bali beaches

Why the Bali beaches are special
Bali has many long, palm-fringed, white-sand beaches kissed by clear, warm tropical waters. There are beaches for every taste. Some are packed with sunbathers and lined with convenient shops, eateries, bars and other tourist facilities. Others are populated with big-wave-seeking surfers. Still others are serenely off-the-beaten path and shared by few people.

Bali's best known beaches
West Coast
They face the warm Indian Ocean waters - and are admiringly oriented for sunset watching.

• Jimbaran Beach
  Lovely location. Favorite of sunbathers seeking a long, quiet, scenic tropical beach. Never a blanket of people, even during peak season. Luxury resort hotels fronting the beach are discreetly semi-hidden from view.
  
• Kuta Beach
  Deservingly praised for its length and white sands, though the beach in front of Kuta's main tourist facilities can become packed.
  
• Legian Beach
  Adjacent and similar to Kuta Beach, though not quite as busy and commercialized.

East Coast
These lie along the body of water between Bali and Lombok Island.

• Nusa Dua Beach
  Populated with many international-style five-star resort hotels. Can occasionally become moderately crowded.
  
• Sanur Beach
  Once Bali's most popular beach. Still pleasant, though waves in recent decades have eroded some sand.
  
• Candi Dasa Beach
  Half as busy and developed as Sanur and Nusa Dua's beaches, but has in recent decades suffered even more sand erosion than Sanur Beach.

Bali's best known beaches
North Coast
Lovina is the most touristed destination on Bali's north coast. It is known for its "black sand" beaches ("gray" would be more accurate).

• Positive
  The Lovina area is less developed and commercialized than tourism centers like Kuta.
  
• Negative
  The beaches are hardly tropical paradises. They experience the sometimes hot and humid tropical Bali Sea climate.

"Lovina" is a collective name for a string of seaside villages.

More Bali advice
In the sun
Use a high-rated sun block. Harmful solar rays are filtered less effectively by the earth's atmosphere near the equator than in the temperate zones.

Swimming
Do it wisely. Many Bali beaches are afflicted with dangerous riptides and undercurrents. Drownings are not uncommon. This is particularly so for some of the west coast beaches (including Kuta).

Unless you're a strong swimmer, enjoy Bali's attractive beaches for sunbathing, strolling,and shallow-water wading. Do your swimming in a pool. If there is none where you're staying, make inquiries at big resort hotels. Some let visitors use their fancy pool facilities for a daily fee (or, in some instances, for free).