Canggu was my first stop in Bali and it was the perfect introduction to the Bali you see on Instagram. Beautiful smoothie bowls, beach bars and the best accommodation, from hostels to private villas. I’ll be telling you about all the best restaurants in Canggu and where to stay!

Sunrise, girl at alternative beach hotel and hostel

Where to Stay In Canggu

Alternative Beach

I couldn’t believe it but this is actually a hostel! It is one of the best places I’ve ever stayed. The atmosphere is amazing, the bean bags in the pool are the best. Not only is there a big main pool, there are also two hot tubs on two different levels where the hostel rooms are. We stayed in a private room, which comes out straight onto the pool. The view we woke up to everyday was perfect, as right outside is a huge rice field, and the sun rose right outside and we watched from our balcony.

Click here to book your accommodation in Canggu and check availability!

Sunrise over the rice fields next to alternative beach hotel/hostel

Not only were the rooms and the pool amazing, the breakfast was so delicious. I would go here for breakfast even if I wasn’t staying here. I had the same poached eggs on sourdough bread every morning as it was so good, always with a papaya or mango juice. It is such a cool place that while we were eating breakfast, there were three photo shoots going on by the pool!

Breakfast at Alternative beach hotel/hostel,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

Tips on flying a drone in Bali

A tip on flying a drone in Bali – Bali is a very religious place. People spend a lot of time making offering to the Gods, and these are on the floor outside every building so watch your step as you go. Apart from these offerings, they also fly kites over all their fields as an offering to the Gods. They are not always up, but it makes flying  drone quite hard as the strings are so thin and hard to see! Luckily my drone survived, but definitely something to bear in mind!

Traditional offerings to the gods,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

The Lemon Guesthouse

For a smaller, less busy place to stay, the Lemon Guesthouse was perfect, It is down a slightly quieter street and is a little oasis in Canggu. There are four rooms with amazing outdoor bathrooms, all surrounding a pool that gets sun all day. They have bikes for rent, making it easier to get around, although the main street isn’t far away at all with shops and restaurants. There is also breakfast included at the Daun, which is café just across the street. You get a small card which you take and choose off a special menu. It includes a hot drink, a smoothie, fresh fruit and I had omelette with toast.

Check availability and book through this link!

Lemon Guesthouse, view from the drone,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

Villa Kula

For the private villa experience, Villa Kula was really perfect. The layout makes you feel like you really have so much space, the high ceilings are also great. The rooms have both AC and a fan. If you’re like me and you don’t like AC then this is perfect. This villa really has all the small details sorted, there is shampoo, shower gel and conditioner. The only downside is that it’s down a dark road at night, so I would say get a scooter to get to and from the villa after dark. The breakfast can also be included. However, it is very basic so you’re better off choosing one of these amazing places I’ll list to go for breakfast, The closest to Villa Kula are Life’s Crate and Eden Café. OR alternatively, make your own floating breakfast in the pool like we did!

Taylor with floating breakfast in villa,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

@tavernatravels having a floating breakfast!

Click here to find your private villa in Canggu!

Best restaurants in Canggu

Crate Cafe 

For the most filling and delicious breakfast, this is the perfect place to go. I had the poached eggs with avocado, halloumi and bruschetta. It is also one of the best for some very photogenic smoothie bowls. Plenty of fresh coconut and bright purple dragon fruit. They also have really good cake! However, it does get very busy so you may have to queue for a while.

Smoothie bowl, lifes crate cafe,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

Cost: Most breakfast options were 55k

Eggs with feta cheese, breakfast at crate cafe,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

Fat Mermaid

Head here for an absolute feast. One of the best restaurants in Canggu for Italian food. I would recommend the calamari and chicken satay for starter, followed by chicken parmigiana. They also serve delicious Kombucha. I had never tried it before and I loved it. For those of you who also haven’t tried Kombucha, it’s a fermented tea drink, super healthy and tasty and comes in a variety of different flavours. I had the guava flavour, which is a vitamin C booster.

Lunch at the Fat Mermaid,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia, chicken satay

The Shady Shack

I am definitely a meat eater, but I can say that if I had Shady Shack vegetarian food everyday, I could be vegetarian. I had the most amazing salad with lots of vegetables, hummus, halloumi and homemade dips. It also has some really cute seating areas. To drink, I always have a fresh coconut.

Lunch bowl, vegetarian, at the shady shack,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

The Avocado Cafe 

For all things avocado, this is the perfect place. We tried the avocado smoothie bowl, and it is super filling! One of the best restaurants in Canggu for a quick smoothie bowl.

Lunch smoothie bowl at the avocado cafe,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

Eden Café

The best smoothie names goes to Eden Café. This tiny café is just off the main road and has amazing smoothies, we had a Pink Flush and a Beet the Heat. The Pink Flush was a lassi smoothie so more milky and the Beet the Heat was a fresh fruit and vegetable smoothie. There’s also an air conditioned section which is quite rare in cafes in Canggu. For breakfast we had the vanilla nut pancakes but it tasted more like mashed potato in a pancake shape, so I personally wouldn’t recommend them!

Matcha Café

Everything is matcha! I am personally not a fan of matcha, but if you are then it’s the perfect place. Even though I don’t love matcha, the pancakes were absolutely amazing and I ended up finishing Taylor’s from her plate! Everything else we saw coming out of the kitchen looked amazing so I would definitely recommend it!

Interior at the matcha cafe,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

Betelnut

Perfect place to stop for some lunch after exploring the Love Anchor market. They have great burgers and wraps, as well as amazing cakes and brownies for dessert. The Oreo cheesecake was a personal favourite! There’s a small seating area downstairs, but the best spot is to sit up top for the best views of everyone below. One of the best restaurants in Canggu for dessert!

Lunch at betelnut, vegetarian wraps,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

Warung Bum Mi – One of the best restaurants in Canggu for local food

I actually find Indonesian food not the most exciting, and it mainly consists of fried rice or noodles with a fried egg on top. However, here there were lots of dished to choose from, and you pay depending on how many different things you want on your plate. I went for some fried tempe, some different curries with rice and some potato patties, which were divine. They also have a lot of fish and rice dishes. It’s also the cheapest meal you will have!

Lunch at a warung,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

Cost: 20-30k for a whole plate

Fish Bone Local – One of the best restaurants in Canggu for Fish!

Despite the name, they don’t only serve fish! I had amazing Korean crispy chicken with flatbread. However, the fish looked and smelled amazing, all fresh and caught on the day.  It is also really close to Old Man’s which is great for drinks after dinner!

The Daun

We had breakfast included here when we stayed at the Lemon Guesthouse across the road. Our breakfast included was fresh fruit, a smoothie, tea and eggs of your choice. The actual breakfast menu also looked great though.

Exterior of the Daun cafe,  in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia

Luigi’s Pizza – Definitely one of the best restaurants in Canggu for pizza!

I LOVE PIZZA. This was actually one of the closest pizzas I’ve had to the ones I ate in Naples in Italy. The best thing about it is that on Monday’s, all the pizzas are buy one get one free!

How to get around Canggu

There are not really any pavements at all in Canggu, and especially at night I would say avoid walking if you can. The best way to get around is to rent a scooter for a few days. You get helmets, and its much faster and I felt safer driving than walking around. Also helps to get to the best sunrise spots in Canggu.

Taxi Tips

Grab does operate in Canggu, but as there is a taxi mafia, you may have to go to a more discreet location to get picked up, as they aren’t allowed to technically operate at all. But Grab is always the cheapest option and can be up to half the price of a normal taxi. Another thing to not is that some Grab drivers will accept the job and then message to say that they want more money. In this case you can just cancel, as most likely the next one that accepts will take you for the actual price!

Where to Next?

Head to my Guide on Uluwatu to see where the best beaches are and where to eat in Uluwatu!

Uluwatu is a one hour and 30 minute trip from Canggu, and the best way to get here is to hire a car. Then you can head to some amazing beaches such as Green Bowl beach, Padang Padang, Bingin beach. Uluwatu is a very popular place to surf too, so if you like surfing then definitely head to Uluwatu!

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Me walking through Alternative Beach

Me walking through the rice fields

Planning a longer trip to Asia? Why not add Sri Lanka to your list?

Head here to see my 2 week Sri Lanka Itinerary to help plan your trip!

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