When it come to Bali Holidays, everyone is looking for the best Bali Beaches. Whether you are staying in a Kuta Resort, Ubud Hideaway, or Uluwatu Villa, at some stage during your holiday the siren call of the idyllic beaches the island has to offer will lure you away. So, you will leave your pool side bar or serene private villa, and venture out to find the soft white sand, crashing surf and crystal clear rockpools that only Bali can dish up.
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But, where do you go?
On such a large island, there are many Bali beaches to choose from. Do you stay local and hunt around hoping to get lucky? Do you risk the traffic and try to head somewhere more popular? How do you even get there?
Fortunately, I have you covered, with my list of 5 Bali Beaches you can’t afford to miss.
Read on…
Table of Contents
- Bali Beaches #1 – Kuta Beach
- Bali Beaches #2 – Suluban Beach
- #3 – Mengiat Beach
- #4 Virgin Beach
- Bali Beaches #5 – Green Bowl Beach
- Can I take a tour?
Wondering how to get around in Bali?
My suggestion is by Scooter. You can get anywhere on the island on a scooter, and you can easily hire one at this link. If you have an international driver’s permit, then you are set to go!
Your other option is to hire a car and a driver. You can get one right here, and organize your day out in air-conditioned comfort! Either way, you will enjoy your day and get to see a bit of this wonderful island.
As always, make sure that you have your Travel Insurance up to date as well.
Bali Beaches #1 – Kuta Beach
I will start with the most obvious. Kuta Beach is the beach that basically runs right along the front at Kuta. It also incorporates Legian and Seminyak Beaches, and places like Double 6 beach etc. Essentially it is all the same beach, but technically has different names the further you travel along it. For this article, all these Bali Beaches will be covered as “Kuta Beach”.
This beach may not be the best beach in Bali, but if you are looking for ease of access, then it is worth checking out. For anyone that is staying anywhere around the Kuta, Legian or Seminyak area, it is so easy to get to. Pretty much walking distance, in fact, from most resorts. There is also loads of parking along the length of the beach. Just beware that there are parking fees, especially around sunset, as there are pretty much anywhere in Bali anyway.
The other two reasons that Kuta Beach is worth visiting is due to the atmosphere and sunsets. Along the beach you will find many Warungs with beach umbrellas, chairs and tables, especially around the Double 6 and Seminyak area. Beer is cheap and icy cold, and food is delicious. Around sunset the crowds will move in and several places feature live, open air bands. If you are after a relaxed party atmosphere, you just found it!
Kuta Beach has been through a lot of upgrades through the latter part of 2023 and early 2024. I was surprised to find that the original concrete walkway that ran from the airport end to around the Hard Rock Hotel has now been extended ALL THE WAY to Seminyak! This has been a huge hit for visitors as it make it easy to walk and cycle the entire length of the beach. Along with this, facilities have also been upgraded, with a lot better toilet options and semi permanent “huts” in place for the beach warungs.
Bali Beaches #2 – Suluban Beach
When it comes to the best Bali beaches, Suluban Beach is one of the most unique on the entire island. Popular with surfers in Uluwatu due to its world-class left-hand surf break, it is the access to the beach that makes it a stand out.
To get to Suluban Beach, head out to Uluwatu. When you reach the Uluwatu Temple, turn right and continue until you see the signs into the beach. Alternatively, click here for a Google maps location.
From the carpark you can expect about a 10 minute walk down concrete stairs toward the beach. Along the way you will pass by dozens of Warungs, Restaurants, souvenir shops and surf shops. Off to the side you will see restaurants perched high on the cliff overlooking the surf. All of these have amazing views and atmosphere, so if you are in time for lunch, or even just want a quick snack, then definitely check them out.
Follow the path down toward the beach, and you will reach the head of a staircase that disappears into the rocks below. This is the famous cave that provides access to the beach itself. Descend the staircase and at the bottom you will step off onto the sandy floor of the large cave.
This is where the surfers will paddle out to get to the surf break. At high tide, the waves wash right into the cave, so beware and use a little common sense. The lower the tide, the easier it is to enjoy the water. It CAN get dangerous, though, depending upon the size of the swell, so once again, be careful.
While you are in the cave, look to the left and duck your head as you follow the cave toward another opening onto a fantastic Hidden Beach. This is a small, secluded beach that not many visitors even know about. Pick a spot on the sand and enjoy the fact that you have your own little private spot away from the hundreds of tourist in the restaurants just above you!
#3 – Mengiat Beach
As there is with everything, there will always be debate about which is the best beach in Bali. One thing that most people will agree on, though, is that the Bukit in South Bali has the pick of all the Bali Beaches.
In a list of 5 best Bali Beaches, unfortunately I cannot list the dozen or so Bukit Beaches that I can name off the top of my head. Narrowing it down to just a few of the best was hard. Suluban made the list, as you would have just read above. Now, Mengiat is the second.
Mengiat Beach is located at Nusa Dua, and some of the biggest and best resorts in the area face onto it. To get there, just follow this link for Google maps. Otherwise it is very easy to find anyway. Just head to Nusa Dua, go through the gates into the BTDC (resort area) and follow the road around to the right. Go past Bali Collection and the BIMC, and at the next roundabout with a statue on it, turn left. This will take you directly to the beach carpark.
Mengiat is probably the largest, widest strip of white sand that you will find on the island. It is always kept immaculate, and early in the morning it is even raked by staff at the resorts and beach clubs. On the island of Bali, this is probably as clean and perfect as beaches get!
Mengiat beach is also a great beach for swimming. The offshore reef means that the water here is relatively calm and perfect for relaxing. It is also crystal clear, so bring your snorkeling gear if you like.
Take a walk further along the beach and you will reach the famous Nusa Dua Waterblow and park area on Nusa Gede island. There is also the walkway along past the big resorts that will take you all the way to Tanjung Benoa if you want some exercise.
In the other direction, the extension of Mengiat is locally known as Geger Beach, and is a real “hidden gem” for tourists. It’s a lot quieter than Mengiat, only has two hotels facing onto it, and its own access to get into it. Due to not being as well known, the warungs here are also locally priced, and I can honestly say the Bintang is still the cheapest you will find on the island!
Mengiat Beach is a place that you could spend the entire day, and still not see it all!
#4 Virgin Beach
Virgin Beach is located in East Bali, and is the only beach on this list that is not in the Southern part of the island. The reason for this is simple. When it comes to Bali Beaches, the beaches in the north are not exactly the best or “Idyllic” beaches. This is because most of them are black sand, or as is the case along a lot of the northern coast, they are rocky and have no sand at all. While this is great for diving and snorkeling (and some of these beaches are world class for that) they are not ideal for throwing down a towel and sunbaking.
Having said all that, Virgin Beach is different. This is a white sand beach that is stuck in black sand territory. Hence the name, Virgin Beach.
While the sand is not the brilliant white of Mengiat Beach, this definitely IS white sand. Despite this, the sand is not the only attraction of Virgin Beach. The water here is the brilliant blue tropical beach water that you would expect on some remote island, and the palm trees that line the beach will make you actually believe you are on one.
At the northern end of the beach, just near the access there, you will find several well-appointed restaurants and Warungs. Even so, the best access is from the south where you follow the signs from the main road up to Bukit Asah. There, you will see amazing views of the surrounding area and ocean as far off as distant Lombok. The road will then weave down to the southern end of Virgin Beach where you can park under the palm trees.
At this end, the beach head is lined with beautiful fishing boats, with only a couple of small Warungs scattered in between. You can rent a cheap beach umbrella and chair, lay back, and enjoy the seclusion of one of the best Bali Beaches all to yourself.
Follow this link for Virgin Beach google map location.
Bali Beaches #5 – Green Bowl Beach
Green Bowl Beach is probably my favorite of all the Bali Beaches that I have been to. And I have been to a lot!
It is located on the Southern Bali Bukit, and is about half way between Mengiat and Suluban Beaches. To get there, just head toward Uluwatu, and at the Ungasan roundabout turn left. When you see the signs to Melasti Beach to the right, veer left instead and make your way down the hill toward Green Bowl Beach. You will know you are getting close when you see a few families of Monkeys playing on the road and in the trees off to the side. To make it easy, click here for Google maps location.
When you reach the carpark of Green Bowl Beach, park under the large tree in front of the Warungs, and take your belongings with you. The monkeys in the area will most definitely scavenge any loose items that might look like food right off your scooter!
Follow the path down past the temple on the left, and head down the stairs.
There are over 300 concrete stairs down to the beach, so take some water with you and take your time, although the real challenge is on the way back up, especially on a hot day. When you reach the bottom, you might want to hope that you came at the right time of day…
This is because Green Bowl Beach is probably Bali’s smallest beach. It is so small, in fact, that it virtually disappears on the high tide, and the waves can be found crashing just short of the bottom of the stair case. Get there on the low or mid tide, though, and you will find a beautiful, quiet and exclusive piece of sand overlooking turquoise water that contains a beautiful coral reef.
At the rear of the beach, tucked in under the bush and cliffs is a cave that you can shelter in if you like. On the low tide the rock pools appear, and fishermen can be seen walking around offshore with lines and nets. The beach is quiet, and not many people venture down, but those that do are also there for the peace and quiet, so you are almost guaranteed the secluded beach experience.
Just make sure you save some water for the walk back up to the carpark, and some small change for a new bottle when you reach the Warungs at the top!
So that’s it for my list of 5 Bali Beaches You can’t afford to miss. I hope you get to see them all, and if I am around, you will probably run into me at one of them!
Can I take a tour?
Most of these beaches are out of the way, and even though accessible, most tours would not go to them. For that reason I recommend scooter, as mentioned at the beginning of the article. Otherwise, hiring a private car and driver is what most people would do.
These cars are great for several reasons –
- Private driver and guide
- air conditioned
- free mineral water
- pick up and drop off at resort
- trusted and licensed
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