The Ubud & Munduk Creative Retreat
The Ubud & Munduk Creative Retreat
with Bri Lee
29 October - 7 November 2025 (10 days)
Make a $1,500 Deposit To Secure Your Place
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Highlights
- An immersion in Ubud Writers & Readers Festival with Bri Lee
- A private Bibliocarta driver for festival days and dinners each night in different restaurants in Ubud
- A guided trip to the markets in Ubud and an Indonesian cooking class
- Accommodation in one of Munduk's only 5-star eco-resorts, with a massage for each person
- Three dedicated 'Creative CPR' workshops specially designed and run by Bri Lee
I’ve been a guest at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival twice before and can hand-on-heart say it’s a totally unique and amazing experience: profound, inspiring, radical, fun, and truly international. One of my big dreams in launching Bibliocarta was to find a way to get our wonderful small groups to destination-specific literary festivals and I’m thrilled we’re starting with Ubud.
This trip is in two parts. For the first half we will begin each day together with morning pages and breakfast, have a blast together at the festival, then come together to debrief over beautiful dinners. I’ll be choosing and posting you our required readings once the festival line-up is announced so that we can hear from the authors before we do our book clubs!
For the second half of the trip we’re driving up to a luxury eco-resort in the mountains in Munduk where you can direct all that inspiration towards your own creative practice. I’ve developed a three-step workshop series called ‘Creative CPR’. It’s named for the three basic stages of art-making: conceptual, practical, and responsive. But I also think that the acronym CPR is useful here. In all the workshops I’ve taught I’ve learned that most artists are afraid and blocked by very similar core fears. Creative CPR is designed to take these pain points and flip our focus to the positives—to get kickstart our excitement about our artistic processes again.
I taught a trial version of Creative CPR in Sri Lanka last year and this is the feedback two participants gave:
Honestly, these workshops were the best I've ever participated in with you (and I've been to a few now). I could feel the intention and consideration on your planning and felt my brain expanding with each session. The structure of presenting a concept, guiding us through the pain point of thinking and then applying it in our writing was super effective. – Emma
CPR is life changing PERIOD. Honestly ALL 3 workshops this trip were fucking FAB! – Hannah
We’ll be doing writing and reading and editing activities, but the lessons would be greatly beneficial to all kinds of creatives.
I’m so excited to run this trip. It feels like the most organic and best combination of all the work I’ve been doing over the past five years. Creating spaces for people to be inspired and re-commit to their artistic practices is profoundly fulfilling, and I can’t wait to share these
ten days with you. — Bri Lee
DATES
29 October — 7 November (10 days)
TOUR LEADER
Bri Lee
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Copyright and Courtesy of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2023
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The theme of this year's Ubud Writers & Readers Festival
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Bali's famous rice fields,
taken by Bri Lee in 2019
Itinerary
Day 1: Wednesday 29 October | Arrive Ubud
Your transfer will be awaiting you upon your arrival at Denpasar airport. (The drive from the airport to Ubud is around 2 hours; please allow for sufficient travel time when booking flights.)
Our first day begins with a 6:00pm welcome by Bri and dinner at a local restuarant known for it’s traditional Balinese fare.
You will be checking in to the Visesa Ubud Resort. The hotel’s design is based on traditional Balinese aesthetics amongst the rice paddies, balancing the harmony between the Gods, mortals and nature.
Day 2 to Day 5: Thursday 30 October to Sunday 2 November | Ubud Writers & Readers Festival
Each day begins with a Morning Pages session led by Bri and a group breakfast.
Over four days our group will attend the panels, speeches, and in-conversation sessions run in the main festival program. Some of these we might attend as a whole group, at other times we might split into pairs or smaller groups depending on our priorities. Most importantly, we all reconvene at an included dinner - at a different delicious local restaurant each night - to discuss what we've seen, heard, and learned.
We will have access to private shuttle to transfer us between the Festival and our accommodation throughout the day.
The final itinerary will be updated to include events and panels once Ubud Writer’s and Readers Festival has announced their line-up.
Day 6: Monday 3 November | Ubud to Munduk
After morning pages and breakfast, we will visit a local fresh produce market to handpick ingredients for a cooking class. We'll learn about the intersection of culture and cuisine in Indonesia, and in Bali specifically.
After eating our cooking for lunch, we will begin the drive to the cool mountain region of Munduk, where we will begin the retreat phase of our trip.
Day 7 to Day 9: Munduk Creative Workshops
Beginning each day with breakfast and morning pages, these three full days are for Bri's 'Creative CPR' workshops program, and for self-directed retreat time. Workshops will begin after breakfast and last until lunch. Afternoons are for guests to either do their own work or read at the eco-resort infinity pool. Those who would like to explore the area can also speak with our dedicated local guide about what's available.
We have some small group activities planned and included: a traditional dance performance after dinner one night, a temple visit one afternoon, and a guided nature walk. Guests who would prefer quiet or work time are welcome to skip these, but they are included in your trip price.
Each guest will also enjoy a one-hour Balinese massage at some time during these three days.
Day 10: Friday 7 November | Munduk to Denpasar Airport
After a final writing activity and a farewell breakfast, the group will check-out at 11:00am and be transferred to Denpasar Airport. (We suggest booking flights that depart from 4:00pm onwards to allow for travel time between Munduk and checking in to the airport.)
Pricing
Per person, twin share
Per person, private room
Pay the non-refundable $1,500 deposit to secure your place.
We will then send you a link to pay the remaining amount in full or in three instalments.
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Visesa Resort - Our accommodation in Ubud
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Munduk Moding Plantation Resort - Our accommodation in Munduk
More Details
Inclusions
- All accommodation
- Airport transfers for those arriving on Day 1 or the day before
- Airport transfers for those departing on Day 10
- 9 Breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 6 dinners
- Your festival pass to Ubud Writers & Readers Festival
- A private driver for the duration of the writer's festival who is purely employed to ferry our group between accommodation and festival site (or other close locations in Ubud you'd like to visit)
- A massage for each guest in Munduk
- A guided nature walk, temple visit, and traditional dance performance in Munduk
- A local guide for the entire trip, in case you'd like to arrange other activities while you're there
- Tips for our Local Guide, driver, and a tipping kitty — see our FAQs for our generous tipping policy
- Two required readings posted to you once the festival line-up is announced
Exclusions
- International flights
- Airport transfers for travellers arriving or departing on alternative days - contact us to arrange alternative transfers
- Comprehensive travel insurance (required for travel as per our Terms & Conditions)
- Visas and international taxes
- Vaccines
- Items of a personal nature (eg. laundry, minibar)
- Services or activities not mentioned in the itinerary (eg. early check-ins or late check-outs, other sites and experiences not listed in the itinerary)
- All the included meals, drinks are extras for individuals to purchase
- Meals not listed above in ‘inclusions’
Group Size
Minimum 10 and maximum 16. We will be in touch as soon as we receive the minimum number of bookings for the trip to proceed.
Accommodation
The two different prices of the trip are for twin share (regular price) or private rooms (higher price).
In Ubud we will stay at Visesa Resort and in Munduk we will stay at Munduk Moding Plantation Resort. In the event that either our Ubud or Munduk accommodation options need to change, we will communicate this to you as soon as possible and the alternative accommodation will be of a comparable standard.
Fitness Level
Travellers for this specific trip will need to be able to: walk on uneven ground unassisted, manage their suitcases until they meet with their transfer drivers, and climb in and out of a minivan.
Any guests needing time out or rest from the festival days will be able to liaise with our private driver and get driven back to the acommodation.
For the activities listed in the itinerary we recommend some sensible sneakers, but you certainly won’t need hiking boots. If you have any questions about mobility, please get in touch and we’re delighted to help.
Book Clubs & Creative CPR Workshops
The final itinerary includes allocated times for three book club sessions and three Creative CPR workshops, all run by your host for the trip, Bri Lee.
There are two ‘required readings’, and you’ll receive a copy of both these books with enough time to read them before you depart in October 2025.
Don’t be nervous if you don’t consider yourself some kind of ‘serious’ artist; Bibliocarta book clubs and workshops are friendly, inclusive places.
Payment Process & Payment Plan Options
Travellers must make their non-refundable deposit to secure their spot on the trip because places are limited.
Once the minimum threshold (ten travellers) is reached, you will then receive an email with a link to the full payment portal. At this time you may choose to either pay the amount in full (no later than 1 September 2025) or sign up for the payment plan of three installments (to be paid in mid-July, mid-August, and 1 September).
Please read our Terms & Conditions page for further details.
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Bri Lee running a workshop on the recent Morocco Grand Adventure trip
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Our final writing activity on the morning of Day 10 is a lovely surprise for those who haven't travelled with us before, and a deeply useful exercise for those who have.
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Guided writing time on the recent Morocco Grand Adventure trip
