Last Updated: 01/26/19 | January 26th, 2019
After my go to to Bali, I totally saw why so many expats move there. Bali is a beautiful, cheap, as well as verdant tropical island deserving of whatever that is written about it. If it had much better Web as well as ended those rolling blackouts, I would move there.
There’s a reason why so many “digital nomads” set up shop there.
I see the appeal.
Except for Kuta beach.
Kuta beach is the tourist mecca of Bali. when you leave Kuta as well as the other tourist areas of Ubud as well as the Gili Islands, there are so few tourists on this island that you may believe Bali had yet to be “discovered.” (I was shocked at exactly how few people explored outside the primary areas. It’s there’s like an invisible barrier preventing people from getting out of their bubble.)
But then you get back to Kuta beach with its huge bars, overpriced clothes, Western (and overpriced) food, big hotels as well as resorts, polluted beacj, as well as drunk tourists, as well as you unfortunately realize, that yup, Bali has been found – as well as then some.
This location was when a lonely bit village where people surfed.
Now is the tourist Mecca of Bali, particularly for young backpackers as well as people who want to celebration to extremes.
In my opinion, Kuta beach is not worth visiting.
It’s a great location to begin as well as end your trip as it is close to the flight terminal but, unless you truly want to do some hardcore drinking, there is no reason to go to Kuta beach.
In Kuta, the water is brown as well as full of things like McDonald’s cups, plastic bags, trash, as well as god understands what else. That blue tropical water you are looking for won’t be discovered on Kuta. For that, head to Nusa Lembogan, Eastern Bali, or the Gili Islands. I wouldn’t suggest swimming on Kuta’s beach. I felt filthy as well as like I needed a shower.
Moreover, the restaurants aren’t great. You’ll discover overpriced Indonesian food as well as mediocre western food in this tour. There aren’t truly any type of great locations to eat here. I discovered a great Mexican location as well as there is the famous Madam’s Indonesian restaurant however the very best food in Bali is not discovered in Kuta. If you want excellent food, go to Ubud or Seminyak beach. These are where the genuine award-winning tasty restaurants are.
The buying in Kuta is decent as well as somewhat cheaper than somewhere else on the island. southern Bali is the most established as well as western part of the island making sense that this would be the very best location to shop. I discovered all the locations on Bali offered a great deal of the exact same touristy clothes as well as knockoffs. I did handle to discover some name brand shops however they weren’t as inexpensive as I believed they would be. the very best offers were in the giant department stores. general though, I was unimpressed with the buying in Kuta as well as would rather shop in Bangkok or Singapore.
So without any great beach, no great food, as well as mediocre shopping, what does Kuta have?
Resorts, surfing, as well as bars.
There are a plethora of resorts starting at $50 USD going all the method as much as $1000 USD a night. (Bali has the most $1000 USD resorts in the world!)
And if you want crazy bars, giant cups of alcohol, as well as big clubs that open up until dawn, Kuta beach is the location to be. Moreover, the fantastic surfing right here as well as truly inexpensive lessons however if you want to discover in clean water, like I said, go somewhere else. There’s great surfing around Indonesia.
If you all want to do party, shop, as well as hang out with tanned surfers in brown water, then Kuta is the location for you.
But if you want to enjoy Bali, please avoid Kuta. Go elsewhere. There’s gorgeous Ubud, the Jatiluwih rice terraces, Nusa Lembogan, Lovina, Amhed…the listing goes on.
How to get to Kuta
Denpasar worldwide flight terminal (DPS) is about 15 minutes away from Kuta by taxi. The basic prepaid fare from the flight terminal costs 50,000 IDR. However, if you walk away from the flight terminal you can discover non-airport taxis (that are still metered) that will do the trip for about half of that — around 20,000 IDR. since that’s only a cost savings of around $1.75 USD, you may also just go with the basic flight terminal taxi.
You can likewise catch a bus from outside the flight terminal for around 4,000 IDR, however once again it will take much longer as well as be much less practical when compared to what you’re saving.
If you’re coming from Ubud you can take a bus for around 80,000 IDR each way. There are a number of departures from Ubud to Kuta daily, as well as the journey will take around an hour (the journey is only around 35km however web traffic can be poor the roads sometimes flood during the rainy season).
Book Your trip to Bali: Logistical tips as well as Tricks
Book Your Flight
Use Skyscanner or Momondo to discover a inexpensive flight. They are my two preferred browse engines since they browse websites as well as airlines around the globe so you always understand no stone is left unturned. begin with Skyscanner very first though since they have the biggest reach!
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the biggest stock as well as finest deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, utilize Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses as well as inexpensive hotels. My preferred locations to stay are:
Hostel Legian
Puri Rama Hostel
Lokal Bali Hostel
Don’t fail to remember travel Insurance
Travel insurance coverage will protect you against illness, injury, theft, as well as cancellations. It’s comprehensive security in situation anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to utilize it many times in the past. My preferred business that offer the very best service as well as value are:
Safety Wing (for everybody below 70)
Insure My trip (for those over 70)
Medjet (for extra repatriation coverage)
Looking for the very best business to save money With?
Check out my resource page for the very best business to utilize when you travel. I listing all the ones I utilize to save money when I’m on the road. They will save you money when you travel too.
Want more info on Bali?
Be sure to go to our robust destination guide on Bali for even more planning tips!