Michele Benton’s Bali Health & Wellness Trip (2023)

Upon arrival at Denpasar airport, you will receive a welcoming flower garland from a Balinese lady in traditional dress. Then, transfer to your health and well-being retreat resort in Ubud. The rest of the day is free at leisure for your relaxation.

Begin your day with a yoga class for 1 hour 15 minutes approximately. It is an important thing for raising, flowing, moving and balancing the energy within our body that would be used worthy in your life. Then, follow by breakfast at the resort.

In the afternoon, during your free time you are invited to join the resort’s daily organized activities such as Nature Walk “Jamu” introduction, free use of health and well-being facilities (pool, gym and hot jacuzzi in spa) and the afternoon herbal tea at the poolside café.

Then, pamper yourself with the Balinese traditional spa treatment for 2 hours. The afternoon meditation session will follow. Meditation can help you to understand your own mind. You can learn how to transform your mind from negative to positive, from disturbed to peaceful, from unhappy to happy. After 1 hour of meditation, you will enjoy traditional Balinese set dinner at the resort.

Morning yoga class is followed by breakfast to start your day.

In the morning, you may follow a demonstration of making Balinese offering “canang”. Canang is one of the daily offerings made by Balinese Hindus to thank the Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa in praise and prayer. Canang will be seen in the Balinese temples (pura), on small shrines in houses, and on the ground or as a part of a larger offering, made from an arrangement of colourful flowers and busung (young coconut leaves).

Continue the day, you will enjoy a Balinese purification ritual and blessing at Sebatu Temple.

The beautiful and attractive Sebatu Temple exuding uniqueness can become your spiritual tourist destination. Armed with beautiful and natural scenery as well as crystal clear water, you will perceive truly magical atmosphere upon entering the temple courtyard.

As the story by word of mouth, the Sebatu Temple is very sacred and magical. It has begun to be opened to general public some time ago. To reach the temple area, visitors have to step down some concrete stairs because the temple is perched right on a river bank.

After the ritual, return to the resort. In the afternoon, there will be an Ayurveda treatment of “Sirodhara”.

“Shiro” means head and “Dhara” means flow of liquid. Specially prepared lukewarm herbal oil is poured on the forehead and head continuously in a special rhythmic manner for 30 minutes then followed by scalp massage, shampoo and dry. This treatment is effective for insomnia, loss of memory, headache, migraine and mental tension, cerebral atrophy and hair loss.

End your day with a session of meditation as the last activity.

The morning starts early with a one-hour private yoga session at the resort.

After breakfast, spend the morning discovering some of the many charms of Ubud. Start with a visit to Monkey Forest for a look at its cheeky inhabitants (be careful not to ‘lose’ any belongings!). Then continue to Ubud’s Royal Palace in the heart town. Built in the 16th century, the palace is still home to Ubud’s king and royal family. It can be viewed from the outside only. Just across the street is the famous Ubud Market, which provides a great opportunity to go souvenir shopping or to check out some of the exotic local produce.

Continue to Sari Organik Restaurant where a healthy lunch will be served amidst lush surroundings.

From the restaurant, take a 25-minute walk through the organic gardens of this beautiful restaurant and the local neighborhoods. The path passes through rice fields and leads to the Blanco Renaissance Museum. Antonio Blanco is arguably the most famous artist to have ever lived in Bali, and his former home has been converted into a museum with an extensive collection of his works and his studio. This museum is considered a testament to his love for Bali.

Then return to the hotel to freshen up before departing for dinner and afterwards enjoy a memorable Balinese dance performance.

This morning, at 08:00, depart with the guide and driver for a full-day excursion around Bali.

The first stop will be at the Royal Temple of Mengwi, which was built in 1634 to serve as the family temple of the Mengwi Dynasty. The temple is a truly stunning piece of historic architecture, surrounded by a moat with multi-roofed meru shrines and intricately carved wooden gates.

Continue with a visit to Batukaru Temple, which is also the starting point of today’s cycle ride. Embark on a two-hour leisurely bike ride through local villages and lush scenery, passing through Jatiluwih Village, which is well-known for its terraced rice fields and bamboo forest.

After cycling, lunch will be served at a local restaurant in Jatiluwih.

Proceed to Bedugul, an area of the central highlands that is famous for its stunning beauty and three lakes. Guests visit Bedugul’s traditional market where a myriad of fruits, vegetables and orchids are for sale from the area’s gardens. There are also stalls selling exotic spices and souvenirs.

Then ascend north, further into the hills to reach Lake Bratan. Set on an island in the peaceful waters of the Lake Bratan, Ulun Danu Temple is one of Bali’s most iconic and photogenic sites.

Return to Ubud late in the afternoon.

Start your day with morning yoga class followed by breakfast. Then, meet your guide and depart to East Bali.

The morning program will be a wonderful way to experience the natural beauty of Bali. You start with a walk from a village within Bangli area to learn about all the plants and vegetation such as coffee, cassava, pineapple and others, planted near the houses. As you pass through a village temple and school, you can be in touch with the local people and their traditional life. Passing a river, you can see people taking a bath.

Then, you will walk through the green lush scenery of rice paddies where you see local farmers at work, plowing the land, planting or harvesting crops, cutting grass for their cattle, carry the harvest on their head…

The walk ends as you arrive at a Balinese house compound and learn about the layout of the Bali house compound and enjoy the local Balinese coffee and some Balinese cakes provided by the family.

Lunch will be served in a local restaurant en route to Seraya. After lunch, you will visit the famous Goa Lawah temple before continuing to your hotel in Seraya.

Goa Lawah Temple
It is easy to justify its nick name, Bat Cave Temple. Nobody knows exactly why, but hundreds of bats choose to reside in a cave behind one of the holiest shrines of Bali. According to a local legend, the bats provide food for a giant snake which is said to live in the cave. One of the most remarkable temples in Bali, it is located alongside a busy coastal road, leading from Denpasar all the way to the far eastern region of Bali. Opposite the road lies the fishing village of Kusamba with its dramatic black sand beaches is the black sandy beach.

Your morning will start with a Hatha Yoga lesson (60 minutes) as you learn ‘ha’ meaning ‘sun’ and ‘tha’ meaning ‘moon’. Hatha Yoga is commonly translated as the yoga that brings union of the pairs of opposites. Sometimes, Hatha Yoga is also translated as the ‘forceful yoga’, since it requires a lot of physical effort. Hatha Yoga is first of all concentrating on the practice of postures (asanas) and breath control (pranayama) to energize the subtle channels (nadis).

After yoga class, you will enjoy breakfast provided by the hotel.

During your free time, you are invited to visit organic garden or discover the area of hotel accompanied by afternoon tea with healthy snack.

Today, you start your day with breakfast after a morning Hatha Yoga lesson (60 minutes).

For the afternoon, you can relax at the hotel and enjoy a Raw Honey Facial treatment (60 minutes), followed by afternoon tea including healthy snack.

Dinner will be held at the hotel. In the evening, you could enjoy a Red Rice Ritual Body Scrub (90 minutes).

Your morning will start with a Hatha Yoga lesson followed by a healthy breakfast.

Then, after check out, you will be driven to the south and stopping for a visit at Tirtagangga Water Palace, a veritable water playground designed by a prince in the Royal Family of Karangasem as a resting place.

After a nice Balinese lunch with view on Agung Mountain, the trip continue to the ancient village of Tenganan. In late afternoon, you will arrive at your hotel in Sanur area. Have the rest of the day at your disposal.

Tirta Gangga Water Palace
Located at Ababi village, Abang distric, East Bali, Tirtagangga lies less than 100km fromthe capital city Denpasar. This water garden was built in 1948 by the King of Karangasem, Anak Agung Anglurah Ketut Karangasem, blending Balinese and Chinese styles.

In the late forties of the last century, this was a playful weekend retreat for one of the last raja`s of Bali. There are enough water basins, fountains and bizarre statues to charm you, while the surroundings are pretty and quiet. The water comes from one of the nearby natural springs. The place has always been regarded as holy. Tirta means blessed water, gangga cames from Ganges, the holy river in India. The holy water is required for ceremonies of the temples in the surrounding as far as Tirtagangga.

The springs have a huge output of pure water. The water is first led to a reservoir where it is divided in two parts. One third provides drinking water for the town Amlapura. The remainder goes into the upper swimming pool through an underground pipe. The overflow of water goes into the lower swimming pool, the other ponds and finally into the rice fields.

Tenganan
Tenganan is one of ancient home villages of the original inhabitants of Bali, scattered in the mountains of the eastern part of the island. They call themselves `Bali Aga`. A high wal laround their village, adds to the self-chosen isolation of this community, adhering to strict principles. This place is world famous for its ikat, the result of a very complicated form of weaving. While ikat may be common in East Indonesia, it was raised to perfection in Tenganan. Lombok, Sumba and Flores have similar products, but the intricate cloth of Tenganan is attributed with mystical powers. The Bali Aga are convinced that old cloth or gringsing will protect its owner from disease.

Travel to Denpasar. Have the day as per your wish today.