Discover Canggu: Bali's new surf resort hotspot

So you want to party in Bali but find Kuta just a bit too full on; maybe a tad too bogan?

Canggu - a spot known only to surfers just a few years ago - is one of Bali's new tourism hotspots.

The small resort village close to Seminyak has become extremely popular with expats and digital nomads and is packed with bars, coffee shops and hip restaurants catering for western tastes.

Nearby Tanah Lot is a much-visited Hindu temple but Canggu's waves and nightlife are equally popular drawcards.

Canggu was the first base for a recent airasia Superapp and Archipelago International-hosted media trip, during which we stayed in the Aston Canggu Beach Resort. 

Opened in 2019, this is an ideal mid-priced place to stay for anyone looking for comfortable, well-situated accommodation close to the beach. 

Not five-star, but very comfortable with good rooms and facilities - and unfailingly smiling staff.

There are 40 superior rooms, 52 deluxe rooms and one suite.

There is an impressive  rooftop dining venue, UpZscale Sky Dining & Bar, which sits poolside and offers beach views. 

It is a perfect spot to take in the spectacular sunsets, and also serves excellent breakfasts.

Each room features a flat-screen TV (with ABC TV available), while some units offer a lounge area and have balconies or terraces. 

 

Private bathrooms are equipped with a shower, slippers, free toiletries and a hairdryer.

The surfing beach at Batu Bolong is two minutes away and Berawa Beach just a tad further, while cooking classes at the hotel are both fun and instructional. Bring your satay grilling skills home.  

The Ngurah Rai International Airport is around 10km away from the hotel, but the road can be congested at peak times. 

The hotel is bookable either through the airasia Superapp, or at https://astoncanggubeachresort.com-bali.com/en/

# The airasia Superapp is a one-stop travel platform offering flights with over 700 airlines, more than 900,000 hotel inventories worldwide, a ride-hailing service, culinary experiences, duty-free shopping platform and more. You can dsownload the airasia Superapp from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

# Archipelago International is south-east Asia's largest privately owned hospitality group, with more than 40,000 rooms and residences in over 200 locations. It has 11 brands including ASTON, Collection by ASTON, Alana, Huxley, Kamuela, Harper, Quest, Hotel NEO, fave, Nordic and Powered by ARCHIPELAGO. See https://www.archipelagointernational.com/  

# The writer was a guest of airasia Superapp and Archipelago International 

Ubud resort offers a different slice of Bali

 

Ubud sits in the highlands of Bali, away from the maddening crowds of Kuta.

The town is known for its arts and crafts and its beautiful terraced rice paddies.

There are many temples, annual food and literary festivals, fine dining establishments, spas (you can find hour-long massages starting from $15 per hour) and several art museums.

One of the major attractions, or pests, depending on your point of view, are the denizens of the Mandala Suci Wenara Wana, known to westerners as the Ubud Monkey Forest - home to around 1000 macaques, who also venture into the town.

Visitors need to keep their wits about them, as these cheeky monkeys are known to steal handbags, glasses and anything else that you do not hold on to tightly.

Keep your eyes peeled for them, and also for local women gracefully balancing piles of fruit offerings on their way to the temple, or to sell to the tourists.

Many of the largely Hindu local population still live traditionally.

A local speciality is luwak coffee, made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by civets and been pooped out. Not in a million years, your honour.

Our Ubud base on a recent media trip hosted by airasia Superapp and Archipelago International was the Royal Kamuela, situated just off one the town's major thoroughfares but in lovely, leafy gardens.



Royal Kamuela Villas & Suites at Monkey Forest (to give the hotel its full, grandoise, name), has 12 pool villas, three suites with pool access and 15 suites with a balcony overlooking the gardens and pool.

The hotel features everything you need in a luxury property including a full-service wellness centre/spa, extremely comfortable rooms and excellent staff.

The breakfasts here (below) are outstanding with a choice of western and Asian dishes, and there are private butlers for each separate villa.



The resort is very close to the main attractions of Ubud with dozens of restaurants within walking distance, and boutiques and art galleries aplenty.

The hotel can be booked through the airasia Superapp, or at
https://www.kamuelavillas.com/en/villa/view/3/royal-kamuela-villas---suites-at-monkey-forest--ubud

The hotel is operated by Archipelago International, largely unknown for most Australian travellers but south-east Asia's largest privately owned hospitality group, with more than 40,000 rooms and residences in over 200 locations.

Archipelago International brands include Aston, Collection by Aston, Alana, Huxley, Kamuela, Harper, Quest, Hotel NEO, fave, Nordic and Powered by Archipelago.

Check out their website for more info: https://www.archipelagointernational.com

The writer was hosted by airasia Superapp and Archipelago International