Bali has many long, palm-fringed, white sandy beaches blessed with clear and warm tropical waters. There are beaches for every taste. Some are packed with sunbathers and lined with convenient shops, eateries, bars and other tourist facilities. Others are populated with big-wave-seeking surfers. Still others are hidden off the beaten path and shared by few people.
Kuta Beach
The five km long sandy stretch of Kuta Beach is arguably the best beach front in Bali. The beach is safe, partially clean, well-maintained, although the beach vendors remain annoying pushing massages, hair braiding, cigarettes and surf boards. The long wide stretch of sand is often full of sunbathers and although most of the serious surfers have moved on to newer pastures, there are still plenty of surf dudes around at most times of the year, and especially so during peak season.
In the evenings plenty of people head down to the beach or seaside cafes to watch the wonderful sunset. Be in place by about 5:30pm, for a sunset between 6:15pm and 6:45pm. The area in front of McDonalds and the Hard Rock Cafe can be a bit hectic with touts selling spearguns, henna tattoos and massages. Head a little North to escape the pressures.
Seminyak Beach
Seminyak Beach is ideal for people watching and activities. Rent a surfboard and learn to surf on the beginner waves, or lie on a sun lounger and soak up the suns rays. Whether you sip on a cocktail at swanky Ku De Ta or crack open an ice cold Bintang from one of the beach sellers, the sunsets in Seminyak are unforgettable.
For intermediate surfers who wish to find a quieter beach to enjoy riding a wave with fewer competitors, the beaches at Seminyak can be your best possible option. The beach is cleaner than Kuta, there are fewer beachside hawkers and the waves are their best in the early mornings.
Seminyak Beach - A quieter alternative to Kuta
Canggu Beach
For a beach offering rugged scenery, Canggu Beach has a windswept black sand beach with rocks scattered here and there. If you like to sunbathe in peace and quiet without tourists everywhere, then Canggu is your place. Canggu is popular with both beginner and experienced surfers as well as local expats. It’s a perfect spot to have some lunch and enjoy the feeling of sea spray on your skin.
Padang Padang
Padang Padang is one of Bali’s popular surfing beaches, and is home to the Rip Curl Cup surf contest. You can see the beach from the bridge to see whether the surf is pumping. Climb down the narrow stairway and park your towel on the sandy beach. The beach at Padang Padang is safe for swimming because the beach is protected from the sea by a coral reef and if it gets too hot you can find shade behind the boulders to the right.
Uluwatu
Uluwatu is well-known for the Balinese temple and the monkeys that live there, but Uluwatu is also famous for its reef break and glassy waves during the dry season. There are Warungs, repair shops and surf shops in the cliff, whilst the shingle beach has some great caves.
Geger Beach
The thousands of people who stay in the luxurious hotels within the Nusa Dua Complex and Tanjung Benoa are largely unaware of the large white sand beach just minutes away on Bali’s southernmost beach. Geger Beach is accessed via a dirt track to the left on the road leading to The Bale’ and the Nikko Bali Resorts.
Geger Beach
Padang Bai
Padang Bai has a number of picturesque and surprisingly private beaches, located in the areas adjacent to the busy ferry terminal which connects Bali to Lombok. This small sleepy fishing village on the East Coast of Bali has two great beaches. Blue Lagoon Beach is a small, white sandy beach over the hill to the left of the town which has coral and scattered rocks. Over the hill to the right you have White Sand Beach, also known as Secret Beach. This beach is a little slice of heaven, with powdery white sand and palm trees.
Bingin
Bingin is a popular surf spot on the Bukit peninsula on the way to Uluwatu. Bingin beach is accessible via steep stairs set into the cliff and when you get to the bottom, you’ll find light coloured sand, a few scattered boulders and a rocky reef. There are plenty of wooden Warungs in the cliffs serving Indonesian food with budget modest accommodation attached.
Jimbaran Beach
Jimbaran Bay is a golden sandy beach with calm, still waters perfect for swimming and bathing. It’s also very popular in the evening for seafood dinners on the beach. Pick out your seafood from the tanks, let them cook it for you, and have a romantic, candlelit dinner on the beach while you watch the sun setting in the distance.
Sanur
Sanur is Bali’s original backpacker resort area, but is now much more sleepy than the areas of Kuta and Seminyak, with a more laid-back, traditional vibe. Located on the East Coast of the island, Sanur is easily accessible from Denpasar and, like Nusa Dua, is a popular surf spot during the wet season when the surf isn’t so good on the West Coast.
Nusa Dua
Nusa Dua is Bali’s self-contained resort with luxury 5-star hotels and a shopping complex. This purpose built resort has lifeguards and security to make holidaymakers feel as safe as possible. Although some of the hotels have private areas of beach, Nusa Dua has a public beach called Pantai Geger, with white sand and waters perfect for swimming. Being on the East Coast of Bali, surfers come to Nusa Dua during the ‘wet season’ because it offers better surfing conditions than other parts of the island.
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