Bali's Kuta & Legian Beach

Bali's Kuta & Legian Beach Advice Guide

Honest area information about Kuta, Legian and Tuban-Kuta Bali

The beach area from Tuban through Kuta proper to Legian is the most popular holiday / vacation destination in Bali. It is therefore also the busiest. What it does have going for it is a large number of shops, entertainment, and a Westerly / Indian Ocean facing beach (with superb sunsets). The sea here is ideal for surfing, but not so for swimming (due to the swell / waves).

What is has against it, is the hustle and bustle. This includes persistent street vendors, drug / "lady" pushers, timeshare salespeople, people "partying", cramped conditions and busy / noisy roads. Also, you will not get a feel for the true Bali in this area.

Staying in the Kuta central area is therefore most attractive to young people looking for clothes and bars, people who don't really want to leave their hotel except to shop and eat, and as a staging point for when you arrive in Bali (due to it's close proximity to the airport and the large number of banks, transport and rental bikes / cars available here). People who wish to shop in Kuta / Legian, but would prefer not to stay in the central area, should perhaps look at theSeminyak / Canggu area just to the north (and with frequent transport into Kuta).

Tuban-Kuta

Tuban is the area just north of the airport before you come into Kuta proper. The first hotels you come across do suffer therefore from airport noise. Although Bali's airport is not the world's busiest! Tuban Beach is not as wide or white as Kuta Beach proper. Also, many of the hotels are separated from the beach by sacred land (cemeteries, etc.). There are some exceptions though. Although all of this beach area is "patrolled" by local salespeople, so relaxing on the beach is not easy anyway.

Kuta Beach

Kuta beach is a beautiful beach for sure, and much more attractive than Tuban Beach. Although, incredibly, only one hotel is actually on the beach (Natour Kuta Beach). All others are separated by the very busy Jalan Pantai Kuta (Kuta Beach Road). The larger hotels in Kuta tend to be along this road and are predominantly filled with package tourists. Running back from the beach road are a number of small lanes (also busy), the most notable being "Poppies 1 & 2". Off of these lanes are a large number of small hotels / accommodations, mostly targeted at the budget traveler. Local salespeople walk up and down this beach trying to sell to visitors.

Kuta Central

Kuta Central really means the shopping area along the very busy Jalan Legian (Legian Road) down to the Kuta Square area (Both Poppies lanes run from the beach road to this even busier road). Here you will find the vast majority of street salespeople in the area. Some budget and mid-sized hotels run off of these roads. At night, the bars get very busy and noisy in this central district. The shops here are dominated by clothes and fake consumer goods items (watches, sunglasses, etc.).

Legian Beach

Actually, Legian has absolutely no beach-front hotels, despite what they say / market. That is because the new "Sunset Road" runs along the entire length of Legian. Currently, the road is meant only to be used by motorized transport during ceremonies, etc. But that has not always been true and may not be so in the future. However, if the road is closed to traffic, it does not interfere much with the view from the beach-side hotels. Although, as in the other areas, beach salespeople will stand in front of your seaward gaze and attract (distract) your attention. So it is not a beach you can really relax and enjoy.

Legian Central

Up from the beach, there are a good number of economy hotels / accommodations around the shopping area. Apart from the main road into Kuta, Legian tends to be a quieter shopping district with more crafts shops. Although most of the crafts are mass produced. Legian is also noted for a large number of bars, but these tend to be less rowdy then those in Kuta.

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