Things to do in Kuta

Kuta is where Balinese tourism started. It still carries the consequences. A six-kilometre beach of grey sand runs north from the airport. The consistent break there made it the island's first surf destination in the 1970s.

Behind the beach lies a dense grid of lanes. They are the Poppies, named after a long-gone cafe, and they are packed with cheap guesthouses, board rental, bars and tattoo studios.

• Legian and Seminyak — north along the coast, getting progressively smarter.
• Waterbom — at the southern end, a large and genuinely good water park.
• The Bali bombing memorial — on Legian Street.
• The airport — ten minutes away.

That last one explains a lot. Kuta is where many people spend their first and last night on the island, whatever they think of it.

Surfing is the honest reason to be here. The break is forgiving, the schools are everywhere, and a beginner lesson costs less than a meal.

Beyond that, Kuta works as a base and a transit point rather than a destination. Day trips run from here to Ubud, the Batur sunrise, Nusa Penida and the Uluwatu cliff temple. Airport transfers are booked more than anything else.

The evening is the town's other trade. It runs loud and late along Legian Street. The sunset on the beach is genuinely one of the good ones, which is why the sand fills at six every day.

Practical

• Seasons. The dry one is April to October. The wet months bring rain and, on this west-facing coast, plastic carried in by the currents, which the municipality clears daily in season and cannot always keep up with.
• The water. The break is sand-bottomed and safe for learners, but rip currents are real and the flagged areas exist for a reason.
• Traffic. Between Kuta and anywhere north it is the island's worst. Seminyak is four kilometres away and can take forty minutes.
• Scooters. Hire is cheap and the accident rate is high.
• Money. Cash rules outside hotels, and tipping is a note or ten per cent.
• Hawkers. On the beach they take a firm no better than a polite one.