Sayan (3/21-3/24) and then the St. Regis Bali (3/24 to 3/27). I did a separate review in the Asia board.

We were in Villa 60 at the FS (upgrade via Amex FHR from duplex suite) and got the third night free promotion for a nightly rate of 307, incl. breakfast and the 2 massages as the FHR amenity. It is a riverfront villa but higher up, so your view is mostly obstructed by plants on the patio and trees but you hear the rushing of the river. Villa and patio area was quite spacious. We chose to go to the restaurant rather than in-villa breakfast because the views there were lovely and we were a 2 minute walk away to the reception area (down 2 flights of steps to the restaurant). Service was pretty good, aside from aggressive housekeeping to complete service first thing in the AM and in the late afternoon for turndown. Each day, twice a day, we had to tell housekeeping to return (this was at 9 or 9:30AM and 4:45-5:30PM). We also used the hotel driver, Korta, multiple times during our stay and arranged for a guide through the hotel for a day - he was great at $60/day plus car. We also had pickup service from the airport (regular toyota jeep) and the car has wifi, which is nice for the long drive.

We didn't have any issues with the shower - our shower was a good size and pressure was great.

Strangely, aside from some rose petals in the tub, the hotel did not do anything extra for our honeymoon. We received a small cake from FS Palm Beach where we were married "and" FS Bali at Sayan but nothing like the fruit, etc. that someone else mentioned and nothing by the hotel itself.

We also had an issue with our massage amenity being moved to our villa at the last minute and it was not very relaxing, but the massage itself was quite nice. The main spa is apparently under renovation so most treatments take place in the spa villas which are riverfront. They are renovating the lower riverfront villas near the spa, which is why our treatments were moved to our own villa - lots of noise. I wonder what would happen if you had a facial treatment scheduled or something that could not be portable to your villa.

Anyway, overall a pleasant stay and at 307/night, a good value for our suite. I should note that the hotel was probably less than half full.

floridagal23, great first posts, including these >
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/1453932-reviews-four-seasons-bali-sayan-st-regis-bali.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thailand/1453927-reviews-le-meridien-bangkok-chedi-chiang-mai-four-seasons-koh-samui.html
hope you stick around luxury hotels forum, lots of regular guests of FS and GHM (and amanresorts) here

thanks also mistik321

floridagal23, great first posts, including these >
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/1453932-reviews-four-seasons-bali-sayan-st-regis-bali.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thailand/1453927-reviews-le-meridien-bangkok-chedi-chiang-mai-four-seasons-koh-samui.html
hope you stick around luxury hotels forum, lots of regular guests of FS and GHM (and amanresorts) here

thanks also mistik321

Thanks!

The FS Jimbaran is renovating and relaunching their former beach cafe PJ's into a full blown beach club - Area GM Bali is Michael Branham - who opened their lovely selection of restaurants in FS Bangkok back in 2004 as F&B Director. Unsure if they are already operating this new outlet though..

The FS Jimbaran is renovating and relaunching their former beach cafe PJ's into a full blown beach club - Area GM Bali is Michael Branham - who opened their lovely selection of restaurants in FS Bangkok back in 2004 as F&B Director. Unsure if they are already operating this new outlet though..

I hope they did something with the aircrafts landing schedule or routing at night at the Jimbaran... It was unbearable at night, when planes are flying so low above the resort that you felt like they were landing above you.

I hope they did something with the aircrafts landing schedule or routing at night at the Jimbaran... It was unbearable at night, when planes are flying so low above the resort that you felt like they were landing above you.

I did not even notice them, and I am normally a light sleeper. Do not mean to say that you are over-sensitive or something, just wanted to add another view.

I've stayed at the IC a couple of times which is a bit closer to the airport than the FS.i was never aware of any aircraft noise apart from security helicopters one day when the Australian Prime Minister was visiting. The planes don't come in over the beach.

The FS Jimbaran is renovating and relaunching their former beach cafe PJ's into a full blown beach club - Area GM Bali is Michael Branham - who opened their lovely selection of restaurants in FS Bangkok back in 2004 as F&B Director. Unsure if they are already operating this new outlet though..

They have opened about 1 month ago, called Sundara, and started a big marketing campaign on the island.

As I live basically next door to the FS, I've been a couple of times. Service especially in the beginning had some flaws but I suppose those are just some opening hick-ups. Food is great and all in all the place is much better then the "hip" beach clubs to be like KuDeTa and Potatohead.

I've never noticed any sounds from airplanes flying over btw, in the three months I've been here the helicopters were the ones bothering me once in a while, but other then that it's quiet (in the air, I'm not talking about the street ;) )

They have opened about 1 month ago, called Sundara, and started a big marketing campaign on the island.

As I live basically next door to the FS, I've been a couple of times. Service especially in the beginning had some flaws but I suppose those are just some opening hick-ups. Food is great and all in all the place is much better then the "hip" beach clubs to be like KuDeTa and Potatohead.

I've never noticed any sounds from airplanes flying over btw, in the three months I've been here the helicopters were the ones bothering me once in a while, but other then that it's quiet (in the air, I'm not talking about the street ;) )


That's great, I'll be on the island in June and look forward to checking it out then

Thru May 31, 2013 (book by May 27), Amex FHR is offering a comp 4th night at FS Jimbaran, FS Sayan, Jumbaran Puri, St Regis Bali, and Ubud Hanging Gardens. Comp 3rd night at Bulgari.

Thru May 31, 2013 (book by May 27), Amex FHR is offering a comp 4th night at FS Jimbaran, FS Sayan, Jumbaran Puri, St Regis Bali, and Ubud Hanging Gardens. Comp 3rd night at Bulgari.

FSPP has 4th night free at Jimbaran and 3rd night free at Sayan for the following dates:

Apr 6, 2013 - Jul 14, 2013
Sep 1, 2013 - Sep 15, 2013


Virtuoso has 3rd night free at Bulgari through Dec. 31, 2013.