With its large selection of hotels and accommodation in many price ranges, Kuta is undoubtedly Bali’s largest tourist area. Originally, Kuta was just a small fishing village, but since the 1970s, tourism has grown enormously here. The Kuta region today consists of four areas; Tuban furthest south and just north of the airport. There are several large hotels and shopping centers here.
North of Tuban is Kuta with most hotels and shops as well as the most popular beach. Then follows Legian and further north Seminyak, which is also starting to be developed, but which is still much quieter than Kuta. The main street is Jl. Legian, which runs parallel to and within walking distance of the beach, here are most of the shops and nightclubs. Here you will now also find many Internet kiosks if you need contact with the outside world. The prices vary a lot. It is also no problem to find an ATM here that works and accepts Visa or Mastercard.
Map of Kuta
Can be tiring
This is probably the area in Bali many will find the most tiring, due to the constant rush to buy everything possible. This has actually improved somewhat recently as it is no longer allowed to go around and bother the tourists on the streets. There is also a lot to go on when it comes to service in many restaurants and hotels, although there are exceptions, it is important to find your favorite places as soon as possible.
Quieter places in Bali
Many go on to quieter places in Bali. But if you can live with the disadvantages, this area has a lot to offer, which is one reason why so many people prefer to live here. This is a good starting point for experiencing the rest of Bali. Most of the southern part can be reached by day trips. Here there are countless offers for transport and renting a car or motorbike (a car is much safer!) is cheap if you haggle on the price. A good car can be rented for around NOK 200, a motorbike for NOK 20 per day. You need an international driver’s license to drive here, but many also take the chance to drive without it. Even if the fines are supposed to be high. The traffic and the road signs (or lack thereof) is a chapter in itself, take it easy and you’ll be fine.
Nightlife, restaurants and hotels
Kuta has a good nightlife, the majority of visitors probably belong to the younger generation, most from Australia and Japan who see Bali as a cheap and exotic destination. The range of restaurants and hotels is impressive, the prices are very variable, but often not at all discouraging and the food mostly of good quality. In the off-season, there is also no problem haggling in the hotel room, especially if you see that there are not many guests there. As a rule, the prices are then only half of what they are in the high season (peak season is in August-October and the Christmas/New Year weekend).
The beach
The beach at Kuta is long and popular for swimming and surfing. To the dismay of many, the popular beach bars have been demolished for religious reasons, but it is still possible to buy refreshments on the beach. There are almost always strong swells here where you can have a lot of fun. Just be aware of strong currents in some places. These places must be marked with red flags on the beach, pay attention to these! Every year, unfortunately, several tourists die in Bali and elsewhere in Indonesia due to powerful currents.
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/bali-beach-kuta-summer-1388688/
