A Remarkable Stay At The Four Points By Sheraton Bali Seminyak

The Four Points By Sheraton Bali, Seminyak

I couldn’t wait to pass out on a proper bed after spending 25+ hours on planes and in airports. Yep, that meant I didn’t sleep in a bed for over 48+ hours while on our way from Toronto to Bali!

I picked this hotel mainly based on the value that I thought I would get from this hotel. I also tried to stay within the SPG hotels because quite frankly, I wanted the first hotel during our year of travelling to be comfortable. You know, ease us into this whole long-term travel thing. I couldn’t have made a better choice for this reason.

In my opinion, hotels in Asia are a lot nicer than what you would find in North America. I’ve stayed at Four Points by Sheraton in North America before and found them to be clean and comfortable, but there’s not much past the basic hotel standards.

But when I walked into the Four Points By Sheraton Bali in Seminyak, I paused and asked Gary if we were in the right hotel. The moment of doubt came because the hotel lobby was beautiful for a Four Points property and had a resort-like vibe.

Note to readers who are following my year of slow travels – this is a throwback post from Bali. If you’re new here and want to read about my RTW trip, visit this section to learn more about nomad life. You can also start from the beginning of the series by reading this article. Here’s a post about me leaving home to travel.

The Hotel Room At The Four Points By Sheraton Bali Seminyak

The view from our hotel room. I felt so excited to watch the sunset over the rice fields

We were upgraded to a deluxe pool view room and had the chance to catch a beautiful sunset every evening from our balcony.

Deluxe pool view room

The room was spacious for Gary and I to ease us into spending a year together in confined spaces. When we needed space from each other, Gary would sit at the desk haha!

I still don’t get the glass window in the bathtub type deal. Is it so that guests can watch tv while taking a bath? One of life’s mysteries…

The Service At The Four Points By Sheraton Bali Seminyak

Already, I was impressed with the service and professionalism from the receptionist. I guess it also helps that we got a room upgrade, which likely came from the perks of being an SPG member.

“There is only one Dewa” – Dewa

Throughout the stay, the staff members were all accommodating and thoughtful. Yet, there was one staff member that stood out throughout our stay. His name was Dewa, who happened to greet us on our first day.

Dewa walked us to our room and helped us with our luggage once we finished checking in. Once we arrived at our room, he asked us to try our key. I hesitated for a second and wondered if I should proceed with my usual routine, which is to knock before entering. Don’t laugh but this habit was born out of superstitious reasons. Google it and take a guess.

So I decide that I’m going to knock the door anyways and as I explain to Dewa what I was doing, his response was “Ahhh, we do the same thing too!” He then demonstrated his routine (my routine!) before entering the hotel room. Guess I’m not so weird after all!

At The Four Points By Sheraton Bali, Seminyak, where I can reveal my unusual habits and still feel at home

And from then on, we had a staff member who always made sure that the hotel met our needs. Dewa was so genuine and thoughtful that Gary and I would look forward to our daily chats. Dewa is honestly the number one reason why our stay was so enjoyable. We felt that he had our interests at heart and trusted him for recommendations and advice during our visit.

Our language teacher At The Four Points By Sheraton Bali Seminyak

Our second favourite person at the hotel was Arrad because he was so cheerful and happy. Whenever we were waiting for something in the lobby, Arrad seemed to always be around and would keep us company. He struggled a bit with English, and I couldn’t speak Balinese so I asked if he could teach me some basic words. Apa Kabar were the first words he taught me, and I butchered it to no end, but I’d practice with him each time. And of course, every time I spoke Balinese, we’d giggle together at my terrible pronunciation.

Our hotel room was the one at the top left corner!

One small hiccup at The Four Points By Sheraton Bali Seminyak

Seating area in the lobby

Of course, the other staff members were just as thoughtful and attentive. We had a small hiccup during our stay, namely wi-fi. I went to the receptionist and asked her if the wi-fi in the lobby could be addressed. Ten minutes later, no follow-up – so I asked again, only to find out that the IT specialist is offsite and was on their way to the hotel (whoa). She immediately sent another person to troubleshoot and voila, all was well.

It was a simple solution. Relocate to a closer spot near the router. As we were sitting down, another staff member immediately brought us some kiwi juice. And of course, Dewa happened to walk by after this hiccup to say hi and make sure we were happy.

The location of The Four Points By Sheraton Bali Seminyak

Daily bird migrations across the rice field by the Four Points by Sheraton. An absolute beauty to witness

Now the location of The Four Points By Sheraton Bali was at the end of a narrow alley and is a ten-minute walk to the main road. While the hotel’s location is not the best place in Seminyak, it worked in our favour. We appreciated the reclusiveness in what is usually a touristy area. The hotel was in a quiet neighbourhood, close to the beach and surrounded by rice fields and cows. Yes, cows and chickens were our neighbours!

For some reason (jetlag?), I woke up at 5 am almost every day during my stay in Seminyak. I’d get so excited for the sunrise that I’d wake up Gary. We were fortunate to catch a rice farmer tending to his field one early morning

The cool thing about the cows was that they are free to roam as they please and they eat grass, unlike in North America where most cows eat corn! There was also a family of cows who had adorable baby calves, and they’d just chill and eat together as a family.

Where cows and ducks get to roam freely

Of course, the hotel realized the location disadvantage and solved that problem with a buggy and shuttle service! The buggy was available on-demand during the day and would drop us off at the end of the alleyway. The shuttle went a bit further and would take us to key locations around Seminyak, such as Seminyak Square and the Potato Head. Both services were well organized and made our stay more convenient. Of course, every place that you could want to go to in Seminyak was only a cheap cab ride away. We once cabbed back from Petitenget Beach and paid 30,000 IDR ($3 CAD, $2.25 USD) for the ten-minute ride. Not too shabby at all.

The Beach near The Four Points By Sheraton Bali Seminyak

The beach was about a 15-minute walk from the hotel, but to get there, you had to take a lot of turns and walk through some dark alleys. It was a bit scary to walk alone, and we’d try to wait for other tourists so that there was at least a group walking through the quiet trails. Trust me when I say this, a visit to Seminyak beach is SO worth it! It’s not crowded, and the sunsets are magnificent!

The alley

That one alleyway had convenient mini businesses in the area for days when we were too lazy to walk to the main street. There was a cute bakery by Lanank bakery, a clean and new warung that served delicious food, mini-marts, and cheap laundry services. All the important things were on that street.

The Facilities at The Four Points By Sheraton Bali Seminyak

The swimming pool at The Four Points By Sheraton Bali, Seminyak

The swimming pool is the best part of the hotel. Clean, modern and a great place to relax. I think there were early morning yoga sessions on specific days.

The pool was the highlight of the hotel. The fact that they had beanbags surrounding the pool was the best part! Why can’t all hotels have bean bags in their lounge areas?

I think it should be mandatory that all hotels have bean bags for guests

Afternoon Tea At The Four Points By Sheraton Bali Seminyak

Afternoon tea at the Above rooftop lounge

We heard great things about catching the sunset on their rooftop, and boy was it so worth it. We tried their afternoon tea with Balinese coffee and watched the sky change into pretty hues. The birds in the area did their daily migration over the rooftop, which was an impressive sight to see. And of course, we were treated with incredible live music by Bayu Fe and St. Agustus. You guys HAVE to listen to them, Bayu’s voice is so rich and soulful, and these artists are both so talented.

The super talented Bayu and St. Augustus

Here’s a video of their performance:

Since the hotel had a two for one special for drinks, we decided to treat ourselves to some yummy lychee and dragonfruit drinks.

Beautiful place to eat at the Above Rooftop

Breathtaking picture of a Balinese woman

Another beautiful painting of a Balinese woman near the entrance

Here’s a video of the sunset right before a kid thought it would be fun to knock down our camera! Luckily, the camera still works fine.

The Gym at The Four Points By Sheraton Bali Seminyak

The gym is simple and has everything you need for a good workout. Gary and I were ambitious and thought we would work out in the gym. Didn’t happen

Four Points By Sheraton Bali was a pleasant stay in Seminyak

We will miss this hotel

Our stay at the Four Points by Sheraton Bali in Seminyak was so memorable and the perfect place to help ease us into our year of travelling. In fact, I was quietly saying goodbye to what felt like home for a short duration. But it was time to check out Kuta for the next part of our trip in Bali.