Something different in Bali: Bali Swasti

Before arriving in Bali I heard many times that it is considered to be a paradise. And I never understood why some people think so. This, only until I arrived there. In a very sincere way, I am telling you that the moment I stepped in Bali, I had goose bumps. I was probably overwhelmed by all the emotions accumulated since a while and by all the good things that happened lately. Before leaving to Asia, I didn’t dream of ever arriving in Bali. I remember that one year ago I was in Cluj and it was very cold outside. Because I am not a fan of winter weather, I said to myself that I want to spend my next winter in a country with warm weather and seas. I had no idea how I would do this. But, step by step, my dreams started to take shapes and there I am, in Bali.

One of the most important things I have learnt in this amazing island is how important is to believe in your dreams, no matter what these dreams are. To have dreams so big that they will frighten you when you think about them. Last year, when I started to tell my friends and family that I will spend my next winter at the seaside, with warm weather, the most common answers were: “don’t dream so much” or “I like that you are so positive”.
And now, look, I am writing this post from Bali. And not only this, but I am writing it from a special and authentic place: Swasti Eco Cottages. I simply named this place special, because it’s the place that made me access Skyscanner and buy a return ticket to Bali. This time without a way out date, because I want to live a longer period on this amazing island. I want to have enough time to discover other islands, other beaches, other people, other food, other hotels and many other beautiful adventures .
 

Ok, now you’re wondering what is this Swasti about? Let me tell you what my last 24 hours spent to Swasti Eco Cottages meant to me and why are they so special.
First of all, Swasti Eco Cottages is situated  only 200m from the mystical Monkey Forest in Central Ubud and they incorporate an organic approach throughout their retreat that respects our Earth, prioritises comfort, friendliness and high quality service, whilst always minimising our impact on nature.
The 4 directions through which Swasti Eco Cottages differentiates themselves from the others, is:
a) Organic Farm- Half of their land is dedicated to growing healthy, organic food. They also raise sheep and rabbits, which nourish their soil in return.


b) Healthy Food– The organic veggies from the garden are used in their dishes and they strive to provide the best cuisine, focusing on achieving the right balance of nutrition and deliciousness. What they call healthy food reminds me of home, of the food from my grandmother’s garden, of the times when the peppers were tasting as peppers and the apples were tasting as apples, and not vice versa.

We tasted their food and we can truly agree that they are mastering this balance of nutrition and deliciousness mentioned above. We had two dishes: Beloved Burrito (the vegetarian option), containing organic tempe, black bean, pumpkin, red paprika, onion, garlic, emmenthaler, served with guacamole; Quesadillas (vegetarian option), containing basil pesto, sundried tomato, olives, feta, served with guacamole, cashew sour cream and fresh dice tomatoes. All these accompanied by two fresh juices.




The breakfast is at the same standards, offering dishes with a good balance of visual and taste. We had Crispy Poached Eggs-poached egg on potato crispy hash brown, parsley, mushroom, tomatoes, spinach and vegan hollandaise sauce and red pepper chutney and Sourdough and Salmon-open face toast with salmon, spinach, ricotta and poached eggs.


c) Healing Heaven – if you wonder where their name comes from, Swasti means “healing” in Sanskrit.  Their lush garden has a natural healing power, which is complemented with the organic treatments, exclusive massages and yoga, meditation and sound healing. You can choose from a wide variety of treatments and massages.

I experienced their welcoming Balinese massage and their class of Women’s Health Yoga. A week ago I made yoga, which resulted in a pretty bad muscular fever. But the massage received in Swasti managed not only to help the fever go away, but also to relax me. The massages and treatments available at Swasti are intimately related to nature and all products used are 100% organic. And the good part is that most of them are from their very own organic garden, which you’re welcome to visit while you’re at Swasti. Women’s Health Yoga class was different from all the yoga classes I tried before, because we learned about women’s power, feminine energies and sensuality with our lovely and positive trainer, Caroline. All this in a beautiful open space Shala.


d) Wooden House– the accommodation is done in uniquely designed houses, which are built using 100% recycled wood from Java. Inspired by carvings created by native Indonesians over 100 years ago, they rebuilt these designs with updated style and refined details.




All these unique directions which differentiates Swasti from others have in the middle an amazing swimming pool with salt mineral water (chemical free) where you can cool down and enjoy the pure nature.


If I would describe Bali Swasti  in three words, they would be: peace, nature and health. If you arrive in Ubud, Bali, don’t miss this wonderful and different place.