A DIY yoga retreat in Bali

Smoothies, morning yoga, sunsets, meditation. Fitness, fun and the freshest of food all rolled into one getaway, with a dream tropical paradise setting. The idea of a yoga retreat is oh-so-enticing – until you check the price tag.

Yoga retreats in Bali of just a few short days can easily run up to thousands of dollars. But by picking and choosing your own elements to make up a personalised DIY yoga retreat, you can enjoy a yoga retreat on a budget that will leave you relaxed and refreshed.

Here’s how I created my own week-long DIY yoga retreat in beautiful Ubud, Bali…

Affordable accommodation in Ubud

There’s no shortage of luxury resorts and villas to choose from in Bali. But to keep my trip budget reasonable, I chose Uma Dewi Guesthouse. Set in a traditional Balinese family compound with serene gardens, my room was beautifully appointed (and importantly, had icy cold air conditioning). It was a haven of peace to return to after a hot day out and about, and offered ridiculously cheap breakfasts on the porch surrounded by lush plants and lovely paintings. Best of all, it only cost 335,000 rupiah per night (A$33.50), so the bill for the entire week was less than one night at some of those fancy resorts!

Transport

Once in Bali, transportation is super cheap. I walked everywhere in Ubud, but there were plenty of drivers or scooters for hire around the place. Rides within town should cost around 50,000 rupiah.

I gratefully accepted my accommodation’s offer to arrange airport transfers for 350,000 rupiah (A$35) each way just to make things easy (it’s nice to have someone waiting especially for you who knows exactly where your accommodation is)! Taxis are a bit cheaper at 195,000 rupiah (A$19.50) – just head to the counter in the airport to prepay for a fixed-price ride.

Flights, on the other hand, will be a big variable factor, depending on where you’re coming from and when. For me, Bali is only a short flight (3.5 hours) so I went for a budget airline as I didn’t need all the extras like a meal and in-flight entertainment. I just made sure to include a big enough baggage allowance to bring home a few treats!

Compare flight options on a site like SkyScanner, and to get the best deal, be prepared to be flexible with dates!

TIP: When planning your trip budget, don’t forget to include costs of getting to and from the airport at home – taxi? Uber? Parking your car in long-term airport carparks?

Cheap healthy food

Healthy, delicious and affordable food is abundant in Ubud, and was definitely a highlight of my trip!

For breakfast, some days I ate at my guest house where fluffy banana pancakes set me back a whopping 15,000 rupiah (A$1.50), and I could add on some fresh tropical fruits or fried rice or noodles for another couple of dollars. Other days I picked up a gorgeous, filling and tasty smoothie bowl topped with fruits at Gula Bali for around 50,000 rupiah (A$5).

For lunches and dinners, I usually picked Western-style meals at hip and healthy cafes that cost me between 100,000 and 150,000 rupiah (A$10-$15) – around half the cost of something similar at home! And that’s including the delicious fresh juices and smoothies I treated to myself to with every meal.

A few healthy cafes to look out for are sister businesses Atman and Atman Nourish, Clear Cafe, Locavore To Go, and the simply named Kafe.

Yoga classes

And of course, I have to cover the most important aspect of a yoga retreat… the yoga! There are numerous yoga venues to choose from in Ubud, and indeed, you may want to choose one first and then find conveniently located accommodation.

I purchased a five class pass at the Yoga Barn – the biggest and best known yoga centre in Ubud – for 500,000 rupiah (A$50). Complete with a cafe, juice bar and plenty of space to hang out before and after class, as well as a huge range of class types and wellness facilities, the Yoga Barn really has just about everything you could need. In fact, they even have on-site accommodation so you could literally spend your whole retreat here and never set foot outside the property!

I stuck to vinyasa and yin yoga classes, but there are many more options if you’re looking for variety – from meditation to sound healing to ecstatic dance! With classes starting every half hour, it’s also very easy to find something you want to do no matter what day or time.

The downside (for some) to Yoga Barn is the very large class sizes. You can’t prebook classes and they fill up quickly once registrations open half an hour prior to class. And fill up they do – with around 50 or 60 students per class, this isn’t the place for yogis who want lots of personal attention from the teachers, or mind having less than a foot to spare around their mat.

Other well-reviewed (and more intimate) yoga studios in Ubud include Radiantly Alive, Ubud Yoga House and Taksu Yoga.

Activities in Ubud

Beyond the basics of food, transport, accommodation and yoga, your retreat can be whatever you want to make it!

Up for some pampering? Just about every second shop is a salon or spa, so you’re never far from a $10 massage. Personally, I saved all my spa budget for the last day, where I treated myself to a full package (massage, scrub, flower bath, light lunch, mani-pedi, facial and hair creme bath) at Jaens Spa for 956,000 ($95.60).

If you want to explore more of Bali, there are lots of sightseeing tour options. I like to book ahead (Viator is a great source of well-reviewed tours), but you can also negotiate a price at one of the many booking booths around town. Within Ubud you’ll also find a few interesting and affordable sights, like the Monkey Forest, Ubud Palace and water temple.

Balinese arts are alive and well in Ubud and you’re sure to constantly hear gamelans chiming out as you wander around town. It’s well worth attending a traditional dance performance one evening. Pick up a schedule at the tourist office. I went to a legong performance at ARMA, an outdoor theatre, which featured gorgeous costumes and dramatic dances with intricate flicks of fingers and eyes.

To stretch your mind as well as your body, there’s an array of classes you can take around town, from arts and crafts (even jewellery-making) to cooking. I booked a fantastic Balinese cooking class with Lobong Culinary Experience, which was a bargain at 470,000 rupiah (A$47) for a day visiting a local market, cooking in a family compound and then enjoying the feast produced – all while learning a lot about the lives of Balinese people.

Shopping

Want some retail therapy? Ubud is a hub for jewellery, clothing, crafts and homewares. Allow some time to explore Jalan Raya Ubud, Monkey Forest Road, Jalan Hanoman and Jalan Dewisita to see what you can discover beyond the tacky souvenir stalls.

A few of my favourite finds were:

• We’ar and Goddess on the Go for ethical, comfortable clothes
• Kou for soap and bath products and its sister shop Kou Cuisine for jams
• Itak Batik for beautiful indigo-printed homewares
• All the silver jewellery shops!

Overall

My budget for seven days in heaven (excluding flights and shopping) came out as follows:

Accommodation: AU$234

Transport: AU$70

Food: AU$170

Yoga: AU$50

Other activities: AU$213

Total: $737

There’s definitely no need to drop a few grand on a few days’ escape from life. With a DIY yoga retreat you can combine fitness, food and fun in a way that works for you – and on a budget that works for you.

Have you gone on a yoga retreat (whether a package or a DIY version)? Would you?