Bali - In search of a beach

Are you a beach person or a pool person ?

I used to be a pool person but have since migrated over to the beach camp. I used to be afraid of swimming in the sea. I talked about it here. Actually I still do, when I swim in the ocean, I swim parallel to the shore, if you know what I mean. I have a healthy respect for the deep & the undercurrents.

Before I would only hang out by the pool but having spent time in the Caribbean & Mediterreanean changed all that. I've learnt to appreciate swimming in the sea & enjoying a fabulous beach.

Needless to say, we are very particular about the beaches we go to. In Bali, we hunted high & low for a good beach. Here are our findings.

Seminyak, though clean was way too rough for swimming. The Girl & her father had a blast chasing the waves but I wouldn't even venture beyond waist deep water.

The Girl & her father's footprints

Go to Seminyak for the sunset.
Ditto for Kuta.

Next day we headed over to Nusa Dua in search of a better beach. All those top end hotels won't be there unless the beach was worth going. Wrong. The water was calmer & more suitable for swimming but the water wasn't clear nor was the sand fine. The search continues.

Next stop Sanur. It looked promising but again, even though the water was calm & clear, it was full of seaweed & not very pleasant for swimming. Sanur has a footpath along the shore - I know cos we walked all 9km of it trying to find a good spot to settle down.

I love the feel of Sanur. More laid back & the vendors are there too, asking you if you want to make trips to the island, do water sports etc but it doesn't feel as much of a circus as it does in Kuta. The best part of the beach is near the Grand Hyatt but unless you are guests of the hotel, there are no amenities close by.

I love these fishing boats that are in abundance in Sanur.

In conclusion & also as advised by the well travelled Lotus, when in Bali with young children, one would be better off booking a hotel with a good pool.