review about kuta and legian in bali

sunset in kuta

Most of people that already visit bali or Lombok often think kuta as the first taught, yup that true because kuta is the center of life for a traveler in bali. Kuta is not really good at the view or landmark but this is the place that never die in bali. Even after bomb is happens in bali. People from many countries still come and try their beautiful beach and their white sand. This is the heaven of the surfer around the globe.

Mention Bali and people often first think of Kuta. Hot, loud, frenetic and crowded are some of the adjectives you can use to describe the place. And just north in Legian, it’s almost the same, only a little less so. South of Kuta, Tuban heaves with a huge mall but elsewhere is more subdued. But if images of tourism gone mad are what you picture with Kuta and Legian, then you also need to understand that their amazing strength – and it is singular – is the beach. The stretch of Kuta Beach, which for most people also includes Legian Beach, is one fine crescent of surf and sand. And everything here derives from it. You can cut loose in hedonistic surf bars, eat at cheap and tasty restaurants aimed at the masses, stay in back-alley losmen it’s like small, often family-run hotels that are a steal at under US$20 a night, chill out at one of the many surfside hotels, shop for beachwear and much, much more. Kuta and Legian may not be pretty but they’re not dull. And amidst the rampant commercialism, you’ll see the odd offering, a gentle smile and even the echo of a gamelan. And as frantic as the trio of neighborhoods seems, a detour down a small alley can quickly transport you to a quiet and unhurried area.

The historical of bali is start from Mads Lange, a Danish copra trader and 19 thcentury adventurer, set up a successful trading enterprise near modern-day Kuta in 1839. He mediated profitably between local rajahs and the Dutch, who were encroaching from the north. His business soured in the 1850s, and he died suddenly, just as he was about to return to Denmark. It’s thought that his death may have been the result of poisoning by potential competitors. His tomb is on his home site just west of the night market. Much to the annoyance of the Dutch Resident, Bob and Louise Koke’s Kuta Beach Hotel thrived in the 1930s. The guests, mostly from Europe and the US, were housed in thatched bungalows built in an idealized Balinese style (the Resident called them ‘filthy native huts’). After WWII, both Westerners and Balinese built their own hotels along the beach, although most visitors were still wealthy travellers who arrived from abroad on ocean liners. Kuta really began to change in the late 1960s, when it became a stop on the hippy trail between Australia and Europe. At first, most visitors stayed in Denpasar and made day trips to Kuta. But as more accommodation opened, by the early 1970s Kuta had relaxed losmen in pretty gardens, friendly places to eat and a delightfully laid-back atmosphere. Surfers also arrived, enjoying the waves at Kuta and using it as a base to explore the rest of Bali’s coastline. Enterprising Indonesians seized the opportunity to profit from the tourist trade, often in partnership with foreigners seeking a pretext to stay longer. Legian, the village to the north, sprang up as an alternative to Kuta in the mid-1970s. At first, it was a totally separate development, but these days you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. With an economy completely dependent on mass tourism, especially from Australia, the downturn in tourism after the 2002 and 2005 bombings has been felt here more than any other part of Bali.

The Kuta region is a disorienting place. It’s flat, with few landmarks or signs, and streets and alleys that are crooked and often walled on one or both sides so it feels like a maze. Traffic is terrible and walking is often the quickest way to get around, although scooters speeding down narrow gang can cause peril. Busy Legian Road runs roughly parallel to the beach from Kuta north into Seminyak. At the southern end is Bemo Corner, a small roundabout at the junction with Kuta Beach Road. This one-way street runs west from Bemo Corner and then north along the beach to Melasti Road. Together, these are the main roads, although traffic and numerous one-way traffic restrictions will still have you tearing at your hair. Between Legian Road and the beach is a tangle of narrow streets, tracks and alleys, with a hodgepodge of tiny hotels, souvenir stalls, warung (food stalls), building construction sites and even a few coconut palms. Most of the bigger shops, restaurants and low-rent nightspots are along Legian Road and the main streets that head towards the beach. There are also tons of travel agents, souvenir shops, banks, moneychangers, motorcycle and car-rental outlets, postal agencies, public telephone office and internet cafés – all the holiday-maker needs are here. North of Melasti Road, Kuta merges into Legian, which has almost as many tourist businesses and only slightly less traffic. North of Double Six Road or Arjuna, Legian becomes Seminyak, with its cool nightspots and great shopping. Somewhere south along Kartika Plaza Road, Kuta merges with Tuban, which has several beach resorts, a huge mall and a fair amount of low-key life.