KUTA

Kuta Once a lonely village on the road from Denpasar toward the Bukit Peninsula, Once a sleepy fishing village it has now been transformed into the center of all the Bali action.Whether you are looking for leather, fashion, handicrafts, jewellery, shoes, music tapes or CD's, paintings or exotic wood carvings don't forget to bargain. It is a popular beach for surfing although currents make it less suitable for swimming. Coast guards, however, are on constant duty during the day. Kuta faces toward the west offering beautiful sunsets.

The white sands of Kuta are still arguably the best beachfront on Bali. The beach is much cleaner than just a few years ago, although the vendors remain annoying. Kuta is not the fishing village it once was: it is now a booming Pacific resort and its streets are clogged with tourists and traffic during peak seasons. Legian is a bit quieter, less crowded, and more suitable for longer stays, although in many ways it has become an extension of Kuta. Further north, Seminyak, Petitenget and Canggu offer more tranquility.

Kuta proper is the area delineated by JI. Legian, JI. Pantai Kuta, JI. Melasti, the beach front drive and the lanes in between, especially Gang Poppies I and 11. JI. Legian is the commercial hub of Kuta and the stage of many of its restaurants and nightlife.

Legian and Seminyak are northern extensions of Kuta proper along JI. Legian to JI. Basangkasa. Somewhat quieter with cottage-style accommodations, this is where many of the ex-pat designers and long-stay tourists live. The biggest hotels are the Bali Imperial, Jayakarta, and the Bali Padma. There are three ways to reach Legian and Seminyak: through Kuta and JI ' Melasti, then north; from JI. Imam Bonjol, turn west on to A Patih Jelantik at the Pertamina gas station; or from the north via JI. Kerobokan.

Petitenget, Berawa, Canggu, and Seseh are new and quieter continuations of Kuta's beach, easier to reach through Abian Timbul or Denpasar and Kerobokan than through Kuta, as there are no bemos north from Legian.

Accommodation ranges from international hotels to home stays. The village abounds with restaurants, shops, discotheques and other tourist facilities. It is easier to find regular performances of Balinese music and dance in Kuta, staged specially for tourists, than anywhere else in Bali. Some performances are staged nightly.
The village is ideal for meeting and mixing with other people, locals as well as visitors from abroad.

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