Bali : on my own

Location: Bali

Who with: on my own

Date of travel: September 2016

Why?

After an especially hectic time in my workplace I was looking forward to a holiday. For some time I had wanted to take my son on a trip to China and we talked about taking a tour together, but he decided he didn’t want to go. My husband insisted I needed a break anyway and should take myself away for a rest.

I had always joked that my lottery win holiday would be to book myself into one of the health retreats in northern New South Wales or the Gold Coast hinterland for a strict regimen of healthy eating, exercise, massages and meditation. Once I started researching online I wondered if that was really what I needed at the time.

Then I recalled a girlfriend had been to Bali for a yoga retreat, and long story short, found myself booking in to the Bliss Sanctuary for Women in Canggu.

How?

Booking in to Bliss was very easy via their website. It’s not all about the yoga, there is a range of packages you can add on and I chose the Self Empowerment package, which included a session with a Balinese Healer, a tarot card reading, and a colourpuncture treatment: more about the treatments later.

On arrival at the airport in Denpasar my Bliss driver, Putu, whisked me away to the villa in Canggu (it has since relocated to a new site). I was greeted by the hostess who sat with me to ask what I hoped for from my time at Bliss, then after a cool drink and snack, I went to the first of many massages in my private room, on my mosquito-netted, petal strewn massive bed.

Poolside @ Bliss

What appealed to me about Bliss was the relaxed, entirely up to you pace, with no dietary limitations, and no expectations to do anything at all. The unlimited massage treatments were also a big drawcard.

Breakfast and lunch could be chosen from an a la carte menu (nasi goring for breakfast!) and dinner was a banquet of authentic Balinese dishes with the other guests each evening – a wonderful opportunity to hear about their activities and which treatments everyone had that day.

The treatment session with the Balinese healer included in my package was a mixed bag of pleasure and pain. I was in Phase 2 of two frozen shoulders with a very limited range of motion, particularly on the right side. I will admit there were tears during the session and some fairly painful manipulation, but by the end of the session I could reach up and over my head, which I hadn’t been able to do for months. For me it was a minor miracle, and was followed by a few more cathartic tears.

I was a bit skeptical about the colorpunture treatment and was considering giving it a miss, but another guest’s recommendation made me decide to go ahead. I met with Henry and assistant his Nengah for a chat first, explaining that I was just exhausted and was looking to be rejuvenated by my stay at Bliss. Henry went to work on my head and face while Nengah was treating my feet. You can seen more about them and the treatment here.  I must have fallen asleep during the treatment because I woke myself up with an unexpected snore – Henry assured me that was not uncommon. The session lasted about 90 minutes and I came away feeling so relaxed and rested, as if I’d had the best night’s sleep.

Cleansing ritual at Pura Tirta Empul

Over dinner each evening our hostess talked to us about what we’d like to do the next day – sightseeing, treatments, shopping trips – and made the arrangements. I madly booked in cooking classes, cycling tours, and sightseeing for the first few days and then remembered why I was really there – to relax and be pampered. The second half of my stay was about the yoga, the massages, and the cream baths (the most divine head massage and hair treatment ever!).

For women travelling solo to a new and unfamiliar place, Bliss is perfect. Drivers are on hand to take you sightseeing and shopping: “I love the beautiful embroidered cushions in our rooms – where can I buy them?” “Ketut, could you please drive Miss K to Bungalow so she can buy some cushions.” And each guest is provided with a pre-programmed mobile phone, so in the event that you get lost you can easily contact your driver or the villa. 

When I got home and was waxing lyrical about my holiday a colleague (male) commented that the provision of a mobile phone took away the adventure of getting lost, but that really wasn’t what this holiday was about. 

My paid job and my domestic role is one of organizing other people down to the smallest detail.  Staying at Bliss gave me the mental, emotional and physical break I needed and the biggest decision I had to make each day was which massage treatments to choose and what to select for breakfast and lunch. I had gone to Bliss to be the one being taken care of, instead of the one taking care of others.

This trip ticked all the boxes for me: great food, sightseeing, massages, rejuvenation, and the frisson of a solo adventure.

My take away message from one of the healers was to “love yourself more, and doubt yourself less” - a powerful message for all the sisterhood.