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Kuta Beach & Legian (South Bali)
Crowded beaches in the peak season with many vendors, masseuses etc
with high waves and
strong currents. The Beach stretch is lined by numerous hotels and resorts, mostly in the
2 to 4-star categories and many 'losmen' style of accommodation can
also be found throughout the Kuta and Legian area for those on a very small budget. This style of
accommodation is very popular with surfers and backpackers. Kuta and
Legian which have merged into the one township during the past decade
continue to spread out even
further north. This area is the center of Bali's night life with
a great number of restaurants, pubs, open bars, discos, plus super markets, department stores, and shops selling
everything from up market clothing, casual
and beach fashions, antiques, handicrafts and souvenirs. Daily
traffic jams and many hawkers have made this a very untypical and
rather ugly part of Bali which, at times, can become a nightmare for
some visitors. Recommended if you are looking for action,
excitement, or just for a night out, but certainly not for a family
vacation or romantic honeymoon. Best for surfing these breaks in the
dry season (April - September).
Seminyak, Canggu and Tanah Lot (South Bali)
Until a few short years ago this area was still rather rural but now
it has become a mostly residential
area, stretching several miles north from Legian. Good, near white,
sandy beaches with powerful waves and some strong currents. The
further north you move it becomes less crowded with some large
stretches of paddy fields still to be found amongst the growing
number of houses and villas. This ever accelerating growth in the
number hotels, villas and private homes has resulted in the
appearance of many good but reasonably
priced restaurants and Bali's most interesting pubs and discos as
well as shops selling casual wear, furniture, antiques, art, decorative
items and handicrafts. With all of the growth this area is fast
becoming one of the busiest areas along
this stretch of coastline and it is more up-market than neighboring Kuta
& Legian.
Recommended for visitors who wish to be somewhat away from the
tourist crowds and enjoy the peace and quiet of a luxury villa or
boutique hotel but also appreciate having easy access to the
restaurants and shops of the Legian and Kuta areas.
Access to all other parts of the island is equally good with the new
By Pass road that means you no longer
have to pass through crowded Kuta to go anywhere. Some of the
islands most beautiful villas will be found throughout this area.
Sanur Beach (South Bali)
This is where, 25 years ago, you would have found all of Bali's
international standard hotels although the beach has never been
one of the most outstanding in Bali. Today the beach area is still
not the best of the beaches and Sanur has
become a rather quiet area compared to Kuta, Seminyak and Nusa Dua
but it still remains popular with many visitors who have made this
their destination of choice for many years. Sanur is also a popular
choice for many of the
foreign residents. Good place to find accommodation in the wet
season if you want to surf the Sanur Reefs and places like Keramas,
Padang Galak or travel to breaks in East Bali.
Ubud and Surroundings, Central Bali
Culturally, the town of Ubud is to Bali what Jogyakarta is to Java.
In Ubud you will find a large community of accomplished painters, dancers,
musicians, carvers and weavers who live and work there. Quite a
of very good museums and art galleries are also waiting to be
discovered. Because of its
location at the base of the mountains (30
kilometers north of Denpasar/Kuta) temperatures are usually a little lower
than in the coastal areas and year-round rainfall means there is
always plenty of lush tropical vegetation.
The town itself has developed rapidly during the past decade, and
today the main roads are lined with art shops, handicraft and
souvenir shops, as well as many restaurants and cafes. Tourist
groups and other day-visitors are seen roaming around the galleries
and museums and browsing through the markets, restaurants and shops
until late afternoon. After sunset, Ubud becomes very quiet.
Accommodation ranges from very cheap, very basic "losmens",
as well as more
expensive but equally basic "losmens", to some of Bali's best-known
and most expensive boutique hotels and beautiful private villas.
Most of the hotels are located in Sayan a few miles away overlooking
the picturesque Ayung river valley. Ubud is a long way from
the surfing areas of Bali but a nice quiet place if you wish to grab
some time to take in the art and culture of the island.
Candi Dasa & Lovina, East & North Bali
These two tourist centers in the East (Candi Dasa) and North (Lovina) of Bali have become
popular meeting places for all those visitors wanting to get away
from the tourists. Both offer a number of quiet, simple but
adequate hotels and restaurants. Beaches around Candi Dasa, however,
have disappeared during the last decade after most coral
reefs in the area were destroyed and many visitors are not fond of the
black volcanic sand covering most beaches in the North & East of
Bali. There are a number of surf breaks on the way to Candi Dasa and
some a little further east near Amlapura. Lovina is totally
sheltered and there is no surf to be found in the northern area but
there are some great diving sites towards the north-west and also in
east Bali around Amed.
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