Surfer Chic Vibes
Vibes: Surfer chic, hipster, bohemian, coffeeshop, active, Brooklyn, lifestyle
Digs: Canggu Beach Inn. Minimalist vibes
Spaces: Milk & Madu, Bungalow Living, Dojo Coworking, Deus
Tunes: Milk & Madu played chill hip-hop that set itself apart from the other electro-
focused spots. Nalu Bowls were playing G. Love and I love me some G. Love. He’s the epitome of surfer vibes.
Inspire: TuSu, La Laguna, La Dunia, Nude
Canggu is the most happening spot on the island of Bali right now. More niche than the overstimulating Seminyak and less hippie than the chilled out Ubud, Canggu is hitting a sweet spot with young, active travelers and hipsters from around the globe.
Over 40 restaurants, cafes and bars have opened in the past year alone in the approx. 5km area of the center village. Major lifestyle brands like Australia’s badass Deus Ex Machina and San Francisco’s on-trend fitness startup, Peloton, have planted their roots in this “sleepy” surfer town. But sleepy surfer town no more. Canggu is bumping up their social scene with daily events - from nightly DJs at La Laguna, Sunday Sessions at Deus, or Monday night movie nights at Pretty Poison.
The restaurant and cafe scene is the thing to do in the ‘Gu (after your morning surf sesh). This is the scene of cool coziness galore. I felt like I could either be working on laptop or taking a nice afternoon siesta in almost every spot. A lot of the spaces are going with the refurbished trend - taking old furniture and pieces from places like Java and adding custom cushions. Or using reclaimed wood from old ships for the flooring. I love recycling materials in this way as it pays homage to the Indonesian culture and keeps everything relatively “local”.
Other cool trends were using hollowed-out coconuts for bowls, serving food and drinks on wooden cutting boards, using local fabric for throw pillows, glass straws and of course, Mason jars as glassware.
Canggu was the perfect “vacation” from Ubud, but so much had changed from when I was there just over a year ago. And it’s not stopping. Building and developments are absolutely everywhere. The charm of the ‘Gu was the rice fields leading up to the perfect surf, hanging out after yoga on a hammock with a smoothie bowl - and you can still do this. But there will surely be a construction site within view. So how do you keep the culture and integrity of a place while also building an ecosystem for travelers and expats to enjoy?
