In a nutshell (or more a seashell): Komune is a fantastic eco-friendly health resort on the beach offering retreats, excellent personal training, yoga, delicious healthy food, top notch spa and beauty treatments, and a purpose built Health Hub..all rolled into one fun destination located on one of the best surf spots in Bali.
Komune attracts and welcomes solo travellers, couples and families, making it suitable for everyone and anyone looking for a chilled vibe. In addition to the in-house retreat and wellness programmes, the resort hosts independently hosted yoga retreats and teacher trainings, as well as being open as a hotel to guests not on retreat programmes.
The resort is located directly on Keramas beach on the East Coast of Bali, just a 40 minute drive away from the airport. I signed up for their seven day yoga and fitness package – an easy to commit to programme of daily yoga and fitness sessions. The retreat is full inclusive of airport transfers, accommodation, three a la carte healthy nutritionally balanced meals a day, unlimited yoga and fitness classes plus two spa or wellness treatments.
The retreat began with a wellness orientation with Andrea, to help set my personal health and fitness goals and create a tailor made personal schedule for my week ahead. I am a very active and outdoor person but love variation so sometimes I struggle with a fixed routine. My main goals were to increase my fitness levels and strength, and take away something simple yet effective that I could use to train whilst travelling, and not always having access to a yoga studio or gym.
I found the programme provided plenty of structure to keep me motivated but without depriving me of free time to relax and enjoy the beach, pools and Health Hub. Each day included either a yoga or fitness class, while during the week there are plenty of activities on offer, both at the resort and outside of.
From arrival to departure, I was made to feel very welcome by the professional and courteous staff at Komune who all remember your name by the second day. The quality of the yoga tuition and personal training on this retreat is what really sets it apart – it felt personalised and my progress was constantly evaluated during the course of the week.
Accommodation
Retreaters get to choose between two different room types – either a resort room or beach front pool suite (for an additional cost). For the best experience I chose one of the stunning suites with epic panoramic ocean views and a plunge pool. These rooms are to be snapped up if you prefer extreme comfort, high tech, an air conditioning system that works really well, a work desk, plenty of wardrobe space and a marble bath. They’re well worth the upgrade.
Yoga
Nicole Cain, originally from California is the lead onsite yoga teacher and Ayurvedic Health Educator. I really loved Nicole’s empathic, warm and nurturing nature. She is knowledgable both academically, philosophically and in practice. She was so easy to talk with and open up to. My private class with her allowed us to focus on my alignment and technique. As I don’t practice yoga very often anymore it was good to go back to the foundations which you often lose sight of when in a group class.
I also had a one to one ayurvedic consultation with Nicole in which she explains the different personality and physical traits each dosha has and suggests an eating plan based on my dosha as well as what type of exercise my body responds to and benefits from the most. After the consultation, Nicole sends a detailed follow-up email summarising the session and provides me with some reading material.
Fitness
What I really loved from start to finish about this retreat is I actually looked forward to everything, a weeks schedule that wasn’t too rigorous or regimented, but that made me happy to get out of bed every morning and hit the gym for at 7am for the fun yet challenging fitness classes with personal trainer Mark Hill.
Since I travel for a living I spend a considerable amount of time in hotel rooms, Mark personalised and created a routine that I could continue whilst on the move, no matter where I was with no excuses.
The gym itself is open 24 hours and incorporates the latest cardio, functional, free weight and isolation equipment all brought in from Australia. For outdoor workouts there’s their very own version of Muscle Beach!
Food
This place is a haven for vegan, vegetarians, plant based or for people who appreciate good healthy food. The Health Hub café offers a huge range of healthy food options, free of palm oil, MSG, artificial additives, packaged ingredients, cane and refined sugar and any GMO products, locally sourced when not grown on site (where possible) and can cater for all food intolerances.
Plus, every meal I tasted was delicious and with a separate lunch and dinner menu, there were enough choices to please me and a great range of cold pressed juices, kombucha and smoothies.
The casual Beach Club restaurant offer a separate menu also with lots of healthy options (and a few indulgences). Alcohol is available at this property in the beach-side bar and coffee is available throughout (and it’s really good) but of course you can skip both if you choose.
Health Hub
The adults only Health Club was such a blessing during the daytime with its adults only pool and separate facilities. It really made a big difference, having the option to alternate between the sociable Beach Club and the tranquil environment it provided when wanting peace and quiet.
Spa & Wellness
There are some wonderful spa options, massages and beauty treatments that you can sign up for (at an extra cost), but you can take advantage of it daily if you would like to go full-out relaxing.
As part of the inclusive package the treatments that I chose to have were a creme hair mask – an intensely nourishing and hydrating experience for my head as well as my hair, and a body exfoliation and massage that ended with a deeply relaxing bath with oils in candle light.
Need Convincing?
Upon finishing the retreat, I could see improvements in my yoga practice and increased core strength from the fitness sessions. This yoga and fitness retreat is well suited to active people who also need a balanced, stress-free break to reset, and it’s ideal for solo travellers because of the community vibe. The resort created an effortlessly relaxed environment, while the retreat programme itself was flexible and personalised in all the right ways. If you’re visiting Bali, add this retreat at Komune to your list.
Retreats & Booking
To book a retreat at Komune click on the links below.
7 Day Yoga and Fitness Package
4 Night Health Hub Wellness Package
3 Night Fitness Yoga and Spa Package
15 Night Detox and Rejuvenation Package
You can also host your own retreat at Komune if you are a yoga teacher or group leader. More info here or contact [email protected]. Read reviews.
