KUTA

The tree in the middle of Bemo Corner, that struggled for years against pollution and the onslaught of tourists, is dead. In late 1992, this solitary outpost of nature was finally cut down and replaced with a guardian statue. This event was part of a continuum that began in the 16th century, leading to today's rollicking honky-tonk tourist encrustation 10 km south of Denpasar on Bali's southwest coast. Kuta was just a sleepy fishing village on the way in from the airport when it was discovered by seasoned travelers in the late 1960s. Since then, tens of thousands of travelers, surfies, and package tourists have turned Kuta into a gigantic First World yuppie resort. If Sanur is Indonesia's Riviera, then Kuta is its Tijuana.
     Kuta is essentially five kilometers of close-packed pubs, chic boutiques, tacky restaurants, juice bars, bookstores, supermarkets, surf shops, tie-dye T-shirt outlets, travel agencies, moneychangers, beauty parlors, and blaring cassette shops. You can't walk 10 meters without encountering someone demanding you buy something. At night when the sun sets, Kuta Beach Road (Jl. Pantai Kuta) is an evil-smelling maze of bicycles, motorbikes, pedestrians, honking bemo, and cars plying their way through a smoggy layer of dust with thousands of milling people.
     At least five of 10 visitors here are free-spending Australians—they're particularly in evidence during the Australian school vacation period of December and January. When you have restaurants serving Vegemite sandwiches and Toad in a Hole (hotdog in a bun), and a pub called Koala Blu, you know Australia isn't far away. Most never leave the Kuta area the whole time they're on Bali. Another hectic period is the July to August holiday season, when flights disgorge hordes of French, German, and Spanish tourists. There are also vast numbers of Japanese tourists of all ages. The streets can get so crowded during July and August you're forced to walk in the street.
     In the 1830s, Kuta was a thriving slave market, attracting a wide variety of international lowlife, lepers, and black market practitioners. Some would say nothing has changed. Today Kuta's streets are full of Javanese foot peddlers, Madurese prostitutes, Surabaya transvestites, and ragged Bali Aga beggar women attended by their children. Garish signs and souvenir shops lend a tawdry air to the main roads, reaching far back into the village's narrow dirt lanes. Tenacious peddlers selling anything and everything pester sunbathers on the beach, and boys in dark glasses on motorcycles hustle tourists to buy "hashish" (a lie) or girls.
     Fortunately, the cancer of Kuta is confined to this relatively small enclave. And if you accept it for what it is, Kuta can be a fun place to visit. Although rubbishy, cluttered, and increasingly crowded, the resort has undergone a rehabilitation of sorts since 1994 and 1995. Flower beds have been planted all along the beach now, trash cans are placed every 100 meters, the nettlesome admission charge to the beach has been discarded, and the beachfront foodstalls are now required to sell at fixed prices. Kuta's streets are regularly patroled, and the Kuta banjar consistently receives commendations. For a slice of Old Bali, visit the local food/small goods market on the intersection of Jl. Pantai Kuta and Jl. Raya Tuban.
     Kuta offers cut-rate hedonism, nonstop nightlife, fancy restaurants, sophisticated hotels, some of Bali's best shopping, and surprisingly low prices for food (count on about Rp23,000-28,000 per day). Still one of the world's best-value hangouts and the island's liveliest and naughtiest spot.

Warnings
The local banjar have made a lot of headway in cleaning up crime and evicting predatory criminals, but rooms are still burglarized. It's imperative you find secure, well-guarded accommodations with bars on the windows. Always keep valuables more than an arm's reach from the windows. Watch out for children who gather around you and work in unison to pick your moneybelt or fannypack.
     On the beach and in the lanes, drug peddlers may seem friendly, but four of five will cheat you. Even worse, they may be working with the police. At night it's best to stay off the beach, particularly north of Legian. Strangers who come up and seem only to want to make conversation may pick pockets or bags under cover of darkness. At the end of the beach toward Seminyak are occasional muggings.

HISTORY

For centuries Kuta was a Sudra village of poor farmers, blacksmiths, and fishermen eking out a living from the sea. Starting with the great Majapahit general Gajah Mada six hundred years ago, invaders and foreigners have traditionally entered southern Bali through Kuta. Gajah Mada may have built a fortification here to protect his rearguard; kuta means "fortress." Later, it served as a port for Bali's Majapahit colony.
     In the 18th century, Kuta flourished as an important collection point for the Balinese slave trade. Mads Lange, the swashbuckling 19th-century Danish trader, established a vast commercial compound beside the river. During his eventful years in Bali, Lange often acted as a liaison between the Balinese rajas and the Dutch, successfully arranging a peace treaty after the Dutch attacked the south in 1848-49. Lange died mysteriously in 1856, probably poisoned at the hand of a jealous prince prodded by the Dutch. His grave lies near the crumbled remains of his house in the Chinese cemetary of central Kuta. (For more on Mads Lange, see the special topic "The White Raja of Bali: Mads Lange.")
     By the turn of the 20th century Kuta village had become a port of call for resupplying and repairing European ships trading in spices. Like any port, it harbored rogues, scoundrels, and subjects who had fallen out of favor with Bali's royal courts.
     In the 1930s, Muriel Pearson, better known by her pen name Ketut Tantri, established a hotel, The Sound of the Sea, which she eventually sold to a young Californian surfer and his wife, Bob and Louise Koke, who renamed it the Kuta Beach Hotel. This charming early Kuta establishment featured little thatched houses, brick patios, small household temples, and child servants in gay sarung. The hotel remained in operation until the Japanese invaded. After the war the hotel was rebuilt and is still in operation.
     In the late 1960s, word of Kuta spread rapidly along the travelers' trail and a constant stream of world travelers was drawn to its sunny wide beach, cheap bamboo losmen, and relaxed beach life. At first travelers stayed in Denpasar and ventured to Kuta on day trips, but soon the villagers began renting out thatch huts to visitors, also opening makeshift restaurants serving lassi and Western dishes. In 1975, the first large luxury hotels were built, catering to the needs of tourists. The cows and buffalo that used to graze in the fields in between the losmen, with their big tick-tocking wooden bells, have long disappeared, and the farmers and fishermen lugging their plows or nets down the dusty back lanes were long ago replaced by tipsy revelers and sputtering motorcycles.
     The massive tourist influx has transformed this whole coastal strip from Bali's poorest district to one of the most prosperous in all of Indonesia. Kuta and Legian have grown spontaneously and exponentially, without a plan. While the big, swank hotels of Sanur were built by businesses from other islands, the budget hotels and restaurants on Kuta are for the most part the work of local entrepreneurs. In spite of the dozen upmarket hotels, to this day Kuta and Legian retain their reputation as resorts catering to budget-conscious travelers.

SPORTS AND RECREATION

The Beach
Kuta's six-kilometer-long, crescent-shaped surfing beach, protected by a coral reef at its southern end, and long and wide enough for Frisbee contests and soccer games, is famous for its beautiful tropical sunsets and broad swath of gray sand. Too bad it's so polluted. You can't swim without catching plastic trash in your mouth, hands, and feet.
     You'll see everything here—Western kids doing wheelies with BMXs, topless Italian women, Euromen in G-strings, beach-tennis players, California joggers, patrolling Indonesian soldiers, clusters of carts selling steamed corn and bags of peanuts, hefty Dutch matrons, packs of mangy dogs, hordes of Javanese tourists, cyclists, horseback riders, hippies, masseurs, and whole Australian families with Whoopi Goldberg hairdos. Huge crowds gather at sunset, setting up tripods, reading novels, strumming guitars, swigging cold beer, tripping on magic mushrooms. Vendors, who may not venture beyond an official demarcation line, offer massages, drinks, souvenirs, and bikinis. Large sun umbrellas are for rent. Nude swimming and sunbathing, as well as motorcycle and surf buggy riding, are frowned upon by the local police. The beach is extremely crowded in August and December. For any semblance of seclusion you have to walk north for at least a kilometer past Legian.
     Although Kuta's beach is inviting, watch the treacherous undertow and strong currents. Since 1958, over 100 tourists have drowned here. Always swim within the flag markers on the beach, keep near the crowds and lifeguards, and remain within the reef.

Surfing
Kuta became a hippie haven and surf paradise in the early '70s. The best waves are the left-handers out on Kuta Reef; the best surfing is from March to July. Kuta Reef is accessible by motorized outrigger from Jimbaran for about Rp30,000-40,000. Young Kuta cowboys tend to be real possessive about their waves, so make friends with them first. For surfing equipment, head for the dozen or so surf shops on Jl. Bakung Sari and Jl. Legian. Run by veteran surfers, these shops rent and sell surfboards, boogie boards, and such accessories as water-sport wear and tide charts. These guys can also give you current information on the state of the surf. Surfboards can also be rented on the beach.

Scuba Diving
Wally Siagian, who gained world fame after the publication of Periplus Edition's best-selling Underwater Indonesia (1991), takes small groups on tours to his favorite dive sites. Wally specializes in night dives, spear fishing, and marine photography. Contact Baruna Water Sports, Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai 300 B, Kuta, tel. (0361) 753809, fax 752779, the longest-established and best scuba dive operator on Bali. Another well respected operator is Bali Dolphin at the Bali Garden Hotel, Jl. Kartika, tel. (0361) 752725, ext. 139; these people can also arrange parasailing, fishing, jet skiing, and waterskiing activities.

North of Kuta
At low tide, bicycle rides or walks along the firm, moist sand are refreshing. Heading north of Kuta, you can ride for about seven kilometers. At this point either retrace your tracks or turn inland at the thatched roofs of Seminyak's Bali Oberoi and return to Kuta via Jl. Legian. Although the new tourist accommodations springing up north of Legian in Canggu and Pererean are bringing more people to previously isolated beaches, the crowds thin the farther north you get. If you're walking or riding northwest to Tanah Lot, you have to cross several rivers and stretches of deep black lava sand where the coast is rocky and unsuitable for swimming.
     Along the beach to the northwest of Kuta, on the estuary of a lazy river, is the unusual temple of Pura Petitenget. Built entirely of white coral, this traditional temple was founded by one of the first Hindu-Javanese priests, Sanghyang Nirantha, on his journey along the beach to Uluwatu. After defeating a local bhuta, this Balinese-Hindu saint invited the people of the village of Krobokan to build a temple here to commemorate the place where the sacred books of India, the Vedas, were first brought to Bali. Pura Petitenget shares a common forecourt with the subak temple of Pura Ulun Tanjung. This was also the spot where the first Dutchman, Captain Cornelis de Houtman, set foot on Bali in 1596.

ACCOMMODATIONS

There are hundreds of losmen, beach inns, bungalows, cottages, and hotels here. Since the main roads Jl. Pantai Kuta and Jl. Legian are all built out, new accommodations appear down the lanes to either side of these roads. Each lane is actually a little neighborhood unto itself, with its own warung, shops, hotels, and strip of beach where the neighborhood gathers at sunset.
There are about 15 international-class (Rp210,000 and up) accommodations, 75 medium-priced (Rp75,000-160,000) accommodations, and about 350 budget joints with the cheapest class of rooms in the Rp40,000-80,000 range. In the low season (March-June), you can bargain prices down by as much as 20%. Don't get stuck paying Rp50,000 (plus tax) for a mosquito-ridden hole just because it's near the beach when a really together place like Dua Dara (Rp12,000 d) off Poppies Lane II is a much better value.
     At the airport or along the road, Balinese owners, houseboys, and touts pitch losmen in person; some of these leads are worthwhile. Signs erected at the start of many lanes point the way to hidden accommodations. Avoid places along or near noisy, smelly, and polluted Jl. Panti Kuta and Jl. Legian; opt instead for accommodations in the back lanes nearer the beach or in the outskirts of Kuta. The villages north of Legian along the coast—Seminyak, Petitenget, Canggu—tend to be quieter and more easygoing, with lower prices and fewer peddlers. There are also many private, fan-cooled bungalows for rent in these villages; expect to pay about Rp20,000-30,000 per day. The drawbacks to staying here are lack of public transport to goods and services and the possibility of break-ins.
     In the high season (July-Sept., December, January), hotels are booked solid so make reservations far in advance. There are so many places now and such intense competition that proprietors are often inclined to give a discount for stays of three or more days, so the inevitable first question is "How many nights?" Bargain. Following is a sample of the many accommodations available.

Budget
Kuta villagers created Indonesia's first budget seaside accommodations, which exist to this day—rows of concrete cells hastily erected in the family compound, with a basic mandi in back of each cubicle and a long, narrow veranda in front. Cheap bamboo furniture and spartan breakfast.
     Maha Bharata in Banjar Pengabetan off Jl. Legian, tel. (0361) 752027, has clean rooms with toilet and kamar mandi for only Rp15,000 including breakfast (jaffles and tea). Suci Bungalows, Jl. Pantai Kuta 65, tel. (0361) 753761, is also a good deal. Each room (Rp12,000 s, Rp15,000 d) has an overhead fan and private porch with bamboo chair facing a well-kept garden; light breakfast included in price. Good restaurant.
     Relatively nice, with a secure inner courtyard, is Puspa Beach Inn, tel. (0361) 751988, on a lane off Jl. Bakung Sari. Rooms have fans, private bathrooms, and showers—a good deal in the heart of Kuta. A bit higher priced but still reasonable is La Walon Bungalows with pool; Rp40,000 d in high season, Rp37,800 d low season. The Kuta Suci Bungalows, tel. (0361) 52617, off Poppies Lane II, charges Rp30,000 s, Rp40,000 d per room. Basic but quiet and clean; two higher-priced cottages. Two minutes from the beach is Yulia Beach Inn on Jl. Pantai Kuta 43, tel. (0361) 751862, fax 751055. The 48 rooms start at Rp20,000 s, Rp25,000 d for fans and shared bath and rise to Rp45,000 s, Rp50,000 d for bungalows with fridge, a/c, private bath, and hot water. Also available are safety deposit boxes; postal and laundry service; car, motorbike, bicycle, and minibus hire; and daily tours starting at about Rp15,000 per person. The 16-room Mama's Beach Inn, tel. (0361) 751994 or 751512, is close to restaurants and clubs. From Jl. Legian, enter the lane beside Panin Bank. It's best suited for indestructible Aussie surfers who don't need a lot of sleep and like to stick with their own kind. Rates are Rp15,000 s, Rp20,000 d with cold shower, fan, no breakfast. Very conveniently located—maybe too much so, as street sounds intrude.
Bali Indra Village Resort
behind Depot Viva, tel. (0361) 752167, has 15 air-conditioned rooms with TV and IDD for Rp80,500 s, Rp90,000 d, and a great swimming pool.
     Close to the frenzy and very convenient is Komala Indah I on Poppies Lane I opposite Poppies Cottages and just before the turn to Gang Bedugul; Rp10,000 s, Rp15,000 d with fan and mandi. Around the corner (north) on Gang Bedugul are two cheap places: Puri Agung is a little ways down on the right, not that noisy, extremely central, yet only Rp15,000-20,000 s with fan. Opposite Puri Agung on the same lane is Taman Ayu with 15 ground floor rooms (Rp10,000 s, Rp15,000 d) clustered around a small compound.
     Good value Berlian Inn, Poppies Lane I, tel. (0361) 751501, is quiet and close to the beach. Rooms with private bath, shower, hot water, fans, and bamboo decor go for Rp35,000 s, Rp46,000 d. With a/c, Rp51,000 s, Rp62,000 d. If heading for the beach, turn right into the lane just before the Tree House Restaurant.
     Rita's House, in an alley between Poppies Lane I and Poppies Lane II, tel. (0361) 751760, is close to the beach and costs only Rp15,000 s, Rp20,000 d with fan, Rp25,000 s, Rp35,000 d with a/c, fan, and mandi. Quiet and away from the intense hustle, Rita's sets up tours, has parking, and can recommend batik, music, and painting teachers.
     Mutiara, tel. (0361) 752091, has 15 two-unit cottages. Two are a/c (Rp75,000) and the rest are fan-cooled (Rp60,000) with twin beds, Western showers and toilets, hot water. Price includes breakfast. Plastic accepted. The pool is gorgeous and the central garden is nice and peaceful as it's set back from Poppies Lane. You'll seldom hear any noise except the roosters. The Mutiara can safely store your things while you travel. Also check out the Sari Bali, the owner's other hotel on the same lane, which offers poolside service. Arena's Bungalows, close to the beach on a lane off Poppies Lane, is clean, well-run, and quiet. Small bungalows are Rp25,000 s, Rp35,000 d. One of the best breakfasts in Indonesia: fresh fruit salad and wonderful jaffles. Free tea.
     Maharani Hotel and Restaurant, tel. (0361) 751863, fax 752589, is a sterile, four-story hotel with pool. Rp138,000 s, Rp161,000 d for garden view, Rp207,000 s, Rp276,000 d for seaview; including breakfast, tax, and service. Half-hearted breakfast, not enough towels. Mediocre, but then again it's not that expensive for a hotel fronting the beach.
     Many Rp15,000-plus places on Poppies Lane II are on the grungy side, both inside and out. An exception is the amazingly clean and tidy Pension Dua Dara, Segara Batu Bolong Lane, just off Poppies Lane II (entrance is opposite Twice Restaurant), tel. (0361) 754031. Each room (Rp10,000 s and Rp15,000 d) has bath, fan, and terrace. An incredible deal if you don't mind such inconveniences as no bathroom mirrors or towel-racks. Safety deposit boxes, free breakfast including coffee, toast, jaffle, and fruit salad, plus tea all day. The drinks are cheaper than in restaurants. Phone available. Caters mostly to young Australian surfers. Palm Gardens Homestay, tel. (0361) 752198, consists of clean brick cottages (Rp20,000 s, Rp25,000 d) with mandi, showers, nice private gardens, moneychanger, and tour service. Towels changed everyday, floors mopped, bathrooms cleaned. Several good restaurants nearby. Very private, little noise. Clean, safe, reasonably priced Suji Bungalows, tel./fax (0361) 752483, asks for its double bungalows Rp25,000 s, Rp35,000 d with fan, Rp33,000 s, Rp48,000 d for a/c. Pool, nice staff, and price includes breakfast. Recommended.
     Bali Dwipa I, still a beautiful place with a courtyard full of wonderful flowers, is 700 meters from the beach. Three stories, best rooms on top floor (Rp15,000). The bathrooms are not completely enclosed, with flush toilets outside. The breakfast is not spectacular but you can have hot tea anytime. Cars and motorcycles for rent. Also check out Bali Dwipa II, down the lane toward the beach.
     A great discovery is Dewi Ratih Cottages, tel. (0361) 751694, an inexpensive home away from home. On a side lane off Poppies Lane II, it's only 300 meters from Kuta Mall and 300 meters from the beach. They have only four cottages with 16 rooms for only Rp40,000-58,000 including breakfast, each with veranda, a/c, modern bath, hot water. The carved furniture was especially designed for the hotel. Beautiful gardens, swimming pool. An oasis of tranquility in the middle of madness. Bargain for longer stays. Call for reservations.
     Sari Bali Cottages, tel. (0361) 753065, fax 752948, in central Kuta between Poppies Lane I and II, has 34 rooms, with a/c, private bath, and hot water, in an attractive garden for Rp54,000 s, Rp60,000 d. Fan-cooled rooms available for Rp33,000 s, Rp42,000 d. All prices include tax and service. Pool, open-air restaurant, bar. Easy access to the beach, plus a disco, supermarket, and pubs nearby.
     The little lane of Gang Bena Sari comes closest to what Kuta was like in the old days. Halfway to Legian on the left-hand side, running between Jl. Legian and the ocean, Gang Bena Sari is diagonally across from the Mastapa Cottages. It has relatively sparse traffic, a great traveler's eatery (RM Panca Rasa), about five quieter losmen/homestays, and a warung. One of the quietest, prettiest losmen on Kuta is the Lusa Inn with spacious yard/garden, good security, and big rooms for only Rp25,000 s, Rp35,000 d. Also noteworthy is Komala Indah II, which has rooms with Asian toilets for Rp12,000 s, Rp15,000 d; newer rooms with Western flush toilets are Rp15,000 s, Rp25,000 d. Here you can live in a Balinese compound in a bungalow with shower, bath, sink, fan, mosquito nets, good beds, tile floors, and private garden. The place is clean, safe, quiet, private, and only a five-minute walk to either Jl. Legian or the beach. Free tea, jaffle breakfast. Nice boys run it.

Moderate
Medium-priced hotels have a/c, hot water, and pools, and many offer IDD telephones in the rooms. They do not, however, have the range of sports facilities and cultural activities of the luxury class hotels, though they do provide vehicles for rent and can take small groups of guests on personalized tours.
     Pride of place goes to Poppies, Poppies Gong 1, Box 3378, Denpasar 80033, tel. (0361) 751059, fax 752364, which offers luxury, charm, privacy, and security in the heart of Kuta for Rp155,000 d, Rp145,000 s in 20 delightful Bali-style bungalows. Tax and service charge of 7.5% will be added to the rates. Cenik, the owner, started with just a warung on the beach. Poppies is peacefully enclosed in its own complex, a maze of stone paths meandering through lush gardens and lily ponds. Each unit has a/c, ceiling fans, fridges, hot water, baby cots; some have kitchens. Efficiently managed, Poppies provides complete room service, babysitters, safety deposit boxes, pool, free airport transfers, even parking. Book early as they have a steady and loyal clientele. Poppies runs another set of bungalows on Poppies Lane II, without pool, for Rp50,000 s, Rp120,000 d.
     In 1973 The Mastapa Garden Cottages (Jl. Legian, Box 13, Denpasar, tel. 0361-751660, fax 755098) opened in the midst of a jungle. Within a decade, Kuta and Legian enveloped the cottages, now ideally located between Kuta and Legian. Its a/c rooms and bungalows, set way in from the street, surround a small, clean swimming pool and gardens. Enjoy home cooking in their upstairs restaurant (hearty banana pancakes, Hungarian goulash soup, tempura). Remarkably quiet and safe despite its eye-of-the-storm location, Mastapa is perfect for a few days' rest at reasonable rates: Rp80,000-105,000 s, Rp95,000-140,000 d. Higher-priced family units have TV, fridge, coffee and tea making supplies, and private rooftop terrace. All prices includes continental breakfast, but add 21% for service and taxes. Island tours, painting exhibitions, occasional Balinese dances in the inner courtyard, special buffets, childcare, fax, IDD, secretarial services, small conference facility, laundry, and luggage storage all available. About the best deal for the money in all of Kuta.
     The Pendawa Inn, tel. (0361) 752387, in south Kuta lies down a lane across from the Kartika Plaza Hotel. A beautiful, well-kept garden, clean rooms with showers and Western toilets, friendly people. Tranquil and a bit away from the rush, it's about a five-minute walk to the beach and near a good, inexpensive restaurant, Puspa Ayu. Convenient because of its proximity to the airport. Rp40,000-80,000 (many classes); discounts for stays of a week or longer. Jimneys with a/c can be hired for about Rp60,000 per day.
     Near Legian is Wina Cottage, tel. (0361) 751867, fax 751569, which offers 129 rooms around a tropical garden, with western style interiors. Prices vary; fan-cooled rooms run Rp60,000 s, Rp70,000 d, a/c studios Rp100,000 s, Rp110,000 d, and a/c deluxe units Rp140,000 s, Rp160,000 d. Amenities include private bath, hot water, wall-to-wall carpet, fridge, TV, tropical gardens, pool, videos in restaurant, drugstore, bar, safety deposit boxes, bicycles and motorbikes for rent, complimentary fruit basket every afternoon at 1400, free tea and ice water daily, free transport to and from the airport, shuttles to Kuta every hour from 0800-2100. Great value.
     The 45-room Hotel Ramayana on Jl. Bakung Sari (Box 3334, Denpasar 80033, tel. 0361-751864, fax 751866) has rooms for Rp120,000-150,000, depending on whether you want fan or a/c. Add 21% tax and service. Food is above average, staff very polite, excellent service, tennis courts. Very central, only 200 meters from the beach and across the road from pubs and discos. Very good value.
     Between the Kuta Beach Club and Yan's Travel Service on Jl. Bakung Sari is reasonable Kuta Village Inn, Box 3186, tel. (0361) 753052, fax 753051, very quiet, beautiful walled verdant backyard with pool. Three classes of rooms: Rp46,000 s, Rp60,000 d standard, fan only; Rp80,000 s, Rp100,000 d, deluxe, TV; Rp110,000 family rooms. All rooms have hot water. Just 200 meters away from the beach.
     A good deal for Rp70,000-105,000 plus 15.5% tax and service is Willy's Inn, in the middle of Kuta at Jl. Tengal Wangi 18, tel. (0361) 751281. Willy's 26 rooms have antique furniture, tasteful art, verandas, and private open-air garden bathrooms under big mango trees—cheap, quaint, cool, quiet, beautiful, and full of character.
     Popular Barong Cottages on Poppies Lane II, tel. (0361) 751804, has three-story rooms with two double beds, a/c, shower, and hot water for Rp47,500 s, Rp50,000 d. Rooms with fan are Rp40,000 s, Rp46,000 d. Price includes breakfast of toast, juice, coffee, and sliced fruit. Pool, gardens, restaurant, bar, nice views from each room's terrace.
     Indah Beach Hotel, Poppies Lane II, tel. (0361) 753327, fax 752787, is a tranquil hideaway in the center of the bustle. A few minute's walk from the beach, this small and intimate hotel has outstanding service and a tropical decor. Rp60,000 s or d for standard rooms; Rp70,000 s or d for superior rooms. All rooms are air-conditioned and equipped with all the conveniences.
     Modestly priced and quite comfortable Fat Yogi Cottages, Poppies Lane I, tel./fax (0361) 751665, has rooms with fan, shower, bathtub, and hot water for Rp38,000 s, Rp40,000 d including breakfast, but not including 15.5% tax and service. Facilities include pool, Italian restaurant, bar, laundry, and taxi service. Plastic accepted.

Jalan Pantai Kuta
Kuta Seaview Cottages (Box 3036, Denpasar, tel. 0361-751961, fax 751962) is on the beach, though few rooms in the three-story block actually have a view of the sea. In all there are 37 Balinese-style standard rooms, Rp100,000 s, Rp120,000 d, and cottages, Rp90,000 s, Rp100,000 d. Cottages are older than rooms. Prices include tax and service. There's a Chinese/European restaurant on the premises.
     Newer Aneka Beach Bungalows, tel. (0361) 752892, fax 71777, is just across the road from the beach. Attractive, air-conditioned, thatch-roof bungalows cost Rp80,500 s, Rp92,000 d. Amenities include pool, karaoke screen, nice grounds.
     Kuta Jaya Cottage (Jl. Pantai Kuta, Box 1093 TBB, tel. 0361-752308, fax 752309) costs Rp161,000 for standard rooms, Rp196,000 for superior, plus an additional 17.5% tax and service. The staff is courteous and grounds silent, even though it's in the middle of Kuta. Large swimming pool with sunken bar, and the beach is only a three-minute walk away. See the sunset from the 24-hour restaurant. Open-stage for cultural events, shopping arcade, photo center, drugstore, bank, and travel agency.
     Bali Anggrek Inn (Box 435, Denpasar, tel. 0361-751265, fax 751766) has 151 rather ordinary rooms in four classes, with all the usual amenities. Their large pool, claimed to be the only above-the-ground one on Bali, has nice views over the beach.
     Farther south, on Jl. Pantai Banjar Segara, is 100-room Palm Beach Cottages, tel. (0361) 751661-2, fax 752432, with pool, restaurant, disco, meeting rooms, and sea view from second- and third-floor rooms. Standard rooms (smaller, no balcony) are Rp50,000 s, Rp60,000 d, superior rooms are Rp120,000 s, Rp130,000 d. All rates subject to 15.5% tax and service. No charge for children under 12. Continental breakfast Rp8000, American Rp10,000, table d'hote dinner Rp18,000, Bali Night Buffet Dinner Rp20,000.

Luxury Class
Kuta boasts world-class resort hotels featuring every convenience. Many of these more expensive places deal only in dollars and may even find it difficult to figure out rupiah amounts!
     Holiday Inn Bali Hai, Jl. Wana Segara 33, tel. (0361) 753035, fax 752527, is on the beach on three hectares of landscaped gardens, only a few minutes' walk from Kuta's center. Rates: standard Rp240,000 s or d; bungalows Rp360,000 s or d. Incorporates all the facilities and services one would expect from a Holiday Inn anywhere in the world.
     The 32-room Natour Kuta Beach Hotel, Jl. Pantai Kuta, Box 393, Denpasar, tel. (0361) 751361, fax 751362, has quiet bungalows and lush gardens and overlooks the beach. Standard rooms are US$70 s, US$80 d, while junior suites run US$125. There's a very busy Garuda agent in the hotel. Natour also owns the venerable Bali Hotel in Denpasar, Bali's first hotel, established in 1927.
     To the south along the beach, the Bali Garden Hotel, Box 1101, tel. (0361) 752725, fax 753851, under joint Japanese-Balinese ownership, is international-standard, pampering, and expensive (cheapest double room is US$106 s in the low season). Amenities include regular cultural performances, Japanese restaurant, tour desk, disco. Although the harmonious decor, the teakwood furnishings, colorful textiles, and pots of fresh flowers help, it doesn't measure up to the beauty of the Kartika Plaza and yet it costs about the same.
     Support the greens? Four-star Bali Dynasty Resort, Jl. Kartika Plaza (Box 2047, Tuban 80361, tel. 0361-752403, fax 752402), is managed by the reliable and high-end Shangri-La International chain. This luxurious hotel supports a number of environmentally friendly policies like the installation of a sewage treatment plant and redirecting waste to the garden of fruit trees, herbs, and spices. They also use biodegradable chemicals in the kitchen and laundry. The Dynasty's Fun Pub is a relaxed venue with pool tables and a popular karaoke machine that can be used with a full, live band.
     Five-star Hotel Kartika Plaza (Box 84, Denpasar, tel. 0361-751067, fax 752475) has 304 elegant rooms (US$110 s, US$120 d) plus 81 Balinese-style bungalows (US$115 s, US$125 d) set in a huge 12-hectare garden. The rooms are in the four-story wings that wrap around the giant pool and gardens. Standard bungalows are cozy, Bali-style, and have their own pool. Clearly in the splurge category—a pioneer upmarket hotel on Kuta—it boasts an Olympic-size pool (open to the public for Rp2000) and an impressive full-size and well-equipped fitness center, including three clay tennis courts with instructors, massage rooms, weight room, and two jacuzzis. Kartika's breakfast buffet is US$12.50, lunch US$18.50, dinner US$23. Their subterranean, air-conditioned Bali Tavern has an exhibit of Blanco originals, a complete menu, and a happy hour 1700-2000. The air-conditioned Rejang Restaurant is a 24-hour coffee shop open seven days a week, and their new Chi-Chi's Grill and Cantina (tel. 0361-757937) specializes in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. Each day of the week there's a buffet dinner (US$23) put on in the open-air theater featuring a different international cuisine, accompanied by a dazzling cultural performance. In their "Trip Around Asia" evening, visit night market stalls set up in the courtyard. The Kartika claims to have the most complete conference/convention center facilities on Bali, which can cater for up to 800. The hotel is near the airport, but you don't hear the planes. And it's only a 10-minute walk to Kuta. Worth the money.
     Nearby and toward Kuta is another first-class resort, Bintang Bali Hotel, Jl. Kartika Plaza, Box 1068, Kuta, tel. (0361) 753292, fax 753288 or 753288, with 401 rooms and suites forming two wings, surrounded by a six-hectare garden that meets the white-sand beach. Though a blockish property, it boasts sophisticated restaurants with sumptuous buffets, bars, a piano lounge, disco with an "unrivaled lighting system," a karaoke Supper Club, swimming pool with waterfall, jacuzzi and cold dip, tennis court, gym, sauna, billiards, game room, massage, shopping arcade, conference facilties. Prices start at US$105 s, US$130 d, and climb to US$990 for the Presidential Suite.
     Dead center to all the action, 200 meters from the beach but peacefully set back from Jl. Bakung Sari, is the Kuta Beach Club, Box 226, tel. (0361) 751261, fax 752896. Its 120 plushly furnished bungalows cost US$38 s, US$42 d. There's a pool and sundecks.
     The big, upmarket 325-room Sahid Bali Seaside Cottages on Jl. Pantai Kuta, Box 1102, tel. (0361) 753855, fax 752019, part of the 14-hotel Sahid chain, is the only four-star hotel along Jl. Pantai Kuta. The tariff averages US$60 s, US$70 d for dependably predictable Motel 6-type rooms. If you're a nonsmoker, request the cottage section. The rooms stink of cigarette smoke. Its selling points are that it's right across from the beach, not so expensive, a mixture of Javanese and Balinese architecture, has beautiful, landscaped gardens, and has a nice lobby bar—the only hotel lobby where you can see the sea, particularly nice at sunset. Also a karaoke and live music room, children's playground, sports facilities, a 200-square-meter putting range, and the biggest pool on Kuta.

FOOD

Kuta's streets are lined with literally hundreds of restaurants serving a truly international, mind-boggling range of cuisine. They come in every size, price range, and degree of sophistication, serving Chinese, pseudo-Western, and Indonesian food, and all play the latest hit songs or videos. Don't leave without trying the seafood Kuta is famous for: succulent lobster, barbecued bluefish and mackerel, crab dishes, tuna steaks. Compared to Ubud or Candidasa, Kuta's food is not cheap. Lobsters here cost as much as Rp90,000. Ridiculously expensive jumbo shrimp are another favorite of free-spending tourists. An average meal is about Rp6000-7000, not including drinks. But its restaurants are as cheap as Singapore's, three times cheaper than New York's, and five times cheaper than Tokyo's. Look for fliers offering discounts of up to 50% at various restaurants. Some of Kuta's cheapest food is in the pasar senggol behind the post office.
     On hotel row along Jl. Kartika Plaza is a whole series of restaurants that target hotel guests who balk at the Rp20,000 required for extravagant buffet breakfasts and dinners or hanker after a different dining experience than those offered in the monster hotels. One such opportunistic restaurant is Bali Sunrise, opposite the Kartika Plaza, where American and continental breakfasts are Rp6000 and Rp3500 respectively. Ask other travelers for the latest, best places to eat. Back-lane eateries are naturally quieter and less dusty and noisy than those in downtown Kuta and along Jl. Legian. Most of Kuta's restaurants close at around 2000.
     Soups, Javanese rujak tahu, nasi and mie goreng, pisang goreng, wok stir-fries, steamed corn, steamed peanuts, and sweets are sold from carts that trundle down the main streets and back lanes of Kuta—heaps of food for under Rp2000.

Indonesian/Balinese Food
A multitude of warung are scattered throughout Kuta's side streets and alleys, most catering to the Indonesians who work in Kuta. Disappointing is the fact that not one restaurant in Kuta—with the possible exception of Made's Warung—exclusively serves up genuine Balinese food. On menus you see lots of mediocre gado-gado and soto ayam from Java, gulai from Madura, and Chinese cap cay, but no lawar. The Ketupat Restaurant, Jl. Legian 109, tel. (0361) 754209 or 754292, serves genuine Indonesian food, but it's a bit expensive.
     Bali Seafood Market and Restaurants, tel. (0361) 753902, fax 754575, south of the Kartika Plaza and opposite the Santika Beach Hotel on Jl. Kartika Plaza, claims to serve Balinese seafood, but it's more Chinese-style. The fish is fresh, cooked just the way you want it. Phone for free transportation.
     In the labyrinthine alleys, a few Balinese warung do survive, but these you really have to hunt down or hear about by word of mouth. One standout is on Jl. Tengal Wangi where a fantastic nasi campur is served for about Rp1000; walk down from Willy's and it's on the left just before Jl. Buni Sari. Catering as it does to locals, it could be closed early, the ibu could have run out of food, or she could have gone to a festival.
     Spicy Lombok food is sold at Rumah Makan Taliwang Bersaudera on Jl. Imam Bonjol (the road to Denpasar), on the right-hand side about one kilometer up from Kentucky Fried Chicken. It's near the Lombok clay pot outlet. As is the case with most restaurants catering to Indonesians and not tourists, the row of restaurants here prepares decidedly better cuisine than 90% of Kuta's restaurants. A chicken dinner with vegetables and drink at the Taliwang will set you back about Rp7000.
     The famous Dutch colonial rijstaffel dinner is served at the Mastapa Garden Hotel's (Jl. Legian, tel. 0361-751660) upstairs restaurant every Friday night.

Chinese Restaurants
With high customer turnover and international menus, the steaming, busy, open-fronted Chinese restaurants of Kuta specialize in seafood and barbecue dishes. After picking out your size or quantity of fish from ice trays in front, order the dish prepared either spicy or bland. The freshness of the food compensates for the lack of intimacy and personal attention. Reservations not necessary.
     At big, lively, smoky, open, central, and crowded Mini Restaurant, opposite the disco on Jl. Legian, pay about Rp15,000 for a big fish that feeds two to three. Try such seafood dishes as the incomparable sweet and sour shrimp with rice, delicious crabs, or lobster. Mini is packed at night, so go early. Another Chinese seafood restaurant, Bali Indah Bar and Restaurant on Jl. Buni Sari, tel. (0361) 751937 or 752433, prepares sumptuous food in an authentic Chinese style. Across the street from the Mini is the slightly higher priced Indah Sari, where you can see seafood grilled on an open fire, then dine in a pleasing atmosphere of natural bamboo and old-fashioned Casablanca fans.
     SC Restaurant, down from the Mini, is another perennially popular Chinese seafood restaurant, though, in my opinion, deluded by success and way overpriced. The mie kuah udang, for example, is depressingly ordinary—a ripoff at Rp4000!
     On Jl. Pantai Kuta is another old favorite, Lenny's, tel. (0361) 752925, a good-quality seafood restaurant near the beach, but it's not for the impecunious: Rp15000-35,000 for a fish, while prawns run Rp12,000 and up. The frog legs are very good. Good service.
     Plaza Bali Chinese Seafood Restaurant, tel. (0361) 754066, in the Bali Plaza serves outstanding seafood with prices to match. Authentic Asian food, not modified for Western tastes. Order the Special Fried Rice (Rp21,000) and a large, cold San Miguel (Rp6000) and you won't regret it. Dance and theatrical performances seven days a week.
     One of the best budget restaurants on Kuta is K Grand at Jl. Legian 438, a little past Mastapa on the right toward Legian, with very reasonable Chinese-style food, although their fruit juices are kind of weak. Stick to the fish dinners. A whole fish and a cap cai for under Rp15,000 can easily feed two. A good restaurant but not as consistently good as RM Panca Rasa.
     The small RM Panca Rasa (formerly El Dorado), on Gang Bena Sari (Gang Lusa Inn) off Jl. Legian, is an excellent traveler's eatery, serving a variety of international dishes—one of Kuta's best restaurants for the money. Especially popular for breakfast and with Hollanders since Chinese owner Tjipto Wiyono speaks Dutch. Known for a top-notch nasi campur (Rp2600) and wonderful iced fruit juices and lasi (Rp1400-2000). Open 0800-2000. Gang Bena Sari is about midway between Kuta and Legian on the left.
     In the same budget category is Viva's (formerly Gemini) at Jl. Legian 135, tel. (0361) 751742. A poor man's Mini Restaurant, but much better value—the prices are unbelievable. Specializes in Chinese food and seafood. Everything on the menu is outstanding. Very clean, first-class service. Open 1000-1430 and 1800-2300.

In a Class of Their Own
The in-place is still age-old Made's Warung, tel. (0361) 751923, right on Jl. Pantai Kuta, two minutes' walk toward the beach from Bemo Corner, with great food and an inimitable atmosphere. For over 20 years, Made's has served excellent jaffles, smoked salmon on rye with cream cheese, chili, cappuccino, fresh-squeezed carrot juice, and absolutely top-class nasi campur. Dinner specialties include gado-gado, tuna fish with spicy Bali sauce, sushi deluxe, and rijstaffel (served on Saturday at 1700 only; get there early). Also European breakfast. A lively, crowded place and peerless venue for people-watching. Though every dish is good, the place isn't cheap; difficult to eat well here for less than Rp12,000-15,000. Open 0830-2400. Made's has a branch in Seminyak.
     Some of the best Mexican food (actually Tex-Mex, with a touch of California) on Bali can be enjoyed in TJ's, tel. (0361) 751093, down Poppies Lane, halfway to the beach. Particularly prized are Jean's tacos and chips and salsa, but the varied, tantalizing menu also includes Chicken Fajitas (Rp11,500), Seafood Bahia (Rp10,000), famous Chocolate Diablo Cake (Rp3000), and chocolate mousse (Rp3500). Beef Fajitas are made with high quality fillet steak, and the flour tortillas are ground by hand then rolled with a beer bottle. Great wide wooden bar, too, with long drink menu, famous Jose Cuervo margaritas, free snacks, racy Latin music, and lots of conviviality in the evenings. Here you could meet anybody. Pray Woodruff is there.
     Managed by Poppies, the Kopi Pot, Jl. Legian 82, tel. (0361) 752614, is one of the best places for vegetarian dishes. They also offer continental cooking, seafood, and the better known Indonesian dishes. Also well known for its steaks. Open daily until 2300. Relaxing, terraced garden setting; also an upstairs area away from the noise. Off-road parking. Look for fliers giving a 15% discount for meals over Rp20,000. Open 0800. Aroma's in south Legian is the other well-known vegetarian restaurant of the area.
     The Bebek Mas, Jl. Kartika Plaza, tel./fax (0361) 752750, is an elegant gourmet restaurant done up in colonial style, in front of Melasti Beach Bungalows. It serves big portions of creative European-style food but for a moderate price. Very good French cuisine: the Chateaubriand steak (Rp26,000), cut right at your table, is enough for two people. A house specialty is the bebek tutu. Also recommended are the seafood salad, crab and grapefruit salad, and the Fettucini Señor Bianca.
     The menu du jour is excellent, and each evening the restaurant spotlights different cuisine. On Thursday an authentic rijstaffel is presented by a whole line of waitresses in tempo doeloe to the accompaniment of a joged dance. If you have a group, the rijstaffel can be ordered on other days one day in advance. On Sunday a terribly touristy Frog Dance accompanies an Indonesian buffet (Rp16,500). No air-conditioning and many mosquitoes (they provide coils). After dinner, retire to the bar—a gathering place for Dutch and expats—and drink a special arak-spiked "Bali Coffee." They also sell a directory (Rp2000) of menus from some of Bali's best restaurants. Free transport to and from anyplace in Kuta (for Sanur Rp5000).

Poppies Lane I
Some of Kuta's best restaurants are on Poppies Lane I. Poppies Restaurant, tel. (0361) 751059, which plays the Ritz of Kuta, is in a delightful and romantic setting. In fact, it's worth eating there just to use the toilet. Unfortunately, prices are getting higher and service is getting poorer. This premier restaurant features above-average Western and Indonesian food, like fish chowder, seafood-avocado cocktail, shish kebabs, smoked marlin salad, curried vegetables, fresh fruit drinks, and a full wine list. Full bar. Add 10% tax and service. To get a table, eat there only for lunch, reserve ahead by calling, or arrive early in the evening, because it fills up fast with tourist groups.
     Kedin's (look for the big yin-yang symbol on the back wall) is a classic traveler's eatery that serves up large portions of food in the Rp6000-10,000 range. Open early for breakfast at 0730, closes at 2000. Movies in the evenings. Another distinctive restaurant, just down from TJs, is Fat Yogi, tel./fax (0361) 751665. Besides their sought-after baked goods, they do delicious Italian (wood-fired pizza worth raving about) and French food. Because of their fresh baked bread and croissants, they are particularly popular at breakfast time.
     Un's Cafe, Bar and Restaurant, tel. (0361) 752607, in a small lane off Poppies Lane I (the first left on the lane from Jl. Legian), has an Indo/Chinese/Euro menu. Run by an Indonesian lady with her Swiss husband. Nice atmosphere, music, comfortable chairs, big portions, reliably good food, though the service isn't the snappiest. Open 0800-1200. Expensive but worth it.

Poppies Lane II
There are dozens of small, fly-by-night Chinese, European, and seafood restaurants on Poppies Lane II, some of them quite good. An old standby is Batu Bulong, tel. (0361) 754365, of average quality, but very reasonably priced. A great place to look at all the errant activity is from the second floor of the Twice Bar & Bakery, tel. (0361) 751426. They serve a decent breakfast, with many choices, starting more or less at 0800 and closing at 1200. In particular, their croissants, Danish, and French bread are in high demand. Just off Poppies Lane II, the first lane on the right if going toward the beach, are six or seven very cheap places serving pizzas and Italian food—always full because their prices are so good.

All-You-Can-Eats
Recommended is the Saturday-night Indonesian feast at Glory's Restaurant, tel. (0361) 752512, in Legian for Rp9500. The food is excellent and it's a good chance to try those wonderful Balinese spices. The Bali Bagia Bar & Restaurant, tel. (0361) 751357 or 752757, on Jl. Bakung Sari (opposite the Agung Supermarket), serves some of the best steaks in Kuta. The "BB" on Saturday night offers free transport; reservations are recommended. Dinners start at 1900.

Ethnic Foods
If you get misty for home, many places offer milk shakes, steaks, ham and eggs, toast and Vegemite, peanut butter-and-honey sandwiches, and other worldly items. For example, the menu at the Jaya Pub Garden Restaurant of Legian lists not only sate from Madura, but lasagne like in Napoli, steak au poivre comme a Paris, T-bone like in Texas, and hutspot op z'n Hollands, all prepared by a team of chefs experienced in Jakarta's ISO restaurants. At Raja's in Kuta Square, C.13-14-15, tel. (0361) 753117, a steak dinner can be enjoyed in a sidewalk cafe atmosphere. A nice sidewalk cafe for coffee is Caddies, Blok C 17, tel. (0361) 753308, specializing in Australian coffee with fresh milk.
     Hotel restaurants generally offer better Western food than street restaurants. Some of Kuta's restaurants claim to serve such authentic Australian specialties as "vegetable pie" or burritos, but somehow the dish gets lost in the translation—it could end up as just a rolled pancake with spiced veggies inside. Brazilians can make up their own minds about Warung Brasil Bali on Jl. Benasari 10 X just past the intersection going to the beach, by sampling their feijoada. Nearby is probably Bali's best budget Thai restaurant, the Pagoda on Jl. Gang Benasari 15 (also open for breakfast).
     With the coming of the Japanese in numbers, sushi bars have popped up. The small, air-conditioned Sushi Bar Nelayan, tel. (0361) 751386, on the other side of the street where Poppies Lane I meets Jl. Legian, is a top buy. The chef sells only fresh sushimi, sushi, and appetizers. Big portions of avocado tuna and Toco Octupus sashimi, miso soup, green tea. The best deal for sashimi lovers is The Orchid, 24 pieces (four pieces each of six kinds of fish) and the live lobster aquarium. The Kelapa is 12 pieces of mixed sushi. The Balinese sushi chef has 17 years experience. It's a wonder it's not full all the time. Open daily 1200-2400. Take out available. Only 40 meters from Bemo Corner.
     For more elaborate fare, the Yashi Japanese Restaurant in Hotel Patra Jasa (formerly Pertamina Cottages), tel. (0361) 751161, in south Kuta is very good. They sell Japanese beer too. For Korean barbecue, seafood, bulgogi, sam gae tang, doe jee sam kyub sal, lobster with yaki sauce, and gyaza musi, the Agung Korean House, tel. (0361) 755130 or 751263, on the first floor (second floor to Americans) of the multistoried Kuta Supermarket building on Jl. Bakungsari is the place.
     With the rise in value of the Italian lire, the latest craze are pizzerias that sell medium pizzas for Rp8000-12,000. Lotus Tavern, Jl. Wana Segara Rd. near Holiday Inn, tel. (0361) 753797, under Australian management with an Italian chef, is part of the well-run Cafe Lotus group. They specialize in oven-cooked pizzas, tagliolini, fettuccine, black pepper steak, and fresh seafood such as grilled seabass. Free pickup service.
     Consistently good pizza is available from Pizza Hut, on the way to Denpasar at Jl. Imam Bonjol. For delivery to your hotel, call (0361) 751696 or 752144. Two of the best Italian restaurants, with surprisingly well-stocked wine cellars, are the remarkable and beautiful Warisan in Seminyak, and Cafe Latino, tel. (0361) 701880, on Jl. Ngurah Rai on the way to the airport.
     For dedicated carnivores, there are now two Mama's German Restaurants, tel. (0361) 751805, on Jl. Legian specializing in steaks, famous homemade sausages, and "big soups from Mama's kettle." Under German management. This is one of the best places to eat an early breakfast because it's one of the very few places open 24 hours a day.
     If you have a hopeless craving for American fast-food, the Gelael Plaza on the road to Denpasar (Jl. Imam Bonjol, near the gas station) has a Swenson's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Burger King. McDonald's now occupies the bottom floor of the big former Cinemex building on Jl. Legian.

Dinner Performances
A dazzling evening can be spent at the Kartika Plaza Beach Hotel's Legong and Rijstaffel Night. For Rp5300, dine on an authentic rijstaffel, which includes many of Indonesia's most delicious and renowned dishes such as bihun goreng, oseng oseng sayuran, pepes ikan, rendang, sate campur, gado-gado, and perkedel kentang. The excellent buffet is accompanied by sequences from Bali's most famous dances. Absolutely first class.
     Also check out Sahid Bali Seaside Hotel's dinner shows for US$25 per person from 1930 to 1130. They feature clowns, door prizes, 30% off drinks, and serve up 13 different types of satay. To find out the show or make a reservation, call (0361) 753855, ext. 4088 or 4071.

Kuta Market
For good eating in an Indonesian environment at very good prices, head for Kuta Market (Pasar Senggol) in the north end of Kuta. See the sign at the start of Jl. Bakung Sari. Although most popular with locals, a few tourists have also discovered the Indonesian, Chinese, and Balinese eateries here. Available are tasty and traditional dishes such as Yogyanese-style Kalasan chicken, fresh fish in all sizes, steamed crab, sizzling sate kambing, and unmodified nasi padang. Food is as much as 25% cheaper than Kuta's restaurants, the place is almost untouristed, and the service is fast.

Baked Goods
New Bakery on Poppies Lane I serves donuts, fresh "brown" bread, and banana cake. If walking toward the beach down Jl. Pantai Kuta, on the right just before Made's Warung is Jaffa's Homemade Bakery. Righteous carrot cake, apple pie, croissants, and whole-wheat bread. Very handy and fast for pastries and snacks, Galaxy Modern Bakery on Jl. Legian, tel. (0361) 752249, opens 0900-2300.

Desserts and Drinks
An ancient Kuta fixture, Aleang's still has superb yogurt; the place looks brighter and cleaner nowadays. The Kopi Pot, Jl. Legian, tel. (0361) 752614, is known for its mouthwatering homemade desserts, cakes, and pies, and a wide variety of shakes, juices, coffees, and imported teas. Also praiseworthy is Made's Warung on Jl. Pantai Kuta: homemade ice cream, chocolate cake, and top-notch black rice pudding. At the beach end of the same street is Made's Juice Shop, also a long-standing favorite.
      The best margaritas in Bali, using Jose Cuervo tequila, are served at TJs in Kuta and Poco Loco in Legian. Also well-prepared guacamole, nachos, seafood dishes, and tortilla soup. Strawberry daiquiris are also a specialty of TJs.
      Another of Kuta's attractions is the arak madu served up at Made's Warung on Jl. Pantai Kuta in central Kuta. A blended drink, it consists of rice liquor with either honey or honey and lemon. Kuta's regulars have been drinking here from morning until late at night since the early 1970s when Made's was the only after-hours place in all of Kuta.

Magic Mushrooms
Perhaps half a dozen restaurants in Kuta and Legian prepare soups, omelettes, and pizzas spiked with magic mushrooms. In iced drinks, this nefarious beverage is mixed with a little lemon and honey. Though not openly advertised, dishes with hallucinogenic mushrooms can be recognized by the words "Magic" or "Special" written on the menu. Available in a variety of prices and strengths, they contain psilocybin, which may not take effect for one or two hours and may last four or five hours. Avoid driving, swimming, and hectic surroundings if you indulge.

ENTERTAINMENT AND NIGHTLIFE

Like any city, Kuta has it all. You have your choice of enclosed, air-conditioned places where you don't even feel like you're in Bali, huge dance halls with strobe lights, or open-air clubs facing the beach.
     For at least two months (December and January) each year, Kuta is Asia's approximation of the United States' Palm Springs at Easter break. Get ready for a real scene, in which the tourists provide the richest source of entertainment for other tourists. Alcohol is served in copious quantities in scores of drinking establishments designed to entice the Australian collegian. You'll see pubs packed with beer-swilling Australians dressed in tank tops, shorts, and rubber thongs guzzling cans of Foster's Lager and eating meat pies while watching live broadcasts of Australian football matches on big screen monitors. Should the motto "rage with us!" appeal to you, you can join one of Kuta's organized "Pub Crawls," in which large groups of Australian revelers are transported by bus from pub to pub where they drink, ingest godawful food, and become more and more inebriated, until finally they're deposited semiconscious at the doors of their hotels in the middle of the morning. The promoter's advice: "Avoid Hangovers—Stay Drunk!"
     The local rice beer, tuak, is served in bamboo mugs. Anytime after 2100 or 2200, you have to run the gauntlet of pimps, whores, and hashish sellers on Jl. Legian. Kuta really doesn't sleep until 0500 or even later, and even then you'll find a few Italians wandering around looking for cappuccino.
     Watch out for notices and small posters announcing special events such as housewarming parties and full moon parties. If these parties are announced to the public, it means they are open to everyone—you just have to pay for drinks. Parties of the more commercial variety are also held occasionally at Zero Six in south Kuta near the Holiday Inn, Warisan in Seminyak, and even at private residences.
      Gay men cruise the beach at night. There's no gay bar to speak of—every place is mixed now—but some bars are more gay than others. The gay scene is a lot healthier than it used to be as a tremendous effort has been put into AIDS prevention and education. You'll see anti-AIDS posters all over the island.

Movies
All the restaurants and bars showing movies have put Kuta's cinemas out of business. Most popular are American films, which usually start at 2100. New videos, before they are even released in the States, are shown on huge screens in bars and restaurants, drawing big loyal crowds of tourists every night. You watch a free movie, they earn money serving you drinks and food. A perennial favorite is the giant screen at The Bounty, tel. (0361) 754040, across from Depot Viva, where a large beer costs only Rp4000 during happy hour (1800-2000). No cover. Call to see what's playing.
     A whole string of places in the heart of Kuta, such as Fat Yogi's and Kedin Inn, both on Poppies Lane I, show free films daily; most also serve meals and have a happy hour (1600-2100) with cocktails and large cheap Bintang.

Dances and Events
Kuta is an artificial tourist bubble, so most dances staged here—unless they accompany a ceremonial event—aren't the real thing. Major tourist hotels like Hotel Patra Jasa (formerly Pertamina Cottages) and the Oberoi present dances, which usually accompany dinner for US$20 and up. In Kuta, tickets are also sold for performances in other southern villages, which take place 0930-1100. If you have your own transport, tickets are cheaper at the venues themselves.
     At Plaza Bali, Jl. Ngurah Rai in Tuban, tel. (0361) 753301, woodcarvers and silver craftsmen demonstrate their skill. There are also some nice restaurants in this complex, along with the Balinese Theatre, where traditional dance and music are performed nightly, free. Open 1000-2300 every day.
     If your homestay or hotel is holding a traditional family ceremony, like a wedding or child's first birthday, it's customary for the owner to invite you. During the feast days Galungan and Kuningan, the temples of Kuta are just too clogged with tourists for the event to be any fun. Other religious holidays are less congested. For example, be in Kuta for the Melis high holy purification day before the Balinese New Year Nyepi. Enter a home behind those never-ending shops and you'll find that Bali still lives in Kuta.

Pubs, Clubs, and Discos
No less than 15 clubs operate in Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak, each with an atmosphere all its own. Most open late—2200 is when Kuta's nightlife really gets going—have no dress code, charge a Rp4000-10,000 cover (usually with one free, watered-down drink), and close anywhere from 0200 to 0400, officially 2400. The half-a-dozen most popular are within a few kilometers of each other, and some are next to the beach. Weekly events are advertised on fliers handed out on Jl. Legian.
     The Swiss/German/Austrian crowd hangs out at the Swiss Pub, tel. (0361) 754719, on Jl. Legian, owned by Jon Zuercher who also owns the Swiss Restaurant in Legian. A.J. Hackett Bungy Jump, Jl. Double Six, boasts a happy hour that lasts all day long; call (0361) 730666 for free pickup. If you stand on Kuta Beach and look to the right you'll see a big white tower. That's them.
     A good daytime place to look out on the street while enjoying a large, cold beer (only Rp4000) is the Bali Purnama Beer Garden, tel. (0361) 751898, on Jl. Legian near McDonald's. Small, open-air, very popular, friendly staff—but the food's not that good. TJ's on Poppies Lane I has a great bar and the food is good. Made's Warung on Jl. Pantai Kuta is always entertaining—something of the old days remains.
     But the newest and biggest nightclub to hit the strip is Club Gold in the middle of Kuta on Jl. Legian, a multistory, air-conditioned dance club offering a line of cocktails and music played by international guest DJs. Decorated in red velvet and chrome with comfortable booths, it has tucked-away alcoves and a members-only bar. French wines and champagne available by the glass. Open Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday until 0200. Depending on the entertainment, the cover charge runs Rp7500-10,000. Parking in rear. For details, call (0361) 752528.
     Next door is two-story Hard Rock Cafe, Jl. Legian 204, tel. (0361) 755661 or 755662, fax 755664, with international pop music memorabilia. Drinks are expensive but regular live bands are a big draw. The music starts at 2300 and ends around 0200. Sunday night is jazz night.
     With its traditional Balinese atmosphere, the Gado Gado, off Jl. Dhayna Pura in Legian, tel. (0361) 730955, is a relaxing al fresco beachfront disco that attracts a good mixture of older Indonesians, Westerners, and expats. Cover is Rp10,000, which includes a beer or soft drink. Open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 1130-0430.
     Peanuts Disco 2 on Jl. Legian, tel. (0361) 754149, and the warm-up bars around it are down the short, noisy, littered street opposite the Mini Restaurant. Cover charge: Rp6000. Open 0800-0400. Lots of prostitution around the disco after 2300. The convivial Warehouse, in the same complex, obviously caters to the hearty as well.
     Among Kuta's expat crowd, the thing to do is start out the evening at Made's Warung, watching the crowds until about 2300, then repair to a disco to dance the night away listening to live or recorded music at ear-splitting volume among a crush of tourists in garish tropical garb.
     Others like to hang out at The Strand, Goa 2001, and Cafe Luna in Seminyak, all of which have sophisticated music, reasonably priced drinks, and imaginative hors d'oeuvres. Goa's is a good place to get in the mood before the discos start, and the volume and quality of the music allows you to talk. It's also slightly easier to find parking in Legian than in Kuta.
     For live music, the Jaya Pub, Jl. Legian Kaja, opposite the start of Jl. Double Six, tel. (0361) 752973, uses the same musicians from the Jaya Pub in Jakarta. It's open 2100-0200, except Thursday and Saturday when it closes at 0230 or later. No cover charge, which makes it very good value if you want to listen to a band. Located in front, Le Bistro restaurant serves good food in a relaxing Balinese atmosphere; open until 2300.
     Double Six, tel. (0361) 753366, is a huge place with different sections—even a Swenson's—tucked away on Jl. Double Six in Legian. Packed with exotic high-class people, the restaurant has very good salads, pastas, Italian dishes, and buffets when a show is running, and becomes a disco Monday, Friday, and Saturday from 1130-0430. Cover: Rp10,000 including a beer or soft drink.
     Balinese Rastas dance to live reggae music at Baruna's, tel. (0361) 751565, a long-standing favorite of hardcore Australian party animals. Open 2300-0200. Strand Bar in Legian features art exhibits and a colonial plantation bar with superb drinks (the best vodka tonics), has no dancing, and is more geared to conversation. Cafe Luna in Seminyak, right across from the Goa, is very small, a place where everybody knows everybody and newcomers don't know what to do. The crowd is nearly 100% Western expats.
     On Poppies Lane II behind the Sahid Bali Hotel is Tubes, tel. (0361) 753501, "The Surfers Bar and Restaurant." Here you'll find good vibes, pizza and fruit smoothies, a swimming pool, MTV, and movies playing at 1500 and 2000. During happy hour, 1700-1900, and nightly dancing, starting at 2000, spunky Japanese surf bunnies press their attentions on Kuta Cowboys, who by now speak very passable Japanese. Another hangout for the Beautiful People is the Blue Ocean, where the waves are first class and the sunsets, at times, enthralling.
     The Sari Club, tel. (0361) 754901, on Jl. Legian is a popular open-air place to take in evening sights, but the food is overpriced. It attracts mainly a clientele bent on drinking themselves into oblivion—an environment of nonstop pounding music, loud conversation, and smoke. Facing the ocean, Kuta Seaview Restaurant and Bar on Jl. Pantai Kuta has a full bar and live music every night from 1900 until 2300, with no cover, tax, or service charge. Free pickup and dropoff if you call (0361) 751961. Free arak cocktail with every meal.

SHOPPING

Kuta has the largest concentration of shopping in Bali. Simply start at Bemo Corner at the south end of Jl. Legian and work your way north to Seminyak. It takes hours and hours of walking, including side trips into lanes and small shopping malls, in order to find the quality items interspersed among all the tourist kitsch.
     The best buys are designer clothes, visors, straw hats, and either colorful cloth or rattan bags. Another great bargain are sunglasses, in every style imaginable, for Rp6000-10,000 (after bargaining); sunglasses are the only product for sale at Mr. Sunny on Jl. Legian. Bali dolls tagged with a name and description of name are all the rage—Rp21,000-25,000.
     Pick up the latest tapes at numerous cassette shops for Rp9000-12,000; just ask, the clerks really know their music. A good place to start is Kul-Kul ("Castle of Music"), Jl. Bakung Sari, tel. (0361) 751523. Look for unique home furnishings at C.V. Bali Lotus at Jl. Pantai Kuta 10, near Bemo Corner (Box 3182, tel./fax 0361-752726). They have another shop in the Galleria in Nusa Dua (Blok A7 No. 1-6).
     Imitation watches are cheaper in Kuta than anywhere else in Indonesia. Use your bargaining skills and know the prices (as little as Rp6000). Watches make good trading material in Lombok and Outer Islands, and they sell for big money in India. Don't be taken in by all the Gucci perfume. Once you open the bottle, the scent fades in a matter of minutes. Nothing like the original.
     The general goods, three-floor Gelael Dewata Supermarket, Jl. Raya Kuta 105, tel. (0361) 751082, on the left before you enter Kuta from Denpasar (south of the gas station), sells a full range of cosmetics, toiletries, disposable diapers, imported foodstuffs, drinks, stationery, film, and clothing—what you'd expect from any supermarket/department store. They have a good bakery also. Expensive because it's in Kuta. It's cheaper to shop at Loji I, Loji II, tel. (0361) 751048, and Alas Arum supermarkets in Legian, which are smaller but well stocked for their size.
     For a modern shopping experience, visit the 15,000-square-meter Plaza Bali on Jl. Ngurah Rai in Tuban, tel. (0361) 753301, which comprises an international duty-free store, souvenir shops, boutiques, galleries, restaurants, cocktail bar, cultural exhibits, drugstore, postal and international telephone service, car rental service, an overseas packing and shipping office, and secure parking. Open 1000-2300 every day, Plaza Bali is just a five-minute drive from the airport.

Vendors
The hustling on the beach can be horrific—a wild and open free market. If you decide to come to Kuta, you'd better get used to it. Your only defense is to joke around and try to have a good time. Roving vendors aggressively hawk giant polished sea turtle shells, hen-feather dusters, Sumba blankets, postcards, silver jewelry, cold beer, and wind chimes. Every craft and fakery from every workshop on Bali seems to eventually find its way to Kuta. Ninety-five percent of the items are mass-produced for tourist consumption. The silver articles may be silver-plated copper or brass, glass is sold as semiprecious stone, and horn and bone articles are passed off as ivory. Peddlers ask up to Rp20,000 for unbelievably bad paintings—acrylic on cloth—but they'll come down to Rp3000. It's all pure junk.
     Women come up carrying baskets full of fabrics and garments; check carefully because the seams and zippers on clothing sold on the beach often give way in two or three days. Everything is bargainable. First prices are astronomical but soon the seller will offer a special price "only for you." After a few days, the sellers get to know you and you become friends. Don't buy anything for the first few days; talk to people and learn the prices.
     Kids on the street trying to sell you stuff can be as pesky as flies. They also invade your space by touching you, getting in your way, and even picking your pocket. Kids will even pester you while you're getting a massage.

Shops
Some shops specialize in leather and silk, others in batik and designer fashions. Madonna shops sell lycra hats, belts, headbands, footwear, and dazzling sequined garments. Fixed-price places, like a few of the all-under-one-roof craft stores on the road to the airport, can give you a good idea of what certain items cost. Shop the side lanes for the best bargains; these shops don't get the swarms of people. Shops in the central Kuta cater to the mainstream tourist hordes.
     Prices in Legian are generally lower than in Kuta, and the clerks are friendlier. Kuta shopkeepers sometimes get mad if you don't make an offer on something you've looked at. Good shops are hard to find in both ends of town. Because of the vast number of shops and the uneven quality and prices, shopping takes great patience—hours of it. Shop in the evening when it's cooler.

Clothes
Kuta and Legian, along with Thailand, are the fashion capitals of Southeast Asia. Indonesian, Italian, French, Japanese, and American designers use native tie-dyeing and ikat techniques to turn out brilliantly original garments exported worldwide. The best buys produced in Kuta's back-lane sweatshops are beachwear—bikinis, bathing suits, boxer and Bermuda shorts, T-shirts, tank tops—in lightweight cotton and rayon. A decidedly Australian bias in the bold colors and zany designs. If you bargain vigorously, you can buy merchandise in the shops cheaper than from the vendors on the beach. Ask how much and begin your bargain at one-half the price asked. Stick to your price. A wise alternative, if you have the time, is to have clothes made to order by one of the many tailors.
     A number of classy designer boutiques take American Express and have high, fixed prices, which vary according to the material used and originality of design. Stunning shirts are available for Rp25,000-30,000; batik sundresses Rp30,000; batik shirts made from old sarung Rp8000-12,000; jackets Rp45,000-75,000; dress trousers Rp50,000 and up; dresses Rp40,000-75,000; T-shirts Rp8000-15,000; ikat purses Rp2000-10,000; sarung Rp8000-15,000. All very eye-catching and continental, but watch the quality. Examine goods carefully.
     Carmen Dixon Collections, Jl. Pura Puseh 22, Legian Kelod, tel. (0361) 751717, carries contemporary designer fashions, resort wear, and cocktail dresses. Really good buys. Mr. Bali (tel. 0361-751232 or 755605) on Jl. Legian carries modern, Euro-chic men's wear at moderate prices; if they don't have your size in inventory, try their other branches on Jl. Pantai Kuta and Jl. Bunisari.
     Sundance on Poppies Lane I sells only one-of-a-kind T-shirts and shorts. Noa'noa, Jl. Pantai Kuta 44 G, carries just bikini and beach clothing; they have another shop on Jl. Legian Kelod. Some surprising bargains can be found in the huge, fixed-price Wisnu Garment, Jl. Legian (opposite Mastapa). Children's clothing is another good-value Kuta speciality. Kuta Kidz, between Bemo Corner and Made's Warung, is filled with kid's clothes. Hop On Pop, Jl. Pantai Kuta 45 C, and Bubbles on Jl. Buni Sari, also specialize in kid's wear.

Kuta Square Complex
Housing the new Matahari Shopping Center and the Kuta Galleria, this mammoth complex at the beach end of Jl. Bakung Sari replaces the funky old Art Market that once occupied this site (and that had so much more character). Like any big city shopping complex, more than a hundred shops make up this extravagant emporium. Competition is fierce and the consumer is Lord, yet the shops high-priced and under-patronized, and parking is difficult. These micro-retailers deal in clothing and leisure wear, ethnic-exotic beach garb, arts and crafts, souvenirs, reproduced-antiques, carvings, batik, paintings, masks, textiles, mobiles, and bric-a-brac ad nauseam. Take a break and have a coffee in Caddies Sidewalk Cafe (Blok C 17, tel. 0361-753308) and look out on the passersby.

Jewelry and Antiques
Kuta offers a wide choice of jewelry, in both antique and contemporary designs. Famous goldsmiths established Kuta's Banjar Pande Mas in the 1890s; their extended families still include some exceptionally talented goldsmiths.
     Silver is imported and ingeniously and meticulously worked into bracelets, pendants, and rings in local workshops. Beautifully designed silver set with stones is also available at, for example, Suarti on Poppies Lane II. Fine, custom-made jewelry is made by Made Sundra and Nyoman Wanon on Poppies Lane I.
     Whole shops are devoted to seashell jewelry or painted dollar-a-pair attractive wooden earrings with dangling parrots, fish, cats, or stars. Try Lisa Shop at Jl. Pura Bagus Taruna 7, tel. (0361) 755508. For beads (Rp17,000 and up per strand), the place to go is David Shop, Jl. Legian Tengah 471, fax (0361) 752003. Also check out Kencana, Jl. Legian 357, tel. (0361) 751590, fax 751801, for original beads.
     One of the largest and most complete stores for bronze decorative objects in Indonesia is the Golden Buffalo House of Bronze, Jl. Legian Tengah 412, tel. (0361) 755936, fax 752013. They can create any kind of design.
     Genuine antiques and tribal artifacts are ridiculously expensive, the starting prices so high you don't even feel like bargaining: Sumba blankets Rp450,000; Dayak baby carriers with handmade brass bells and colored beads Rp250,000-350,000. Kuta's fake antiques are products of inspired genius. If a woodcarving is claimed to be 50 years old but costs only Rp150,000, it isn't 50 years old. It may have been artificially aged by burial in the earth or exposure to the elements.
     Nogo Bali Ikat Centre, tel. (0361) 754335, across from the Kopi Pot on Jl. Legian, specializes in textiles, carvings, and paintings. This chain of shops is best known for endek. Designer Lily Coskuner shied away from the wildly mixed colors favored by the Balinese, limiting combinations to varying shades of one or two colors in a single pattern. Nogo sells jackets (Rp150,000), slacks (Rp75,000), dresses (Rp120,000), and sashes, as well as lengths of endek for Rp15,000 per meter. Also check the mother-of-pearl and seashell buttons at Rp1000-4000 apiece and beautiful ties for Rp20,000. Another excellent shop for ikat, with good quality and good prices, is Bobby Collection, Jl. Legian Kaja 448, tel./fax (0361) 756049.

Leather
Leather is really big now, with scores of shops in Kuta. Leather jackets for as little as Rp200,000 if you bargain. Some are even interwoven with rattan designs. Very unusual chic leather belts, multicolored and studded, cost Rp30,000-100,000 for a nice one. Again, for the best prices, work the back lanes and make sure that the sewing and stitching is first rate.
     Large leather bags go for around Rp80,000-150,000, small ones Rp40,000-75,000. Start by checking out Sito Leather, on the right if coming from Bemo Corner but before Perama Travel, just down the lane past Hotel Lingga. They sell nice leather jackets for around Rp200,000. Better buys than leather are the cheap tie-dye or batik cloth beach bags, in a million colors and patterns, sold just about everywhere.

Bookstores
Along Jl. Pantai Kuta and Jl. Legian are at least six secondhand bookstores with used paperbacks in all languages; most will buy back books at half the price. Don't throw away any books or even magazines as they can always be sold or exchanged, and new books are expensive. The largest selection of new hardcover books in English on Indonesia is the Bookshop on the corner of Jl. Legian and Jl. Benasari; also carries all the top international newspapers and magazines (if they're not banned).
     English, German, and French daily newspapers are also available in shops such as Kerta Book Store (tel. 0361-751001) on Jl. Pantai Kuta up toward the beach from Made's Warung on the left, which sells used books, guides, and magazines. They will barter.
     The Bookshop, also on Jl. Legian halfway between Kuta and Legian (diagonally across from Mastapa's on the corner of Jl. Legian and Jl. Benasari), has the best selection of new English-language books and periodicals about Indonesia in the Kuta/Legian area. Even newspapers like The Australian, banned in Indonesia, can be bought here. Also current issues of Time, Newsweek, and Herald Tribune

SERVICES

With banks, moneychangers, physicians, pharmacies, ambulance service (tel. 118 or 0361-27911), a police station (Jl. Raya Kuta, across from Bank Duta, tel. 0361-751598), a fire station (tel. 0361-25113), a post office, postal agencies, a market, cinemas, photo-processing shops, ticket agencies, Kuta is almost completely self-contained. There is even an Alcoholics Anonymous which holds a morning meeting in the coffee shop at the Dhyana Pura Hotel on Jl. Dhyana Pura in Seminyak four times weekly. Call (0361) 731047 for info.
     The well-run Badung Tourist Office, Jl. Bakung Sari 1 (tel. 0361-751419), is a short walk from Bemo Corner. Walk down Jl. Buni Sari until it ends at Jl. Bakung Sari; the office is on the left. These guys can handle almost any question. Open Mon.-Sat. 0700-1700. They have a branch office (tel. 0361-751011) at the airport; open 0800-1800. A government tourist office is on the second floor of the Mastapa Garden Hotel on Jl. Legian.

Post and Shipping
The postal agent on Jl. Legian sells stamps and aerograms at the official price. Other services include registered post and do-it-yourself poste restante service, with dictionaries, phrase books, stationery supplies, and picture postcards for sale. There are other poste restante services at postal agents on Jl. Padma and Jl. Melasti in Legian. Parcel rates at these postal agencies are the same as official government rates but they charge high fees for packaging: Rp5000 for parcels weighing one to three kg, Rp7000 for three to five kg, Rp10,000 for five to 10 kg. Denpasar's kantor paket pos, on the corner of Jl. Teuku Umar and Jl. Diponegoro, tel. (0361) 223568, employs packagers who charge a bit less. For larger shipments, Kuta's international freight forwarding companies pack, arrange transport, and insure goods to Europe, the U.S., and Australia. Expect to pay a minimum of Rp367,500. Reliable Alpha Cargo (tel. 0361-752872 or 752873) will come to your hotel, pack and list in your presence, and transport to their office. Also check out PT Nominasi Travel and Cargo Agent on Jl. Legian (tel./fax 0361-751467). Beware of all those hidden charges like the cryptic "Archaeological Certificate," which can easily exceed the cost of shipping itself. Best to personally oversee the whole process.
     Kuta's small Kantor Pos (GPO Kuta, Jl. Raya Tuban, Kuta, Denpasar, Bali 80361, tel. 0361-754012) is down a small lane off Jl. Kaya Kuta, opposite the elementary school. Open Mon.-Thurs. 0800-1400, Friday 0800-1100, Saturday 0800-1400. Here you may also have poste restante letters sent (Rp60 per letter pickup). This post office and Ida's Postal Agent (tel. 0361-751574, open Mon.-Sat. 0800-2000) on Jl. Legian across from the Sari Club at the intersection of Poppies Lane II and Jl. Legian are more convenient places to pick up mail than Denpasar's main post office way out in Renon. There are a number of other postal agents, open during business hours, that weigh letters and sell stamps.

Telephone
As a general rule, any hotel that charges Rp60,000 or more per day will offer IDD telephone calls. Hotels charge around Rp20,350 for a three minute international call, Rp6050 for each minute of an international telex, Rp13,000 per fax page—a great deal if you have lots to say—and Rp1000 to receive a fax.
     A Wartel is at Universal across the street from the Mastapa Cottages, and a telephone office, with IDD capability, is at the airport. Telephone cards can be bought at the reception desks of many hotels. Public Home Country Direct telephones are found at the airport, on Jl. Legian next to Peanuts Disco, and in the lobby of the Natour Kuta Bead on Jl. Pantai Kuta; another one is near the intersection of Jl. Legian and Jl. Melasti. Kuta's telephone code is 0361.

Moneychangers
Opening at about 0800 or 0900, moneychangers are esconced in every other doorway along Jl. Legian and Jl. Pantai Kuta. They generally give quicker service, offer better rates, and stay open longer than banks. But one service banks do offer is a safety deposit box where you can leave valuables while traveling. Moneychangers are open as late as 2200 and change traveler's checks in five minutes. You have to present your passport and fill out a short form. For cash, no form needed.
     Several cordial, efficient moneychangers are near the crossroads of Jl. Legian and Jl. Pantai Kuta (Bemo Corner). Try Artha Yoga Utama (tel. 0361-751445) situated where Jl. Bakung Sari meets Jl. Raya Kuta, the road to the airport, and Krishna Moneychanger, Jl. Legian (tel. 0361-51053), near Bank Danamon and the entrance to Poppies Lane II.
     Banks ordinarily close 1400-1600 on weekdays and open only on Saturday mornings. For the best rates, try Bank Duta, Jl. Raya Kuta 57 (tel. 0361-753134), which has a 24-hour ATM and accepts Visa and MasterCard.

Photography
Instant photo processing and printing is now cheap and convenient not only in Kuta but all over Bali. Most places offer half-day service. Since these photo centers do so much business, new rolls of film are stocked regularly.
     P.T. Modern Putraindonesia (tel. 0361-753194), opposite Geleal Supermarket, is a huge Fuji print processing outlet that does blowups, without frames: 50 by 60 cm prints Rp28,000, 40 by 50 prints Rp19,000, 35 by 43 prints Rp14,500. Opposite Hotel Kartika Plaza is a big Kodak processing lab. Bali Fotografie Centrum (BFC) on Jl. Raya Kuta (Jl. Airport) has photo supplies and fast slide processing and framing. Many Kuta photo shops send their slide film to be processed there.

Church Services
Should you feel the need to do penance after a hard Saturday night, Kuta has several churches: Catholic, St. Francis Xavier, Jl. Kartika Plaza, tel. (0361) 751144, Sunday mass begins at 0800; Pentecostal, Gareja Pantekosta, Jl. Raya Kuta 18, tel. (0361) 751504, services 1000 and 1800; Ecclesiastical (eklesia), Jl. Ngurah Rai, tel. (0361) 553674, services Sunday at 0900 and 1800.

Massage
Platoons of masseuses—licensed for business but lacking professional training—with conical hats, yellow T-shirts, and incredibly strong hands, cruise the beach for customers. Using coconut oil, the majority give competent, thorough rubdowns. Go in the morning to get the best price, and agree on the price first. Don't pay more than about Rp10,000—they'll say their usual price is Rp35,000—for a 40-minute massage. Sometimes halfway through your massage, they'll demand more money. Special prices are given if you have a massage from the same masseuse every day. Try several until you find one you like and remember her number. Older women are usually better than the young ones, giving traditional massages using lulur paste from Java. You can also get massages at many hotels—Mastapa has an excellent masseuse—or at traditional Indonesian salons such as Selamat Datang at the Kulkul Beach Resort (tel. 0361-752520) on Jl. Pantai Kuta, which also offers hair and skin care and steam baths.

Beauty Salon
Numerous beauty salons all around the Kuta/Legian area offer the gamut of beauty services from simple haircuts to "computerized" facials to eyeline and eyebrow tattoos. Watch for their sandwich-board signs.
     Recommended are Ratu Ayu Salon, Mastapa Garden Cottages, Jl. Legian (tel. 0361-751660), Bravo Salon, Jl. Raya Kuta 105, Block 4-5 (tel. 0361-754096 or 754097), just 500 meters north of Gelael Supermarket. Eva, Jl. Pantai Kuta (tel. 0361-751828), near Bemo Corner, offers haircuts with shampoo for ladies and gents for only Rp8500. You can also have your hair plaited Afro-style on the beach for Rp10,000 after bargaining, but to have your whole head of hair plaited is painful. Just get a token strand or two done so they'll leave you alone.

Health and Fitness
Doctors are on call at Kuta Clinic, Jl. Kaya Kuta 100 X, tel. (0361) 753268. Or make an appointment with Dr. Tjok Gde Subamia, who has an office on Jl. Raya Bypass Kuta, tel. (0361) 751315 or 753008. The closest clinic outside of Kuta is the excellent Nusa Dua Clinic, Jl. Pratama 81 A-B, tel. (0361) 71324, with 24-hour service, doctors on call, and an ambulance.
     If you crave a real workout, the equipment and professional assistance at the Fitness and Relaxation Centre, tel. (0361) 751067, at the Kartika Plaza Hotel is top-notch. Open Mon.-Sun. 0600-2000, with an entrance fee of Rp10,000 per person per day. Fee includes use of gymnasium, pools, squash courts, lockers, showers, whirlpool baths, steam sauna, dry sauna, lounge, game room, aerobic classes, and mini-golf. A great deal for five bucks.

Odds and Ends
There's a whole slew of vision shops in Kuta where you may choose from a variety of fashion eyewear and contact lenses as well as avail yourself of free professional eye examinations. On Poppies Lane II, there are several laundry services, and Hotel Patra Jasa (formerly Pertamina Cottages) to the south in Tuban does dry cleaning.
     Take advantage of Bali Travel Service's left luggage service for only Rp500 per piece per day; their office is located in the modern a/c building on Jl. Benasri opposite Mastapa Cottages. The airport charges Rp2000 per piece per day.

TRANSPORTATION

The crossroads of Jl. Pantai Kuta and Jl. Legian, the exact center of Kuta, is Bemo Corner, called perempatan in Indonesian. An intricate network of small lanes run from Jl. Legian west to the beach. Most of these can barely if at all accommodate cars; motorcyclists riding down some of the narrowest force pedestrians literally against the wall.

Getting There and Around
A taxi from the airport costs Rp6000. The problem is the airport taxis won't go into Kuta's small lanes and often dump tourists out to schlep their bags sweating and cursing to their hotels. To avoid this, get out of the taxi on the main street outside the airport, then transfer to a metered blue/yellow Praja, tel. (0361) 751919 or 752299. Or walk out the airport gate and hire a bemo for Rp500 to the start of Jl. Pantai Kuta. Get to Kuta from Denpasar by boarding a bemo from Stasiun Tegal in southern Denpasar (Rp600). Bemo from Denpasar travel only one direction—Denpasar to Kuta, then to Legian via one-way Jl. Pantai Kuta, then back through Kuta down Jl. Legian before returning to Denpasar. Stay on the bemo until you're closest to your destination.
     Professional motorcycle taxis will give you a ride anytime to anywhere, but most commonly from Legian to Kuta and vice versa if you're willing to pay around Rp2000. Depends on if it's the busy season and/or how much they need the money. You can find them anywhere; they sleep on their bikes at night. Late at night, dokar are available for, say, Rp5000 from Peanuts to the Bintang Bali Hotel. Bemo leave as soon as they fill up, and once you pay your fare you can get off anywhere you want. Bear in mind that public bemo prices soar between 1900-2100, and ratchet up again around 2200 when you'll probably have to private charter.

Getting Away
A thick and endless stream of motorcycles, bemo, cars, vans, and buses travel to Legian via the beachfront road, Jl. Pantai Kuta. Bemo from Denpasar's Tegal station (Rp600) stop very briefly at Bemo Corner to let out passengers, then travel down traffic-snarled Jl. Pantai Kuta and the beachfront road to Legian. Bemo from Kuta to Legian are Rp500 before 1800; then drivers begin asking as much as Rp5000. After 2200, bemo become scarce and those that are available charge exorbitant fares. It costs at least Rp2000 to ride on the back of a motorcycle from Kuta to Legian, or around Rp3500 by taxi.
     To Denpasar, get a bemo by walking down from Bemo Corner in the direction of Denpasar to Jl. Kaya Kuta, just where it turns in front of Kuta Market. From there head to Tegal station (eight km, 12-15 minutes) in southern Denpasar, then walk to downtown Denpasar in about 10 minutes, or hop on a three-wheeled bajai for Rp300. Bemo into Denpasar start getting scarce around 1900, after which you may be assessed a "surcharge." To get to Sanur you must travel via Tegal, transfer to Kereneng, then get on a bemo to Sanur. To Candidasa, take a bemo to Tegal, then Kereneng, then Batubulan, then a minibus to Amlapura, alighting at Candidasa en route. Sometimes the minibus only goes as far as Klungkung, at which point you have to change to another for Amlapura. To get to Ubud, go first to Tegal, transfer to Kereneng, then transfer again to Batubulan, then board a final bemo to Ubud. To Singaraja and Lovina, take a bemo first to Tegal, then to Kereneng, then to Ubung station, then to the north coast.
     The heat, congestion, and time-consuming changes required to get to Ubud, Candidasa, or Sanur by public transport convince many people to charter a bemo direct. Don't worry about finding charters; they'll find you. You'll pass motorcycle, minibus, and bemo drivers soliciting fares by shouting "Transpor!" and "Charter!" every 10 paces. To take you and all your stuff from Kuta to the airport in Tuban, they'll first ask Rp10,000. Just laugh at them—the going charter rate is Rp4000-5000. Unlicensed bemo can't enter the airport and must drop you off at the gate, where you have to walk 300 meters to the domestic terminal, or 600 meters to the international terminal. Taxis to Denpasar cost around Rp8000.
     The shuttle to the airport leaves anytime for Rp8000. Sanur shuttles costs Rp5000 (see Ubud shuttles below for departure times). Shuttles for Padangbai and Candidasa run at 0530, 1300, and 1600 for Rp12,000; to Lovina at 0830, 1300, and 1600 for Rp15,000; to Ubud at 0530, 0830, 1000, 1300, and 1600 for Rp9000; to Bedugul at 1230 for Rp10,000; to Lembongan at 0700 for Rp32,000; to Senggigi (Lombok) at 0530, 1000, and 1300 for Rp22,500; to Gunung Meno (Lombok) at 0530 for Rp32,500; to Gunung Trawangan at 0530 for Rp33,500.
     You'll see shuttles advertised on sandwich boards in the doorways of almost any kind of business, but it's best to leave it to professionals. A good, reliable company is Perama on Jl. Legian, on the left about five minutes walk north from Bemo Corner. Your seat is reserved via a 24-hour radio telephone, and their shuttles link Ubud, Sanur, the airport, and Kuta.

Rentals
Sturdy bicycles rent for about Rp3000-4000 per day or Rp10,000-12,000 per week; you must pay in advance and sign a contract. Motorcycles rent for Rp12,000-15,000 per day from your losmen, hotel, or just about anyone else you might run into. Take note that there's a row of motorcycle repair shops on the north side of the Jl. Pantai Kuta and Jl. Raya Tuban intersection. See the Introduction's Getting Around chapter for information on procedures, licenses, and other fees for renting motorcycles.
     You can rent cars from literally hundreds of agencies in Kuta, although you could get a better deal per diem if you go through your hotel proprietor. Expect to pay at least Rp60,000 per day (three-day minimum) for a sedan, at least Rp50,000 for a Kijang, or Rp35,000-40,000 for a Jimney. A driver is Rp10,000-15,000 per day extra. For prices and availability of models, call: Indah Jaya Car Rental (tel. 0361-754467); Bali Car Rental Service, Jl. Ngurah Rai Bypass (tel. 0361-288539); CV Wisata Motor Co. (tel. 0361-751474) on Jl. Imam Bonjol.
     If you plan to use Kuta as a base, its traffic, confusing one-way streets, and paucity of parking make using a car here trying.

Travel Agencies
To leave Bali, see the "From Bali" section of the Introduction, plus the Padangbai and Tanjung Benoa sections. Kuta's agents offer airline tickets to just about anywhere at pretty good prices, but for long-haul airfares you can do much better in Singapore or Bangkok.
     Agencies also rent cars, bicycles, and motorbikes, offer tours, sell long-distance bus, train, and ferry tickets to the islands east and west of Bali, confirm flights (Rp2500 fee), and change money, dispense postage stamps, and sell books. One such all-in-one agent located toward Legian is Easyway, Jl. Benasari 7. Another is Bali Baris Ceria, Jl. Raya Kuta 106 C (tel. 0361-755633).
     Also get an idea of what's available from Perama Tourist Service on Jl. Legian 16, tel. (0361) 751551, fax 751170. This excellent travel/transport company runs handy shuttle services to the main tourist areas of Bali. For flight reservations and confirmations, hotel tour desks will charge Rp2500. Or you can simply call Garuda (tel. 0361-224664) direct.
     Garuda has an office in the Natour Kuta Beach Hotel, Jl. Pantai Kuta 1 (tel. 0361-751179), open Mon.-Fri. 0730-1600, Saturday and Sunday 0900-1300. The line can be annoyingly long, so get there early. Air New Zealand<\#213>s office is at the Kartika Plaza Beach Hotel on Jl. Kartika Plaza (tel. 0361-753593, fax 753592). A Singapore Airlines office is at the airport (tel. 0361-751011, ext. 2119).

Tours
Signboards and bulletin boards advertise tours everywhere you turn. Tours start as low as Rp15,000 (non a/c, eight to 10 people) all the way up to Rp60,000 (longer tours, a/c buses, fewer people). On the Singaraja Tour (eight hours) you visit Bedugul, Ulandanu Temple, Gitgit, Singaraja, Sangsit, Kubutambahan, and Air Sanih. The Besakih Tour (eight hours) takes you to Batubulan, Celuk, Batuan, Mas, Gianyar, Klungkung, Kerta Gosa, Bukit Jambul, Pura Besakih. On the Cremation Tour, 12-15 people are transported by bemo to the event, look around, snap hundreds of exposures, then are driven back home, all within three hours.
     Other tours include two- to five-day trips with overnight accommodations to Java, Lombok, Komodo, Sulawesi, and even Irian Jaya. One takes you on a climb up Gunung Bromo's crater for around Rp250,000, a bargain as the roundtrip is over 700 km and you get a wonderful glimpse of East Java. You even see surfing trips advertised to Grajagan on the Blangbangan Peninsula, East Java, at around Rp69,000 per day, or one-day snorkeling trips in south Bali for around Rp30,000.
     Land/sea adventures to Komodo Island are being advertised around Kuta by Perama Travel (Jl. Legian 16, tel. 0361-751-551 or 751875). Tours depart every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the cost is only Rp100,000 per person. Day 1: Lombok countryside (Sweta, Loyok, Rungkang, Pringasela, Jurit, Labuhan Lombok, Camping Resort Perama). Day 2: reef exploration (Medang Island), then night-sailing to Komodo. Day 3: sightseeing Bima one morning, photo safari to Komodo.

VICINITY OF KUTA

North of Kuta At low tide, bicycle rides or walks along the firm, moist sand are refreshing. Heading north of Kuta, you can ride for about seven kilometers before the sand changes and will no longer support a bicycle. At this point either retrace your tracks, or turn inland at the thatched roofs of Seminyak's Bali Oberoi and return to Kuta via Jl. Legian.
     The Oberoi is no longer the last tourist bastion, beyond which few people besides the occasional fisherman are seen. Although the new tourist accommodations springing up north of Legian in Petitingit, Batubelig, Canggu, and Pererean bring more and more people to previously isolated beaches, the crowds thin the farther north you get. If you're walking or riding northwest all the way to Tanah Lot, you have to cross several rivers and stretches of deep black lava sand where the coast is rocky and not suitable for swimming.
     If you walk north far enough (about 2.5 hours), you'll run into the sacred sea temple of Pura Petitenget, which is made completely of white coral. Founded by one of the first Javano-Hindu holy men to visit Bali, Sanghyang Niaratha. For more detail, see the section on Petitingit under "North of Legian."

Tuban
South of Kuta by the airport, Tuban is where all the rascals and maling (thieves) used to live, where outsiders outnumber the locals. If you meet transvestites, prostitutes, and pimps on Kuta, Tuban is where they usually live. With its mosque, branch government offices like immigration and customs in front of the airport, padang restaurants, and Java-style kampung, Tuban has a pan-Indonesian flavor.
     Essentially, Tuban is a base for the service community serving the massive tourist infrastructure of southern Bali. The centerpiece for the whole neighborhood is a giant, alabaster white statue of Gatotkaca in the heat of battle. He was the only ancient Hindu god who could fly, thus his portrait is appropriately situated near Bali's airport, which is just down the road 1.5 kilometers west. The Bali government maintains a branch tourist information office (tel. 0361-51011) at the airport; open 0800-1800. There's also a branch immigration office (tel. 0361-751038) on Jl. I Gusti Ngurah Rai (the road to the airport) in Tuban.
     Tuban's six seaside, international-class hotel properties are among the most exclusive on the island. The stretch of beach here is narrower and quieter than Kuta's, and just as beautiful. Access to the airport, Kuta, and Denpasar is quick, cheap, and easy.
     The tourist promoters of Tuban have in fact disassociated themselves from Kuta's unsavory reputation. They are marketing their slice of Bali's southwest coast as a separate, more "remote," alluring, and tranquil destination with a sunset beach, a full range of hotels, and plenty of places to shop and dine.
     Accommodations: Technically, Tuban extends from the Hotel Patra Jasa (formerly Pertamina Cottages) by the airport to the Kartika Plaza Hotel near Jl. Bakung Sari, but for convenience, only hotels in the southerly section of Tuban are included here.
     The neighborhood's least expensive is the Palm Beach Hotel, Jl. Pantai Banjar Segara (tel. 0361-751661, fax 752432), just north of the Bali Holiday Inn. Rp115,000-138,000, including tax, service, and breakfast. Pool, nice garden, dart board, chess, standby vehicle for rent, free transfers to and from the airport. Quiet, homey, secure, away from traffic pollution. From the hotel it's only a few minutes' walk to the beach, five minutes' walk to the main road, a handy five minutes' drive to the airport, and a 10 minutes' walk to Kuta.
     Alit's Kuta Bungalows (Jl. Puri Gerenceng, Box 3102, Denpasar, tel. 0361-751968 or 751969, fax 288766) charges Rp69,000 s, Rp80,500 d for Balinese-style air-conditioned bungalows, shower, hot water, terrace, pool, restaurant, and bar. Located 500 meters from the post office and the airport, and one kilometer from the beach. Alit's is a welcome place to stay if you arrive on Bali late, hot, tired, and grungy, and want trouble-free accommodations quickly.
     More upscale is international-class, beachfront Santika Beach Hotel (Jl. Kartika Plaza, Box 1008, Tuban, tel. 0361-751267, fax 751260) with 168 Bali-style rooms for Rp230,000 s or d in a three-story complex with two pools, tennis courts, restaurant, and bar. Also two-room family units facing a kid's playground, Rp368,000. Rooms have all the conveniences one would expect from a four-star hotel. Located just south of the Kartika Plaza Hotel.
     In a class by itself, sprawling over 10 hectares, is handsome Hotel Patra Jasa—formerly Pertamina Cottages—(Jl. Kuta Beach, Box 121, Denpasar, tel. 0361-751161), the first five-star hotel on Bali and the southernmost hotel of Tuban. Not your usual U-shaped configuration, this government-owned hotel feels like a thinly populated assembly of private homes. There are 206 modern, two-room, red-brick cottages in all. Rack rates range Rp287,500-345,000 per day for the suites, Rp1.8 million per day for the villas. Though comparable accommodations can be found for less, the isolation is splendid with closed-circuit TV, fresh flowers daily, shopping arcade, open-air stage, two restaurants (one of them Japanese), bars, convention facilities, tennis courts, pool, badminton, three-hole golf course. Evening open-air buffet entertainment is a response to European business. Meals and guests are conveyed through the grounds on a minibus. The hotel is more oriented toward Asian package tourists and Indonesian business. Employees greet you with the Hindu gesture of peace. With the number of Caucasians arriving, a few much-appreciated nonsmoking rooms have come in.
     In spite of Pertamina being only a five-minute drive from the airport, it's wonderfully quiet with only the sound from the ground's aviaries waking you in the morning. A major draw are the gardens—maintained at Rp11.5 million per month—which makes for a very quick, soft landing when arriving in Bali.
     Shopping, Food, and Entertainment: One wild shop in Tuban, Bali Walet (Jl. Raya Tuban 2 B-C, tel. 0361-751930) carries bird's nest, dried sea products, Indonesian snacks, and other native products. Bali Opal Center, Jl. Raya Tuban 2 (tel. 0361-752761, fax 751930), carries some dazzling amethyst, blue sapphires, opals, amber, agates, and other expensive and high-quality stones and gems.
     On a more familial note, dine, relax, and enjoy the twitter and beauty of exotic birds in Bali's first and only bird park restaurant at Jl. Ksatria 2, Tuban. A variety of Indonesian, Chinese, and European food is offered in lesehan-style huts, or eat in the main dining room facing the beautiful, bird-filled garden. For reservations and free shuttle, call (0361) 755833. Rupah Makan Minang, Jl. Raya Tuban (tel. 0361-755568), opposite the spectacular statue of Gatotkaca, offers Padang-style food to the many Indonesian transients of the area.
     Waterbom Park (Jl. Kartika Plaza, tel. 0361-755676, fax 753517) is a three-and-a-half-hectare park offering 600 meters of exciting water slides, jungle rides, water race tracks, and a lazy 250-meter twisting rafting river. Open 0900-1800. Also restaurants, beautifully landscaped gardens, tubing, pools, restaurant, sunken bars, underwater music. Admission is Rp15,000 for children five to 12 years old, Rp8000 for children under five years old. Accepts Visa, MasterCard. Only a five-minute walk from Bemo Corner toward the airport.
     Very popular with the locals is BB's Discoteque in the Bintang Bali Hotel (Jl. Kartika Plaza, tel. 0361-753292), a high-tech disco playing the very latest sounds. Also check out the Taipan Karaoke with its authentic and stylish Japanese nightclub interior, and the live jazz band at the Alun Alun Lounge.
     On the beach near Tuban's Holiday Inn is Zero Six, a huge open venue with a live band. The Fun Pub in the Dynasty Hotel has pool tables, a very popular karaoke, happy hour, snacks, and frequent party nights. For more traditional entertainment, Kuta Seafood Restaurant and Theatre (Jl. Kartika Plaza 92 X) presents live performances of dances and music to accompany their fresh seafood dinners. Open daily 1100-2100, shows start nightly from 1900 to 2100. For reservations, call (0361) 755807.