We arrived in Canggu, Bali for 48 hours from a terrific Singapore Airlines business class experience.
We planned our time in Bali as part of a fast travel sprint: we would spend three nights in Canggu then 3 nights in Ubud and use that time to decide if Bali was a place we would want to return to for slow travel at some point.
Hotel
Lisa had researched hotels and guest houses and had decided on d’djabu Villas based on location, price and amenities.
The property features 5 buildings, each of which have bedrooms that are your basic hotel room – but that open up to a large shared living room/kitchen shared space.
This may sound weird in theory but it was actually really awesome in practice.
We could sit in the ‘living room’ shared space and work on our laptops, use the shared full-size refrigerator and other kitchen amenities.
And we got to meet and socialize with our neighbors – it was never awkward.
The location is perfect: a short walk to the beach but also close to the amenities and restaurants in town.
And d’djabu Villas definitely fit our affordable luxury budget. You can use the map below to check and compare prices:
Booking.comBest of all, d’djabu Villas has a great pool for swimming laps as well as relaxing.
Activities in Canggu
Beach and Surfing
Canggu is a beach town. And a surfer’s paradise.
So we spent the bulk of our time on Batu Bolong Beach . We don’t surf but we had a blast watching surfers and wanna-be surfers enjoying the waves.
Exploring and Shopping
Despite the heat and the on-again off-again sidewalks, we walked all over Canggu and got a real feel for the area.
In Vietnam we struggled to find coconut oil to make keto bulletproof tea in the morning. We had no such problem in Canggu!
Dining and Nightlife in Canggu
Nightlife: Old Man’s
The most famous and popular nightlife in Canggu centers around the beach itself and, in particular, Old Man’s which is a beachfront beer garden and bar.
We arrived on a Wednesday and were a bit shocked by the huge party scene taking place there…on a Wednesday.
But that’s their thing: Wednesday night party. It was pretty wild, with a packed crowd, loud music and all manner of drinking, dancing and debauchery.
Old Man’s is more sedate on other nights and we spent plenty of time recreating and relaxing there.
Breakfast: Beach Garden – In The Raw
Our go-to breakfast spot was right next to d’djabu Villas.
Beach Garden – In the Raw serves healthy and delicious breakfast all day. My favorite is the chorizo omelette with avocado. So delicious, so keto-friendly.
Lunch on the Beach: The Lawn
The lawn is the perfect spot for a lunch that extends all afternoon.
You can spend an entire afternoon lounging around with a beach view.
They also have awesome keto-friendly fajitas.
Dinner
Tropikale is a great spot for dinner. Keto-friendly spare ribs are very popular on Bali, and Tropikale does them very well in a really comfortable setting.
We also had dinner at Monggo Bar & Restaurant which had great Indonesian dishes as well as seafood.
Co-Working Space
We swung by and checked out the Dojo Bali co-working space in Canggu. Compared to many other co-working spaces, Dojo Bali seemed more open, friendly and…well…less intense!
We were met warmly and given a tour.
They have both free events for anyone and also lots of events for members only.
If we do decide to slow travel in Canggu we will definitely join Dojo Bali.
Bottom Line
We loved our time in Canggu. It’s a laid-back surfer town with plenty of great food. If we surfed we’d slow travel there for sure!