Canggu is dead. Pererenan is Bali’s latest hipster hotspot
Move over Canggu, as the surf crowd heads west along Bali’s southern coast, Pererenan is the hot new locale for eating, shopping, wellness… repeat.
Pererenan is the latest hotspot for Bali's expat hipster crowd, who have smelt the roses in Canggu and realised they ain't exactly fresh.
If you're thinking of joining them in their pilgrimage to the next beach up, here's your guide to eating, drinking, staying and playing in Pererenan.
Shelter
Opened late last year, Shelter is on any self-respecting foodie’s hit list. Brit head chef Stephen Moore’s one-pager menu reads like an exposition on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours beginning small with olives, smoked eggplant and flatbread type fare before moving into bigger plates such as ash-grilled calamari with burnt lemon salsa, and chermoula crusted chicken with tahini. The open-sided dining room, crowded by big-leafed plants and awash with candlelight, is the stuff of Bali dreams.
Desa Hay resort
Located just beyond the Pererenan border in the rice paddies of Tumbak Bayuh, Desa Hay is an ode to intimate, personable accommodation - where the owners meet and greet, and guests tend to know staff by name. With just six villas, quality design and local craftsmanship have been a focus with hand-carved wood doors, stonework bathrooms and Javanese pitched roove adding a sense of place. An intimate restaurant and lagoon shaped swimming pool are crowded by tropical garden adding to the resort’s privacy and intimacy.
Lyma Beach bar (also called Nate’s Bar)
Lyma on Pererenan’s Pantai Lima beach is the perfect Bali sundowner destination, an off-the-beaten track bar and eatery complete with beach views, beanbag-scattered grassy lawns, palm trees and a swing for the kids. Sip on a Bintang beer or fresh coconut with your eyes on the waves, then settle into the evening with live acoustic gigs and cheap and cheerful warung classics including chicken satay, fried rice, pasta carbonara.
Breathwork Bali
Breathwork as a form of emotional healing is becoming more mainstream and nowhere more-so than in Bali. In an exquisite bamboo architecture set amid the rice paddies, Breathwork Bali offers one-on-one sessions and group workshops that explore how deeper more conscious breathing can work wellness wonders, from improving energy levels and focus to increasing life expectancy.
Myra Penaloza
Stepping into Myra Penaloza boutique is as much about imbibing Bali’s eco-chic aesthetic as it is about shopping this label. The new retail shop (it is also online) is housed in a Javanese style joglo where you can browse a curated selection of dresses, rompers, onesies and shirt-short sets in flowing natural fabrics including heavy linens, brushed cotton and barely-there silk. The label is all about sustainable and breathable quality clothing and an elegant aesthetic, suitable for the tropics.
Kinoa cafe
In a back street of Pererenan where intermittent rice paddies still grow, Kinoa cafe is an oasis of calm, with chilled tunes, ceiling fans and outdoor eating areas. The ‘clean eating’ menu features vegan, vegetarian and low-carb approaches to organic produce and it’s not short on flavour. Think salmon rice bowl, free-range pulled pork big breakfast, heritage rice nasi goreng and signature salads. Bali’s favourites sips, such as green juice and slow brewed ginger, attract a regular crowd. A La Marzocca coffee machine is testament to serious coffee skills too.
Home by Chef Wayan
When the G20 came to Bali in early 2023, chef I Wayan Kresna Yasa was asked to cook for Indonesian President Joko Widodo. The invitation came off the back of Wayan’s time heading up some of Bali’s best Indonesian restaurants. He’s also the co-author of Paon, a Balinese cook book that hit the shelves last year. When he’s not penning books and rattling pans for politicians, he’s at Home, a casual unassuming warung in an open-air building on Pererenan’s main street, which he runs with wife Mary. It might look like many other eateries in Bali, but Wayan’s background ensures his dishes are not only plated to a five-star standard, they taste as good too. Bali’s favourite pan-roasted pork belly dish, babi guling, is the star player.
Canggu Yoga Centre
In a lofty four-storey purpose-built new building, Pererenan’s Canggu Yoga Centre is the neighbourhood’s latest yoga studio. It has differentiated itself from the preponderance of yoga hangouts with a timetable that leans towards more energetic hot styles such as Bikram yoga (‘burn 750 calories in each class’), Hot Warrior Yoga (strength, stamina and tone) and Hot Sculpt (a mash-up of hot yoga, pilates and a barefoot bootcamp). Those who find the tropics hot enough, can cool down the pace with hatha and ashtanga classes. There’s a café in the lobby to hang out before and after class, which contributes to the devotee vibe.