Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Selong Blanak
The magnificent beach at
SELONG BLANAK
, 15km from Kuta, is a vast sweep of empty
sand that stretches 2km west from the fishing village of the same name. Backed by green
hills and framed by fine views of
Tomangomang
and
Serangan
beaches (both accessible by
tracks), it offers excellent swimming and safe surfing for novices, who appreciate its sandy
bottom.
Sepi and Blongas Bay
Up to Selong Blanak the road is fine, but further west to the seaweed-farming village of
Pengantap (18km) and on to
Sepi
(23km) it requires four-wheel-drive during the rainy season
and great care at all times.
From Sepi another road takes you 11km north to
Sekotong Tengah
,
but easiest access to
Blongas Bay
, 1km west, is by boat. Blongas offers challenging
diving
and isolated accom-
modation. The “road” marked on several maps west to Teluk Mekaki is a very rough track,
more suited to a trail bike.
GETTING AROUND: WEST OF KUTA
There are no buses or bemos along this route. If you're travelling between Kuta and Seko-
tong, it's faster to drive via the airport highway and Lembar than via Selong Blanak. Occa-
sional robberies of motorbikes are reported on the road beyond Mawun: ask in Kuta and con-
sider taking a local guide with you as driver or passenger.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Laut Biru Cafe
Selong Blanak 0821 4430 3339.
Sempiak Villas
runs this upmarket lunch
restaurant in a garden set back from the beach. There's good
nasi goreng
seafood (Rp47,000),
home-made ice cream and mango cheesecake (Rp42,000). After lunch relax in the
berugaq
overlooking the sea.
Daily 10am-5pm.
Sempiak Villas
Selong Blanak 0821 4430 3337,
sempiakvillas.com
.
A tiny upmarket
boutique hotel of octagonal wooden villas set on a steep hill overlooking the beach. The villas
vary in size bu
t all
have a/c, a laptop for watching films and kitchenettes, and there's a pool
and restaurant.
$116
East of Kuta
Beyond the
Novotel
, the road
east of Kuta
is disgracefully bad in places, passing some curi-
ously unfinished mega-resort driveways, but for sunbathers the beach at Tanjung Aan is well
worth the trip, while surfers head further on to Gerupuk for world-class wave action and some
of the cheapest accommodation in the area. A fifteen-minute walk from the
Novotel
Beach
takes you across the inlet and via the grassy-hummocked headland grazed by local cows to
the white-sand beach of
Seger
. It's a popular surf spot, with a warung and some shade; cur-
rents permitting, it can also be good for swimming. In a different league, though, are the glor-
