Testimonials
I am always very excited when I tell people about Outdoor Active's Bali Retreat but for most of the people it is far more important to hear from previous 'Bali-adventurers' and their experience!
Read their stories below:
Claire and Maurice
Where to start in summing up the week staying at Sharing Bali and doing the Outdoor Active fitness retreat? From the time we were picked up and driven to Sharing Bali to the end of the retreat with all the staff coming to farewell us, it was a fantastic, unforgettable albeit sometimes exhausting experience.
The friendliness of the staff and their attention to our every need was very welcome. We were treated to fantastic, fresh local food, and the final night of our stay was made truly memorable with the effort the team went to in decorating the restaurant and in the performance by the staff and their children.
The villas were very comfortable and provided a place to rest our weary bodies and the location of Sharing Bali overlooking rice paddies to the valley and mountains beyond was breathtaking.
The Outdoor Active fitness retreat was a mixture of interval training, an ‘amazing race’ exploring the local area, mountain biking, mountain climbing with a little bit more interval training thrown in just to make sure our legs continued to hurt and make the steps to the villa that much harder to bound up.
The hike on the final day through villages getting a real taste of the local way of life, traipsing through rice paddies and along streams on the side of hills, culminating in building a raft and racing against the other teams was a brilliant way to finish our time in Bali. I doubt many others who visit Bali get the experience that we did - getting to know the culture, the people and being surrounded by the natural beauty of Bali while also getting fit! It was an experience that I will never forget and even though it was a challenging and exhausting week, I would definitely do it again.
Jasper
I joined Outdoor Active’s Bali retreat in October 2012, mainly because I was ready for an active holiday during my R&R week. I did not really know what to expect, as I hadn’t visited much of Bali outside of Kuta. However, after being picked up at the airport and about a 1.5 hour drive, we ended up at an amazingly nice spot somewhere in the middle of Bali, in between the rice fields. The accommodation is great, with nice little cabins, a proper outdoor dining area and different training areas with amazing views.
Most days started with a bootcamp session. These were filled with different exercises, which made it interesting and never dull. Jorien is good in finding a balance of making it challenging and effective, without being overly pushy and annoying. I found it amazing how much progress I could make in one week.
The adventure / GPS tour (Amazing Race) was extremely cool. Without giving too much away, we hiked through farm land, jungle and rice paddocks. The amazing staff from the retreat did an amazing job in making sure we didn’t get lost, without interfering too much. They also helped us building rafts a few days later. Nothing more fun than running your own raft on the local river (also very comfy temperature). Again some stunning views on the jungle walk back and forth, with some fresh coconut juice straight out of the tree!
My highlight of the week was the mountain biking. We started close to the top of the volcano and did a track that was quite challenging. However, the bikes were good and everything was doable. Apart from a few flat tires, we had a spectacular day, with a beautiful lunch along the way. A day later we went back to the volcano to hike to the top and see the sunrise. Again the guides were very kind and helpful; they were also very happy to split up in two groups so everyone could walk up at a pace that suited.
All in all I had an amazing week. I think Karen (who owns the retreat location) has built an incredible spot and is one of the kindest hostesses I’ve ever met. It’s nice to see how good the integration and interaction with the local village is. Also the local staff is extremely helpful and nice. They are always friendly and helping (they even drew brilliant flags for our rafts ). The local and fresh food is amazing (and although the corn fritters look simple, I can now tell they are very hard to make at home…).
Lastly, Jorien did an absolute amazing job of pulling it all together. She has everything well organised and she ensures activities are challenging but achievable and fun for all. I would highly recommend this retreat for anyone interested in a holiday that involves activity and shows a different side of Bali.