Sanur
These days, most people coming to Bali stay around Kuta beach, with its big waves for surfing, big hotels, night life and crowds of people. But Bali is a big island with many beaches, each with its own special character. The first of Bali's beaches to be developed as an international resort destination was Sanur, and you couldn't find a beach that is more the opposite of Kuta.
Sanur lies on the east coast of south Bali, facing the rising sun. A reef about 100 yards from shore causes the waves to break and dissipate quickly, so instead of Kuta's big waves, at Sanur there is often little more than a gentle lapping of the waters on the beach. The gentle waters between the shore and the reef are excellent for swimming, wind surfing and paddle boating. When the tide goes out in the afternoon, it exposes a large area of sea grass interspersed with tide pools that can provide endless fascination if you're in the right frame of mind.
The beach itself at Sanur is generally wide and flat. There are many small jetties along the beach to help preserve the beach. Unlike Kuta, you will find many beach activities at Sanur, such as volleyball or just plain sun bathing. Also unlike Kuta, you'll find many hotels, shops and restaurants right on the beach. At Sanur, it's entirely possible to sleep, eat and shop without ever losing sight of the ocean. Of course, the most often remarked difference between the two beaches is Sanur's general lack of night life compared to Kuta. While Sanur doesn't have the big clubs you'll find around Kuta, it does have many pleasant restaurants and pubs where you can spend a nice evening.
I suppose you could say that while Kuta is “all about the party” Sanur is “all about the beach.”
In this section
The entrance to the Bali Hyatt at Sanur Beach. There's a full range of hotel accommodation available on Sanur beach, from small cottages to big hotels. There are, in fact, many small resorts with only 20 to 30 rooms along the central part of the beach. The La Taverna is a good example of the smaller resorts, with just around 25 rooms, one of which is a luxury villa with it's own pool and beach access.
Like many tourist areas around the world, restaurants can come and go with the seasons. Even good and highly regarded restaurants can lose their leases, or have their chefs retire. The list below displays some of the many places we've tried in the Sanur area. Entries are dated according to last visit. For more ideas, check out Bali Eats.
Abian Boga Indonesian & International - Sort of a dinner theater near the southern end of Sanur beach, just beyond the Hyatt.
Sanur offers most of the shopping opportunities that can be found elsewhere on Bali, although there are not as many outlet stores here versus elsewhere. The big difference between Sanur and other beaches is that you'll find stalls and shops right on the beach walk. These mostly sell all the typical products, such as t-shirts, shorts, sun glasses and even a few DVD stalls.
There are more shops along Jalan Danau Tamblingan, although for a serious afternoon of shopping you might want to head over to Legian street in Kuta.
4 August 2006
The tower block of the Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel I suppose that you could say that the Inna Grand was everything you'd expect from a state-run hotel. To put it a bit more clearly, while the this isn't really a bad hotel - I've stayed in far worse for sure - this isn't really a five star property either. What makes a hotel worthy of five stars, in my opinion, is attention to detail, and it is this critical element that's missing at the Inna Grand.
