Dutch-Style Muay Thai, Boxing & K1 Kickboxing Retreat in Bali

A typical day starts at 07:00 with a warm-up on the crash mat, then rounds on the heavy bags working combinations. After that comes pad work with one of the coaches — Michel, Mitchell, Daniël or Angello. The morning group classes are split so beginners learning the basics aren't thrown in with people preparing for fights. You break for breakfast and the hottest part of the day, then come back for the second session in the late afternoon, which might be Dutch kickboxing, boxing or Muay Thai depending on the day.

What separates this from a beach fitness retreat is that the training is the same training local fighters do. It's a real gym with a fight team, not a resort where a coach shows you how to hold pads. That means if you want to spar, you can; if you want a private session to fix your guard, that's €39 for an hour with a coach who's been doing this his whole life. On Saturdays there's sparring in the morning, and the gym runs 45-minute high-intensity endurance sessions for members who want the cardio without the contact.

The coaches are the Slier family. Michel Slier is head coach and has been in Dutch kickboxing for decades; Mitchell, Daniël and Angello also coach. You'll be working with people who learned the system in Amsterdam rather than picked it up from videos. Most guests are English-speaking, though the gym is used to Dutch, Indonesian and other European guests, and coaching can be adapted if English isn't your first language.

Sanur itself is a good base. It's on the east coast, so you get the sunrise over the water rather than sunset, and it's much less congested than the southern beaches. There are warungs and cafés within walking distance, the beach path is good for a run on rest days, and the gym is easy to reach by scooter from most of Sanur and Denpasar. If you want to be in the middle of Bali's nightlife scene, this isn't it — but if you're here to train, that's usually the point.

The gym was founded from the original Mejiro Gym in Amsterdam, which produced K-1 champions through the 1990s and 2000s. That lineage matters if you care about Dutch kickboxing — the style taught here is the same one, with the same emphasis on combination punching, low kicks and forward pressure. You'll see it in how the classes are structured and what the coaches correct first.

What's included

- Access to the sports holiday training program at Mejiro Gym Bali - Two training sessions per day (morning and afternoon) - Coaching in Dutch-style kickboxing, Muay Thai and boxing - Visa assistance - Help arranging accommodation - Help arranging motorcycle rental - Access to gym facilities (heavy bags, boxing ring, crash mats, fitness equipment, showers, lockers, Mejiro Lounge) - Optional access to Saturday sparring sessions - Optional access to 45-minute high-intensity endurance training

What's not included

- Flights to and from Bali - Travel insurance - Accommodation costs (arranged but not included in base price) - Meals and drinks (except where your accommodation includes breakfast) - Motorcycle rental costs - Private coaching sessions (€39 each) - Physiotherapy, massage and infrared therapy treatments - Equipment purchases from the shop - Personal expenses - Airport transfers (ask reception for help arranging)