Kuta, Legian, Seminyak (Bali)

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The Sari Club is by far the most popular nightspot in Kuta - if you don't mind having a laugh, it's an absolute must. You simply must have a "Jungle Juice" - which is a litre of local vodka and fruit juice that costs less than two quid! Yes, I said LITRE!!!!!!! You drink it straight from the bottle, and it's absolutely lethal, and not a little tasty!!! The music is loud, and the crowd are crazy!!! It's a bit of a cattle mart as well, so ideal for ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap, quiet, fun
Disadvantages: Weather can be dodgy

I just got home from a couple of days in Kuta - a reasonably good trip despite the lousy weather. I arrived at Denpassar Airport - which despite the name is just south of of the Kuta Legian region. I was met at the airport by a bemo driver who normally drives for my parents when they are in Bali. From the moment we met he treated me with respect and concern - he told me about many of the scams to avoid while in town and where some of the better places ...
...stayed at an older and somewhat less popular accommodation called Kuta Bungalows on the corner of Jl Benesari and Melasti Lane. The owners were delighted to meet me as my parents have been visiting them regularly for years - everyone I spoke to knew my mother and spoke of her with great and I think genuine affection. I paid a reasonable price for the room and they made sure I had the best available. This is no 5 star resort - it is a simple compound ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap, sunny and plenty to do
Disadvantages: Can be loud with the nightlife

...of places to eat in Kuta, the warrangs are exceptionally cheap. In one place called warrang you could buy a 12" pizza or a steak and chip meal for the equivalent of £2. The streets are also lined with many bars and clubs and at night time Kuta comes alive with a party atmosphere that continues into the early hours. Apart from the shopping and partying in Kuta what is there to do I wondered? Well of course there was surfing which was great fun, ...
...even just hire equipment and go out on your own….. Surfing in hot water is great. There is also a water park called Water-Bom. This I would truly recommend. You can buy a ticket and get half price entry for a second visit on your holiday if you're staying for a while. The park has about five slides and pools, lots of outdoor activities to partake in and lovely sunbathing areas. When we went to the park it was an independence day and there was ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap, good bars
Disadvantages: noisy, unBalinese

- according to me, fantastic fun according to others. Basically, it depends on what you're looking for. If you're into drinking, surfing, beaches and nightclubs, you'll love it - just don't expect to find anything remotely Indonesian, let alone Balinese there. It's a cheap beach holiday, nothing more. The best way to get the most out of the place is to drink an awful lot - and be very, very careful about buying things. Hustlers are likely to be your ...
...been badly damaged in recent years and tourists are seen as a source of easy cash. If someone offers to sell you something on the beach, tell them you're not interested and walk away. Fast. They'll probably follow. You'll get used to this. Whatever you do, don't display any interest in what they're selling, or you'll never get rid of them. If you look at it, let alone pick it up, they'll insist you buy, and several others will probably try to get ... Read review

Advantages: I think this is rare, and no reason not to go to Bali
Disadvantages: Don't take your best shoes.

This is more by way of a travel warning, for the recently arrived or arriving in Kuta. (And it really did happen!) Walking towards Kuta from the Pandawa bungalows in Tuban: Hot, sweating a lot, and you just seem to have to stop off and cool down in the air-con delight of a Dunkin Donut. But whatever you do, please do not be enthralled by any pleasant balinese guys, who open the conversation with the line; 'those are nice shoes, where did you get ...
...more exciting than a pair of trainers. But it is the opening line to a scam involving the guys niece, who is going to do a nursing course in London, and that it would be very nice if i could meet her and her mother, just so i can put her mothers mind at ease about England etc. And it's hot and i'm trying to be nice, and i do accept his kind offer of meeting a Balinese family. But that's my stupidity. If this happens to you, firmly, but calmly, say ... Read review