07 Apr Desa Seni, total bliss at this healthy yoga retreat in Bali
Yoga, meditations, massages, healthy food, a beautiful swimming pool, private sleeping cabins, an overwhelming tropical garden and super friendly staff. I haven’t even mentioned the comfortable big beds, the outside bathroom, and this all located close to the beach: Yoga retreat Desa Seni in Canggu is the perfect retreat to recharge.
After a super busy year and some private circumstances, I needed some time to relax. Bali is the perfect place for that since there are a lot of healthy spots and yoga retreats on the island. I was already in Canggu and I heard that Desa Seni is one of the best yoga retreats of Bali: they have the most experienced teachers, delicious fresh and healthy food, luxurious surroundings and a great service! That’s exactly what I needed.
I wasn’t a big yoga fan, but ever since I took some classes at Desa Seni I decided to continue to practice yoga in Amsterdam.
Desa Seni
The retreat is located amid ancient rice terraces. You get a warm welcome when you arrive by the lovely women at the entrance desk of Desa Seni. Then a guided tour is waiting for you first before drinking a welcomes cocktail at the pool. The first thing you will notice is the relaxed and beautiful vibe of this retreat: The beautiful garden with colorful flowers, the big and comfortable sun bets and the stunning swimming pool was exactly what I was looking for. They seriously have thought about everything: mosquito spray, candles, incense, holiday cards to send out and a lot more.
You get to chill in a zen location for a few days where everything is included and that is what you want when you go to a retreat.
This Village Resort serves an eclectic Asian-Western cuisine with a focus on organic, healthy and fresh food. It has a vegetarian menu where delicious fish and veggie dishes from the resort’s own organic gardens are waiting for you. The restaurant is open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The traditional wooden farmhouse
The outside bathroom
Yoga
Desa Seni’s daily Yoga program caters to all levels and offers a variety of yoga styles, open to the community and led by a qualified, dedicated, and passionate team of teachers. Apparently Desa Seni has the best yoga teachers on the island. A lot of people come here to take part of the 5 yoga classes they offer each day: From Kundalini Yoga and Hatha (the most reckon one) to Sunset Flow and Fly High Yoga. They might be a but heavier than in your own country, but it has also to do with the weather (you sweat a lot). The classes are super divers and you feel great when your done.
So what does it cost?
Desa Seni offers a variety of accommodations, all of which are antique wooden houses with beautiful terraces, sitting areas and private modern outside bathrooms. The interior of each unique house has been re-furbished to provide all the modern comforts, while the exteriors have retained the integrity of rural village life. Check the prices here. Room Rates include: Gourmet Breakfast – Daily Yoga & Meditation Classes – Unlimited Drinking Water – Complimentary Wireless Internet – Daily Ceremonial Offering – DVD & Book Library.
Desa Seni
Jl. Subak Sari No.13, Canggu, Bali
Website
Love,
Sarah
claudia
Posted at 12:28h, 13 AprilWe loved Desa Seni in Bali. Gorgeous place, delicious food and such a beautiful garden! Good to see the photos that bring back memories.
henry rosy
Posted at 08:41h, 04 Julyawesome post. i like it a lot. thanks for this
Nivi
Posted at 06:01h, 11 JanuaryI totally disagree with this review.I planned to visit Bali islands for a holiday in Decemer 2023, with my 80 year old mother
I booked this resort, Desa Seni after going through the reviews on the website of the
resort. Most of them are praising the serenity of that place. We booked the resort for 3 nights but left after 2.
The resort has lots greenery surrounding the cottages. The people taking care of it and working there
are very polite and helpful. Yes, it is supposed give the guests the experience of an old rustic style of life
with its own charm , different from the mechanical, chaotic urban way of life.
Unfortunately, this resort has gone to the extreme to make the guests experience a primitive kind of
life. The interior of the cottage is very shabby and depressing. The furniture look like ones that have
been picked from the street discarded by some people, as useless and ugly.
The main door is rotten, weak, the windows are not latching properly , an open invitation to the tropical
insects to enter into the room. The maintenance of the wooden partition, the doors , windows all are
absolutely neglected; there seemed to have no effort made to paint once, on the very faded painting,
without distorting the charm of the old original paint and the pictures. The floor is covered by a very old
torn and dirty mat, under that, the boards of the floor keep shaking while walking on it. My old mother
had to balance herself carefully when she was walking inside room.
The rustic design of the bathroom is really pathetic. There is no washbasin in the bathroom , there is
only a flat wooden slab under the tap, the guests are supposed to brush the teeth and spit on the slab or
wash the face, water falling and scattering on the slab which spill over on the clothes of the guests. In
fact, it is disgusting to spit and wash on the wooden slab which is flat, does not even have a small curve
like a sink, so that the water wont splash on the person once she or he opens the tap .Another
disturbing aspect is the tin they have kept near the toilet , to dispose of the tissues. It is small , rusted
and looks like one which is discarded by a beggar as no longer useful for him as a begging tin.
The inside of the room ,with the old faded and broken door and the dirty, furniture an eyesore,
presents a very depressing ambiance , while resting in the room. to escape from the starching heat
outside.
It is really atrocious that in the name of giving the experience of a rural, rustic life , this resort is kept in
a pathetic and terrible condition, charge the tourist unfair amount to go through this very very
primitive rustic experience, which can be experienced just by living in a tent in an open space, for lesser
cost.
Wander-lust
Posted at 10:21h, 11 JanuaryHi Nivi,
What a shame to hear about your bad experience. We must admit, this article was written in 2018, so we haven’t been there since. At the time we thought it was great. Of course Bali had a touch time financially after the pandemic, perhaps they did not have the funds to maintain the property. Did you let them know?