Retreats
Hosting a small retreat in a Bali villa
A private villa suits a retreat of up to about a dozen people who want a venue of their own, not a programme run for them. What decides it is not the pool: it is the practice space, the sleeping arrangement, the meals and how people arrive.
Villa or retreat centre
A retreat centre provides the room, the food and often the staff and the schedule; you fit into its way of working. A private villa provides a place and nothing else: you, or your teacher, supply the programme, the equipment and the leadership. If you have a teacher and a plan, a villa gives you privacy and flexibility. If you want everything arranged for you, a centre is easier.
The practice space
Ask three things. Is there a flat, shaded space big enough for the group lying down? What is the floor — stone, tile, timber, lawn? And what can the neighbours hear? Photographs rarely answer these, so ask for measurements and a description of the surface.
At Villa Aniri the groups’ spaces are the open pavilion beside the pool and the lawn; the exact set-up and numbers are published on the retreats page as they are measured.
Sleeping
Count beds and bathrooms, then count who is sharing. Eight people in four bedrooms is comfortable as couples or friends; for strangers, decide in advance how rooms are assigned. Villas that connect to neighbouring houses can extend a group, but the neighbouring houses are usually let separately, so confirm dates for each.
Meals
A retreat’s rhythm depends on food. Ask whether a private chef is available, how far ahead the menu must be agreed, and how dietary needs are handled. A full kitchen is the fallback if the group would rather cook.
Arrivals, and one date to know
Participants arrive on different flights; Bali’s airport is a long way from some villas and an easy ride from Seminyak. Agree one arrival day and one transfer plan. Also check the year’s date for Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence, which falls in March or April and stops almost everything on the island, including flights, for a day.
Noise and neighbours
A residential lane is not a hilltop. Agree with the villa when music, chanting or drumming must stop, and tell it in advance if your programme includes amplified sound. At Villa Aniri, music ends at 10 pm.
Questions people ask
Straight answers
How big can a retreat be in a private villa?
Usually up to about a dozen. At Villa Aniri, eight sleep in the four bedrooms, and sixteen or twenty-four with the adjoining villas when they are free.
Does a villa provide the teacher or programme?
No. A private villa is the venue; the teacher, programme and equipment are the organiser’s.
What should I ask about the practice space?
Its size, its floor, its shade and what the neighbours can hear. Ask for measurements rather than relying on photographs.
What is Nyepi and does it matter for a retreat?
Nyepi is the Balinese Day of Silence, held in March or April. The island, including the airport, largely stops for a day, so arrival and departure dates need to avoid it.
Is Seminyak a good place for a retreat?
It is central and easy to reach, with restaurants and the beach nearby, but it is not a hillside retreat village. Choose it for access and a private garden.
Also at Villa Aniri
The next question
Check your dates
Villa Aniri sleeps eight in four bedrooms — sixteen or twenty-four with the houses either side — from IDR 5.399.156 a night, staff and daily housekeeping included. The availability check is live, and a request costs you nothing but three fields.
Keep reading
Related guides
This guide keeps to what we can vouch for: this house, this lane, and things that are simply true of Bali. Where it would need a fact we have not checked — a restaurant’s current form, a price we do not set, a rule that changes — we have left it out rather than guessed, and said who to ask instead. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.