Kuta Beach

Kuta Bali

Kuta in addition to being the Sunset Site Number One, with its daily spectacular sunsets, it is also the centre of night life activities in Southern Bali and a shopping mecca, with its lines of shops, boutiques, and galleries. Restaurants line up the streets as well as the Bachfront,Hotels, ranging from a small, inexpensive homestay to a luxurious resort, will ready accomodate you.

The beach of Kuta is one of the first favorite beaches discovered by tourist. On the south, the beach is fenced by the airport’s runway, which gives you a breathtaking landing experience. The beach stretches as far north as the eyes can see. As short walk away north, waves will invite you to test your surfing

Kuta is very short drive away from the airport, and transportation is readily available to take you from and to Kuta to and from anywhere else in Bali.

Sunsets of Bali

There is only one word to describe the sunsets in Bali: spectacular. In winter solstice in December, when the sun is close to its lowest point, a large, bright orange, red sun will approach the horizon of Kuta, descending ever so slowly. Brilliant shadows are cast everywhere, golden reflection on the water, and strips of clouds march as if to curtain another day. One light strip of cloud will probably march straight into the view, stealing the completeness of the sun, as if to accessorize it with a flowing silk scarf. Millions pairs of eyes are fixated, as the sun's bottom touches the horizon, and, in a matter of minutes, vanishes from the sight, as if it was never there.

Or, in Tanah Lot. A several hundred years old temple stands erect, solemnly guarding the land from the wilderness of the sea. Yet, as the sun begins its journey to its nightly resting place, the brilliance of an orange, red sun softly falls onto the side of the temple, raising its mystique even more. As waves break into the natural stone foundation of the temple, teasing the hundreds of little snakes in the cave in front of the temple, the sun marches down slowly. The millions of people it fascinates do not disturb it, for its ritual must flow. As it draws near the horizon, a magnified shadow of the temple is cast upon your eyes, as if to whisper good night. And in a couple of minutes, the sun rests, leaving traces of the day that has just passed.

Am I romanticizing it? Well, it is drop-dead romantic. Try it. If you don't melt, your next air kelapa muda (young coconut juice) in Tanah Lot will be on me.

Night Life in Bali

Contrary to popular beliefs spread by travel guidebooks, not all of night life activities in Bali are the result of foreign tourists. Two spectacular night time activities that are on the opposite end of a spectrum are distintly Balinese:

• The Kecak Dance
  Also dubbed by Westerners as the Monkey Dance, the Kecak Dance is a spectacular coreographic accomplishment that showcase another aspect of Balinese artistic excellence. One hundred or so bare-chested men sit down on the ground surrounding a bonfire or a fire made from coconut husks, led by a priest or a female dancer in the middle. The only music to accompany them are the beats of their palms clapping or hitting their chests, their thighs, or other parts of their bodies, rhythmically accompanied by shouting and chanting. The dancers move in unison, creating a spectacular sequence of hands stretched out, pulled in, rested on the shoulder of the next person, and waists gyrated left and right. All in a dizzying tempo.
• Wayang Kulit
  Or shadow puppet. Typically performed very late at night, a Wayang Kulit theatrical performance can last until morning. The night performance of wayang kulit is usually considered strictly entertainment, as opposed to a day performance which usually serves strict religious purpose. Temple festivals and other ceremonies can sometimes be a good place to find a wayang performance.

Balinese dances are sometimes performed at night; regularly scheduled performances are available throughout the year.

Besides those two activities, night life as commonly known in the West also exists in Bali, especially in Kuta. For you people-watchers, the cafes, pubs, and discotheques lining the streets of Kuta and Legian are definitely the place to be and to be seen. Pub crawls can require many nights, and the varieties beat even the wildest college town you would ever know. So, if your idea of fun consists of nightly pub crawls and daily sun bathing to cure the hangover, stop simply stay in Kuta, day and night. You won't be disappointed.

Up North near Singaraja, Lovina Beach also has its own collection of pubs, restaurants, and discotheques. The environment is nice, friendly, and relaxed, certainly not as hectic as Kuta. And midnight dipping into the tropical water is also something to experience up there...

Restaurants of Bali

Your visit to Bali is not complete unless you also partake in a delightful gastronomical tour of the food and fruit of Bali. In fact, the multitude of sensations titillating your taste buds and olfactory senses upon seeing, smelling, and eating Balinese food and fruit should be enough of a reason to visit Bali. Wouldn't you say so? Or, if you want to try Indonesian food before your trip or to relive your experience, in your own kitchen, here are some recipes to assist you.

And these restaurants or restaurants at the various hotels will gladly assist you in your gastronomical adventure.

• Paradise UN'S Restaurant: We serve a selection of European dishes. You will be treated to refined European cuisine and Indonesian specialties, and will spend an unforgettable evening in romantic candlelight.
• Arak Bali Restaurant & Pub: Fun dining with live entertainment in Nusa Dua. Print the homepage for DISCOUNTS!
  
• Bali Bamboo Restaurant and Guest House: Offering Balinese special gourmet dishes (like Balinese Smoked Duck) in a comfortable Ubud setting.
• Crusoes Restaurant :CRUSOES Grill, Restaurant & Bar is Beach Front Restaurant at jalan double six-Seminyak, which open for Dinner and Supper daily.
• Fabio's: The restaurant that serve original Italian food and dishes which is well know as "FABIO'S Ristorante Italiano Enoteca". The restaurant is located at Jl. Raya Seminyak No. 66 Kuta Bali.
• New Café Luna: Since 1986 New Café Luna has considered among Kuta & Legian Top Place to go, and have a great experience there is always something happening at New Café Luna.
• Santa Fe Bar and Grill: is the first café in Jl. Abimanyu No. 11A (former known as Jl. Dhyanapura) Seminyak, Kuta, Bali. It was established on October 2, 1993 and opens for 24 hours a day.
• Teba Cafe: There's nothing better than Teba Café, if you want to taste real Balinese seafood cuisine. Located on Jimbaran Beach, just before Four Season Resort, and just five minutes from International Airport. You can even see them take off.
• Uluwatu Cafe: Uluwatu cafe it is located at the beautiful sunset and white sand between four season resort and Denpasar airport. The cafe are not so far from kuta, sanur and nusa dua area. SO it's very easy to have lunch or dinner from your stay.
• Warung Mina: romantic evening atmosphere you will find at Warung Mina where you can enjoy the freshest seafood served by friendly staff and cooked traditionally, all grilled seafood is served with rice, Vegetables, Boiled Potatoes, Special Sauce and Slice Fresh Fruits Dessert.
• R.aja's Bar & Restaurants: Step forward to the hustle of Kuta, into a world of pleasure & exotic.Relax in the bar with an exclusive range of selected international and Indonesian cuisines, wines and cocktails.

surfing in bali

courtesy of Bali Echo

Surfing has really gained popularity in today's Bali. As the sun approaches the horizon, you can see line of young Balinese men approaching the beach on their surfboards, controlling them with the same gracefullness as in their traditional dances, mastering the waves and penetrating the tubes.

Kuta

Kuta is one of the most popular sites; you can now find basically any surfing equipment there. As the sun approaches the horizon, you can see lines of Balinese approaching the beach, controlling their surf-boards with the same gracefulness as their traditional dances, mastering the waves and penetrating the tubes. Even in Kuta Beach and the area around it alone there are places for difficult surfs. It's best to talk to the locals so you won't get into trouble.

Uluwatu

On the southern tip of Bali, Uluwatu is also high on a surfer's destination list. The road to the beach is pretty well-hidden, off the road to the temple of Uluwatu (which in itself is an amazing three-court temple on top of a few hundred feet cliff). You can't reach it by car - rent a motorcycle or walk for about two miles to get there. The site is very popular among serious surfers.

Nusa Dua.

On the south-eastern tip of the island, the Nusa Dua peninsula has some nice reef that provides good waves for surfing. You can stay on any of the most sumptuous hotels in the world spread around the area, and surfing is readily available within walking distance, from a beginner's level to a challenging one for the serious surfers.