As a close neighbour to Australia, Bali has become a home away from home and the perfect place to escape (from one paradise to another) and unwind throughout the year. Its smiling residence and spiritual atmosphere has attracted an international community of passionate wellbeing advocates to form what has become a hub for some of the best yoga studios, healthy cafés and restaurants the world over.

Seminyak

While Seminyak is best known for the shopping, there’s still so much goodness going around to help make your 48-hours in Bali a wholesome and healthy one. 

EAT 

Shelter Café:

Shelter Café’s mission is to serve healthy, affordable food that’ll make their guests want to return again and again — and we think they’ve done a pretty darn good job at it. They let you design your own breakfast without charging an arm and a leg, plus you’ll find endless options for a healthy brekky including healthy rawnola, chia pudding and smashed avo.

Sisterfields:

If you’d rather find refuge under the A/C and don’t mind paying Australian prices for brekky while you’re in Bali, Sisterfields is your destination and you’ll find everything from Bircher Meusli, fresh juices and smoothie bowls to fuel the start of your day.

La Luciola:

The perfect vantage point for sunset, La Luciola’s rustic interiors and world class Italian food include things like pan seared coral trout with pancetta and a lemon and vanilla bean soufflé that’s truly to die for.

 La Favela:

There’s really no other place we could recommend before La Favela for dinner and thankfully, their menu is filled with healthy fresh ingredients and a whole section dedicated to ‘Green Lovers’. Any attempts to describe this place will pale in comparison to the real experience of actually being there, the hundreds of candles and vintage lamps and jungle-like interiors have to be seen to be believed. 

DRINK

Motel Mexicola:

You can’t go past Motel Mexicola for a drink or a lazy, late afternoon lunch. With plenty of healthy food on their menu from lime cured prawn or yellow fin tuna ceviche, watermelon and jalapeno salad and of course endless applications of guacamole, this trendy and colourful oasis will make you feel like you’re on an entirely different holiday. 

Revolver:

Revolver is conveniently placed in the midst of Seminyak’s shopping strip to bring you cold drip coffee or a pour over on a hot and humid day of shopping in Bali. If you prefer your coffee with milk, their latte art rivals some of the best barista’s in Australia — besides, any excuse to stop and gawk at Revolver’s incredible interiors is a good one.

STRETCH & PLAY

Seminyak Yoga Shala:

As the first Yoga Shala of its kind to open up in Seminyak, the Seminyak Yoga Shala offers a 6 day a week Mysore Style Ashtanga class at 7.30am for the dedicated yogi’s among us. Also offering a 9.30am and 5.30pm Vinyasa class and their newly added lunchtime Qi Gong and Tai Chi Classes, there’s so much going on at the Seminyak Yoga Shala that you can try out while you’ve got entire day’s free to do nothing but relax and pamper yourself. 

Sunset Pilates:

If you want to change up your morning yoga routine with a bit of reformer pilates instead, Sunset Pilates have a 7.30am class at their premier studio in The Legian Hotel. They also offer mat classes, circuit class, rehabilitation and pregnancy classes and there’s the option to book in for a private session or as a couple too.

Santai Surf School:

Spend the arvo laying on the beach, or enjoying life ‘one wave at a time’ as they say at Santai Surf School. With boards available right on the beach and a whole host of smiling instructors to help you out, learning to surf is surely the best way to stay active and cool in the Bali sun.

RELAX 

Bodyworks Bali:

An absolute must visit during your stay in Seminyak, Bodyworks is set out like an old Turkish Bath, with blue archways, mosaics, fresh flowers and the smell of jasmine drifting through the air. For around $50 Australian dollars treat yourself to an hour and half full-body massage followed by a soak in a bathtub full of flower petals.

Spring Spa:

The beautiful Spring Spa is another must visit and their bright, tranquil interiors will have you feeling relaxed almost instantly. We recommend a raw facial or their signature massage and pedicure to pass the afternoon with a fresh coconut in hand.

Canggu

Canggu’s sleepy seaside town is not as built up as Seminyak, and with a less traffic, riding around on a scooter past green rice fields has to be one of the best parts about staying in a place like this. Whether you’re spending a couple of days or a couple of weeks in Canggu, it’s not hard to get into a good rhythm between surfing, relaxing, eating from the many healthy cafes and restaurants around and even treating yourself to a day spa or a massage — ‘cos when in Bali, right? 

EAT 

La Laguna

Run by the same owners of the famous La Favela and La Plancha, the creative team behind La Laguna somehow always manage to bring our wildest dreams to life — this time with a gypsy wonderland on the beach. With tarot readers, hanging lights, trees everywhere and a long rickety jetty that stretches across a small moat surrounding the venue, the best time to come here at sunset. You can’t go wrong with the menu either, with plenty of fresh seafood and an amazing drinks menu with juices, cocktails and mocktails for those that have the willpower.   

The Shady Shack

Words can’t really do justice to how lovely this white weatherboard oasis in the heart of Canggu is. Opposite a rice patty field and shaded by trees, everything about The Shady Shack is picturesque, but it’s when you try their food that you’ll really be impressed. The Nori Bowl came highly recommended by some long-time visitors and they weren’t wrong; it was everything they built it up to be and more. For pre surf fuel, try their Top Up Cacao smoothie and their mint Kombucha and vegan lasagne are a perfect combination — basically, you can’t really go wrong here.

STRETCH & PLAY

Samadi Yoga Studio

This incredible yoga studio is a highlight in Canggu, with its wooden floorboards and wooden bi-fold shutters that look out onto their jungle garden, Samadi is a little piece of luxury. Also offering delicious whole food breakfasts and lunch after your practice, it’s the perfect excuse to linger and spend more time in their beautiful shala.

Surf at Old Man’s

Whether you’re a beginner surfer or a veteran on a longboard, the waves at Batu Bolong Beach are friendly enough for even the most wave-adverse among us. Grab a quick coffee or a brew at Old Man’s to cool down before hiring a board or a lesson from one of the many surf schools down on the beach and spend the afternoon riding waves to your hearts content. 

RELAX

Body Temple Spa

This beautiful franchise offers an incredible spa experience for an affordable price and you can find their branch in Canggu at the Canggu Club. With a menu that’s simple to navigate, choose from their Detox Me or Relax Me treatments or your favourite massage or facial using their French THEMAE brand. For those travelling with the whole bandwagon, they even offer a kid’s spa to keep them entertained. 

STAY

FELLA Villas

Owned by the ladies behind the incredible FELLA Swimwear label, the FELLA Villas are everything you’d imagine them to be when it's made by a couple of clever designers. The design is based on their dream home and includes three rooms inspired by South America and the exotic Asian East. Equipped with full kitchen facilities that open out onto a swimming pool, the garden is decorated with draping vines, a day bed and the obligatory hammock — unwinding has never been so easy in a place like this. 

Desa Seni

This village resort in Bali is a rustic garden wonderland, it’s the perfect spot to post up if you plan to spend your time in Canggu doing lots of yoga and pampering. Enjoy your daily practice in their thatched roof, open air shala for their group retreats, private retreats or daily classes. Desa Seni also offer workshops and yoga teacher trainings for those that want to expand their knowledge of yoga and to top it off, they offer a range of holistic treatments at their Merapu Svaasthya Spa including massage, reflexology, chakra healing or a hot stone massage followed by a flower bath or a dip in their salt water pool. 

Lovingly provided by Ella Liascos