Things to do in Kuta

Kuta is the beach town next to Bali's airport. It sits on the isthmus that joins the southern peninsula to the rest of the island, and its beach faces west. Surf lessons and sundown are the main things to do in Kuta.

It was a port before it was a resort. The Danish merchant Mads Lange ran a trading post here until his death in 1856.

An American couple, Robert and Louise Koke, built the Kuta Beach Hotel in 1936. Bob Koke is credited as Indonesia's first surfer. Surfers followed in the 1960s.

Beach, lanes and the strip

• The beach. Also called Sunset Beach, and patrolled by lifeguards.
• Poppies Lanes. Two narrow lanes off Jalan Legian running toward the beach. They are named after Poppies restaurant, which opened in 1973 and still serves.
• Jalan Legian. A long strip of bars, clubs and shops, running north. A stone memorial to the 202 people killed in the 2002 bombings stands on it.
• Waterbom Bali. A water park on Jalan Kartika Plaza in Tuban, a short ride south, open daily from 9 to 6.
• Legian and Seminyak. Quieter extensions of Kuta, with beaches of their own to the north.

Surf, and the day trip east

The beach is a sand-bottom break. That makes it kinder to beginners than Bali's reef breaks. Lessons come in groups or privately and last from one to two and a half hours.

Beyond surf, the day trip booked from Kuta goes east to the Gates of Heaven at Lempuyang temple, some ninety kilometres away. It adds a swing and a waterfall. The day runs about ten hours.

Practical

• Weather. Highs run 29 to 32C all year, with nights near 24C. January brings over 300 mm of rain, August under 50. Sunset falls between 6.05 and 6.50 pm.
• Waves. The dry months, May to October, bring the cleanest surf, with the wind off the land.
• Swimming. Stay between the red and yellow flags. Solid red means keep out, and rip currents are the real danger here.
• Plastic. From November to March the west monsoon washes plastic and other rubbish ashore. Crews and volunteers clear it, but it keeps coming.
• Roads. Mopeds are a main cause of serious injury among visitors, and bag-snatching is regularly reported. Keep bags out of sight.
• Airport. About five kilometres south of the centre, ten minutes on a clear road. Allow longer in traffic.