Kinez Riza and Nindy Noto

Bali

The stone foundations of this temple are megalithic, or around 2000 years old, and is one of Bali’s most sacred temples under the Agung Volcano. It is exceptionally large with stone paved alleys leading you towards the interior complex.

Tenganan Pegeringsinan Village is one of Bali’s earliest villages known for their ‘evil warding’ geringsing textiles and Perang Pandan, an annual ceremony held at the end of June that showcases fighters striking each other with Pandan leaves.

Melukat in Sebatu is a spring temple cleanse in the Sebatu valley, discovered as a sacred site 8 years ago and potent in energy. Required to go with a mangku or guide to enter the premises and conduct the ceremony.

Qi Temple Acupuncture, Bamboo Cupping, Moxibustion and Tui Na is my go to for a regular fix to ease physical or mental tension in Canggu.

Their Codage facials are especially compatible with my skincare needs, alongside their stretch shiatsu massage and signature massage. The Olaplex hair treatment and eyelash extensions are essential too.

John Hardy Seminyak serves a fantastic lunch inspired by flavours across the archipelago paired with jamu drinks in the Seminyak flagship store of jeweller John Hardy, known for Bali heritage jewellery techniques such as the chain link weave in silver, gold and precious metals.

Pura Ayun in Bongkasa - a quiet temple in the village of Bongkasa across the valley from Sayan Road, flanked by ancient banyan trees so old and colossal it is visible along the tree line as you look across the valley

A beautiful stay in the mountains in an organic coffee plantation with different styled rooms if you’re seeking colder nights by the fire and incredible organic food, owned by Ibu Kentri Norberg who is a mother to all. There are several natural river pools on the property accessible in a 15 minute trek when the days get hot.

Agustian Supriatna is a multi-instrumentalist who leads sound healing sessions using various instruments such as bamboo flutes, sitar, steel hand pan, bells and singing bowls. Catch him perform at venues in Ubud to help you attain a more peaceful and aligned state of mind.

Tirta Usada is a holistic clinic led by Tjokorde Gde Kerthyasa. Trained as a homoeopath and a Buteko Breathwork practitioner, he is also a tea master. If you have a specific ailment, he’s full of great advice. You can also head to the clinic for general advice on how to incorporate natural health practices into your daily life.

Savitri Devi is a Kundilini yoga teacher, reiki master, as well as a holistic and wellness lifestyle coach. She is based in the wellness hub of the island, an area called Ubud, and teaches at three different places there.

Bali's Spiritual and Wellness Side with Nindy and Kinez

PNNY

Our home for 4 years, you can always guarantee a good night and good pasta at Da Maria.

Intimate club vibes with cocktails, beautiful people and a good music policy.

For the past 4 years its been one of Canggu's institution to night life, and industrial outdoors pizza spot that turns in to a 1000 people rave every Monday!

A new venue for underground sounds from House to Techno. Located amidst the bustling area of Canggu, Neverland offers a refined nightlife experience! A perfect escape for some after-dark drinking with warm and unpretentious ambience.

An audio file concept bar which feels more like a living room, attracting the best Indonesian Disko DJs and local music fanatics. Move on to the party at the world famous beach club bar for afters.

The Best Nightlife in Bali with PNNY

Maya Kerthyasa

One of the best Balinese meals I’ve had recently was at Dapur Bali Mula in Les on the island’s north coast. Basically, it’s a kitchen run by chef Jero Mangku Dalem Suci Gede Yudiawan, who also happens to be a pemangku, or priest, in the area. He cooks everything over wood-fire in a hand-built clay stove, using only traditional, local ingredients and techniques.



This could be mackerel, caught that morning, massaged with yellow spices and turmeric leaves and cooked in a tube of young bamboo, or smoked chicken with raw sambal and Javanese long pepper leaves for greens. You might end proceedings with daluman leaf jelly in a glass of coconut cream and lontar-palm sugar syrup, or work your way through Yudiawan’s impressive collection of house-made arak – palm wine (also made from the nectar of the lontar tree) flavoured with everything from moringa leaves to fresh mango and fermented in 8th century Chinese clay pots. Either way, you’ll leave inspired.

Mek Juwel is another absolute go-to in my books. It’s a warung, which is best described as a small local eatery that’s usually family-run and specialises in a specific regional dish. Mek Juwel serves nasi or rice, with ayam or chicken, braised in a secret formula of spices and aromatics until it’s fork tender and simultaneously bright and earthy on the palate. It’s displayed behind a glass counter alongside a spread of equally-as-delicious condiments – torch ginger flower sambal and stir-fried noodles, among them. Head there in the morning when the birds are still warm.



Over the past few decades, meat has become the star of the Balinese diet – but this hasn’t always been so. As recently as 35 years ago, our cuisine was mostly made-up of native plants. We’d cook whatever nature provided – whether that’s fern tips, mango leaves, young papaya, banana-tree trunks or young bamboo shoots. Proteins from larger animals (pigs, ducks) were reserved for ceremonies or special occasions, and smaller animals (dragonflies, frogs, small eels known as belut) would be foraged in the rice fields and eaten on more of a daily basis.

Batukaru Coffee Retreat is up in the foothills of the island’s western mountains and a great place to explore home-style Balinese vegetarian food. Its proprietor, Kentri Norberg, prepares her menus based on the food she ate growing up: just-picked, minimally fussed-with, naturally medicinal. She only uses house-made coconut oil and palm sugar from the farm next door; her rice is sourced from heirloom fields below the property; her coffee is grown biodynamically on the adjoining plantation. Comfort eating in its most nourishing form.

The north-east coast on the other side of the island, is brimming with artisanal producers such as sea-salt makers, home arak distilleries and coconut groves that turn out everything from palm sugar to coconut milk and oil. Many of the best cooks source their ingredients directly from these small producers out east. When I head up there, I like to stop at Warung Lesehan Merta Sari for fish sate. They use tuna, which they mince, spice and grill over coconut charcoals, served with white rice, a bowl of glassy seafood soup and stir-fried kangkung or water spinach. You dine lesehan-style, cross-legged on elevated seating platforms in a sprawling, buzzing dining hall.

I’ve stopped eating pork for spiritual reasons, but have heard great things about the suckling pig at Babi Guling Pan Ana. The pork skin is the real draw here. It’s super-golden, crisp and glossy. Another big plus, is that this warung is located in Denpasar, which is a great place to explore all the different riffs on Indonesian cuisine. It’s often overlooked by travellers, but I strongly recommend it to anyone who loves food.

Fu Shou Noodle Club Ubud is full of culinary treasures and one of its most intriguing casual diners. The offerings are kept simple. There’s a few varieties of steaming bakmie noodle soups with free-range chicken, mushrooms or pork, classic Hainan chicken rice and pangsit dumplings deep-fried or boiled in chicken broth. It’s all made from scratch, in-house and with a noticeable dose of care.

Room4Dessert, on the opposite end of town, is my favourite special-occasion restaurant. You’ve probably heard of it if you’re a Chef’s Table binge-watcher or a proud owner of chef-owner Will Goldfarb’s dreamy cookbook (Room for Dessert, Phaidon, 2018). What I love about Goldfarb’s cooking and ethos is that he’s such a champion for real Balinese produce. He digs deep to source rare native foods from small-scale farmers, and works with them thoughtfully, allowing the produce to shine. There’s a blockbuster tasting menu 21-courses strong, and a new a la carte menu that’s super-accessible if you’d rather drop in for a tray of house-baked breads and condiments with a glass of natural wine.

The Best Local Spots to Eat in Bali with Maya Kerthyasa

TAKSU

Miller’s Records, located in the famous spot of umalas, a small shop taking on a vegas style look from the outside has a very wide variety of vinyl records. Being relatively new, this shop has already been a strong community because it does not only offer to buy but also possible to sell personal vinyl collection. Inside you'll see racks in different styles organized by its genres and year, making it easy to find and eye pleasing as some cool looking vinyl stacked up on frames. For most of its vinyl that isn't originally produced, they have a tag showing it’s been purchased there, price range starting even from 60k for some vinyl up to 2,7mill for collector items.

Ganesha Ubud is a very small distinguished library selling old vintage story books, comics, to postcard in Ubud making. Here you'll find the craziest old books you could have not thought of about Indonesia or anything relevant to Indonesia and its history, as they only sell old, rare, out-of-print books.

There will always be 2 very kind shopkeepers who you can ask for help, and they can tell you stories behind the books which are always fascinating. They also allow you to read some of the books (ones which are not sealed) daily as if it's a library. Their prices are relatively cheap for an amazing book you are yet to discover. Some as cheap as 10.000 rupiah for a small book with all the old 80’s indonesia postcard stamps.

Lab Rana is another small, cool shop located in Tamora gallery in the heart of Berawa. Labrana is the go to place to buy your films needs and develop them. It offers a lot of types of film and film cameras, without worrying which one is the best fit for your cause of photography, you could simply share and talk with them about what you want and need and they'll guide you through your best option for purchase.

Going there you'll meet the senior shopkeeper who has a tight film camera community trying to keep the trend alive.

Tinta Photo Solutions really lives up to its name. A small shop not far from Miller Records and the Bumbak area, Umalas. They give a lot of options with high standard quality prints and frames for your art or photo pieces. They have personally done me well with their offer of leasing their frames for an exhibition I'm doing, giving me ease on up-front payments. Very good hospitality. They have a complete catalogue of solutions when shopping for prints and frames, making it much easier to pick the right frame and print that fits your home's interior design. With with affordable prices, Tinta has helped the community so much building the art scene in out in Bali.

Bali Beach Glamping located in Tabanan close to the famous Pigstone Beach which is well known for surfing, a new getaway for camping with a pinch of luxury just opened. If you go there you’ll meet the Asela the manager who will show you around all the tents which have amazing beach views.

A local entrepreneur who is the boss lady of 2 thrift stores located in Tabanan. She started selling thrift tees in the traditional thrift market of Tabanan, and she gained her knowledge through technology/internet/social media and used them well. She is now known across Bali, even throughout Indonesia. Both of her stores are located in the village of Kerambitan, Tabanan. In the traditional market, you could see her store in the first traditional building(more like a big shack) around 150m in the back. With her joyful voice you could spot and know that it’s Bu Dolir. Price range starting from Rp.30.000 up to some collectable items for 2mill rupiah. There are more thrift stores available to explore in the rest of ‘Pasar kodok’ thrift market in Tabanan.

Segelas Kopi Ubud located in the heart of the village of Mas, Ubud. A small coffee shop across Ari Canti hospital offers not only great coffee but also a comfortable silent space to work with a touch of art and balinese culture. I've personally spent my time gathering inspirations and ideas in this spot. Owned and run by a young teen (GUSTRA I.B) the age of 19 has successfully built a solid coffee shop concept supporting not only local workers that has been WFH, but also educating about the value of art to its customers. My favorite menu is the Nasi Goreng Babi Kecap with the piccolo beverage, with the price for both totalling only $4.

The best item on the menu is the Chasumen with an added ajitama (half boiled egg, japanese style). With free flowing mineral water, expenses on beverage are not needed.

Thrifting & Shopping Local with TAKSU

Made Dhanu

Come and visit our restaurant FED. It’s a welcoming space where you can visit with your mates or on a date. You should definitely try the Chickpea fritter with smoked fish. We embed sustainable values into our cooking, no trimmings or bones go into the bin, we utilise them by adding to other dishes and enhancing the flavours of our favourite snacks. It is one of our ways to tackle food waste and try to be as conscious of our environment as we can. 

Have a drink at our bar and some snacks before starting dinner. Come and visit Friday or Saturday night if you’re into music.

The thing about this restaurant that always amuses people dining in is their welcome snacks, which changes frequently depending on the season of certain
produce. The welcome snacks consisted of 9-10 different dishes. There were two things on that snacks course that blew my mind, which was the gulai of young banana (indonesian curry) and this sour green leaf with tamarind, it's just something that i’ve never tasted before. I would recommend people to come to Nusantara with a group of friends that love tasty spicy food, as the restaurant concept is sharing style and you have to order a lot.

This is a humble spot by Indra Sanjaya, a good friend of mine, located in his house in Batukaru,Tabanan. The food at Standar Lokal is very simple yet it can be addicting. Indra continues his grandmother’s traditional smoked pork sausage and it is served with seasonal veggies like fern tips or cassava leaves, smoked chicken with sambal matah, and rice. People around Bali would drive up to standar lokal to enjoy this delicacy, as it's located close to the mount of Batukaru and it can be a journey to get there. You can go here with a date or group of friends.

American BBQ style smoked brisket run by young local Balinese located in the heart of Denpasar. Komang Tryananda or can be called Nance, a good friend of mine as well. Nance learned American bbq smoking technique from the Internet, built his DIY smoker machine and ran a couple of pop ups until decided to open up his own joint at his home in Denpasar. Everything from the menu is tasty, so better come with groups of friends and order and share everything on the menu. They are taking bookings only, as they have a very limited space.

Another humble warung located in Ubud, serving chicken rice dish. The place is a house courtyard, turned into an eatery with a view of rice fields and now “villas”. The first time I came to this warung was 6-8 years ago with my friend Nikolas, I got hooked ever since then and always took some friends to eat here when visiting ubud.

If you're visiting Bali, Babi Guling is a must on the food list. Babi Guling is a traditional Balinese suckling pig. Spit roasted whole pig served with condiments and rice. Balinese people would normally eat babi guling for breakfast or lunch, back then Babi Guling Selingsing started open at 2am as they only served limited portions. A lot of people go there after a night out in Canggu. As time goes by, the demand increases and they become commercial and open at normal times.

Fed by the Island: Made Dhanu’s Guide to Bali’s Must-Try Sustainable Restaurants

bagvs

One of the hottest clubbing spots at the moment in Asia, and perhaps the world, was created by OMA, DJ Harvey, and audio engineer George Stavro working together to create that 'sonic sweetspot' experience. It must be heard to be believed.


Run by everyone's favourite person in Bali, Denny Novikar, who is also a painter and active in the band and hardcore punk scene, this place carries a lot of hip-hop records and classic disco. They also have a small corner space for bands to jam, which they feature on their YouTube channel.

Open since 2017, this store carries thousands of various records, from avant-pop icons like Charli XCX to obscure ambient projects and rarities. This store is a must-visit destination if you want to go record digging.

A cute corner located in the heart of Denpasar above a coffee shop, where you will find new and second-hand records, cassettes, books, zines, posters, and merchandise curated by Gilang, who is active in the punk/hardcore scene.

Amidst the party scene that dominates entertainment in Bali, this place stands out with its rowdy rock 'n' roll bar concept. A rotating list of talented bands hits the stage daily. It is also a destination for international and domestic bands when they tour Bali.

From classic punk records like Black Flag - My War and Poison Idea - Pick Your King, to Japanese music, anime soundtracks, and rare Indonesian records by Margie Segers 

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