We play rugby for nearly 12 months of the yr these days.
I’m not complaining, nevertheless it does imply you need to plan fastidiously these few weeks when you haven’t any commitments in any respect. Physique and thoughts want actual down-time and I do know that for some sportsmen that’s not simple.
They get stressed and begin in search of a problem. Similar to me, in reality.
A really blissful kind of magnificence: Bali presents the luxurious surroundings of Padang Bai Seashore – with Mount Agung within the background
The warmest of welcomes: Chris and Camilla mingle with the locals on their Balinese journey
Flying all the best way to Singapore after which on to Bali means you’re severe about having a vacation — nevertheless it was additionally a kind of locations I had all the time needed to go to. A pal went there on honeymoon and fairly just a few rugby gamers had really useful the 2 Anantara resorts on the island.
My girlfriend Camilla [Kerslake, the singer] and I couldn’t fairly resolve which one would swimsuit us greatest — so we stayed in them each and had been glad that we did.
First we went to Anantara Seminyak Resort & Spa. It has an excellent location in a laid-back however full of life a part of Bali on a beachfront. We had an enormous suite, with floor-to-ceiling home windows and superb sundown views. The open-air tub on the terrace was large enough for 2.
There are solely 60 rooms and it’s the proper place to recharge your batteries. There’s an exquisite large bar and restaurant on the highest ground referred to as MoonLite Kitchen & Bar.
The menu is filled with contemporary seafood and strange Asian-inspired cocktails. We cherished the view over the Indian Ocean, and the DJ was mixing really chilled music.
There have been a lot of issues to do and there’s an attractive seaside however on the similar time you might be solely a brief stroll to the bars, eating places and markets. Our favorite restaurant was referred to as the Potato Head Seashore Membership, just some minutes from the lodge.
The design is basically uncommon — classic furnishings and a beachfront bar with hand-crafted cocktails.
Monkey enterprise: Indonesia is stuffed with playful simians – and the couple encountered loads of them on the Uluwatu Temple
Each morning, Camilla had a yoga lesson on the seaside. I joined her on one event however after that I left her to it.
What I hadn’t realised is that Bali is such a fantastic place for browsing. The waves are spectacular, and whereas we had been there everybody was gearing up for a serious competitors. Camilla and I booked ourselves in for some classes (that is the place the problem got here in) and I’m happy to say that we acquired the grasp of it fairly shortly.
It’s a fantastic sport for increase the core muscle groups, bettering your stability and normal metabolism — however I believe I’ll be sticking with rugby.
The lodge was a fantastic base from which to discover. At some point we had been taken out on bicycles to see the rice fields and it was a tremendous expertise. I’ll by no means have a look at a bowl of rice in fairly the identical manner. It’s onerous work as a result of they do all of it by hand, working in sizzling and humid climate.
On one other event, we went to a village the place the lodge is concerned with a charity referred to as Yayasan Solemen Indonesia.
The Anantara Seminyak collaborates with the charity, and friends are requested to provide a greenback a day to assist deprived teams within the nation. We might see the place the cash goes and it was humbling. We got here throughout one man who had cerebral palsy and had spent 10 years sleeping on a concrete ground.
Now he was correctly housed and being given remedy to assist with the illness. We met some actually inspirational folks and it was unimaginable to see how a lot the charity achieves.
Right here I’m within the day job: Chris Robshaw might be placing his greatest toes ahead when he leads England on the upcoming Rugby World Cup
After just a few nights at our first lodge we moved on to Anantara Uluwatu. The principle distinction is that it’s far more distant, constructed on a cliff face. It’s a extremely good choice for {couples}.
We felt completely relaxed, thanks to a couple spa classes. The speciality was the Sensual Spice Journey — a mix of natural scrubs, foot washes and stress-free massages.
The spa is designed to replicate the temper of a conventional Balinese rice barn. The remedy menu has been put collectively utilizing Indonesian spices, combining them with historical wellness secrets and techniques and Western practices I used to be extra acquainted with. It was a pleasant various to the same old sports activities massages.
Uluwatu is far larger than Anantara Seminyak. It’s wilder too, which helps clarify how there have been much more monkeys scampering concerning the place than friends. We cherished watching them making an attempt to raid the breakfast buffet and determined they have to be a number of the tamest wild monkeys on this planet.
If one thing was to not their style, they simply spat it out and went again for one thing else.
At some point we went to a seafront temple the place Bali locals confirmed us the normal kecak dance, in addition to a portray and carving ceremony.
On the Uluwatu Temple there have been a great deal of monkeys, too. They had been actually light and we had been allowed to feed them fruit — it was incredible to see them having enjoyable of their pure habitat.
If you play for England you journey so much, however you seldom keep anyplace for lengthy. This was totally different. I actually appreciated being in a brand new tradition, one the place everyone seems to be pleasant and eager to make sure you’re having a very good time.
I believed so much concerning the World Cup, which begins subsequent month. Enjoying at dwelling might be a fantastic expertise and I do know the nation will get behind us (nicely, the English half anyway!).
We’ve actually come collectively as a squad and have real power in depth. It’s onerous to think about two extra excessive pursuits than sitting on a seaside in Bali and knuckling down for a scrum at Twickenham. I really like them each.
