It’s been a couple of months since Happy ME retreat in Bali and the transformation has been palpable…

It fuels something that will keep our passion burning for a very long time.

To recap our one week retreat, here’s what we did, day by day, where we went and what we learned…and our overall experience.

Day 1 

We started with water cleansing or Melukat at Tirta Empul in Tampaksiring. It was a spiritual experience and felt really at peace afterwards. Tirta Empul Temple was built around a sacred spring. The inscription dates the spring all the way back to 926AD, and there are fine carvings and Garudas on the courtyard buildings. The temple and its two bathing spots have been used by the Balinese for over a thousand years for good health and prosperity, as the spring water really does have the power to cure. Regular purification ceremonies also take place here. source: seeingBali.com

Then, our nice driver/guide/photographer Gede brought us for some ‘coffee tasting’ at one of the coffee plantations nearby. I learned there are plenty of these around. The whole experience is free. It’s optional to buy some Luwak (Civet) coffee or herbal teas.

Since we have our driver with us for the whole day, we headed to the local tourist attractions in the area, like the Tegalalang Rice Terraces where we did the iconic Bali Swing in flying dress.

We ate at a local restaurant with great ambience and headed to the water falls. It was quite a full day of nature adventure.

We ended the day with a relaxing massage.

View reels here

Day 2

We started our day with our inner work inspired by “The Science of Well-being” and “The Art of Manifestation” courses where we assess all areas of our life and cast a vision of the life that we love. We also created SMART goals and aligned action for the next 30-60-90 days on each areas how we’re getting there. We also did some reflection and looked at how we are showing up in order to achieve our goals. We ended with journaling and visualization meditation of an ideal day in a life based on the exercise.

We headed back to Ubud have lunch at a local hole-in-the-wall Warung Babi. They are known for their crispy pork belly and roasted pig ‘lechon’. And what’s nice is that it’s tuck away from the busy tourist streets. It even has a relaxing vibe and view of the little creek and trees. It was a really good authentic Balinese cooking and ambience so I recommend this restaurant if you’re in Ubud Center.

We continued to explore Ubud Center and visited the Ubud Palace and Ubud Market for some local shopping.

We then hang out at Cafe Lotus which also had the view of goddess Saraswati temple. Saraswati is the symbol of education, creativity and music. It was definitely a site to behold and just relax…highly recommend this stop. You can enter the temple and have some photo sessions but we opted with to eat and drink with a view of the lotus pond.

From there we walked to Monkey Forest Sanctuary and walked more inside and saw playful monkeys unlike the ones in Uluwatu temple. It’s nice to see them walking around freely and seem comfortable with the tourist. Their caretaker even play with them.

We ended the day with a facial and another massage at our hotel.

Check out our reels

 

Day 3

This retreat was a business trip so we made sure we planned for our business growth. We finished part 1 of our workbook defining our Mission, Vision, Values, our ideal customer, etc. before we explored the village to experience more authentic Bali living. We asked the local staff from our hotel and they recommended two temples:

1. The first one was Gunung Kawi. Gunung Kawi Temple popularly known as The Valley of The Balinese Kings is an 11th-century temple and funerary complex. It comprises 10 rock-cut candi (shrines) that are carved into some 7-metre-high (23 ft) sheltered niches of the sheer cliff face. These funeral monuments are thought to be dedicated to King Anak Wungsu of the Udayana dynasty and his favourite queens. On the east side there are five temples that are dedicated, according to one theory, to King Udayana, his queen Mahendradatta, and their sons Airlangga, Anak Wungsu, and Marakata. The temples on the west side are dedicated, according to the same theory, to the king’s minor queens or concubines. source: Wiki

I love this place because we had a chance to explore nature. We trekked down the rice paddies and crossed a small river with a makeshift bridge. I realized later on that we took the road less traveled (backroad) which added to the appeal. The overall mood here was very peaceful and quiet. I even entered a sacred area inside the temple which I learned was only for invited people during the times when the temple was still active. You have to remove your shoes here. It felt cold and holy inside. I was praying inside and thanking the souls there for allowing me to step on their holy ground.

There are two temples facing each other like a mirror. We found the entrance on the other side of the real concrete bridge and went back to have a delicious late lunch/early dinner. The view was overlooking the rice paddies. They also had their own version of Bali swing here. There were also zip lines over the rice paddies but I guess it was not operational on that day. There was less tourist which I like.

2. We walked to the second temple for about 10 minutes and learned it was a UNESCO World Heritage, Pura Mengening. It’s an ancient water temple from the reign of King Marakata in 1022 AD. There are fascinating artifacts around this area, and several sacred springs can also be found here. You will not hear this often from Bali recommendations nor read it from the internet as places to visit but I do highly recommend it. The locals on the gate even told me it’s Angel Ariel’s temple. I picked that oracle card earlier that day.

I think we got lucky because this day is New Moon so locals performed their ceremony in the temple and brought their offerings. We met them as we go down the steep stairs. It was late afternoon and people were already leaving. We were the last tourists in the temple before it closed. I feel honored to witness a young family doing this ritual. The mom who’s probably younger than me offered to do the offering ritual where I put the flowers in the altar and send my gratitude prayers and blessed it with water. She then put the rice bindi on my forehead and neck area and I believe it’s for abundance and blessings. I was happy to oblige. This experience felt really authentic to me. I felt more peace and serenity afterwards. We headed back to our hotel and had a relaxing evening.

My experience this day also taught me so much about trusting myself more. Trust my instincts and stop second guessing my own decisions. It inspired me to write a journal and I promised myself to trust my inner wisdom and guidance. Let’s just say there were lots of tears…I was really moved to my core and felt connected to my inner child and higher Self.

View our reels

Day 4 

We finished part 2 of our business agenda where we set goals and action plans in the next 90 days.

This is our last business agenda in Ubud and the rest is FOOD trip. We headed to lunch at Westin Ubud, followed by drinks at Sthala, Tribute Portfolio and ended with a traditional Barong dinner dance at Alila Ubud. We are grateful for our hotel partners for their hospitality.

This was day of celebration for all the hard work we’ve done the last 3 days…

Here’s some highlight reels

 

Days 5 and 6

It’s our last day in Ubud, and we wouldn’t not leave without getting another massage by the gazebo before breakfast. This was our favorite spot in our resort, Alam Kawi, I even named it Happy ME gazebo. I will miss this eco boutique place surrounded by the rice paddies and warm Balinese hospitality. It reminded me of the provinces in the Philippines. Very serene, quiet and the food was amazing. We had breakfast here every morning and some dinners as well.

Check out our reels

We headed down South to Bvlgari Bali for a nice tour and lovely lunch.  This was a great experience and even had a private elevator ride to the beach. The property is on the cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean. We checked one of their mansion, villa and presidential suite. Definitely felt elevated experience. I can just imagine staying here a few days…I also visited a total of 10 hotels while I’m in Bali for my meeting planning business and posted them on my social media in case people want to book a retreat or meeting in Bali. Each one has its own appeal and allure. It just depends what your looking for and of course, budget. Big shout out to Ritz Carlton, The Laguna, St. Regis as well for their warm reception during site visit. Special thanks to our partners in Marriott and Hyatt for making all these visits happen while I’m in town. Short but sweet.

The last agenda for this day was witnessing the sunset at Uluwatu. Uluwatu Temple is a Hindu clifftop temple set on a cliff bank in the south part of the Bali Peninsula. Perched on the southwestern tip of Bali, this temple stands majestically atop a soaring cliff. It invites visitors into a realm where spirituality harmonizes with breathtaking views. This iconic temple is not only a testament to Bali’s rich Hindu heritage but also a cultural enclave that offers a mesmerizing experience.

We spent the whole afternoon here to watch the sunset with hundreds of people. This place is crawling with its local residents. Unlike in Monkey Forest, these monkeys steal people’s glasses, phones and yes, one even tried to grab my hair clip. I definitely felt the tugged but he was unsuccessful. These residents were notorious for being naughty so be extra watchful.

This was the conclusion of our epic retreat in Bali. We stayed two more nights Seminyak and did more site visits on Day 6  while Frances explored the locale. Grateful for our hosts W hotels and Alila Seminyak for their warmest Bali hospitality while we’re in Seminyak.

I spent two lovely morning breakfasts by the beach and quiet evenings here savoring the whole experience.

Overall, Bali is a place people say it is. It’s magical, full of lovely people, (lots of tourist) and great food. It’s an experience I would recommend if you’re looking for the right balance of nature, adventure and spiritual connection. And maybe, experience a personal transformation or self-realization…given the right intention and guidance.

That’s our goal for all our retreats we host. We hope you can join us on our next self-care holiday where vacation meets transformation.

Til then, be well,

Kellie