Ubud is the base for seven of the nine nights. Mornings usually begin with practice, either a private session in the rented yoga venue or a class provided by the resort, followed by breakfast cooked and delivered by a private chef. The first full day is the long one: pick-up between 6am and 9am for Tanah Lot, then the UNESCO-listed Jatiluwih rice terraces under the volcanic peaks, a suggested lunch stop at Nadi Farm Cafe near Jatiluwih (the meal is not included), Ulun Danu Beratan at 1,239 metres, the Handara Gate, and the Banyumala Twin Waterfalls, where you can swim in the lagoon if conditions allow. You are dropped back at the hotel for dinner from the chef.

The next day is shorter — about six hours — covering the Tegalalang rice terrace and the Happy Swing photo stops, then the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary with its macaques, temples and forest paths. Day four is free-form: an 8am yoga session at the resort, then a complimentary shuttle at 11am into Ubud city centre for the art market, Saraswati Temple, Museum Puri Lukisan, the Jalan Raya Ubud shops and cafes, or the Campuhan Ridge Walk trailhead. Shuttles back run at 3:30pm and 5:30pm.

Day five is the one people tend to remember. Pick-up is at 5:15am for a walk of roughly five and a quarter hours through Ubud's spiritual and everyday life: sarong preparation and a cultural briefing, a morning ceremony and blessing led by a Balinese priest, Saraswati Temple, village lanes, the Campuhan Ridge Walk, Penestanan village and a local art stop, then a closing reflection before a private charter back to the resort. There is a $3 fee payable on site that is not in the package price. Lunch comes from the chef, then a 1pm session making tipat, the traditional rice cake, and tea, coffee and Balinese cake at 3pm.

Day six visits Tirta Empul with a local guide for a spiritual cleansing ritual in the sacred springs — a private premium guided experience with entrance tickets and ritual fees covered, plus snacks, bottled water, sodas, an ice box and cold towels. Day seven is deliberately empty: an extended practice, a three-hour Rukmini spa package (foot ritual, Balinese massage, volcanic scrub, volcanic mask, facial, bubble bath and moisturising body lotion, taken up to four people at a time), lunch, an optional wood-carving activity at 1pm and afternoon tea.

On day eight you check out of the Sankara and take an 11am shuttle about 35 minutes east to Hotel Komune & Beach Club, storing luggage until the 2pm check-in. The last two days are beach time, a 7:30am yoga class at the resort, use of the Recovery Center with cold plunge, hot plunge and sauna, and a one-hour-fifty-minute Lular Body Scrub — a Javanese ritual of ground herbs, pandan, turmeric, curcuma, heyneana and rice powder applied after a full-body Balinese massage and soaked off in a flower bath. The retreat closes with a flow, meditation and reflection on Keramas Beach at sunrise or in the softer evening light, led by Monia. Day ten is breakfast, check-out and a transfer to Ngurah Rai International Airport.

What's included

- 9 nights' accommodation: 7 nights at The Sankara Resort & Spa, Ubud, and 2 nights at Hotel Komune & Beach Club, Keramas - Private yoga venue rental - Yoga led by Monica - Closing beach practice at Keramas, subject to local permission and conditions - Airport transfers - Private chef meals: day 1 dinner; days 2, 3 and 6 breakfast and dinner; day 4 lunch and dinner; day 5 breakfast, lunch and dinner; day 7 breakfast, lunch and dinner; day 8 breakfast - Bali Discovery tour with listed admissions and private charter - Ubud cultural tour with listed admissions and private charter - Spiritual Ubud walking experience with listed admissions and private charter - Sacred Water Temple and purification ritual with listed admissions and private charter - Rukmini Package spa treatment (3 hours) - Lular Body Scrub (1 hour 50 minutes) - Shuttle service between Sankara Resort and Ubud City Centre - Afternoon activities at the resort, including tipat making and wood carving - Afternoon tea, coffee and Balinese cakes at the resort - Private charter from Sankara Resort to Hotel Komune - Beach Club day passes at Hotel Komune - Yoga class at Hotel Komune - Recovery Center at Hotel Komune (cold plunge, hot plunge, sauna) - Breakfast, lunch and dinner on days 9 and 10 at Komune and Beach Club Bali

What's not included

- International or domestic airfare - Travel visas and entry documents - Travel insurance - Gratuities - Meals at Hotel Komune beyond those listed - Any other meals, snacks or beverages not listed - Suggested lunch at Nadi Farm Cafe on day 2 - $3 on-site fee for the Spiritual Ubud walking experience - Beach club towels at Komune ($2.84 each) - Additional spa treatments and wellness services not listed - Personal purchases and incidental expenses

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