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 

Using the airasia Superapp to fly with Batik Air

My recent Bali trip - several reports will follow over the next couple of weeks - was courtesy of the airasia Superapp and hotel group Archipelago International.

From starting as a budget airline with just two planes, AirAsia has evolved into a fully-fledged travel superapp and has become one of Asia’s fastest-growing travel platforms.

Not only does the airasia Superapp feature the airlines own products, it also offers flights from over 700 airlines, hotels including more than 900,000 worldwide, ride-hailing services, shopping and more. All in the one place.

My flights did not actually involve an AirAsia flight: I flew from Melbourne into Denpasar with Batik Air, and out with Virgin Australia – both booked through the app.

The recently launched suite of airasia Superapp offerings in Bali highlights one of the airline’s key focus destinations for the Australian market.

The app is described as a “one-stop shop” powered by data and technology – and has been actioned by 51 million users.

Visitors can engage in real-time conversations, join like-minded communities, play games and much more. Well worth a look.

I'd never flown with Batik Air before - and until last year they were known by their previous name of Malindo Air (Malaysia and Indonesia, geddit?).

 

Batik Air is a Malaysian-based regional airline with headquarters in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Malindo Air officially rebranded as Batik Air in April 2022 and operates from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Selangor.

The carrier currently operates a fleet of Boeing 737-8, 737-800 and ATR72-600 aircraft for both domestic and international flights.

For short flights like Melbourne-Denpasar, Batik Air is perfectly adequate. My flight had no entertainment screen, or wifi, but we all travel with iPhones or iPads nowadays.

The pre-ordered meal of satay chicken and nasi goreng was passable, though not as good as AirAsia, and the flight arrived on time.

You can pay extra for seats with more leg room should you wish to do so.

Batik Air currently operates out of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth and will soon resume flights out of Adelaide.

Cheap and cheerful is the verdict.