Our Guide to Canggu

The June holidays are here again and we decided to head to Bali for our vacation as well as our wedding anniversary. We have been wanting to come back to Bali for the longest time and we finally managed to make it happen. The last time we were in Bali was 5 years ago.

• Related: Our Short Getaway to Ubud

We flew via AirAsia and we promised one of our Dive Instructor friends who is living there to meet up with him in Canggu.

Our good friend Made, who owns a tour transport company Bali Happy Tour picked us up at the airport and provided all our necessary transport needs for this trip. Do check them out for your tours and transport in Bali. 🙂

We stayed a couple of days in the hip and seemingly cool north Kuta area named Canggu. We plan to relax, have brunch every day as well as practice Yoga throughout our holiday in Bali

Here is our Guide to Canggu on places to stay, see, eat and things to do while you are here.

Places to Stay

Master Room in a Top Location in Canggu

Yes, that is the name of our room in Canggu. The contemporary styled villa is situated in the heart of Canggu, minutes away from the beach via motorcycle. The area is peaceful and quiet. The room is sparkling clean with super fast wifi, great for those digital nomads working remotely. The pool is very welcoming in the tropical heat and we spent a lot of our time there!

• Tip: Rent a motorcycle at the villa for all your transport needs

Cafes, restaurants as well as local fare are just a stone’s throw away. Putu, the caretaker is always available to help you with anything you might need.

Head to AirBnB to check out this place. We assure you it is one of the best-rated places in Canggu!

Pluto House

*image: Pluto House

If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to a villa, you can check out Pluto House. Our Singaporean Dive Instructor friend who is living in Bali stayed here while he was in Canggu.

• Tip: Ask for special rates if you are planning to stay long-term

We visited the Homestay a couple of times and even hung out with the friendly landlord who is always offering us coffee. The rooms are all air-conditioned, equipped with a private bathroom & shower and the property is situated at the centre of Canggu with all the amenities within walking distance!

Check out Pluto House Rates.

Brunch Places

There are so many great brunch places but so little time to check them all out. Ann and I made it a point to start our day early and have breakfast before Yoga.

From the healthy vegan cafes to the smoothie bowls, we were spoilt for choice. Below are some of the cafes we recommend to start your day with a bang.

Betel Nut Cafe

One of the first cafes we visited was the open concept Betel Nut Cafe. This cafe serves one of the best coffee in Canggu and amazing breakfast too. The breakfast wraps/burritos with avocado and egg is a great kick starter for the day.

Betelnut cafe also serves yoghurt breakfast bowls. My personal favourite is the banana, berries, granola mixed with yoghurt and topped with coconut shavings.

They have an extensive menu of healthy local, Mexican and “western” fare and we were spoilt for choice. The cafe is also located on the main Pantai Batu Bolong road heading to the beach just opposite of Deus Ex Machina.

Oka’s Bakery & Cafe

Oka’s Bakery & Cafe is a specialist in gluten and preservative free bread. We had an omelette & mushroom breakfast with great views of the main road.

We can sit here the whole day and enjoy the sights while sipping a cup of coffee.

Made’s Banana Flour Bakery

This is the world’s first banana flour bakery which is produced from green bananas. Their bakes are 100% gluten free and celiac friendly.

We had their waffles as well as pancakes. The food made from banana flour here is very filling making you full for a longer period of time. They are situated on the main road opposite a temple and very visible.

It is a great place to check out if you are allergic to gluten. They provide gluten-free cakes and bread to most restaurants in the area. So you might have probably tasted the goodness from the bakery before.

Milk & Madu Pop Up

Milk & Madu is probably the most Instagrammed place in the whole of Canggu. The actual location is under renovation and they have a pop up near the original place.

They serve one of the best breakfast here in Canggu. We truly enjoyed our breakfast especially the Eggs Benedict on Salmon and toast that when we headed to Ubud a few days later, Milk & Madu was the first place we look out for!

Milk & Madu is situated on the other side, in Berawa where there is a notorious accident prone and jam-packed shortcut you can take that connects Batu Bolong to this place. 😛

Yoga Places

The Practice

*image: The Practice

The Practice is a stunning Yoga centre with a bamboo rooftop offering traditional Tantric Hatha Yoga, presentations, workshops, Yoga Teacher Training and more.

• Tip: Indonesians get a special price for practising Yoga here. Do ask for promotions.

We went with The Practice for our daily dose of Yoga because it was the nearest from our villa which situated on Pantai Batu Bolong road heading towards the beach. The Shala is huge and airy, the staff super friendly and we did not need to think twice to practice our Yoga here.

You can learn more about The Practice Here.

Stunning Yoga centre with bamboo rooftop and walls in the heart of Canggu. #yoga #canggu #bali #thepracticebali

A post shared by Fat Starfish (@fatstarfish_) on Jun 20, 2018 at 12:05am PDT

Other Yoga places we checked out and deserve mention are

• Mondo Surf & Lifestyle Village

• Samadi Organic Café, Yoga & Wellness Centre

Local Eats

Warung Sika

Nothing beats a good plate of Nasi Campur (mixed rice)when you are in Bali. One of the best tasting and cheapest local fares we had was at Warung Sika.

Ann loves the Nasi Goreng (fried rice) here and the fried chicken is finger licking good. We kept ordering the fried chicken and eating it with the Sambal.

The prices here too are very reasonable and we could get a full plate of Nasi Campur for less than USD$2. It is situated off the main road. Address below. 🙂

Varuna Warung Canggu

Coming in 2nd on our list is Warung Varuna. It is situated on the main Pantai Batu Bolong road. Both of us love the Fried Noodles with Chicken, Extra Spicy.

Prices here are a wee bit expensive but the food here is good!

Warteg 24 hours

Another Warung that deserves mention is Warteg. This Warung is 24 hours and you can get your daily dose of Nasi Campur any time of the day!

It is situated within walking distance of our villa right opposite the Police Station in Canggu.

• Tip: Always wear your helmet when you are riding to Warteg as the Police are right opposite you 😛

We love the Rendang, crispy fried shrimps here and they are Halal too.

Bonus – Roti Canai Street Kitchen

Being Singaporeans, nothing beats a good Teh Tarik (frothy pulled milk tea) after a good meal at a Warung. Here in Canggu, you can get a Teh Tarik & Roti Canai at the Roti Canai Street Kitchen.

Prices here are a bit steep compared to Singapore. But the cafe is situated at a busy junction and you can people watch and enjoy a good cup of Teh Tarik with Nutella Roti Canai.

Bonus – The Shady Shack

Last but not least, The Shady Shack is one of the cafes with views of the paddy fields. Ann and I love to come here in the afternoons to have coffee and cake while enjoying the scenery.

It is situated on the same road as Warung Sika.

Dinner

Luigi’s Hot Pizza

*image: Luigi’s Hot Pizza

This open-air restaurant serves one of the best wood-fired pizzas in Canggu. The highlight would be the metre long pizza where you can have various toppings and share with friends.

We really loved the basic plain Margherita pizza here and I can really eat up to 2 pizzas by myself! The open-air concept gives this restaurant a great laid-back atmosphere and a great place to have a pizza or two!

Moana Fish Eatery

Moana Fish Eatery was probably one of the highlights of our trip to Canggu.  They serve Polynesian-style dishes where you will find the freshest seafood and lip-smacking fish dishes.

Our Singaporean Diver friend

Even though they are a proper restaurant, the prices are very very reasonable and the food really delicious. Unfortunately for us and our Diver friend, we went to Moana on our last night in Canggu.

This restaurant is a must try if you are in Canggu. We will come definitely come back here again when we have the chance.

Things to Do in Canggu

Deus Ex Machina Temple of Enthusiasm

One of the die die must visit place would be Deus Ex Machina. They are a custom made motorcycle brand from Australia that has evolved over the years to be a lifestyle brand for custom motorcycles, surf, clothing and even restaurant.

I came here just to ogle at the various custom motorcycles that were on display. Ann bought a few souvenirs and t-shirts for the people back home.

At night, there is live entertainment here which you can enjoy after your dinner at Luigi’s Hot Pizza which is just next door!

Love Anchor

Love Anchor is an open-air market where you can buy those popular rattan handbags, eco-friendly bamboo straws and other knick-knacks.

Ann bought a couple of bamboo straws for her eco-friendly warriors back home as well as souvenirs. Do bargain though as the prices here are quite steep.

Surf, Chill by the beach with a Coconut & Catch the Sunset Every Damn Day

Every afternoon, our Diver friend and us would chill by Batu Bolong Beach after he finishes surfing to catch the amazing sunset every damn day while sipping a coconut on one hand.

Ann and I are both bad at surfing and we only watch the pros do it. 😛

We would watch the surfers catch the waves and gawk at the amazing mesmerizing Bali sunset before we head for dinner. #watchsunseteverydamnday

If only life is this simple.

Check out Skaterboarders at Konkrete

Purple sunset #bali #canggu #travel #skatepark #konkrete

A post shared by Fat Starfish (@fatstarfish_) on Jun 4, 2018 at 4:14am PDT

On other days when we are not lounging by our villa pool, we would head to Konkrete, a cafe for skateboarders to show off their skills.

One of our skateboard enthusiast Belgian acquaintance introduced us to this place and we would drop by to hang out with him in the afternoons.

Old Man’s

*image: Old Man’s

Old Man’s is a late night live entertainment open space by Batu Bolong Beach and the place to be after dinner. Tourists and locals alike will hang out for drinks and live music as well as DJ sets.

We only went there once to enjoy the music, sea breeze after our dinner as most of the time we would be too tired to hang out till late after a long day of yoga, cafe hopping and sightseeing.

So here is our Guide to Canggu. We hope you will try out and enjoy the places like we did.

Canggu is currently one of the hip and best places to be in Bali. And we hope it stays that way. 🙂

Do drop us a comment below if you require more information on our trip to Canggu. And do also share your favourite Canggu places for us to check out in the future.

Till next time. Safe travels wherever you are!

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