Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kuta, Legian
& Seminyak
KUTA & LEGIAN T0101
% 0361
Mention Bali and people often first think of
Kuta. Hot, loud, frenetic and crowded are
some of the adjectives you can use to de-
scribe the place. And just north in Legian, it's
almost the same, only a little less so. South
of Kuta, Tuban heaves with a huge mall but
elsewhere is more subdued.
But if images of tourism gone mad are what
you picture with Kuta and Legian, then you
also need to understand that their amazing
strength - and it is singular - is the beach.
The stretch of Kuta Beach, which for most
people also includes Legian Beach, is one fine
crescent of surf and sand. And everything here
derives from it. You can cut loose in hedonis-
tic surf bars, eat at cheap and tasty restaurants
aimed at the masses, stay in back-alley losmen
(small, often family-run hotels) that are a steal
at under US$10 a night, chill out at one of the
many surfside hotels, shop for beachwear and
much, much more.
Kuta and Legian may not be pretty but
they're not dull. And amidst the rampant
commercialism, you'll see the odd offering, a
gentle smile and even the echo of a gamelan.
And as frantic as the trio of neighbourhoods
seems, a detour down a small gang (alley)
can quickly transport you to a quiet and
unhurried area.
HISTORY
Mads Lange, a Danish copra trader and 19th-
century adventurer, set up a successful trading
enterprise near modern-day Kuta in 1839.
He mediated profitably between local rajahs
and the Dutch, who were encroaching from
the north. His business soured in the 1850s,
and he died suddenly, just as he was about
to return to Denmark. It's thought that his
death may have been the result of poisoning
by potential competitors. His tomb (Map p103 ; Jl
Tuan Langa) is on his homesite just west of the
night market.
Much to the annoyance of the Dutch Res-
ident, Bob and Louise Koke's Kuta Beach
Hotel thrived in the 1930s. The guests, mostly
from Europe and the US, were housed in
thatched bungalows built in an idealised Ba-
the beach, although most visitors were still
wealthy travellers who arrived from abroad
on ocean liners.
Kuta really began to change in the late
1960s, when it became a stop on the hippy
trail between Australia and Europe. At first,
most visitors stayed in Denpasar and made
day trips to Kuta. But as more accommoda-
tion opened, by the early 1970s Kuta had re-
laxed losmen in pretty gardens, friendly places
to eat and a delightfully laid-back atmosphere.
Surfers also arrived, enjoying the waves at
Kuta and using it as a base to explore the rest
of Bali's coastline. Enterprising Indonesians
seized the opportunity to profit from the tour-
ist trade, often in partnership with foreigners
seeking a pretext to stay longer.
Legian, the village to the north, sprang up
as an alternative to Kuta in the mid-1970s. At
first, it was a totally separate development, but
these days you can't tell where one ends and
the other begins.
With an economy completely dependent
on mass tourism, especially from Australia,
the downturn in tourism after the 2002 and
2005 bombings has been felt here more than
any other part of Bali.
ORIENTATION
The Kuta region is a disorienting place. It's flat,
with few landmarks or signs, and streets and
alleys that are crooked and often walled on one
or both sides so it feels like a maze. Traffic is
terrible and walking is often the quickest way
to get around, although scooters speeding
down narrow gang can cause peril.
Busy Jl Legian runs roughly parallel to the
beach from Kuta north into Seminyak. At
the southern end is Bemo Corner, a small
roundabout at the junction with Jl Pantai Kuta
(Kuta Beach Rd). This one-way street runs
west from Bemo Corner and then north along
the beach to Jl Melasti. Together, these are the
main roads, although traffic and numerous
one-way traffic restrictions will still have you
tearing at your hair.
Between Jl Legian and the beach is a tangle
of narrow streets, tracks and alleys, with a
hodgepodge of tiny hotels, souvenir stalls,
warung (food stalls), building construction
sites and even a few coconut palms.
Few people can visit Bali and not spend time in Kuta, the original Balinese beach resort that
defined the very idea of a beach holiday. Legian was a natural outgrowth to the north. Further
north, however, Seminyak has become the centre for an altogether more stylish scene.
What links them all is a beautiful beach with pounding surf. Surfers, sun-seekers, strollers,
loungers and more come here to play, party and relax in some combination depending
on their moods. The entire region is devoted to catering to whims. Hotels, restaurants,
bars, cafés, shops and a myriad more diversions by the thousand line the narrow and
busy streets.
But within this vast area of development (many would say over-development), there are a
multitude of neighbourhood personalities. Kuta is the original cheap and cheery party zone. The
streets heave with traffic by day and crowds of boozing fun-seekers by night. Scores of cheap
places offer deals that are amazingly cheap. Yes, a surfer can live here for US$10 a day.
Legian is further north and is where Kuta surfers go when they get married and have a
steady job. The hotels are more commodious; many right on the beach. Commerce is aimed
at a slower-moving, more affluent crowd. Tuban, between Kuta and the airport, is similar.
Seminyak is for the hedonist, the poser, the conspicuous consumer and the image con-
scious. It has top-end resorts, designer shops and a thriving nightlife.
North of here development tapers off, but villas and shops aimed at Westerners do dot
the imperilled rice fields. Along the beach, the surf is wilder and the scene more remote.
HIGHLIGHTS
Sunbathing and partying at Kuta Beach
( opposite )
Seminyak
Hitting the latest bars, restaurants and clubs
of Seminyak ( p121 )
Shopping yourself silly north to Seminyak
( p123 )
Legian
Brunching on the beachside terrace of a café
in Legian ( p111 )
Kuta Beach
Exploring the wild and secluded beaches like
Echo Beach (p125) north of Seminyak
 
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