Exploring the world, having the freedom to work remotely, living and collaborating with a group of like-minded individuals – if all these sound too good to be true, we assure you that it isn’t. At least, not for digital nomads participating in coliving or coworking retreat programs.
And what better place to hold such retreats, than in beautiful Bali? Or better yet, in a stunning villa on the island? We’ve got plentiful of the latter, so it got us thinking: what if digital nomads wanted to add Bali to their itineraries? Which of our villas would they pick?
So we decided to do a round-up of some of the best coliving retreats – along with our suggestions for villas that would fit right into their itinerary:
Travel, adventure, meeting new people and entrepreneurship – throw in these four elements, and what you get is Refuga. It’s pretty cool that the idea behind Refuga orignated from a blog post written by founder Nikolaj Madsen, when he quit his job in July 2012 and started working on his entrepreneurial ventures. He had arranged to head to Spain for a work week, and published a post on his blog to say that others were free to join in. Gradually, the workation trips organised over the ensuing months drew more than just entrepreneurs; individuals who participated in trips organised by Refuga included CEOs, artists and athletes.
Trips with Refuga typically last over seven to ten days. Food, accommodation, talks, sessions, workshops and transportation are covered in the cost. We’ve checked out Refuga’s 2016 itinerary, and are chuffed to see trips to exotic locations such as Elbrus, as well as a Digital Nomad Festival schedules for 25th June in Italy. How amazing is that?
We say…
But, one thing’s missing – we don’t see Bali on the itinerary! Maybe they just haven’t found the right location for an entrepreneurial retreat on the island yet? If they’ll have our recommendations, we say: Villa Mannao‘s a home that will fit the bill.
Refuga participants may number about ten to eighteen pax per trip, so this eight bedroom villa will provide sufficient accommodation for the entire party. Participants will also enjoy perks such as tasty gourmet meals (the in-house chef whips up unbelievably delicious treats), two swimming pools, excellent Wi-Fi, a tropical garden and lovely views of the rice fields.
If you’ve been making plans for a remote work retreat, it’s highly likely that you would’ve heard of Startup Retreats. Part of Levels‘ ambitious “12 startups in 12 months” project, Startup Retreats lists the “best remote work communities and coliving spaces”. Currently, the website offers a pretty extensive selection of retreats in locations all around the world – from sunny Thailand to exotic Morocco.
We say…
Startup Retreats has already got two enviable coliving spaces in Bali on their list – Hubud Villa and Livit Spaces. But judging from the rising number of nomads who’ve got their eyes on this paradisiacal island, we say: there’s definitely room for more villas to accommodate entrepreneurial individuals. We think that nomads will like to keep close to like-minded entrepreneurs from coworking spaces like Hubud or Outpost, so we’d suggest that they reside in Ubud. Villa Omah Padi‘s a great choice – digital nomads will enjoy the peace and quiet from residing in a tranquil environment, as well as the convenience of being located close to Ubud central.
“Travel with interesting people while working remotely” – this tagline on the home page of the website sums up what Remote Year offers.
The program offers spots for seventy-five professionals from locations all around the world to join in a year-long adventure that includes working, travelling and exploring twelve cities across the globe. A month will be spent in each location, providing participants with ample opportunities to immerse themselves into the local cultures and business ecosystems.
We say…
The adventure this year will kickstart in June, and the itinerary – consisting of destinations like Bolivia, Chile and Bulgaria – looks set to enthrall. Bali isn’t on the 2016 itinerary – but maybe they’re leaving it for next year? With a total headcount numbering at seventy-five, finding accommodation for the entire group presents quite a challenge. We’ve got a number of villa estates on our portfolio though, like Mannao Estate, Pantai Lima Estate and The Pala Villa – which will offer sufficient rooms if they don’t mind splitting up into smaller groups.
Coliving retreats with DNX Camp involves the following: learning, networking and working. It’s not all work and no play though – fun-filled activities, parties, excursions and fitness opportunities are conducted to fill up the gaps in between the working hours. The program is conducted in a private villa, which means that digital nomads can focus on what they do best – growing their business, skills or craft. Everything else, like accommodation, meals and activities are covered by the DNX team.
We say…
We’re excited to see that DNX Camp’s got a pop-up retreat in Bali scheduled to start on 22nd April. Woohuu! Participants in the retreat will reside in two locations, Canggu and Ubud, during their stay. We’re sure that the DNX team has ironed out all accommodation issues for this retreats, but if they’ll have our suggestions for their next Bali program, we say: go for the eight bedroom Villa Infinity. If the total number of participants does not exceed ten, The Junno Villa will make a great choice.
As its name suggests, Coboat provides digital nomads with the unique opportunity for coworking and coliving on a boat – a spacious catamaran, to be exact. Once you’re on the team, your home for the duration of the retreat will be the seven seas.
Sounds exciting? We bet it is. Here’s what their plans for 2016 are like: Coboat will set sail in Spring 2016, and remain in Southeast Asia for the rest of the year. Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are destinations listed on their itinerary.
We say…
If the nomads on Coboat ever need a break from their cabin bunk rooms, we suggest staying the weekend at Villa Atas Awan. They’ll enjoy unobstructed views of Bali’s lush rice fields from the villa – a refreshing change when one’s been out at sea for several weeks at a go!
Coworkation brings a group of like-minded digital nomads together for a location-independent work experience. If you want a quick snapshot of what the experience offers, have a look at this video. Coworkation’s website seems pretty new, so we couldn’t find any information on their itinerary or upcoming plans for the year.
We say…
If Bali is on their itinerary, we’d like to recommend the gorgeous Villa Kamaniiya or sprawling Villa Taman Ahimsa. Both villas offer breathtaking views of the island’s scenic surroundings – something we think all nomads will appreciate.
See our villas in Bali. Selected and inspected by Villa-Finder.com
