Galungan marks the beginning of the most important recurring religious ceremonies. The spirits of deceased relatives who have died and been cremated return to visit their former homes, and the current inhabitants have a responsibility to be hospitable through prayers…
The word MacGyver has entered the Oxford dictionary: make or repair (an object) in an improvised or inventive way, making use of whatever items are at hand. Origin 1990s: from Angus MacGyver, the lead character in the television series MacGyver (1985–1992), who…
Bali has been subject to tsunami-style waves of change for a very long time. You would think that the Balinese would be overwhelmed, but remarkably, they absorb the best parts of the changing landscape, keeping their own culture pretty well…
This article from the New York Times sums up the practices of hotel tipping, primarily in the USA, but there additional practices internationally that can summed up here. Pushing a heavy cart of cleaning and room supplies, lifting mattresses and…
We softly launched our monthly rental program a few weeks ago and its become an instant hit. (Hint: it’s cheap compared to daily or weekly prices.) For the Deluxe Room (sleeps 2) its 10,000,000 rupiah (approx $730 USD). For the…
For new expats or for those who plan to live in Bali for at least 1/2 a year, you are hereby warned that the things in your dwelling will break… frequently. The reason is that appliances and fixtures from outside…
Sometimes it seems almost surreal that months can go by in Bali without any rain. The dry season in this tropical part of the world can get seriously rain-free. For a 5 – 7 month period there might be a…
2019 was an eventful year in this little section of paradise. Besides the opening of our boutique hotel in June, we witnessed the opening of two other hotels: nearby Wasabi Hotel, and closer to the beach, Shore Amora Canggu, a…
While November was as slow as molasses, December was quite hectic, at least for the final week. We had people from Canada, Sweden (two families — who didn’t know one another), Australia, America and Germany. We spread the word that…
I received the above email about a week before some guests were to arrive. And so we recommended flowers. The mom sent us $ via paypal and we placed these flowers in the guest’s room: Needless to say, the guests…
We began a metal structure in late June that would support grape vines, climbing roses and markisa plants (passion fruit). After a month the plants settled in and, for the most part, decided to grow — although more slowly than…
There’s nothing quite like stepping out of your exceedingly comfy room and surrendering yourself to the hands of a highly trained masseuse. Here at Ohana Retreat Bali we take pride in making your life less stressful. Whether you arrived randomly…