video by @breehawaiii :)
This year I had the opportunity to go to Bali and attend an Active Escapes retreat which is a week of adventure, working out with professional trainers, yoga, massage, a bit of surprise luxuries, surf and personal time to explore the land and relax and I thought Id journal andmy experience there (tons of pics at the bottom:)
It was honestly a life time experience that I think about on a daily basis. I currently am itching to go back and can't help but look at tickets during my free time haha. Actives Escapes added Hawaii on to their list of destination retreats (Bali, and the Maldives) where my husband and I catered for their group of 30, healthy yummy food to keep their bodies energized for their days of activities. Meeting all the amazing people was just awesome and looking forward to meeting more of you in retreats to come!
I never imagined doing a retreat before to be honest. I had never even considered doing one but after having a chance to attend I get it! It is absolutely incredible! It is a great way to travel, meet like minded people and have a trip planned for you full of all sorts of fun things to do while keeping in shape, have a taste of luxury for a very reasonable price. The people I met there were amazing just down to earth cool people and a lot of us still keep in touch.
While I was there my sister in law Bree and her husband and kid just happened to be going at the same time and get this, stayed in a hotel (by chance) a stone throws away!! It was so fun and we spent a lot of time trying out cafes and surfing together as you will see in the pictures below.
What is a day like at active escapes? Okay, you're staying in a super nice villa in a tropical destination so imagine that first... you wake up , do your first work out at the villas or at the beach, eat breakfast prepared for you. We had fresh fruit, toast, smoothie bowls and a protein option every morning. After breakfast there is an activity, sometimes surf, or going to a new place. You either eat back at the resort or they take everyone out to eat. Then the afternoon is free time until 4 where you have your second work out for the day, sometimes yoga to follow and then dinner and then a massage!! Ah gosh those massages I dream about daily! This is a typical day but some days there are added elements of being somewhere else on in Bali like at a fancy hotel hanging out in the infinity pools eating 5 course dinners... just not expected but so fun!
A Few COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS :)
what was my favorite part? All of it to be honest! I loved the work outs. I loved that they were challenging but fun and made us grow together as a group. The trainer Tanya @achieving_balance was absolutely amazing (ps she has her own app and its spot on!) I loved the excursions we did! I loved the massages at night maybe too much (im a sucker for massages :)! I loved the free time. I surfed 2-3 times a day! I loved trying new cafes.. I ate like 10 times a day! haha. I loved that my sister in law Bree was there at the same time and we did some exploring. I was stoked to go shop one day and basically the whole thing gave me a taste for Bali and now I want to go back and explore everywhere!
what do I love about bali? I love how simple everything is yet luxurious! Dirt roads, chicken and dogs, mope head everywhere, bare foot always, yet you can get massages on every corner for cheap, the food is fresh and inexpensive, you can get a driver for dirt cheap to take you anywhere, the culture is still alive, tons to explore close by and you can get fresh juice on every corner! Bali is a dream! I feel like I experienced only 1% of what it really has to offer. Gotta get back!!
What were the best places you ate? .. mmmm... k well to be honest I never had my camera on me cause i was always coming straight from the ocean but here are a few of the places! (next time Ill shoot all the foooooood cause its just so amazing and I gotta convince ya to go check it out for yourself if youhavnt already gone ;)
The Betelnut Nut Cafe - the whole menu oh my gosh! and try the health shots. Gosh I wish I could remember the names of the dishes... you can't go wrong... go early cause its always busy!
The Crate Cafe -this place is so rad! We got smoothies and juices here for the most part but their menu is huge and everyone looked amazing! Reason enough to go back!
The Avocado- this place had the most amazing raw treats I have ever had like carrot cake, bliss balls raw brownies...! I wish I took more pics. lots of times we were coming straight from the ocean so didn't have a camera on but here are a few pics of the things we ate ! (these pics are from the net, not sure who took em but this is what I had and it was ono!!)
Nalu Bowls- The one and only Nalu bowls! I would be lying if I didn't say we came here at least once at day! This place is all time and a complete must if your in the Canggu area! Try them all!
all these places are in Canggu. There are SO many places!
would you go back? 100 times YES please! Part of my heart belongs there now!
Here is a few pics of our work outs eats at active escapes and some fun times!
Hope you have a chance to go one day! Travel ignites the soul doesn't it! If you ever have been to Bali I'd love to hear about it or if you have any questions shoot! maybe we can answer some of them together ! Have a beautiful day!
