Boundless Life Bali: What you need to know!

Looking for Boundless Life Bali Reviews?  We spent 3 months with Boundless Life in Bali,  attending their January through March cohort.  This is all the information that I would have loved to know when deciding whether or not to attend Boundless Life in Sanur!

Below, we’ll provide you with insight into the Boundless Life Education Center in Bali, community activities, afterschool activities, Co-working Hub, Boundless accommodations in Sanur, safety, and some tidbits to help you best prepare for Boundless Bali, should you decide to attend!

Pros and Cons about attending Boundless Life Bali

While we tend to approach travel with open minds and aim to find the positive in each experience, there are inevitably pros and cons for each experience and each destination. Below, we’ll give a quick overview of some of our favorite and least favorite things about Sanur and Boundless Bali.

Our favorite things about Boundless Life Bali & Sanur

Here is a brief recap of some of the best things about Sanur & Boundless Bali.

• Feels really safe safe

• Locals are very kind and friendly

• Lots of healthy cafes, fresh pressed juices, delicious restaurants and organic farm deliveries (+ bone broth delivery too!)

• Boundless Education Center in Bali is my favorite of all of the Boundless locations. They have lots of outdoor space and a great classroom setup.  We’ve experienced a cohort in each location, so I feel like I can fairly judge this now!

• The lifestyle in Bali is laid back, with lots of outdoor time and inexpensive massages 🙂 I’m talking like $7/hour!

• So much to do in Bali and the neighboring islands.

Our Least Favorite things about Boundless Life Bali & Sanur

As I mentioned above, we try to travel with a positive lens because life is too short to point out all the negatives. But, every place has its cons. Here is a brief recap of some of our least favorite things about Sanur & Boundless Bali.

• Mosquitos! (probably varies a bit by season – we are in the rainy season). I would recommend bringing light long sleeves for young kids attending school in Bali. You can find a lot of nontoxic bug spray options here in Sanur. ALSO, in line with mosquitos being a con, I’ve seen them fumigate around here too, which is quite toxic.  (TIP: Ask your villa or accommodations NOT to fumigate during your stay. It doesn’t kill all the mosquitos anyways and it only last for a day or so if anything.)

• Hot & Humid – but I tend to love this climate, as long as I have a pool & beach!  The breezes on the beach side are definitely more comfortable than inland.

• Air Quality is questionable at times.

• Trash!  Like many parts of the world, Bali has a trash problem that is undeniably sad

• Boundless Accommodations in Bali. I’m sure this will improve, but as of right now, this is my least favorite Boundless location for the community Housing. However, I absolutely love love love our villa here in Sanur!  See Boundless Accommodations in Sanur section below!

• Boundless Co-Working Hub in Bali. It’s just different than the other locations.  The co-working space is not just for Boundless and therefore not a space for family meet-ups.. However, those that had to work during the cohort tended to really love the co-working space set up in Bali. This isn’t really a con per se, just a heads up.

• Because there is no Boundless Hub and accommodations are a little more spread out, you run into other families a little less often than at other locations.

• Time Zone could be hard for parents who are trying to work on USA time zones.

Would we recommend Boundless Life Bali?

I’ll say this… I don’t want to leave.  Boundless Life Bali is not perfect and Bali is not perfect, but all in all, it’s pretty darn fabulous.  This is especially true if you like hot weather, beaches and swimming!

Something about the way of life in Bali, the energy of the island, the friendliness of the people, the good food and cheap massages. Life is pretty nice in Bali. 

Boundless Life Sanur is absolutely one of my favorite Boundless locations.  We have had a dream experience with the school here (aka education center) and the teachers have been fantastic. 

We love our villa in Bali (see below). We find Sanur to be easy to get around with lots of food options and shopping accessibility. I go for a swim almost every single day, if not multiple times a day. I’m barefoot and outside often. I eat delicious food that doesn’t break the bank. There are lots of activities and things to do.  

So, would I recommend Boundless Life Bali?  If the above sounds like something you would enjoy too, then YES, I can 100% recommend it for you! 

Location of Boundless in Sanur Bali

Boundless’ location in Bali is in a town called Sanur.  Located about 45 minutes from the international airport in Denpasar (DPS), Sanur is a very family-friendly town.  Compared to Ubud & Canguu, Sanur actually has walkable sidewalks (I mean, they are far from perfect, but I can push a stroller around with decent ease).  

Sanur is also located on the coast, with easy accessibility to the sea.  There is a small reef break about 50 yards out, which means that the water is extremely calm and great for young kids.

The downfall about some areas of Sanur beaches are that at times, they have quite a bit of trash in the water.  I never noticed any of the trash on the beach where we are located by our villa complex and we swam there often in the clear calm waters. However, when we went paddleboarding at another part of the beach, we did see a lot of trash floating by. 🙁  I think the amount of trash depends on the rainfall and tides. 

But, I’ll stress again, that we swam in the water often and enjoyed it!

The other super nice feature of Sanur is the beach pathway for bikes and pedestrians. Going on walks, runs, and bike rides is really easy. The pathway lines the beach with a part for bikes and a part for pedestrians.

There is enough shade on the beach pathway in Sanur that you aren’t baking in the sun. And, it is lined with cafes, shops, bike rentals, paddleboard rentals and massages.  It really is such a nice feature of Sanur.

Speaking of massages, I’m a sucker for a great massage and Sanur has so many options. You can find massages on the beach for about $7/ hour or head up to the street for massages in air conditioning. There are nicer spas too, which will run you about $15/hr for a massage!  My goal was 3 massages a week and I’m pretty sure I hit my goal most weeks!  

Ubud is about an hour from Sanur, Canguu is about 45 minutes, give or take with traffic.  There are water parks, beach resorts with day passes, waterfalls, a few hikes, snorkel trips, boat trips, surfing, volcanos, and more, all within 15 minutes – 2 hours from Sanur.  

There are lots of shops, malls, grocery, pharmacies, etc in the area.  You can really find just about everything you need here. 

Coming Soon…
a list of all my favorites in Sanur Bali, from farm deliveries, activities, day trips, restaurants and massages. SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER HERE TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW!

Boundless Life School / Education Center

Boundless Life School in Bali is located just off the beach pathyway in Sanur.  It’s a fantastic location in the heart of many cafes, shops, etc. 

As I mentioned before, this is our favorite Boundless school (we’ve been to all their locations).  There is a lot of outdoor time, space for the kids to run & play, great separation between classrooms and the teachers here have been fantastic.  (Of course, some teachers rotate, so this could change.)

Class size for our kids here has been about 10-14 kids to 1 teacher + assistant that filters between 2 classrooms. Our kids are 8 years old and 10 years old for reference, so they are in the Upper & Lower Foundation classes.  Of course, the size could vary by cohort and age group. 

The Boundless Schools use an app called Kinteract to track each of the kids’ progress, daily school work and activities that your child is partaking in.  It’s a nice glimpse into what the kids are doing each day, as well as makes for nice talking points when asking your kids, what did you do today! 

Like other locations, Boundless Bali has Cultural Time (where the kids learn about location, culture and a intro to the local language).  This is especially unique in Bali and has been one of our kids favorite locations for local culture learning.  

While the kids aren’t learning a lot of Indonesian, they are picking up phrases and words from the cultural time language class, which they use throughout the day.  The locals love hearing expat kids speaking Indonesian, even if it’s just a few words!

As with other locations, the kids also have a Boundless Hour (where they can work on any self-directed project of their choice).  In addition, they work towards a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal throughout the 3-month cohort, as well as learn core academics.

For us, we appreciate the combination of core academics, along with the self-directed learning and bigger picture projects (such as the SDG).  This Boundless Life Bali school was definitely the most organized of any location we’ve been and we have felt like our kids are walking away with a great well rounded education from this cohort, including better presentation skills and even debating skills. 

ECAs at Boundless Life Bali  (aka, Afterschool Activities)

Boundless Life offers afterschool activities at each of their locations.  They vary by location and local offerings.  We didn’t partake in any of the ECAs in Bali, as I’ve honestly been a little torn on what I’ve seen in various locations.  We absolutely loved the sailing in Syros Greece, but was a little disappointed in what I saw in Tuscany.  

Therefore, we decided not to do any ECAs in Bali.  However, they seemed to be better organized here in Bali.  

I would just suggest that if you want to do an ECA, you ask questions about it first. Make sure your expectations are in line with what the actual activities will be. 

Boundless Life Bali Accommodations

One of the best parts about Boundless Life is that they offer a package, which makes travel easier. They provide accommodations, co-working space, communities, activities and school.

However, to be honest, I would say that Boundless Life Bali isn’t set up with top-notch accommodation options at this point. 

In all the other Boundless Life locations, we’ve stayed at Boundless Life properties and loved them.  However, the only options that Boundless Life had for housing in Bali didn’t suit us. And, I’m glad we opted to find our own accommodations.  

The Boundless Life Bali housing option is a community building, with a shared pool with 6 (maybe 8) other Boundless Life families.  The benefit is that you have instant community, friends for your kids to play with in the evenings and weekends as well as socialization for parents.  I do think that the families at the community building end up bonding faster. 

However, from the Boundless community building in Sanur you can’t really walk to anything. It’s not a walkable area.  You need to drive about 5-10 minutes to the school and it just lacks convenience.

So, there are pros and cons to the community building, though I think the cons outweigh the pros. (Side note, our absolutely favorite spot for an amazing community building experience has been Boundless Life Kotor Montenegro location!)

As I mentioned, we opted to find our own villa.  We stayed in a complex called Kejora Villas.  It was a fantastic location, being just a 5 minute walk to school, across from the beach and easy walk to a plethora of shops and cafes. We booked through Vanessa with Cool Bali Villas and the villa staff was one of the best we’ve ever had. Truly, a good villa staff makes your stay a million times better!

–> Mention my name (Michelle Schomp) to Cool Bali Villas and get a discount! <–

The downside of Balienese style villas for some families may be that many villas (not all of them), have separate bedrooms and you walk outdoors between the rooms.  I LOVED THIS!  It’s life changing to walk outdoors that often throughout the day. We had a 20 month old, 8 year old and 10 year old and found it a perfect set up for us. But, I can see where families with young kids may not want that style of living.

The other downside is that there is a lot of construction near Kejora at this time. They are building a huge mall, called Icon Mall in Sanur and the project is massive. Construction noise day and night.  Yet somehow, we love our villa so much that, we tune out the noise  (for the most part)! 

I’m not sure how I feel about this massive beachfront mall in Sanur. I don’t think the area will handle the traffic well and Sanur is at risk of losing some of its charm.  However, maybe it will employ more locals and have the convenience factor of so many shops being easily accessible.

Again, know that there is construction, but don’t let it keep you from staying here as you’ll miss out on all the beauty. Construction is everywhere these days!

A few things to consider when booking a Boundless Accommodation in Bali or your own Villa in Sanur

Here are a few helpful notes to consider when deciding on your Boundless accommodations in Bali.

• Laundry.  It’s inexpensive to have laundry washed, dried, and folded here ($6/load delivered!), so you don’t need to worry much about not having a washer/dryer.

• Dishwasher:  This is super convenient!

• Balíense style villas many times contain separate spaces where you need to walk outdoors (again, I love this aspect, but those with small children may not)

• Drinking Water:  It’s not safe to drink from the tap in Bali. Most villas and apartments have bottled water and a system to make it cold or hot, which is convenient.  If you are crazy about water, like I am, I would ask if your villa could provide you with Balian Water instead of Agua.  Balian Water was a lot better.  

• Location: If you love to walk everywhere, make sure you choose a location where you can walk to the beach or shops or cafes or school.

• Community: Would it be helpful to your family if you were in a location with other families where you could make stronger connections? If so, the Boundless Life community-style living may be a good option for you.

Boundless Bali Co-Working Hub

Each Boundless location has a Hub.  This is the co-working space for the parents and a gathering zone for families.  At this time, Boundless’ location in Sanur doesn’t have a Hub. Instead, they partnered with a local co-working space (called Liv-it) and Boundless families can use that space.  The problem is that it’s about 10 minutes from the school and not in a central location which would make it easy for gatherings. 

The upside is that Liv-it is a huge space, four-stories with large tables, private rooms, soundproof booths, a cafe, indoor & outdoor space… and even a nap room!

Boundless Bali School Lounge

Because Boundless doesn’t have their own Hub in Bali, Boundless has a room/lounge location at the Education Center. Parents can use this space to cool off, grab a drink, chat or gather. It’s not really set up for a co-working space and most families who work opt to find a nearby cafe or utilize Liv-it instead. 

However, the Lounge at the school is a convenient spot for small gatherings before and after drop off / pick up!

Boundless Life Safety in Sanur Bali

We often get asked about Boundless Life safety in Sanur, Bali.  I always hesitate with this question because crimes can happen anywhere and I don’t want to be responsible for telling someone that a place is safe or not.  However, with that caveat, I will say that our experience has been that we feel extremely safe here. 

We haven’t heard or experienced tales of crime here in Bali.  Petty theft doesn’t seem to be an issue (though I’m sure it happens from time to time).  I think the biggest dangers to tourists are probably the scooters/motorbikes.  

We tell our kids to keep their heads on the swivel when crossing the streets, as there aren’t many rules of the road and the motorbikes seem to pop up out of nowhere!  If you haven’t experienced motorbike culture in Asian countries, this may seem quite chaotic.  If you are used to motorbikes in other Asian cities, Sanur will seem tame!

The sidewalks here in Sanur are also not perfect and while it’s nice that they actually have sidewalks (and I’ve been able to walk all over town with a stroller), they are uneven & broken in parts and sometimes there is just a random hole in the ground.  But, who is complaining… there are sidewalks! And I have utilized them a lot for nice walks along the beachfront, which is the smoothest, easiest pathway for walking.

Bali Belly is a concern of most tourists. It’s food poisoning and can happen anywhere. The nice part is that here in Bali, it’s convenient and not expensive to have a doctor come to your home!  Many of the Boundless families in Bali used this service!  They will even come to your home to give an IV.  We never had to use this service and when my daughter got very ill (vomiting for about 36 hours straight), I found Grapefruit Seed Extract to work better than anything else I tried (caveat, I’m not a doctor nor is this medical advice!). Who knows if it was a fluke, but since then if anyone in our family is feeling nauseous, we add some drops to our water and everyone has felt better afterwards.  Worth bringing. 

Of our family of five, just our 8 & 10 year old got sick. Each of them twice with some stomach bug. I never got sick once in Bali, so it is possible!

Lastly, a note about the beach vendors in Sanur.  They are all really well-meaning and just trying to earn a living.  With that being said, the best advice I can give you is that if you don’t want to “just look in their shop”, then say “No thank you.”  Don’t say maybe later – they will remember that and remind you of it :).  

Boundless Life Bali Information

Looking for additional information on Boundless Life’s Bali location. We share some of the pros & cons of life in Sanur Bali in this video. Skip ahead to minute 34:00 to just hear about our Boundless Bali experience.

Don’t forget, you can get €600 discount for Boundless Life. Valid off your first stay. Just use our referral code: MichelleSchomp

Conclusion: Boundless Life Bali

We really enjoyed our time here in Sanur at the Boundless life Bali location!  Boundless has a knack for picking locations just off the well-known tourist paths that have activities and amenities for families. The Boundless accommodations in Bali aren’t nearly up to par with what they could be, but the Boundless Education Center in Bali is fantastic for the kids to enjoy playing outdoors, while also being able to cool off in the AC.

If you love pool & beach time, a plethora of fresh food options, lots of outdoor activities, and the healing energy of Bali, this is the perfect location for you!