Barefoot Luxury Wellness & Yoga Retreat in Ubud, Bali

Days at Soulshine Bali start early, because the yoga shala is open-air and the light is best before the heat builds. You'll typically do a morning class — the resort welcomes complete beginners through to experienced practitioners, and the instructors adjust to whoever's in the room. Breakfast follows, and it's a real breakfast, mostly from the organic farm on site. The rest of the morning is usually free: swim, read, walk into Ubud, or book a spa treatment.

Afternoons and evenings depend on which package you're on. On the Soulful Bali week you'll have three spa treatments across the stay — a mix of traditional Balinese massage and aromatherapy — plus a purification ceremony led by a Balinese priest at a water temple, and a sound healing session at the Pyramids of Chi. The Best of Bali week swaps some of that for excursions: a sunrise hike up Mt. Batur, snorkelling in Amed, and a water temple blessing. Dinner is served at the resort each night, and it's included on every package except where noted.

The thing that separates this from a standard Ubud yoga retreat is the setting itself. It's a proper resort — infinity pools with views over the valley, rooms with private pools, a spa — but it's built around a sound and wellness programme rather than treating wellness as a sidebar. The Balinese ceremony isn't a photo op; it's done properly at a water temple with a priest, and it's the part most guests mention afterwards.

Michael and Sara Franti host the SoulRocker Retreat here, which tells you something about the music and movement side of the place — there's a genuine emphasis on sound, not just silence. If you're travelling solo, the shared meals and group activities make it easy to meet people without it feeling forced. If you're coming as a couple or a small group, the larger suites and the Panorama Penthouse give you space to spread out.

The resort also runs a 200-hour yoga teacher training in collaboration with Kate W. Mak, and hosts external retreat groups, so it's set up for serious practice as well as holiday-mode yoga. You don't need to be fit to enjoy it — this is a wellness and yoga retreat, not a bootcamp — but you'll get more out of it if you show up to the morning classes.

What's included

- 7 nights' accommodation (Soulful Bali and Best of Bali packages) - 3 daily meals on 7-night packages (breakfast and dinner on 3-night packages) - Daily morning yoga classes in the open-air shala - Three spa treatments (Soulful Bali 7-night) — Balinese massage and aromatherapy - Purification ceremony with a Balinese priest at a water temple - Sound healing session at the Pyramids of Chi (Soulful Bali package) - Guided excursions on Best of Bali packages (Mt. Batur sunrise hike, Amed snorkelling, temple blessings) - Round-trip airport transfers - Use of infinity pools and resort facilities

What's not included

- International flights - Travel insurance - Personal expenses and shopping - Extra spa treatments beyond those included in your package - Alcoholic drinks - Lunch on 3-night packages - Additional excursions not listed in your package