plumbar

Double that opinion. Wrong choice. Keep convincing.

kmklint

Possibly wrong choice to stay at FS Jimbaran. Please consider Amankila with a high end suite. I found FS Jimbaran much more family oriented with a good amount of kids and teenagers. Not a honeymoon paradise. Again the beach at FS is not that good.

For me the airport across the bay kinda killed it for me. Also for a different experience try FS Sayan. I think FS sayan and Amankila would be a great combo.

Honestly, Bali was never marketed to me to have great beaches and I found that to be the case when I was there.

Kagehitokiri

they could be traveling with a family, that wasnt really clear. it was not said to be for a honeymoon.

i agree with the beach sentiment, i spent a long time looking at villas to come up with shalimar. OTOH there were some other very nice ones that were more expensive. i cannot remember what sites i used to find them though. there were serveral (on Bali) that were actually very similar to others on Phuket and Sri Lanka, with more privacy and beachfront than Shalimar.

hmm
this site has a couple beachfront on Koh Samui
http://www.myasianvilla.com/frontend...aspx?unitid=81

resort wise, FS Langkawi seems closest to the Maldives in terms of features and value. although personally i also like Aleenta, because of the design and great value.

hopefully some of the villa resorts that are in the pipeline in SE Asia are going to include beachfront properties.

flamboyant 1

Thanks Kagehitokiri for all your advice in this forum!

Kagehitokiri

youre welcome, but i think im in the minority that really considers villa rentals

Pauldublin

I agree Kagehitokiri, villas can be under rated. especially for families, luxury villas can be a really good deal. We tend to stay at villas in Italy, Spain and France when we are on short haul (for us) with friends and families.

Some villas in Asia, for example, look fab. But when you are travelling long haul and want to be sure of (or hope for !) a really good time, a few days here and there in nice suites and/or private pool suites at amans, four seasons really cannot be beaten. If I had my way though, I would choose villas on long haul and take the chance, unfortunately I dont get my own way!

Kagehitokiri

its too bad there arent actual villa companies, like villazzo or homesaway, with a presence in asia. nor are there destination clubs with asian properties. although i guess for destination clubs its a market stability thing..

Pauldublin

Actually kagehitokiri I wonder if anyone has been to any Karma resorts ? They are in thailand, Bali and the seychelles i think. I havent looked in great detail but they seem to be villa/ resort-ish. For those in UK/Ireland their model for their website is TPT (Tara Palmer Tomkinson) and for what its worth in todays Sunday Times Business section she includes a villa at Karma Bali as one of her investments.

Kagehitokiri

looks like their Samui property has 2 beachfront villas

FS, St Regis and another couple chains are developing similar villa resorts in SE Asia, will be interesting to see how they turn out

bhd87

I just saw that FS will be opening up in Mauritius a private resort with villas and I believe some homesites for sale. No hotel. Interesting...

Kagehitokiri

http://www.fourseasons.com/residences/

they also have residential-only developments

RC has some too

mikeef

Thanks everyone. I agree with all of you that this was the wrong choice. No family with her, just the two of them. I tried to convince her otherwise, but ultimately, the FS name carried the day for her. I have no doubt that I will get blamed if everything isn't perfect, though.

Mike

Kagehitokiri

http://www.atasombak.com/images/photo_11.jpg

one of the Bali beachfront i forgot, thanks to michael82 for reminder

http://www.topbalivillas.com/bali_beachfront_villas.php
http://www.baliprivatevillas.com/
http://www.baliholidays.com/villas/palatial/index.html

bearbrick

a little refresher/ reminder / background.....the four seasons jimbaran was originally planned as the Regent Bali ...with mr A Zecha having more than a little say in the matter..and the interiors was by dale keller whose firm had under his wings a mr ED TUTTLE etc...... only the mock up was done and the project didnt take off .[ same fate as the milan, istanbul , ] ....though admittedly the property now lacks the flair of a regent and anything done by the maestros of hospitality ...its not that bad a property but its the management style that makes it unattractive for someone seeking a more sophisticated experience......i suppose you can go for a fourseasons jimbaran estate


amans are obvious but there are other properties that could be of interest for the future ...i know its too late now ... the kayumanis in jimbaran [ but may be too close to the airport for comfort ] or if you really want to swim in the sea.the kayumanis nusa dua....also many wonderful bali villa properties which range from the most opulent to the horrid. ...elitehavens is a good source.





of

also worth your while are the many amazing villas

mikeef

And the follow-up...

Overall, she seemed to think the property was okay, but that she got better value and service at the Aman Hotels. She was excited that she got upgraded to the Royal Villa, entirely out of the blue, but complained that she felt nickeled and dimed. In particular, she was not thrilled with the cost of the meals or massages.

Mike