There are a few rare places on this earth where I immediately feel at home and cannot help but run around with a huge grin on my face. Canggu on Bali is one of these special places. Here, you have everything you need to be happy: the sea, cool Canggu beach bars, delicious restaurants and the most beautiful sunsets ever.
Canggu beach style: The Best places to eat, surf and hang around in Canggu, Bali!
Sebastian and I lived on Bali for three months, first in Ubud and then in Canggu. After a while in Ubud it felt too crowded for us and honestly, a little too spiritual. Not being ultra Yogis and also eating meat we really felt like outlaws there. Luckily, Canggu is very different: home of surfers, it offers ultra hipster cafes and most places will have real burgers on the menus, even with bacon.During the time we spent in Canggu we also found some of our favourite places, here they are!
The best places to stay in Canggu
Apartments and Villas
If you want to stay in Canggu for longer you should rent an apartment through AirBnB, there are a few wonderful villas and rooms available! Especially if you are traveling with friends get a whole mansion with pool, it is really not expensive if you split the costs. These are some of the nicest AirBnB places in Canggu:
Cozy Pool Bungalow 3 @ Echo Beach
A really comfortable bungalow with wooden interiors, wifi, a garden and pool which you share with other guests. The owner rents out 3 bungalows all of which are located on his property and vary in size. Number 3 is the largest!
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2106345
This mansion offers five double bedrooms, two of which have their own ensuite bathrooms. All rooms are bright and have modern furnishing. You have your own garden with a small pool, an open living and dining room, wifi and from the upper story even a view of the surrounding rice fields.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4033784
A super stylish, modern villa with an own pool, beautiful hardwood floors, three bedrooms and wifi. You are only 15 minutes away from Eco Beach and you can rent bikes, yoga mats and of course surfboards.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4903241?guests=2&s=faQ6
EchoBeachVilla 2BR on the beach
This is a complex of 4 villas which all have pools and are very modern and bright. The whole thing is also close to Eco Beach and offers free wifi.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2476095
Villa Kazz 5 min from surfing 6 pax
Kazz also is a complex of 4 villas and although it is bright and modern the brick walls keep it nice and cool. Every villa has its private pool and and open living and dining room as well as wifi.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3007080
Hotels und Hostels
Sebastian and I spent almost 10 days in this hotel and really felt at home there! The rooms are small but very modern and clean. The hotel is well located between Batu Bolong and Echo Beach, it has wifi and a little pool. All rooms above the ground level have a balcony with view of the sea. The ground level rooms don’t have balconies, but offer direct access to the pool.
This is a pretty fancy mansion style hotel with large swimming pool and spacious bright rooms. You can join yoga sessions here or rent a bike to get around.
http://www.booking.com/hotel/id/oshan-villas-bali.html
The best cafés and restaurants
Crate Café: the hipster hangout
We pretty much went to Crate Café every morning for breakfast. Crate Café really is the ultimate hipster place: here surfers come together for coffee or pink, super healthy juices. For breakfast there are different Müslis and granola as well as more hearty options like sourdough bread with egg, bacon and avocado.
My favourite was porridge with strawberries, apple and cinnamon and a freshly squeezed orange juice. You can also get a great lunch here, such as the salad with chicken and Halloumi cheese which is really delicious! Crate Café also serves fantastic coffee and the three guys at the bar are amazing – real hipsters. And of course, to fit in with the crowd, you can buy the latest sunglass fad right at Crate.
Betelnut: something for every time of the day
Betelnut is almost a Canggu institution and you will always finde something great to eat there, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. The smoothies and salads are particularly good and there are a few Mexican favourites like Burritos and Tacos. And if you are feeling like having something sweet definitely try the cheesecake with raspberries, it’s really good!
Canteen: good sandwiches and salads
We loved Canteen for lunch. The place is rather small but the surfboards on the wall make it really cozy. We generally went for the sandwiches, try the ones with steak or chicken, they are really big and fill you up well. And if you are not in a sandwich mood, the salads are super tasty and breakfast is great as well!
Grocer and Grind: modern and a little pricier
Grocer and Grind is a larger, stylish place with fantastic food but slightly more expensive than other places in Canggu. We would sometimes sit here all day to work as the Grocer and Grind has fast internet, good air conditioning and wonderful coffee. The salads and Pizzas here are delicious!
Deus Ex Machina
The ultimate surfer place with simply the best burgers on Bali! Deus Ex Machina is a restaurant with a separate shop. They serve up a little of everything: Asian, Italian, Salads and amazing burgers. I think we went here pretty much every other night for the beef burger with extra bacon and cheese – it’s incredibly tasty!
Best to leave your credit card at home when going there because the shop next door has really cool surf apparel, hats, shades, surfboards and of course the motorbikes they are known for. And the shop itself is worth a visit, make sure to check out the cool interiors and the little art exhibition in the back room with beautifl portraits of Balinese people.
The best Canggu beach bars
Old Man’s
Old Man’s really was our second home in Canggu. We would come here almost every day and often sit from morning till evening working and watching the surfers. The place is very relaxing and thanks to the really good flat whites, reliable internet and ocean view it makes one of the best offices you could ask for!
If the waves were really good, we took a break and went down to the beach to surf. Old Man’s is located right on Batu Bolong Beach so all the surfers hang out here before and after going into the water. The bar is open and colourfully decorated. Starting from around six thirty in the evenings there is live music by Balinesian bands and on the weekends a DJ heats up the crowd. The food here is good but rather greasy, probably not the healthiest choice in the long run.
Le Pirate Canggu Beach Bar
Le Pirate is the more high end version of Old Man’s. Situated one beach further, on Echo Beach, it also offers a great view of the sea. The food is more expensive here and the portions smaller, but it definitely is healthier and tastier as well. Also, it is a little more quiet than the constant bustle of Batu Bolong Beach.
In the evenings we sometimes eased into the long chairs here to watch the sunset which was always super relaxing and somewhat romantic because Le Pirate is right next to one of the bigger tempels. Oh and of course, it is a great place for surfer gazing as well!
707 Beachbern
There is another beach bar you definitely have to check out: the 707 Beachbern. It offers exactly what you need, no less, no more. There are comfortable bean bag seats, simple wooden chairs and tables, a small boarded bar, cold drinks and sand to dig your feet into. 707 Beachbern is a little farther away from Canggu’s center towards Seminyak along Batu Beling Beach.
Even more favourite places
Surf locations and schools
There are many surf schools in Canggu so we simply went to the next best one on Batu Bolong Beach, right by Old Man’s. You will recognize the school by the many colourful boards, there is no sign or anything like that. If you are greeted by the guy named Paris or the other guy named YesNo, you found it!
Sebastian always rented a board for 2 hours, while I took a couple of lessons with Ayo. The beach is really good for beginners because you have easy access to the water and one side of the beach is entirely free of dangerous cliffs. 2 hours of surf instruction will cost you around 15 Euros, surfboards are available for as little as 5 Euros!
Goldust: the best massage
After all the surfing our shoulders and armes really ached all the way to our necks. Luckily, Bali has massage places on every other corner. It is nice to know that you can absolutely rely on this rule of thumb: every other house is a temple, every other corner has a massage parlor. Body and soul are well taken care of on Bali.
The very best but also most expensive massage we had in Canggu was at Goldust. Already from the outside you can sense that Goldust is fancier than most other massage places, and it is located right on Jalan Batu Bolong. Look out for a large golden sign and the little clothes store that belongs to it.
We opted for the ‘back booster’ massage which was developed specifically for surfers and people who spend a lot of time in front of their laptops – perfect for us! And I have to say, the massage really is amazing! We went almost every day because it did us so well. Best to go straight for the 60 minute massage, the 30 minute version is over way too fast. 60 minutes of ‘back booster’ cost around 15 Euros.
Yoga studios in Canggu
Of course there are also yoga studios in Canggu, though not as many as in Ubud. Samadi Bali is super nice with its open yoga room, garden and use of wood. They also organize an organic farmers’ market here every Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm where local farmers and artists come together to sell their products and crafts.
As an alternative you can also try the open yoga lessons at Desai Seni Village Resort or Serenity Eco Guesthouse. There are classes for beginners and more advanced Yogis alike.
Horseback riding in Canggu
If you love horseback riding like we do you have two options in Canggu: the Bali Equestrian Center with super fancy riding hall and stables, pool, restaurant and bar as well as their own shop. The have very well trained horses and internationally renowned riding teachers. This of course comes with a price tag, lessons and excursions are expensive and unfortunately the horses spend most of their time in the stable.
Luckily, cruising around Canggu we also coincidentally found another stable, the Kuda Bahagia. It is not as fancy but here the horses get to stay outdoors in groups. The owner is a Swiss woman but all the teachers and workers are Indonesians, many from Bali itself. I went riding at the facilities a couple of times and also was able to see a bit more of Canggu on a longer ride through the village, the rice fields and at the Canggu beach. The stable has horses for beginners and advanced riders and the staff is really nice.
Canggu, we will be back!!
One thing is for sure: Sebastian and I will be coming back to Canggu! We already booked our next trip and will be flying to Bali in October. We are both pretty excited already and knowing that we will return is like the excitement of Christmas morning to us!
Do you also have these places that you just love and that make you feel right at home? Or have you been to Canggu yourself and have a few favourite spots to share? Tell us!
