Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay review: 156 villas (147 pool villas + 9 private residences) on a Jimbaran Bay clifftop, credited as the first large-scale resort to put a private pool in every villa, and who should book after its 2016-17 renovation.
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay is an all-villa property (147 pool villas plus 9 private residence villas, 156 total) on 35 acres overlooking Jimbaran Bay, opened in the early 1990s and credited as the first large-scale resort to put a private plunge pool in every villa. A two-year renovation refreshed all villas and added Imperial and Royal villa categories, completing around 2016-17.
The verdict
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay Review: The First Dip-Pool Villa Resort
Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay's claim to originality — the first large-scale resort to build a private pool into every villa — is now the industry default everywhere else, so the real reason to book is the clifftop setting and the post-renovation Imperial/Royal villa tiers, not the pool itself.
Who should book
In favour
- Travelers who want an all-villa property (156 total) with a private plunge or dip pool guaranteed in every unit
- Anyone drawn to the post-2016 Imperial and Royal Pool Villa categories added in the renovation
- Guests who want a genuine clifftop position over Jimbaran Bay on a spacious 35-acre site
Worth knowing
- Travelers chasing an exact opening year as settled fact — Four Seasons' own materials say 1993, the project architect's site says 1994
- Anyone wanting the exact renovation completion date confirmed — sources split between 2016 and 2017
- Guests who've read the '1,500 shrines' or Kerry Hill design-credit claims elsewhere — neither is independently corroborated beyond a single secondary source
The villas and the setting
The resort sits on 35 acres on Bali's southern tip overlooking Jimbaran Bay, on cliffside grounds with ocean views from most of the property. All 156 accommodations are villas — 147 pool villas plus 9 private residence villas in an adjoining enclave — with no standard hotel rooms; every villa has its own private plunge or dip pool, a feature the resort and its architect (Grounds Kent Architects) describe as a first for a large-scale resort when the property opened in the early 1990s. Villas are built as thatched-roof pavilions around private courtyard gardens.
The renovation and dining
A two-year renovation refreshed all 147 pool villas — new landscaping, interiors, furniture, thatch roofing — and added the Imperial and Royal Pool Villa categories, with the villas relaunching in 2016 (broader resort-wide work continued into 2017 per some sources). Dining runs five venues: Sundara (oceanfront, capacity 280), Taman Wantilan (international live-action cooking stations, capacity 148), Alu (poolside health-focused café), Jala (Balinese cuisine and a cooking academy), and TELU Bar. The Healing Village Spa spans over 2,000 sqm with 10 treatment suites and a dedicated Longevity Garden.
VIAIVE image set for this Journal guide.
Frequently asked
How many villas does Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay have?
156 total: 147 pool villas plus 9 private residence villas in an adjoining enclave. Every villa has its own private plunge or dip pool — the resort is credited as the first large-scale property to build this into every unit.
When was Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay renovated?
A two-year renovation refreshed all 147 villas and added Imperial and Royal Pool Villa categories, with sources placing completion in either 2016 or 2017 depending on the source — the villas themselves relaunched in 2016.
What dining does Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay have?
Five venues: Sundara (oceanfront, capacity 280), Taman Wantilan (live-action cooking stations), Alu (poolside health-focused café), Jala (Balinese cuisine plus a cooking academy), and TELU Bar.