THE BUKIT PENINSULA

Bukit ("Hill"), a lemon-shaped peninsula at the southernmost extremity of the island, is a dry, rocky land. Oval-shaped and about eight kilometers from north to south, 17 kilometers from east to west, with a maximum elevation of 200 meters, Bukit offers limestone caves, temples perched on the edge of dizzying cliffs, stretches of immaculate isolated beaches, and a dramatic coastline pounded by Bali's most challenging surf. This 100-square-kilometer tableland of stunted bush and prickly pear cactus once lay at the bottom of the sea but now sits 100-200 meters above sea level, its sides in the south rising 100 meters straight up. For years the Dutch called this curious windswept geographic feature Tafelhoek, the "Tableland." Bukit might once have been a separate island that eventually attached itself to the mainland. It shares climate, topography, and geology with Nusa Penida, a small island off Bali's southeast coast. Standing out in stark contrast to the lush, alluvial plains of southern Bali, the barren, underpopulated Bukit plateau has no streams and the land cannot be artificially irrigated. On the clifftops of the undeveloped west and south coasts are remains of ancient sea temples. Inland, stone blocks are mined from karst quarries.
     There's a drastic difference between the dry season (May-Sept.) and the rainy season (Oct.-April). During the dry, few crops grow, there's almost no surface water, the area is denuded of vegetation, and the concrete water cisterns are empty. In the wet season (average 65 rainy days per year), rice, manioc, sorghum, corn, soybeans, peanuts, beans, coconuts, bananas, oranges, and flowering trees grow out of the thin layer of topsoil. Extensive erosion has created caves and deep cracks in the rocky earth. When the Nusa Dua complex was started, 14 deep bore holes had to be drilled and a water treatment plant built to provide the resort with a source of potable water.
     With the building of the spectacular Bali Cliff Hotel, the peninsula made the transition from copra and lime to tourists and surfers. Today Bukit's flat, far eastern corner is the ritzy beach resort of Nusa Dua with its dozen or so four- and five-star hotels strung out along an idyllic, five-kilometer-long stretch of palm-lined, white-sand beach.

History
Bukit has played an important role in Balinese mythology. Legend tells how the gods created Bali by taking a piece of land from Java, then shaping the island to make it hospitable to human beings. They created the high mountains of Batukau in the west, Agung in the east, and Bukit in the south.
     In ancient times, Bukit was considered a dangerous area where great herds of wild banteng and water buffalo roamed, driven south by population pressure. Bukit served as hunting grounds for pheasant, wild boar, and deer for the rajas of Denpasar and Mengwi; cattle still graze there. So inhospitable is this land that criminals, political enemies, and debtors were once banished here.

SURFING BUKIT

Since the early 1970s, Bukit has been a popular destination for surfers, beachcombers, seekers of solitude, and budget travelers. It boasts some of southeast Asia's best surfing beaches, and is considered among the top ten surfing spots in the world. Be prepared for huge breakers, which can dwarf those of Kuta and Sanur. A bonus is the dramatic backdrop of sheer cliffs which start at the northwest corner of Bukit and extend all the way around to just south of Nusa Dua.
     Go early in the morning to catch the best waves. The best time to surf is the dry season from April through October. Strong winds during the wet season make surfing impossible. There are no official accommodations, and only one losmen at Bingin. But if the surf is really good, surfers customarily crash on the beach or at one of the full-service beachside warung. Bukit warung rent surfboards (Rp5000) and sell Indonesian nasi campur and simple Western meals, iced drinks, and a bed for the night. The best nasi campur is at Warung Widari in Pecatu; only Rp1000.
     It costs little or nothing to surf. At most spots, the surfer need only pay a "board carrier" Rp10,000 or so. This work provides employment to local youths; there's even an official Board Carrier Association. Motorbike drivers will transport surfers and boards to the beach for Rp10,000-15,000. Drop in at the Surf Information Warung in Bongol and ask for Hank; he runs a warung at Balangan and provides guide services to all of Bukit's surfing spots.

Balangan
This long, beautiful, white-sand surfing (left-hander) beach, accessible by four-wheel drive or motorbike, lies six km northwest of Bongol. From Balangan's parking lot, it's a 10-minute walk to the beach—hard to find, as there's no sign. Six warung here. Hank's Hangout, which sells simple meals like fried rice, is right on the beach. A cave temple also sits on the beach. Walk up to Lookout Point for a grand panorama over Bukit and the airport.

Bingin
A great place for surfing (hollow left-hander) and relaxing. From the main highway in Pecatu, take the dirt road to Bingin; this is the same pretty, shady country road you take to Padang Padang. On the way, refresh yourself with a cold drink or nasi campur at Pak Roda's Warung at the turnoff to Bingin; from this warung to the homestay the road is seriously rutted. Homestay Wayan, just below the parking lot at Bingin, has three rooms (Rp15,000 s, Rp20,000 d), a living room for guests, small restaurant, veranda, and a nice garden. There's a river below the homestay, and you can take fresh showers thanks to the homestay's water tank. From the homestay it's a 10-minute walk to the beach.

Padang Padang
From the parking lot, it's a short walk to the caves where you start surfing; really nice beach here too. There are at least 10 warung at Padang Padang selling jaffles, noodle soup, cold drinks, and the like. Ketut Sugi's warung has the best selection. Kelly's Bar is also okay.
     On the road to Padang Padang there are two places of note. Pak Loteng gives massages and administers traditional herbs. The other is Cepluk Silver, which produces made-to-order Gianyar-style silver.

Suluban
Called Ulu by surfers, this is the most famous—and crowded—surfing spot on the island. Waves sometimes reach eight meters in height with straight-line swells. Purportedly one of the best left-handers in the world, for daredevils and goofy-footers only. A footpath, which starts 200 meters before Pura Uluwatu's parking lot, leads down to the beach; look for the sign Suluban Beach 2 km. Boys will offer to carry your surfboard and equipment for the 45-minute trip. Motorbikes will take you most of the way down, but this is a narrow, dangerous path so drive cautiously if you're on your own. From the covered motorcycle parking area at the end of the trail, climb down to the large sea cave at the bottom of the cliff, which opens to the ocean.
     There are some other isolated and lovely beaches for surfing, sunbathing, and swimming to the southeast and east of Uluwatu. One such beach, with outstanding surf, is Nyang Nyang; the turn is about 2.5 km inland.

Bali Cliff Resort
The first major hotel built on Bukit is set high above the crashing surf of the Indian Ocean just south of Ungusan, 25 minutes from Ngurah Rai Airport. Seven people died in the hotel's construction—they are considered tumbal, which means that they are more than sacrifices, they are offerings. It's said President Suharto's son Bambang invested in this new, five-star hotel. The only hotel on Bali offering views of both the sunrise and sunset, its 200 beautifully appointed rooms range from superior (Rp360,000) to executive (Rp925,000) to various classes of luxurious suites (Rp945,000-Rp4 million). Special features include an elaborate laser/video entertainment program, in-house doctor, bank, Japanese restaurant, pizzeria, outdoor stage, and art market. The Olympic-size pool comes right up to the edge of a 75-meter-high cliff, water cascading down its face. A "travelator" (outdoor elevator) lowers guests to the beach; decent surfing nearby. A walkway from the hotel leads to the sacred cave temple of Pura Batu Pageh. Call (0361) 771992 for reservations (really not necessary as it runs at only 30% capacity).

PURA ULUWATU

On the south coast of Bali is a whole series of sea temples—Tanah Lot, Pura Sekenan, Pura Rambut Siwi, Pura Petitenget, and Pura Uluwatu. All pay homage to the guardian spirits of the sea, but none is more spectacular than Uluwatu.
     This well-maintained temple, one of the sad-kahyangan group of the holiest temples of Bali, is the least overwhelmed by tourism and commercialism because of its remote location on the southwestern tip of Bukit.
     For years entrance was forbidden to anyone but the prince of Badung. He visited right up until his death at the hands of the Dutch in the puputan of 1906. Administered now by a royal family in Denpasar, Uluwatu actually belongs to the Balinese people, but is particularly sacred to fishermen, who come here to pray to the sea goddess Dewi Laut. Legend has it the temple is actually a ship turned to stone. The full name of the temple is Pura Luhur Uluwatu, which roughly translates as "The Temple Above the Stone," an accurate description as this temple perches on a cliff overhanging the Indian Ocean 90 meters below.
     At the end of a beautiful country road, Uluwatu may be reached by public bemo from Kuta or Tegal station in Denpasar. From Kuta, it'll cost Rp12,000-15,000 (20 km) to charter a vehicle, though it's faster if you take a motorbike. From the parking lot, walk 300 meters down a path to the temple (open 0700-1900). Get there early in the morning for a quiet hour before the tourists start arriving. Contribute a donation for temple upkeep and take a sash, or sarung, if you're wearing shorts. For some obscure reason, visitors are prohibited from wearing black-and-white checkered cloths or red hibiscus.
     Warning: Beware of mischievous resident monkeys who snatch unguarded items. Don't wear a hat, scarf, sunglasses, shoulder purse, dangling earrings, carry food or anything else that can be yanked from you. Positive reinforcement (food) is used to encourage the monkeys to keep on stealing.

Layout and Construction
Walk up the 71 steps through a strikingly simple limestone entrance to the rectangular outer courtyard. All three courtyards—representing the spiritual, earthly, and demonic realms—are surrounded by hard weathered coral which has enabled the temple to survive for centuries and gives it a brilliant white appearance. Towering over the middle courtyard is an enormous arched kala gate flanked by Ganesha guardians, reminiscent of East Javanese temple architecture.
     From the center of the northwest wall is a beautiful view of the sheer cliffs and ocean below. Descend down into the outermost courtyard—from there you can see the tip of East Java 50 km away. As white breakers crash against the rocks below, watch sea turtles swim in a hundred shades of churning blue-green sea water; wide-winged white frigate birds soar against the sky, moving to and from nests in the cliffs.
     When the temple is bathed in gold at sunset, streams of jeeps, cars, and buses head to Uluwatu for the spectacular view. Since the temple is so small, it can get very crowded. While here, refresh yourself with an es kelapa muda (Rp1500), sold at stands on a shady slope off the parking lot. Served with a straw and a spoon to scoop the soft gooey meat from the coconut—one of Asia's greatest pleasures.

JIMBARAN AND VICINITY

On the west side of Bukit's narrow isthmus is one of Bali's finest and cleanest white-sand beaches, curving for five km from just south of the airport to the jutting cliffs of eastern Bukit. The warm water is suitable for swimming and bodysurfing, but not for surfing; large waves don't break here because an unbroken coral reef, which only small prahu can transverse, blocks the entrance to Jimbaran Bay. In the middle of the isthmus is Jimbaran, the principal town of Bukit. This fishing village is making the jarring metamorphosis into an upscale tourist resort. Some of the hotels have planted Balinese rice fields inside the hotel complex.
     Because the main road from Sanur to Nusa Dua passes east along Benoa Harbor, it's impossible to see unspoilt Jimbaran Bay from the highway. Its lovely calm beach has only relatively recently been developed for tourists. With not much to do in Jimbaran village, the multitudes of Swiss, Germans, and Austrians who fill the hotels along the strip seem content to enjoy poolside games, lounge at sunken bars, play pool and table tennis, eat Wiener schnitzel in open-air restaurants, and sunbathe their robust frames on Jimbaran's white-sand beaches bereft of itinerant vendors.
     (To learn more about Jimbaran, get ahold of Fred Eiseman's book The Story of Jimbaran, the first published account of Jimbaran. Copies are available for US$20 from the author who can be be reached at Jl. Bukit Permai 8 A, Jimbaran, Tuban, Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia.)

Accommodations
Besides several first-class and medium-priced hotel properties, there's not much to choose from. In the budget category, Puri Bambu Bungalows, Jl. Bangracikan, tel. (0361) 701377, fax 701468, on the west side of Jl. Ulu Watu, charges Rp127,000 s, Rp150,000 d for standard rooms, Rp150,000 s, Rp173,000 d for superior, Rp173,000 s, Rp207,000 d for deluxe. Up to 20% off in the low season. Pool, restaurant, bar, free pickup from airport, and free shuttle into Kuta from 1000 to 1800. Across the road and south of the Keraton Bali Cottages is Puri Indra Prasta, Jl. Ulu Watu 28A, tel. (0361) 701552, with clean, comfortable rooms, restaurant, bar, and swimming pool. At Rp35,000-45,000, including breakfast, this is Jimbaran's least expensive hotel. Near the beach, small Hotel Puri Bali, tel. (0361) 752225 or 752226, offers 41 modern air-conditioned rooms and good service for Rp300,000 s or d including tax, service charge, breakfast, and dinner. Many types of international food. Free shuttle to Kuta three times a day.
     The Pansea Puri Bali, on Jl. Uluwatu, tel. (0361) 752605, fax 752220, is an upmarket, modern hotel. Choose from a variety of air-conditioned rooms and 33 charming thatched bungalows, Rp215,000-350,000. Rooms have open garden bathrooms, original paintings, fresh flowers, ornately carved doors, broad cool patios, nice chairs. Grounds have hardsurface tennis court, indoor games, toddler's pool, swim-up bar, and two restaurants that serve elaborate nightly buffets around the pool to live entertainment. Lots of privacy. Shuttle service can be arranged.
     With rooms from Rp127,000, the 99-room Keraton Bali Cottages, Jl. Mrajapati, Box 2023, Kuta, tel. (0361) 701961, fax 701991, incorporates fine Balinese architecture and landscaping. Every Wednesday night from 1930 to 2030 there's either a Ramayana, kecak fire dance, joget, or legong on the grounds, Rp46,000 per person. Built in 1990, large, superior rooms are Rp253,000. Looks like a village of condos, in a palm-shaded tropical garden decorated with mythical stone statues, very self-contained, snappy service, happy guests. Open-air stage, tennis courts, two restaurants. From the Keraton Bali's second-floor cocktail lounge you can look irreverently right into the the village's pura dalem without even craning your neck. Don't miss the Barbecue Night at the hotel's Blue Moon Restaurant every Friday night at 2000 when guests dance to live music on the beach. Farther south and a bit out of the way on a small road to the west is Jimbaran Beach Club, tel. (0361) 701120, which primarily caters to tour groups; Rp75,000 s, Rp92,000 d. The Hotel Intercontinental Bali, tel. (0361) 701888, opened in 1993 and has 1,000 rooms—the largest hotel on Bali. Rates: garden view Rp426,000 s or d, sea view Rp449,000 s or d. Add Rp46,000 in the high season.
     The Four Seasons, tel. (0361) 701010, is perhaps the most traditional resort on Bali—the Amandari idea taken to its ultimate conclusion. The gorgeous grounds were designed by famed landscape architect Made Wijaya (Michael White) of Sanur, who designed David Bowie's home in the Caribbean. Rates start at Rp780,000 for a one-bedroom villa and increase to Rp3.6 million for a two-bedroom royal villa. Rates are higher during the Christmas holidays. A larger hotel than the Amandari, its 147 villas (Rp690,000) are actually separate bungalows, each with an extravagant 200 square feet of indoor and open-air living space (big enough for six), a private plunge pool, secluded sundeck, and an astonishing three to nine employees assigned to each. The staff's language and people skills are very high. Dining in its three restaurants is varied and sophisticated.

Food
Eat cheaply at Jimbaran's main street warung or at the market on market days, but the most exciting, yet relatively undiscovered places to eat nowadays are the row of 20 or so smoky, open-air warung on the beach beside the Jimbaran Market (half km north of PJ's)—delicious grilled fish served in simple little huts. Probably the best of the lot is Warung Ramayana, where two people eat very well for Rp15,000 including dessert. The fresh fish comes with special spices, different sambals, tomato salad. Super popular at sunset time, so go early.
     A very casual but more expensive beachside restaurant, with a stunning and romantic location, is PJs, where you can indulge in delicious Tex-Mex, vegetarian, and seafood dishes. Knockout lobster nachos is the most expensive at Rp56,000. Try the crisp, inspiring wood-fired pizzas with toppings such as margarita and tandoori chicken and spinach, or smoked salmon and cream cheese. Also good is their Firecracker Rice with spicy prawns (Rp24,000). Lots of light meals. Sunday brunch. Pull on ice-cold draught beer or one of their creative cocktails while listening to live jazz. Open 1100-2200 everyday.
     In beautiful gardens with overhanging bougainvillea, Cafe Layar, tel. (0361) 701872, overlooks the beach and some brilliant sunsets. Their specialty is Indonesian-style freshly grilled seafood. The chairs are huge and comfortable. Open for lunch, dinner, and sunset drinks. Little Indonesia, Jl. Uluwatu 108, serves authentic Indonesian and Balinese food. Open for lunch and dinner. Call or fax (0361) 701763 for pickup service.
     Also pleasant is to stroll along the beach where open-air hotel restaurants provide meals and drinks under umbrellas for at least Rp23,000. Among these higher-priced hotel restaurants, the Singaraja in the Inter-Continental stands out. They serve French favorites with a touch of Balinese spice: Lobster Consommé with ginger, chili, and star anise; duck with a flavorful risotto; folle salad with shredded fried suckling pig. Call (0361) 701888 for reservations.

From Jimbaran
From Jimbaran, it's only 10 minutes to the airport, 20 minutes to the Galleria in Nusa Dua, and 40 minutes to Denpasar. To enter the heart of the Bukit, head south on the old road from the airport. On the way, see beautiful yet simple Pura Ulunsiwi with its multiroofed meru, kori entrance, and candi bentar. West of town early in the morning fishing boats pull up on shore and women with buckets balanced on their heads line up to unload fish, then walk to the cooperative to weigh, sort, and sell. By midmorning the catch is in and the work done.

BUALU

About 3.5 km beyond Kampial is Bualu, once a sleepy dusty fishing village, but transformed since the start of the Nusa Dua resort project into a scruffy, bustling service and bedroom community. Not really attractive—an untidy hodgepodge of makeshift shops, car rental shops, tour agencies, beauty salons, tailors, and small restaurants sprawling in all directions. Bualu stands in vivid contrast to the immaculate lawns, gardens, and grand hotel properties of the exclusive resort next door. Bualu is where Nusa Dua guests can step out and experience "the real Indonesia."
     In the southern part of the village is another exit out of Nusa Dua, Jl. Pantai Mengiat—a useful street with many services. This garish, Kuta-ish street, which starts on the other side of the roundabout opposite the entrance to Nusa Dua's Hilton, is more pleasant to walk along than Jl. Pramata, which heads north up the Tanjung Peninsula.

Food
The best place to eat for the money is the Amanda Food Center, just a six-minute walk west of the Tragia Supermarket. A Singapore-style food park with class, Amanda caters to the tastes of the vast and multiethnic Indonesian service community. Especially good for lunch. Go around to any of the 31 reasonably priced individual stalls serving Padang and Solonese food—many of the traditional foods of Indonesia, as well as European dishes. After you've made your choices, the food is brought over to your table. Great smells, squeaky clean, roofed, like a cafeteria with an upbeat atmosphere. Three times the value of Kuta. Live music seven days a week, starting at 1900.
     Along this strip are a number of restaurants that do their main business at night. Edelweiss is operated by Austrian Otto King who was for many years Executive Chef of the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel. Outstanding Austrian and international dishes, especially the filet steak (Rp26,000) which is served on a hot stone platter and comes with dipping sauces and a potato/tomato salad. Main courses are around Rp15,000-22,000.
     The Rumah Makan Beringin has a giddy assortment of nasi padang dishes, even late in the day. No nonsense food. The newer, flashier Nusa Dua Grill is across the street from a big car and motorbike rental place near the Bank Rakyat Indonesia.
     Next door to the Tragia Supermarket is the overpriced Tragia Restaurant, tel. (0361) 772408, which serves mediocre Indonesian, Chinese, and European food. Their specialties are Sirloin Steaks Maitre d' Hotel (Rp15,000), T-bone Steak Cafe de Paris (Rp12,500), banana splits (Rp6500), and other pretentious stuff.
     Just behind the row of souvenir stalls on Jl. Ngurah Rai Bypass is the Novi Restaurant, serving Westernized dishes at inflated prices. Terminal Bualu with lots of warung is a good place to eat. Check out the old market next to the Sentral Theatre. Later, this area turns into a night market selling nasi kuning, soto, and ayam bakar. In front of the Tragia Supermarket is Papa Bob's Donuts, with pizza by the slice (Rp2000). Inside the Tragia is a very good bakery (delicious Danish) and lots of snacks. On Jl. Pantai Mengiat you'll find a whole row of seafood restaurants—the Koki Bali, Maschere, Galliano (Italian and Chinese food), and Ming Garden. Ulam Restaurant serves traditional Balinese seafood; lobster Rp29,000, Indonesian dishes Rp8000. Across the street is another lobster house, Ulam II.

Shopping
Bualu is a more pleasant shopping experience than Kuta. You can take your time, and the vendors are more polite. Though the crafts and souvenirs are identical to those found in all of Bali's tourist centers, the selection isn't as large. In the art market visit the batik painter Surarta. A few classier, pricier boutiques are found on Jl. Pantai Mengiat in south Bualu. Just west of the post office is the pride of Bualu, refreshingly air-conditioned Tragia Supermarket, tel. (0361) 772-70, open 0830-2000, which is convenient for those staying in Nusa Dua or Tanjung. The big building in the center houses the supermarket (first floor), a department store (second floor), and arts and crafts (third floor). Because of the proximity to Nusa Dua, prices are higher than Tragia's Denpasar counterparts. Shuttle buses from hotels in the Nusa Dua area will take you there. Open daily 0900-2000.

Services
Not only food and accommodations, but laundry, taxis, and other services tend to be more expensive in Bualu, Tanjung, and Nusa Dua than in other tourist areas. The kantor pos is just east of Tragia Supermarket. The moneychanger, PT Batuan Indah, is located on the Nusa Dua side of the Tragia complex, while Panih Bank is on the other side.

Transportation
It's a pleasant one-kilometer walk from Nusa Dua's big hotels to downtown Bualu. The Nusa Dua shuttle bus runs to the Tragia Supermarket regularly. Up the street from the Tragia is Terminal Bualu, where you can catch blue Isuzu to Denpasar (Rp1000) or Kuta (Rp750). You can also hop on a green bemo for Tanjung Benoa; it passes all the hotels and restaurants of the east coast strip.
     Diagonally across from the Amanda Food Center is a Wartel which accepts faxes and sells long-distance bus tickets to Denpasar, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Bandung, and Jakarta. Taxis to the airport are now Rp15,000. From Bualu's main intersection, a road leads south to Sawangan, another travels north to Tanjung Benoa, and yet another heads east to Nusa Dua.

NUSA DUA

The most luxurious hotels on Bali are located in this beach enclave on the east end of Bukit, 27 kilometers south of Denpasar. Named after two raised headlands connected to the east coast by sandspits (Nusa Dua means "Two Islands"), this full-scale, totally self-contained tourist resort has its own parks, roads, golf course, deep-water wells, sewer system, fire station, police, telephone exchange, banks, emergency clinic, mall, travel and tour agencies, and airline offices. The resort may be divided into south Nusa Dua, where the big international hotels are concentrated, and north Nusa Dua (Tanjung), which includes Club Med, the Bali Tropic Palace, Mirage, and Puri Joma.
     A key element in the island's overall tourism plan and the most ambitious resort project in Indonesia's history, Nusa Dua has become a showcase for the government's policy of limiting the growth of tourism elsewhere on Bali to protect Balinese culture from tourism's negative impact. This policy, in the end, didn't really work because hotels and mini-resorts proliferated all over the island unchecked right through the 1970s and 1980s. Only in 1990 did the provincial government finally impose a ban on construction of additional hotels.
     Kuta, Sanur, and Ubud—Bali's oldest tourist areas—grew spontaneously, and limits have since been placed on their expansion. In 1971, it was decided that only at Nusa Dua would further luxury hotel development be permitted. The area was chosen because of its breathtaking location, its proximity to the airport, and the fact that its relative isolation from Bali's population centers would cause minimum impact. With help from the World Bank and private developers, and with foreign consultants drawing up the plans, ground was broken for the multimillion dollar project in 1973.
     The resort was long stalled by the reluctance of developers to invest. The fate of sacred seaside temples and the relocation and re-employment of fishermen and farmers were other thorny issues. The first project, the Bualu Hotel, opened in 1979 as a training ground for the BPLP (Tourism and Hotel School). In 1982 Garuda Indonesia opened a five-star property there. By 1993 the area had reached the provincial government's goal of nine four- and five-star hotels with a total of 2,700 rooms and a capacity of nearly 200,000.
     With Bali's average hotel occupancy rate in the tourist season at 80-85%, more than half of Bali's tourists now stay in international-standard accommodations typified by the Nusa Dua hotels. Nusa Dua today gets the lion's share of government marketing resources because it has absorbed a gigantic portion of the government tourism infrastructure expenditures.
     The enclave is a completely artificial instant Bali, with little spiritual connection to the rest of Bali or with the Balinese. No one actually lives in Nusa Dua; people only work or visit there. The haven of Nusa Dua offers a decidedly serene environment for those who want to get away from Bali. Walk down the hotel corridors to experience a spacious, make-believe, gloriously landscaped world—exactly what the guests want. Here, you won't get malaria, cocks won't wake you in the morning, you can drink water from the tap, there are no beggars or foot peddlers, and the service is at all times friendly and attentive. So safe are the confines of this big tourist compound, with its grandiose, floodlit split-gate entrances guarded by police posts, that Nusa Dua is vying with Jakarta as Indonesia's largest convention center for international conferences and trade fairs.

Water Sports
Nusa Dua's beach hotels front a three-kilometer-long white sand beach with gentle waves and not a rock in sight. However, barriers constructed to create a protected swimming environment have moved the surf quite a distance from shore. There's an excellent lagoon, and in the rocky outcroppings to the south are spectacular blowholes, natural waterspouts created when waves blow up through fissures in the coral.
     For surfers, the right-hander in front of Club Med is a lark; park in the lot south of Club Med. Another right-hander, at high tide only, is found between the two headlands south of the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel. Also, rights and lefts up to two meters high peel off Nusa Dua channel, but watch the strong riptide. Take a prahu (Rp5000) about one km offshore to ride swells in three different directions. Beware of strong winds.

Shopping
Nusa Dua's newest shopping center is Galleria, tel. (0361) 771662—the largest on Bali and, at 3.5 hectares, one of the biggest in Indonesia. Opened in 1993, it's laid out like a Western mall. Here, tourists are made to feel comfortable browsing in air-conditioned shops among familiar surroundings while paying familiar prices. As long as you have money, Galleria offers something for everyone. Even though prices are supposed to be fixed, some stores will negotiate.
     The Tantra Gallery exhibits exceptional Ubud artists including Yan Tino (oils), Made Nusa (oils on canvas), and Wayang Pundah (watercolors). The shops selling men's and women's fashion apparel are laid out like Macy's in the States. Though clean and well displayed, the prices are twice as much as the States. The Keris Gallery, tel. (0361) 771303 or 771304, is Bali's largest department store—like a huge Nordstrom or Filene's—carrying silks, handicrafts, traditional batik, Sumatra pearls, and Euro-style clothing from the collections of Yves Saint Laurent, Etienne Aigner, Kenzo, and Paloma Picasso. Open daily 0900-2000.
     Country Interior features a stunning selection of folk art and home furnishings from Java and Lombok. Probably the nicest shop in the Galleria for tasteful decorator items is Stiff Gallery. Displayed attractively on its sand floor are beautifully glazed teapots, basketry from Java, and many other folk items. A showroom for both shops is at Jl. Gatot Subroto 128A, Denpasar, tel. (0361) 234029.
     The place to shop for designer clothes is Uluwatu Boutique next to the Jaansan Cafe and opposite the Duty Free center. The collection is dominated by white rayon dresses with intricate embroidery. There are also beautiful light cotton dresses with soft colored patterns and a range of printed cotton fabric. Superb quality.
     Folk Art Antiques carries such eye-catching stuff as an ornate blowgun from Kalimantan (Rp173,000) and other Outer Island tribal artifacts. The Duty Free Shop, tel. (0361) 772205, carries leading world labels from Hermez to Harley Davidson with prices to match, as well as exclusive lines of locally manufactured products.

Accommodations
With property values running Rp75 million per hectare and up, you won't find any losmen, homestays, or even intermediate accommodations here, although nearby Tanjung has a few moderately priced hotels. Nusa Dua now contains over a dozen luxury, international-class four- and five-star hotels with 50 to 1,000 rooms. Like gigantic adult amusement parks, each of these palatial hotel properties is located on park land adorned with stone sculpture, fountains, velvety grass, ornamental plants, and acres of palms and flowering trees. After entering the cool, open lobby, you're greeted with the delicate sounds of gamelan or rindik, then invariably handed a fresh-fruit drink and an ice cold face towel. From that moment on, staff performance is embarrassingly personalized.
     Services include taxis, telex, fax, laundry, and tour and tourist information counters. There are indoor shopping arcades, convention facilities, restaurants, discos, and beauty salons. There are Javanese singers crooning in piano bars, as well as regular music and dance performances in open-air amphitheaters, fashion shows, and arts and crafts demos. Cremation ceremonies are advertised on easels in plush lobbies; comprehensive sports programs include snorkeling and windsurfing from private beachfronts. All these deluxe accommodations have at least two and sometimes three swimming pools, with beach and pool games, squash, tennis, bicycling, volleyball, and aerobics classes offered all day long. Plush guest rooms are air-conditioned, have all the modern conveniences including color TVs, in-house video and music programming, minibars, safes, IDD phones, marble-tiled bathrooms, fresh toiletries and towels daily, bathrobes, and private balconies. The cheapest five-star hotel rooms go for around Rp157,000 (suites Rp1-4.2 million), while rooms on four-star properties are Rp157,000 and up. Always expect 21% tax and service charge, and even a Rp21,000-31,500 high-season surcharge. To see the exteriors of all the hotels, take the Rp1000 open shuttle bus that drives the loop between Bualu's Tragia Supermarket and each of the big hotels.
     The smallest, oldest, but newly remodeled Hotel Bualu Village, Box 6, Nusa Dua, tel. (0361) 771310, fax 771313, was the former hands-on training site for the government's Hotel and Tourism Training Center (BPLP) next door. It's the only Nusa Dua hotel not facing the oceanfront, but is cheaper and quite peaceful. Simple rooms in modern two-story blocks, Rp159,000 s, Rp182,000 d. Add 21% tax and service. Set amid elaborate grounds, with a bar, the Kolak Restaurant, and two swimming pools. The beach is 700 meters away but dokar take you there free. Great childcare and sports facilities—jogging track, PADI-certified scuba diving instruction, and even horseback riding.
     The massive, U-shaped Putri Bali Hotel, Box 1, Denpasar 80363, tel. (0361) 71020, fax 71139, is built on nearly 11 hectares of impressively landscaped grounds. Its 425 rooms rent for Rp253,000 s, Rp288,000 d; the 41 suites and 22 cottages are Rp437,000 to Rp1.2 million. The Putri Bali's exterior is shaped like a staircase, with most rooms facing the sea. Enjoy drinks at the sunken bar or take in jegog, kecak, legong, barong, kris, or the frog dance performances. It features extensive business facilities, two restaurants, bars, disco, fitness center, billiards, darts, and a video game room. Free diving demos, beachfront soccer, volleyball. A specialty is water sports.
     The 388-room Melia Bali, Box 1048, Tuban, tel. (0361) 771510, fax 771360, is owned by Spain's leading hotel chain and caters to package tours from Europe as well as conferences. Rooms are Rp189,000-199,500 s, Rp315,000-1.2 million d. Meeting rooms with complete audiovisual equipment accommodate 40 to 500. This graceful, attractive hotel is noted for its fine cuisine, particularly the Asian dishes at the Lotus Restaurant. Enjoy entertainment at any of several piano bars. Discos, shops, health center, kid's playground, library, three tennis courts, jogging track, beautiful open-air theater. See the 1,200-square-meter lagoon-style swimming pool with three islets.
     The 450-room Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, Box 1028, tel. (0361) 71210, fax 71229, is run by Aerowisata, a subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia. Beyond the magnificent candi bentar and within the four-story hotel are four restaurants, two bars, a coffee shop, and a disco. All the principal styles of Balinese village architecture are represented: puri, bale banjar, and kulkul. Almost three-quarters of the guests are domestic tourists, incentive travelers, or conference attendees—impressive business services. Rooms are Rp189,000-252,000 s, Rp210,000-315,000 d. The jogging track, tennis and squash courts, and a huge swimming pool are surrounded by 8.5 hectares of lush park land under hundreds of graceful palms. With its long beachfront, marine sports abound. Guests may receive instruction and use equipment for scuba, snorkeling, boating, and waterskiing, then take a sauna or massage at the hotel's fully equipped gym.
     Club Med, Box 7, Nusa Dua, tel. (0361) 71521, accommodates 700 in three- and four-story Balinese-style bungalows geared toward packaged stays for families and couples. A highly organized nonstop sports program is part of the Rp210,000 per person daily tariff: sailing, windsurfing, snorkeling, tennis, aerobics, yoga, volleyball, badminton, and archery. Emphasis is given to arts and crafts like batik and kite-making. Entertainment includes regular performances of Balinese theater, periodic talent contests, arts festivals. The environment can be raucous—announcements blare over squawk boxes, noisy crowds leave the small pool dirty—but the food is very good and the sports facilities first class. The rooms, though spartan, are comfortable. The majority of guests are Japanese and Australian. Extraordinary security; nonguests are not allowed to walk along the beach.
     The breathtaking US$170 million Grand Hyatt, Box 53, Nusa Dua, tel. (0361) 71234, fax 72038, is one of Asia's classiest hotels. Inspired by the design of the Tirtagangga water palace, its four "villages" are linked by simulated ponds, gardens, and pools. Its environs and rooms (11 categories Rp315,000-12 million) are decorated with millions of dollars worth of original art. The staff of over 500 responds to your needs instantaneously. Fine restaurants; breakfast buffet is Rp31,500. The swimming pool is a continuous inland "lagoon" that flows beneath footbridges, by sparkling waterfalls and water slides. The Grand Hyatt is recreation oriented: snorkeling (Rp65,100 per hour), windsurfing (Rp16,800 per hour), and kayak flotation (Rp10,500 per hour). Or take the "Archaeological Tour" (Rp65,100). Forty percent of the clientele is European. Use your Hyatt Gold Passport in the Bali Hyatt in Sanur. For reservations, call (800) 233-1234 in the United States.
     The 537-room Bali Hilton, Box 46, Nusa Dua 80361, tel. (0361) 771102 or 771112, fax 771199, provides more Westernized holiday facilities than the Hyatt. Rooms, Rp300,000 s, Rp345,000 d, have individually controlled air conditioning, color cable and satellite TV, private balcony. There are cottages as well as luxury suites, Rp910,000 to Rp4.3 million, all built around 11.5 hectares of quiet gardens and a huge maze-like lagoon—in the middle of which is the swimming pool—that stretches all the way to a beautiful 300-meter-wide beach. Next door is an 18-hole golf course. The Hilton has lounges, a cafe, disco, Japanese restaurant, seafood barbecue, poolside snackbar, theme theater, grand ballroom, games room, children's play center, fitness center, sauna, whirlpool, squash and tennis courts, and a full range of water sports.
     The U-shaped, 400-room Nusa Indah, Box 36, tel. (0361) 71565, fax 71908, overlooks the beach. Nice gardens, four restaurants, and extensive convention facilities—in fact, the largest in Indonesia, with 2,000-person capacity and simultaneous translation service.
     The 276-room Sheraton Lagoon, Box 2044, Kuta 80361, tel. (0361) 71327, fax 71326, consists of four-story room blocks with attractive terra-cotta roofs on one side of the complex, with food and beverage facilities, the lobby, and other public areas on the other side. Ultra-personalized services include special check-in, complimentary coffee, tea, and American breakfast, round-the-clock butler service in the suites, and "daily surprise." Rates are about the same as the Grand Hyatt's—Rp346,500-378,000 s, Rp409,500-430,500 d, suites Rp463,000-3.7 million. The Sheraton boasts the largest free-form pool on Bali; on the beach are pedal boats. Great views of the sea from the open-air Cascade Bar, while the Cafe Lagoon Coffeeshop overlooks the "lagoon" meandering through seven hectares of landscaped grounds. A spacious outdoor amphitheater hosts cultural performances.
     The opulent Amanusa Resort, Box 33, Nusa Dua, tel. (0361) 772333, fax 772335, sits on a grassy knoll overlooking the Bali Golf and Country Club, commanding spectacular views of the ocean and Gunung Agung. The most expensive hotel in Nusa Dua, the Amanusa offers 35 freestanding luxury suites (Rp630,000-1.4 million) linked to the public facilities by pathways. Special features: sunken baths, queen-size four-poster beds, walled private courtyard, suites with private pools, two restaurants, a library, cruise boats, floodlit tennis courts, massage and beauty salons, free airport transfers. More family-oriented than Bali's other Aman hotels; kids really like the enormous pool. The last word in luxury vacation living.

Food
The Tragia Convenience Store, tel. (0361) 772170, in the Galleria sells a limited selection of drinks, snacks, fruit, and dairy products; it also has a bakery/coffee shop where a loaf of whole-wheat bread costs Rp4000. Open daily 0900-2000. Take a shuttle to Tragia from any of the Nusa Dua hotels. Nowhere, except for the minimarket and snack outlets of Galleria, can you get a cold beer in Nusa Dua for less than Rp5000.
     The gourmet, high-priced, high-quality restaurants in the hotels serve international, European, Chinese, Balinese, and Indonesian cuisine. The Grand Hyatt's Salsa Verde restaurant is said to be one of the best Italian restaurants on the island—complete with a traditional Old World pizza oven. Open for lunch 1200, dinner 1800-2230. Superb seven-course French dinners are served at the elegant Pavilion Restaurant in the Melia Bali Sol. The five-star Sheraton Nusa Dua's Ikan Restaurant is known for its large selection of delicious grilled seafood with tangy sauces and marinades. Indonesians swear the Indonesian dishes take them back to the warung of the past. Amanusa Hotel's Italian restaurant is superb. Dine on the terrace with the magnificent view or in the intimate, theatrical, black-and-white dining room. Choose from a mouthwatering variety of appetizers and antipastos, homemade pastas, and robust main courses of veal, lamb, duck, and seafood. After dinner, stop for an aperitif in the open-air, starlit cocktail lounge off the lobby.
     Outside the hotels, the Galleria has a few outstanding—but pricey—restaurants. Every Monday night at 2000, the Paon Mas features a rijstaffel buffet for Rp26,000, plus 21% tax; tel. (0361) 771981 for reservations. Next door is the Putri Duyung, tel. (0361) 772051, with a wide choice of fresh seafood; open for lunch and dinner 1100-2300.
     Highly praised by the Japanese themselves is Matsuri (formerly Chikara Tei) in the Galleria, Block B14, tel. (0361) 772267. This authentic, glamorous restaurant is adorned with typical Japanese wall decorations, flags, and lanterns. Great food, atmosphere, and service. Focus on the grilled dishes and the teppanyaki. Several VIP rooms with exquisite interiors. Once weekly there are legong dancers, other nights Batak singers. Open 1100-2200. Free transport in the Nusa Dua, Tanjung Benoa, and Jimbaran areas. The best Mexican food in Nusa Dua is served up at Poco Loco, Jl. Pantai Mengiat 12, tel. (0361) 773923, a real taste sensation, large portions, and awesome frozen margaritas.
     Also in the Galleria is Jansan Cafe et Pub, Block B1, tel. (0361) 772628, only a five-minute walk from the Bali Sol, Grand Hyatt, and the Sheraton, and facing Nusa Dua Lagoon. Fillet o' Fish with lemon-tequila sauce, the New Orleans King Prawn salad, Mom's garlic bread, and their famous tropical cocktails are the best. Kura Kura, also in the Galleria, Block D3, tel. (0361) 773278, is known for fresh seafood, pasta, and juicy ribs. The bar is claimed to be world famous for its piña colada.
     Beyond the Nusa Dua barricades altogether, though not far to walk, is Jl. Pantai Mengiat in the southern part of Bualu, the supply base for Nusa Dua. On this street are the popular seafood restaurants Koki Bali, Mascheri, Ming Garden, and Ulam I and II. Lobster is the big item here. Look for all-inclusive specials advertised on signboards placed on the sidewalk outside the restaurants. Call the Ming, tel. (0361) 772125, or the Ulam, tel. (0361) 771590, for free transport from your hotel. The long-established Ulam is frequently recommended by hotel managers.
     For those who want to go on a little Sunday outing, spend it at the Bali Cliff Hotel on the Bukit Peninsula. Their new brunch—an extravagant and delicious international buffet—is getting rave reviews. It features everything from barbecue steak and lobster to a variety of pastas and extensive salad and dessert bars. A dip in their breathtaking swimming pool is included in the price of brunch. Served in the Coffee Shop, brunch takes place from 1100 to 1500 every Sunday and costs Rp40,000. Book by calling tel. (0361) 771992.

Services
A clinic, Nusa Dua Medical Service, tel. (0361) 771324, is across from the Galleria; there are several other clinics in Tanjung. An interdenominational church service is held each Sunday at 1800 in the Melia Bali Sol Hotel. Most hotel rooms have IDD telephone service and card-operated telephones are common. The Galleria complex contains a postal agent, an American Express office (tel. 0361-773334, open 0830-1630), several banks, and a Garuda check-in center and ticket office (tel. 0361-771444, open 0800-1900).

Transportation
A smart new highway whisks arrivals the 10 kilometers from the airport to Nusa Dua in about 20 minutes. Public bemo leave Kuta for Nusa Dua (Rp1000) from the intersection of Jl. Pantai Kuta and the road to the airport. From Tegal station in Denpasar, take a bemo (Rp1000).
     The resort offers easy access to Denpasar (25 minutes). There's a Garuda Airlines counter in Building A2 in the Galleria, tel. (0361) 71444 or 71342, where tickets can be reconfirmed, luggage checked in, and boarding passes obtained. Open Mon.-Fri. 0800-1900, Sunday and holidays 0900-1900. Extremely convenient. Taxis from Nusa Dua to the airport charge a fixed Rp15,000. Shuttle buses leave each hotel every hour or so for Bualu, the shopping center just outside the gates of Nusa Dua. Or just walk. It's agreeable sauntering around this parklike ghetto. The manicured scenery and luxuriant tropical vegetation is a delight, and you don't have the traffic, noise, fumes, dirt, and street vendors typical of other tourist areas of Bali. There are even sidewalks.
     Taxi drivers in Nusa Dua are ruthless; there aren't that many of them and they have you captive on the big hotel properties. The only way to get cheaper fares is to walk from your hotel out to the main road, where you still might be quoted the same rip-off fares. Coming back from Kuta it's cheaper. Alternatively, charter a vehicle from an agent in Bualu for around Rp50,000-55,000 per day. Avis Rental Car has offices at Club Med (tel. 0361-71521) and the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel (tel. 0361-71220).

Vicinity of Nusa Dua
Visit the Kuburan Katolik (Catholic Cemetery) of Bualu. Northeast of Bualu are the extensive mudflats of Suwung, which extend for about seven km to Jimbaran; bridges cross over swampier sections. A commercial seaweed farm is located two km south of Nusa Dua. A road leads south to the small farming community of Sawangan; large banyan-like bunut trees in the town's center. Pura Geger, a temple dedicated to agricultural deities, is a short distance east of town on a rocky promontory. A track leads two km south to remote Pura Karang Bona, which also looks out over the sea.

TANJUNG

Three km north of Nusa Dua, the five-km-long peninsula of Tanjung Benoa points toward Benoa Harbor like a long finger. This once sleepy expanse of coconut palms and shallow beach has been transformed into a growing resort area with luxury hotels, dive agents, restaurants, and open-air cafes. Tanjung doesn't have the same feeling of sterile isolation as neighboring Nusa Dua. It's Nusa Dua's wild side. The rhythm of the peninsula is more like Costa Brava in the late <\#213>70s than the frantic pace of a modern Balinese resort. New hotels, shops, and restaurants are constantly being built, affording tourists plenty of options and all the conveniences, but there's not nearly the level of traffic, congestion, crime, and vice that plagues Kuta.
     A nice place for evening strolls is the relatively quiet village of Benoa on the peninsula's tip. For hundreds of years this was an embarkation point for ferries crossing over to Suwungan; the overland journey to the main part of Bali via Jimbaran was too arduous and time-consuming. Offshore are foreigner's yachts along with smaller Indonesian vessels, Navy boats, and traditional Bugis prahu. Sit and drink a cold beer while watching the village life at the Sriwijaya Resort Restaurant. More romantic is to walk along the beach southeast of Benoa, past rows of jukung pulled up on shore. In Benoa village is a Bugis kampung with its small mesjid. Don't miss the large, garish Chinese Buddhist klenteng picturesquely sited looking out to Benoa Harbor. The annex of this local temple contains bronze icons salvaged from the shipwreck of a Chinese vessel in the 15th century. Recently renovated, the Ratu Cina shrine in the local pura dalem shows the long history of Chinese contact. Occasional gong or legong dances are held at the temple.

Recreation
Tanjung is popular with marine sports enthusiasts. Tourists enjoy parasailing, water scooters, scuba, snorkeling, waterskiing, glass-bottom boats, reef fishing, trawling, power boating, and banana boat rides. The intensive training for parasailing takes all of 12 seconds. It costs Rp25,000 for two to three minutes in the air—a blast. The best spot for parasailing is in front of the Mirage Hotel because the water is flatter.
     Beluga, Jl. Segara Windu, Tanjung Benoa, tel. (0361) 771146 or 771-721, has a submarine—yes, submarine—moored in front of the restaurant. With a 36-person capacity, the submarine provides tours of the reef to the northeast of Tanjung, Rp196,000 per person for one hour. Leaves around 1100.
     There are dozens of water sport clubs and shops, like Jalayasa Seasports and Pub, tel. (0361) 771963, Tonny Marindo Seasports, tel. (0361) 771694, and Rai Restaruant, tel. (0361) 772012. Because of all the boating activity, the water near the shore doesn't offer the best visibility for snorkeling.
The reef lies about 200 meters off the northeastern end of the peninsula—easy to reach, with a gentle current and a surprising variety of fish and scattered outcrops of coral. The dives are perfect for beginners. When the tide's in, board the dive agent's prahu motor for the five minute trip. Visibility is about 10-15 meters along a gradual downslope.

Accommodations
It all begins just a half kilometer north of the entrance to northern Nusa Dua's Club Med. If you're staying for a while, look for the many rumah disewakan (house for rent) signs on village lanes. The upmarket hotels on this strip have all the usual tourist features: a/c, private terraces or balconies, minibars, fridges, IDD telephones, sound systems, color TVs, 24-hour room service.
     The Bali Tropic Palace Hotel, Jl. Pratama 34 A, Box 41, Nusa Dua 80361, tel. (0361) 772130 or 772107, fax 772131, is like a small version of a Nusa Dua hotel. It has 108 lavishly appointed cottages. With garden view Rp300,000 s, Rp345,000 d; also junior suite for Rp575,000, deluxe suite Rp805,000. Rates not including 21% tax and service. Two restaurants, pizzeria, two bars, butterfly-shaped swimming pool, and private beach. American buffet breakfast Rp23,000, set lunch Rp34,500, dinner Rp46,000, dinner with show Rp57,500. Serene atmosphere.
     Small but high-class Puri Joma (Jl. Pratama 40, Terora, Nusa Dua 80361, tel./fax 0361-771634) offers 10 Bali-style bungalows decorated with stone carvings and traditional golden painted doors. Idyllic, safe, and relaxing garden. Nice quiet rooms have air conditioning, IDD telephones, fridge, and no TV. Enjoy the breezy, scenic beachfront seafood restaurant, swim in the modern pool. Only Rp103,500 s, Rp126,500 d. Lower prices during the off-season. Discounts for stays of more than seven days. Puri Joma can arrange the rental of a prahu motor for around Rp23,000 per hour.
     Small, little-known, and far from overcrowded tourist sites, the Bali Royal, Jl. Pratama, tel. (0361) 771039, fax 771885, has only 15 rooms among gardens and lily ponds. Superior rooms are Rp218,500 s, Rp322,000 d; suites are Rp414,000, with direct access to the beach. Distinctive yet comfortable furniture. Bathrooms have jacuzzis and little gardens. Though it has a Balinese touch, the property is operated, with great efficiency, by Mr. Stefan Neumann, an Austrian. Excellent international and Indonesian food. Caters particularly to golfers, as the management is well-connected to the Nusa Dua Golf Club. Free airport transfers. Absolutely first class all around.
     Grand Mirage Hotel and Resort, Box 145, Nusa Dua, tel. (0361) 772147, fax 772156, the most luxurious hotel on the Tanjung strip, provides 288 deluxe ocean-view suites from Rp334,000 to Rp1.9 million (high-season supplement: Rp46,000). American breakfast Rp32,200, lunch Rp48,300, dinner Rp62,100, buffet dinner Rp74,000. All rates subject to 21% service and tax. Features a Chinese restaurant, seafood restaurant, ice cream parlor, lounges, bars, disco pub, open-air theater, shuttle service, children's playground, tours-and-travel desk, free-shaped pool, a thalassotherapy center, tennis courts, audio-visual function room for 80 people, plus a whole range of water sports, and a golf course only five minutes away.
     North of the Mirage on Jl. Pratama, the quiet and clean Rasa Sayang Beach Inn, tel. (0361) 771643, has 19 rooms. Upstairs rooms Rp20,000 s, Rp25,000 d for rooms with fans, Rp32,000 s, Rp40,000 d for air-conditioned rooms (including breakfast, tax, and service).
     The cheapest accommodation on Tanjung—and very central—is Hasan Homestay, tel. (0361) 772456, which has a losmen-style row of 10 rooms with baths, fan, and Kuta-type breakfast for Rp25,000 s or d. Only full during the high season. No meals, but big, cold beers are only Rp4000.

Food
A number of seafood specialty restaurants have opened up on both sides of Jl. Pratama just south of Benoa village. All have a weary sameness and are 50-90% empty except in July, August, and December. Those on the beach offer good views of the Nusa Penida cliffs. Most have full bars, and offer fare at prices about 10% higher than Kuta. Menus are generally too Western.
     The most touristy is Rai Seafood Restaurant, tel. (0361) 772012, at the end of Jl. Pratama on the right. They specialize in lobster, fish, and Balinese rijstaffel; their soto madura (Rp4000) is authentic. Open 0800-2300 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. "Theme Night" entertainment is put on from 2100 to 2200 three days a week; on Monday it's a cockfight demo, Wednesday legong, and Saturday barong and Monkey Dance. Free transport from Nusa Dua.
     The very large and empty Beluga Restaurant, Jl. Segara Windu, Tanjung Benoa, tel. (0361) 771997, around the corner from the Rai seems to be perpetually waiting for July and August. This is the only eatery in the area that serves rijstaffel in the original style, served by young and lovely Indonesian girls.
     The Dalang Restaurant and Bar, tel. (0361) 771540, provides the promised view, but meals, especially the "Western" cuisine, are pricey, skimpy, and uninspired—what Balinese think Western food should taste like. A legong dance is staged at 2000 Tuesday and Friday nights; ask about free transport to and from Nusa Dua. In the same building is a moneychanger, minimarket, stamps for sale, and letterbox.
     A half dozen restaurants along Jl. Pratama, packed every night, draw business away from Tanjung's higher-priced restaurants. The clean and reasonably priced Nusa Sari Restaurant, Jl. Pratama 151 B, tel. (0361) 771701, near the car rental place of the same name, has excellent Balinese food and the portions are generous. Though they serve European food too, it's best to stick with the Balinese items on the menu—the nasi campur is especially tasty.
     A nasi campur place, Puri Panca Setia is opposite the Grand Mirage Hotel (don't confuse this with the Mirage Hotel). Warung Jakarta, also on the strip past Puri Joma heading north, has great nasi campur (Rp1200), Betawi-style gado-gado with mixed corn kernels (Rp800). Unbeatable prices for genuine Javanese cuisine.
     Bali Gonsaga, tel. (0361) 773642 is a tourist restaurant specializing in Italian food. Heading north on Jl. Pramata, it's just before the turnoff to Club Med and the Nusa Indah Hotel. Dishes are Rp8000-10,000. Open 1800-2300. Also at the start of Jl. Pramata are a number of small warung makan and street vendors selling less expensive and more genuine food.

Services
There are well-stocked shops and warung up and down the Tanjung strip. A public telephone (accepts cards) is at the lower, Bualu-end of Jl. Pratama; see the blue sign between Warung Karina and the bank. A small shop opposite the Grand Mirage offers laundry service.

Getting There
If you're coming from Bualu, the start of Jl. Pratama leading to Benoa village (no sign) looks like the entrance to a crowded, noisy, dusty, Javanese kampung. Green minibuses run up and down narrow Tanjung until sunset; Rp300 for foreigners. If you're still in Bualu after dark and want to get back to your hotel, find a taxi (Rp4000-5000).
     Per day rental car prices are relatively stable: Rp42,000 or so for a Jimney, about Rp52,500 for a kijang. Bali Indah, Jl. Pramata 51 B, tel. (0361) 71701, rents Suzuki Katanas for Rp35,000 (plus insurance). Also an authorized moneychanger with reasonable rates. CV Puri Sarana, which rents cars, is just before the Mirage Hotel. All the water sport agencies handle car rentals.
     Because of speeding traffic, the narrow road, and the absence of sidewalks, walking Jl. Pramata is unnerving and potentially dangerous. From Nusa Dua you can walk 1.5 hours on the beach north to Tanjung Benoa. Another approach is by boat; boats shuttle back and forth all day long if the tide is right (Rp5000 per person). From the beach in Benoa village, boatmen will take you across to Pulau Serangan for Rp30,000. It's cheaper to take one of the many small prahu from Desa Suwungan; take a right off Jl. Bypass on the way from Kuta to Sanur.