How to spend a week or two in Canggu

At the edge of Denpasar’s urban sprawl lies the eastern hemisphere’s answer to Tulum and current trendy place to be and be seen in Bali, Canggu.

The "relaxed surfer village" you've read about may not be as overdeveloped as Kuta or Seminyak, but make no mistake: this is no secret hipster enclave or undiscovered "authentic Bali". Canggu is crawling with MacBook-wielding digital nomads, posing-for-the-gram influencers (with their DSLR-toting partners in tow), amateur drone pilots and beautiful people in brand-name clothes.

But it is relaxed. There are tons of great (and occasionally cheap!) restaurants, bars and beach clubs, making Canggu hard to beat for a week or two of restaurant-hopping, relaxing by the pool and sunset cocktails.

Canggu's spread-out factor tends to exclude people who can't/won't get around on a scooter, so the tourist crowd skews heavily millennial. You'll see far fewer kids and retirees than elsewhere in Bali.

Where to stay

Google Maps says Canggu is a village along two roads that head south from the main east-west road towards Batu Bolong Beach and Echo Beach, but plenty of places advertising themselves as Canggu are outside that box. While there is a cluster of shops at the beach end, there's not really a single central spot with everything in walking distance.

The restaurants, bars, boutiques & beach clubs are really spread out. For the purposes of your trip, assume "Canggu" means the official Google Maps Canggu, plus the Berawa area (between Canggu and Seminyak/Kerobokan) and Pererenan village to the west.

This decentralised layout is Canggu's greatest strength, keeping it relatively relaxed under the weight of rising tourist and expat numbers. There is no crowded "centre". You don't need accomodation right in the thick of it because there is no "it". Wherever you stay in the general Canggu area, you'll be close to some things and a short scooter ride from others.

My suggestion for accommodation: find a place with a pool to be your relaxing home base for retreating to between meals. Save your pennies for food and drink rather than a prime accommodation spot. Location really doesn't matter much.

How to get around

As I said, Canggu is spread out. Unless you really want to march for miles along treacherous Balinese sidewalks in sweltering tropical heat, you really need a scooter to get around (or at least be willing to jump on a Gojek).

The famous Canggu shortcut isn't exactly a secret, but is also usually the easiest way to cross between Batu Bolong and Berawa. If you happen to cross when two cars decide to play Shortcut Chicken, you'll be part of the same horn-honking, try-not-to-fall-into-the-rice-field-as-you-edge-past-the-car traffic jam as everyone else.

Taxis are only worthwhile for airport transfers, longer day trips or moving to another part of Bali; don't spend every day sitting in a car in gridlocked traffic.

What to do in Canggu

Eat!

This one's easy. I'm not even going to give you a big list of recommendations - you know how to use the internet.

Eat out for every meal, including breakfast. You may need to invent a 4th or 5th meal to fit it all in.

As always, gentrification is a double-edged sword. Canggu is overflowing with expat-run restaurants and cafes that turn out consistently great food at reasonable prices. Imagine the trendy hipster section of your home city, but the weather is amazing and everything costs 25-50% less.

It's still expensive for Bali though. At Canggu prices, your artisinal smoothie bowl and single origin cold drip won't have you rubbing elbows with locals. You'll be sharing most meals with other tourists and at least a few solo digital nomads staring into their laptops.

Make sure you mix some local warungs or fried chicken joints into your hipster semi-fine dining schedule. Many local places will deliver or are on Gojek, so a relaxed meal by the pool at your villa is always an option.

And remember to zoom around the map when hunting for somewhere to eat. Some of the best places are the most isolated.

Drink!

The definitions of "restaurant" and "bar" overlap in Canggu. Restaurants do great cocktails at all hours, the cocktail bars do great tapas & the beach clubs do everything. Wine lists are extensive and your flow of humble Bintangs can be readily complemented by an expensive craft IPA. A sunset cocktail at a beachfront terrace bar is a must.

Beach clubs?

I'm not sure about the big beach clubs in Canggu.

It is nice to spend a day being waited on while you swim, relax & people-watch from your allocated sunlounge with a DJ providing the soundtrack. They're sprawling, visually interesting places, optimised for the ever-present Instagram photoshoots. Although I'm no longer 20 and looking for an all-night party, they seem to be where that happens.

But the food and drinks are expensive. There's usually a hefty minimum spend required if you want a sunlounge or daybed.

Try one, but for the money you'll probably be more relaxed & better fed and watered at a smaller place. Or buy some fresh coconuts from a roadside store, order some local food and relax in anti-social bliss back at your villa.