Mawenu is a small jungle retreat thirty minutes north of Ubud. Twelve guests at a time. Two daily yoga practices, plant-forward Balinese cooking, and three quiet days no one schedules.
Mawenu is the third retreat we've built in fifteen years, and the smallest. A wooden longhouse, six villas around a stepped garden, an open kitchen that runs on what comes back from Pasar Ubud at sunrise, and one studio facing the ridge.
What you do here is mostly nothing. Two practices. Three meals. Long siestas. A guided walk if you want one. The week is built so a tired person can finish it more rested than they began. Most of our guests have flown a long way to be here. Most leave with three days they don't remember scheduling.
Morning vinyasa at 6:30 on the studio platform overlooking the ridge. Evening yin at 5:30 with bolsters and warm lights. Both are optional. Both are taught by someone with a thirty-year practice.
Every meal is built around what came back from the morning market — local vegetables, hand-pounded sambal, brown rice, fresh coconut. Three days a week the whole table is vegan. Always seasonal, always local.
Wednesday is for moving. A 3am hike to watch the sunrise from Mount Batur, a guided walk through the Tegallalang rice terraces, or the long temple loop ending at Tirta Empul. You pick on Sunday night.
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday are quiet days from 9am to 5pm. The studio is open, the kitchen serves cold lunch, and the staff doesn't speak unless spoken to. Most guests say this is what they came for.
Each villa is open on two sides — a screened-in front porch facing the garden, a private back garden facing the ridge. Beds are local hardwood with hand-loomed cotton. Fans only, no air conditioning. Hot showers, cold mornings.
Rates are all-inclusive: yoga, meals, the Wednesday excursion, transfer from Denpasar airport. Single villa upgrades available on request.
"By Wednesday I'd stopped checking my phone. By Friday I couldn't remember the password. By Sunday morning, sitting on the studio platform with the rain just stopping, I cried for the first time in two years and didn't know why. Mawenu doesn't fix anything. It just makes a place where you can finally feel what you've been carrying."
Trained in Mysore in 1998, taught in Tokyo for nine years before returning home to build the first Mawenu in 2011.
Vipassana teacher and former architect from Lisbon, on the cushion for twenty years and at Mawenu since 2018.
Jakarta-based restorative yoga teacher, returns to Mawenu twice a year for the yin retreats. Speaks Indonesian and English.
Born in the next village, leads every Wednesday excursion and the Friday temple ceremony. Forty years on these trails.
No. About a third of our guests are newer practitioners. Each session has hands-on adjustments and a clear set of options for every shape. The yin and restorative weeks are particularly good for beginners.
Yes. We pick up at Ngurah Rai (DPS) anytime on the Sunday of arrival and drop off anytime on the Sunday of departure. The drive is roughly 90 minutes. Earlier or later transfers can be arranged for a small surcharge.
Absolutely. The shared villas have two single beds, and the private villas have a king. Couples typically book the private villa or the suite. We can also block-book the entire property for groups of 8 to 12 — see the inquiry form on the booking page.
Tell us on the booking form and the kitchen will work around it. We routinely accommodate vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and pregnancy diets. The default house menu is already pescetarian and dairy-light.
Full refund up to 60 days before arrival. Half refund 30 to 60 days. Within 30 days the spot is yours unless we can rebook it. We strongly recommend travel insurance.
Most retreats fill four to six months ahead. The booking form takes about three minutes; we'll write back within a day with your room assignment and a packing list.