Bali Travel Itinerary
Bali: Island of the Gods…
DETAILED BALI ITINERARY:
Out of the mist emerges such serene beauty. The place is Bali, the experience is Balinese.
The lushness of this destination goes beyond the landscape, from beach to hills, let The Divine Destination Collection take you to this stunningly beautiful and sacred land of culture. The elegance of the people, the serenity of the scenery, the temples, the ceremonies of the Gods, Balinese dance… lose yourself and rejuvenate your soul here… The Island of the Gods patiently waits.
Cue the gong! Behold the lush luxury and serenity…
Upon arrival at Denpasar International Airport you will be met by The Divine Destination Collection and transferred privately to the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay
FOUR SEASONS RESORT BALI AT JIMBARAN BAY
At Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay, experience an authentically Balinese luxury resort nestled right on the oceanfront. Traditional, timeless and totally romantic, this legendary hideaway was listed among Travel + Leisure’s 500 Best Hotels in the World 2014 and Conde Nast Traveler, Readers Choice Awards 2013.
Designed as a traditional Balinese village, this luxurious all-villa enclave spreads across 14 hectares (35 acres) of oceanfront in Bali, giving Resort guests direct access to the beach right at sea level. Luxury villas – each with a private plunge pool – terrace down a hillside woven with brilliant flowers and Balinese temples. Steep yourself in local island culture, unwind with holistic spa treatments and enjoy a wide range of dining options, including the new beachfront Sundara restaurant.
Hide away in your private one-bedroom pool villa, featuring 2,691 square feet of indoor and outdoor living with an expansive infinity-edge pool. Inspired by a typical Balinese courtyard house, the thatch-roof sleeping, bathing and living/dining pavilions are secluded within a private, walled tropical garden. The spacious bedroom and bathroom are air-conditioned, while the living area bale is open-air.
This afternoon slip into the pure luxury and serenity of the resort and your glorious Jimbaran Bay One-Bedroom Pool Villa.
A casual cocktail reception will be held at the Waterfall Pool area… A stunning waterfall is the centerpiece that is literally dripping with tropical ambience and surrounded by a dazzling pool grotto, it’s a picture-perfect place to mix and mingle with your fellow travellers before heading off to bed.
Bali has begun to work its subtle yet powerful effect on us all…
Breakfast is included and at leisure in the hotel.
This morning, you have a choice… to participate in a Balinese Immersive Experience, exclusive to The Divine Destination Collection’s private Cooking Interaction at the Jimbaran Bay Cooking Academy or a private Laughing Yoga session.
In a word, the Cooking Interaction experience is “Delicious” on so many levels and is for foodies and layman alike. It’s the perfect way to immerse yourself in your destination amidst the backdrop of the luxurious Jimbaran Bay. Click here to get the skinny on this event straight from the Four Seasons themselves…
COOKING INTERACTION
Sampling the local culinary delights is a highlight of any visit to Bali – but thanks to the Jimbaran Bay Cooking Academy, guests can now take a taste of authentic Indonesian know-how home with them too.
The Four Seasons professional stand-alone cooking school gives food lovers of all ages and experience levels the hands-on opportunity to discover secret local cooking techniques using organic Indonesian ingredients. All of the original recipes are from our multi-talented team of Four Seasons chefs who come from various regions across the country.
Laughing Yoga, a unique exercise routine combines the freedom and health benefits of laughter with yogic breathing (pranayama) and asanas (poses): a simple and playful way to flood the body with oxygen and promote a natural sense of joy.
The remainder of today is at leisure and The Divine Destination Collection private concierge will assist you with any information you may be looking for on activities throughout the day. There is so much to see and do here, including the activities offered complimentary from the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay.
- Balinese dance performance
- Cultural tours within the Resort
- Sunrise & Surya Namaskar Yoga
- Kayaking and catamaran sailing in Jimbaran Bay
- Tropical paradise garden tour
- Gym and tennis court
- Arts & Culture Workshops
- Balinese dance lesson
- Spa Treatments
Tonight we have created an evening that will engage all of the senses in a heightened and magnified way to truly feel our destination, Bali.
At Coconut Grove, we experience the beach framed by a spectacular cove. The setting invites you to unwind to the sound of the gently lapping waves at the shore, melt into the beauty of the sunset, feel the caress of the warm breeze on our skin and breathe in the reality that all of this… for one night only this is just for us…exclusive, unique and dazzling with a gourmet barbeque dinner and live entertainment.
A blissful Bali moment under the stars, secluded and surrounded by moon lanterns, tiki torches candlelight and as always, in The Divine Destination Collection style… a few surprises…
Breakfast is included and at leisure in the hotel.
This morning it’s off to local orphanage for a brief connection and interaction with the local children.
After connecting with the kids we head off to Batukaru Temple. Temples are synonymous with Bali, and when you think of a temple, you can immediately feel the peacefulness, the sacred, the ancient history and unique beauty. This morning, it is real, up close and personal and will submerge you in all that your imagination has conjured and so much more.
BATUKARU TEMPLE
Batukaru Temple, referred to by locals as Pura Luhur Batukaru, is one of Bali’s key temples, located at the foot of namesake Mount Batukaru. At an altitude of 2,270m above sea level on the second highest peak in Bali after Mount Agung, the temple is surrounded by cool natural forests.
Mount Batukaru is considered a sacred site and the misty slopes of the heavily forested mountain enhances its spiritual vibe. The temple is devoted to the Hindu god Mahadeva, considered the master of the air, water and plants. Batukaru is one of nine directional temples meant to protect Bali from evil spirits. The 11th century Batukaru Temple shares the cool and quiet upland vicinity of the Wongaya Gede farming community in the Penebel Village of Tabanan regency.
Old Balinese chronicles state that the temple suffered major destruction following a siege by the neighbouring Buleleng kingdom during the warring times of 1605 AD. The temple remained in ruins for a considerable period, until major restorations began in 1959 for over two decades, reinstating Batukaru Temple back to its current form.
From Batukaru Temple we take a scenic journey through bamboo forests to the breathtaking terraced rice fields of Jatiluwih.
Ok, so close your eyes, imagine bamboo forests and rice fields. Again, your shoulders drop, your spirit stretches awake and you audibly issue a sign from your lips… the reality outdoes the imagination…
JATILUWIH
Jatiluwih rice terraces pretty much cover the region of the namesake upland village in West Bali, most famous for its landscapes that are both dramatic and truly exotic.
Named as one of Bali’s Cultural Landscapes by UNESCO, Jatiluwih rice terraces comprises over 600 hectares of rice fields that follow the flowing hillside topography of the Batukaru mountain range. These are well-maintained by a traditional water management cooperative known as ‘subak’, which dates back to the 9th century.
You will find the largest and most picturesque expanse of paddies in Bali and perhaps the whole of Indonesia here.
A casual lunch will be served at J Terrace Restaurant overlooking the beautiful rice terraces. You must read J Terraces account (translation) of what you will encounter…it is just worth the effort. Read why…
J TERRACE RESTAURANT
J Terrace Restaurant, in their own words…
Simple clean open-air restaurant serve honest food and fresh with excellent flavour, located at best location and centre of finest imaginable view Jatiluwih, the newest favourite tourist destination in Bali within best rice field nominated as a World Heritage Sites overlooking the beautiful scenery of Batukaru mountain on the left side.
Sitting on the patio, watching the emerald blades blow in the wind, and smelling the fertile earth beneath us as J Terrace specialty crispy duck serve with organic red rice “sambal matah “relish, chilli tomato sambal, Gado-gado, chicken cashew nuts are our favourites as well as other simple fare like spaghetti, or sandwiches and a yummy black red rice pudding and ice cream that are always available and ready to please.
The local friendly service staff will always accommodating true sincere interactions through serving your food and beverage orders and the Rindik bamboo gamelan background perform elegantly.
Ok, and if you read the drop down, you know that it is authentic and adorable and was definitely worth the read, smile in the translation and know that you have just encountered the innocent essence of J Terrace…
After lunch we return to the hotel. Relax, soak up the scenery or take a well-deserved nap. The Divine Destination private concierge will be available to help you with any information or activity you may want to partake in.
This evening it’s off on a private exclusive 2 hour sunset cocktail cruise aboard a luxurious 50’ Catamaran. Under sail we will cruise Sanur, Nusa Dua and the Serangan areas taking in the beautiful beaches and breath-taking sunset. Reflect on your soul and spirit expansion as we glide, all with drink in hand, canapes at the ready and acoustic music to complete the experience.
The sun sets on your day, but rises in your soul as Bali continues to work its magic on your being…
Dinner will be at leisure and on your own.
Breakfast is included and at leisure in the hotel.
Cooking Interaction for the other half of our group or Laughing Yoga for those who had the cooking experience on Saturday.
Enjoy an afternoon at leisure relaxing by the beach or poolside. The Divine Destination Collection Hospitality Desk will be open and offer optional activities for you to choose from.
Read more to discover activities designed for your heart and soul and offered complimentary from the Four Seasons Jimbaran.
ALWAYS COMPLIMENTARY
- Balinese dance performance
- Cultural tours within the Resort
- Complimentary standard Wi-Fi
- Sunrise & Surya Namaskar Yoga
- Kayaking and catamaran sailing in Jimbaran Bay
- Tropical paradise garden tour
- Gym and tennis court
- Arts & Culture Workshops
- Balinese dance lesson
- Spa Treatments
Tonight we will be dining at Metis, one of Seminyak’s finest restaurants. Cocktails will be served al fresco in the garden followed by a sit-down dinner in a reserved section of the restaurant. A selection of fine wines accompanies this culinary adventure.
As you know, or maybe you don’t… we at The Divine Destination, hand select your experiences and this restaurant checked all the boxes, it truly is refined and it provides a wonderful opportunity to experience the true “hip” vibe of Seminyak.
MÉTIS RESTAURANT
MÉTIS Restaurant, Lounge and Gallery welcomes guests to enjoy an entirely sensory dining experience borne of the pleasures of living. It offers diners exciting French Mediterranean cuisine passionately crafted by Chef Nicolas ‘Doudou’ Tourneville together with Executive Chef Dove Sudarsana. They bring their legendary talent and culinary artistry to the table with a masterful combination of French Mediterranean cuisine.
Flawless service in one of Bali’s most elegantly sophisticated settings is just the beginning of this seduction into the depths of the five senses. MÉTIS is as fresh and sumptuous as the cuisine that graces its tables.
Breakfast is included and at leisure in the hotel.
Spend the morning at leisure taking in all this spectacular resort has to offer.
This afternoon we will say goodbye to the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay and head to our next destination… the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan.
As we said before, we try, test and approve all aspects of what you encounter and it was so very clear to us that while the beach is beautiful, and one side of Bali and its many gifts, the lushness of the central highlands is just simply sublime. Yes, we have saved the best for last, and we know that your soul will agree…
Cue the mists…
FOUR SEASONS RESORT BALI AT SAYAN
Discover Bali’s cultural heart in the island’s central highlands, minutes from the artistic capital of Ubud. Hidden in a lush paradise beside the Ayung River, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan has been recognized as one of the world’s best resorts on the Conde Nast Traveler, Gold List 2014 and Conde Nast Traveler, Platinum Circle 2014.
Submit to Bali’s purest embrace at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan: a 60-room sanctuary cocooned in the enchanting Ayung valley. One-Bedroom Villas are designed to harmonize with the exotic surroundings, offering spectacular views of the rice terraces, resort landscape and tropical forest.
Your own lily pond and meditation area greet you upon arrival. Step downstairs into the villa and enter an outdoor living area with a dining table, lounge chairs and a plunge pool. The spacious bedroom includes a walk-in closet and lavish bathroom with outdoor shower.
Tonight, your view on the world will forever change, because your view on the Sayan valley will be unveiled before you as you join us for a private gourmet dinner at the rooftop lotus pond overlooking the jungle. The circular rooftop lotus pond is the first thing you see upon arrival at Four Seasons. The 360-degree view of the Sayan valley is breath-taking, humbling and at the same time overwhelming. Words cannot describe how beautiful it is.
Are those mists rising from the valley or is it wistfulness rising within your being… the feeling of being blessed ascends simultaneously.
Breakfast is included and at leisure in the hotel.
Bring on the adventure! This morning we will hit the white water… OK it’s really not so hard. This leisurely, fun and exciting rafting experience down the Auyung River is an up close and personal encounter with the river that is flanked by the unspoiled rainforest, towering gorges and magnificent rice paddy terraces.
ADVENTURE RAFTING
Bali Adventure Rafting is the only Bali rafting company that offers ‘5 star’ service from the start to finish.
Established in 1989 and renowned as Bali’s safest family rafting company, Grab your oars and get ready to rage with this exhilarating rafting adventure on the spectacular Ayung River. Whether you are 5 or 65, a natural or a novice, our white water rafting in Bali ride is safe, fun and a breath-taking experience to be enjoyed by all.
The action starts when you launch into a 9.6 km river stretch, navigating through 33 class II and III rapids with professionally trained and experienced guides. Boats are safety-equipped and Avon rafts through the best river runs, dramatic drops and spectacular waterfalls to make your Bali rafting ride a fun and awesome experience.
Our rafting experience ends at the beautiful Royal Pita Maha Resort.
Here we will have the opportunity to swim in the Holy Spring Water Pool a sacred and healing experience. Change rooms and showers are also provided to freshen up before enjoying a delicious organic lunch riverside at the Ayung Organic Restaurant.
Ayung Organic Restaurant is totally enveloped by the sights and sounds of nature far from the maddening crowd. It is a blessed location on the banks of the Ayung River where a fresh flow of mountain water carves a meandering path through a timeless landscape. Ayung Organic Restaurant is a tranquil setting that invites you to be at one with the environment as you savour cuisine created from island fresh ingredients. Healthy indulgence to excite the senses…
Enjoy an afternoon at leisure back at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan.
Stop by the Divine Destination Collection private concierge. We will help you to experience some of the complimentary activities at the Four Seasons Resort at Sayan that include:
- Yoga Classes (Sunrise, Easy, Hatha & Laughter)
- Cycling Tour
- Meditation Classes
- Sayan Valley Walk and Village Walk
- Resort Garden and Temple Tours
- Spa Jacuzzi & Plunge Pools
- Steam & Sauna
- Balinese Dance Class and Performances
- Shopping shuttles into Ubud
Dinner is at leisure and on your own. Shuttles into Ubud will be provided this evening.
Breakfast is included and at leisure in the hotel.
There are many temples in Bali, there are a few that are deemed more important than others. In our travels we have carefully curated those sites that will arouse the senses, soothe the soul and blow your mind. We depart this morning to the famed Tirta Empul Temple.
Tirta Empul is a temple of prominence and is located in the village of Manukaya. It is also a designated national cultural heritage site and serves as a legendary setting of a traditional tale about good versus evil. Read more…
TIRTA EMPUL TEMPLE
Tirta Empul was built circa 960 AD, a silent witness to the old Balinese kingdom years, particularly at the time of the Warmadewa Dynasty. Another nearby and prominent site on top of a hill is the presidential palace, Istana Tampaksiring, built during the years of the nation’s first president, Soekarno. Tirta Empul, meaning ‘holy water spring’ is actually the name of a water source located within the temple. The spring feeds various purification baths, pools and fish ponds surrounding the outer perimeter, which all flow to the Tukad Pakerisan River.
For more than a thousand years, Balinese worshipers have been drawn to Pura Tirta Empul, whose sacred spring is said to have been created by Indra and to have curative properties. The tradition continues almost unchanged at the temple today.
Legend has it that the sacred spring was created by the god Indra. His forces had been poisoned by Mayadanawa, so he pierced the earth to create a fountain of immortality to revive them.
An inscription dates the founding of a temple at the site to 926 AD. Ever since – for more than a thousand years – the Balinese have come to bathe in the sacred waters for healing and spiritual merit.
Worshippers first make an offering at the temple, then climb into the main pool to bathe and pray and partake in the Melukat Ceremony (a ritual to cleanse and purify the body physically & spiritually). Many collect the holy water in bottles to take home.
A serene lunch will be served at the The Chedi Club offering unobstructed views over the Tanah Gajah rice fields and the tropical jungle beyond. The scenery vies strongly with the food for attention. But in Balinese fashion they both find their balance, where seated on your padded chair in the open air dining room you will enjoy a `paddy to plate` food encounter as crafted by Dean Nor, the Executive Chef who is a Singapore native and boasts 17 years working here on this island that has a cultural affinity to good food.
Tonight we will dine in the ethereal garden of Mozaic, Ubud’s premier restaurant. Because at The Divine Destination Collection we are dedicated to revealing not only the sacred secrets of the destination, but also the best…and Mozaic is known as a fresh oasis of ingenuity in the world of gastronomy and is as yet unrivalled in Bali.
The ethereal essence of our evening is provided by the lush tropical garden that surrounds us.
MOZAIC RESTAURANT
Mozaic Restaurant and Chef Salans have been honoured with praise around the world for the excellence of their cuisine and the beauty of the setting. Mozaic is the only restaurant in Southeast Asia selected by Traditions & Qualité as one of Les Grandes Tables du Monde (Great Tables of the World) and to have its wine list awarded year after year by Wine Spectator. It is also the only Indonesian restaurant to be selected as one of the 100 World’s Best in the San Pellegrino Guide.
Breakfast is included and at leisure in the hotel.
Full day at leisure. The Divine Destination Collection’s private concierge offers a variety of Optional Activities for you to choose from.
Restore the subtle inner energies with yoga and meditation in the lotus petal Dharma Shanti Bale. Connect with nature and cross the Ayung River to explore the verdant surroundings. Savour the simplicity of rice planting with local farmers. Or embrace the ubiquitous energy of soulful Ubud.
ALWAYS COMPLIMENTARY
- Yoga Classes (Sunrise, Easy, Hatha & Laughter)
- Cycling Tour
- Meditation Classes
- Sayan Valley Walk and Village Walk
- Resort Garden and Temple Tours
- Spa Jacuzzi & Plunge Pools
- Steam & Sauna
- Balinese Dance Class and Performances
- Shopping shuttles into Ubud
Private Farewell Evening at the Royal Convention House. Tonight we will dine in a spectacular traditional Balinese compound.
Owned and built by Ubud’s Royal family and set in a landscape of sweeping rice terraces and tropical woodland overlooking the beautiful Ayung River this crowning glory sits on a hill surrounded by verdant greenery. Steeped in history, majesty and unrivalled beauty, The Royal Convention House is a walled Balinese compound with a large garden filled central open space housing a number of striking traditionally inspired structures.
The evening is complete with gourmet sit-down dinner, Balinese entertainment and of course the evening wouldn’t be complete without a Divine Destination Collection surprise or two!
The compound crowns the hill and the evening crowns this sublime experience in the mystical island of Bali. Just the name has conjured up sensations of bliss and perpetual peace and your time, your immersion in this magical place had made those sensations real. As you tuck into bed tonight, your eyes gently closed, notice, just notice… serenity prevails…
Breakfast is included and at leisure in the hotel.
Check out and departure. Transfers to Denpasar International Airport for your flights home.
Wheels up, heart open, mind expanded, senses satiated as we depart Bali. It’s authentic culture, and world class luxury, a destination that is both alluring and scenic, truly an island of the gods…
Bali Travel Information
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