| About Kuta, Legian & Tuban Map of Kuta, Tuban & Legian
Kuta
Kuta is more that just a great beach. Kuta is the activity hub and entertainment playground of Bali, located just minutes drive south of the capital Denpasar. The area known as 'Kuta' can be roughly divided into four areas: Seminyak, Kuta, Legian
and Tuban. Kuta is a thriving tourist resort, popular mainly among the younger travelers as well as tourists from Asia.
Kuta, in addition to being the No. 1 Sunset Site in Bali with its spectacular sunsets, is also the centre of night life activities in Southern Bali and a shopping mecca, with its lines of shops, boutiques, and galleries. This former Hippies'
Paradise is still paradise for those who love sea, sun and sand. Accommodation ranges from international hotels to home-stays. The village is a lively activity hub and abounds with restaurants, shops, discotheques and other tourist facilities.
Most hotels and resorts in and around Kuta encompass spas which offer massages and beauty treatments. The larger hotels usually also offer a variety of sports facilities
Kuta beach was the first beaches discovered by tourists and remains as one of the favorite beaches with the majority of visitors. The southern (Tuban) end of the beach is bordered by the airport’s runway, which gives you a breathtaking landing
experience. The beach stretches as far north as the eye can see including Tuban, Kuta and Legian beaches which are collectively known as 'Kuta Beach'. Along Kuta Reef the waves will invite you to test your surfing skills. It is a world renowned
beach for surfing although currents and strong undertow can make it less suitable for swimming.
Sunsets
Kuta Beach is Bali's No 1 sunset site. Hundreds of people would gather every late afternoon to watch the spectacular sunsets.
There is only one word to describe the sunsets in Bali - spectacular! In December, when the sun is close to its lowest point, a large, bright orange/red sun will approach the horizon off Kuta, and descending ever so slowly into the ocean.
Brilliant shadows are cast everywhere, gold reflections on the water and strips of clouds float across the sky as the curtain of darkness falls on another day. Often, a light wisp of cloud will float across the setting sun, stealing the
completeness of the sun, as if to accessorize it with a flowing silk scarf. Hundreds of pairs of eyes watch as the sun's bottom touches the horizon and, in a matter of minutes, vanishes from the sight.
The whole experience is drop-dead romantic. Try it. I guarantee you will melt and, like most, will return again and again for the Bali sunset experience on Kuta Beach. Hotel &
Villa Guide - Kuta & Legian
Nightlife
Life does not stop when the sun sets on Kuta. It is also the centre of night life activities in Southern Bali. There are plenty of restaurants and bars where you can dance and drink the night away.
Contrary to popular belief, mostly spread by travel guide books, not all night life activities in Bali are the result of foreign tourists. It is easier to find regular performances of Balinese music and dance in Kuta, staged specially for
tourists, than anywhere else in Bali. Some performances are staged nightly. The village is ideal for meeting and mixing with locals as well as visitors from abroad. Two spectacular night time activities that are on the opposite end of an entertainment spectrum are
distinctly Balinese:
The Kecak Dance - Also dubbed by westerners as the Monkey Dance.
The Kecak Dance is a spectacular choreographic accomplishment that showcases another aspect of Balinese artistic excellence. One hundred or so bare-chested men sit down on the ground surrounding a bonfire or a fire made from coconut husks, led by
a priest or a female dancer at the center. The only music to accompany them is the beats of their palms, clapping or hitting their chests, their thighs, or other parts of their bodies, rhythmically accompanied by shouting and chanting. The
dancers move in unison, creating a spectacular sequence of hands stretched out, pulled in, rested on the shoulder of the next person, and hips gyrated left and right. All at a dizzying tempo.
Wayang Kulit - or Shadow Puppet
Typically performed very late at night, a Wayang Kulit theatrical performance can last until morning. The night performance of wayang kulit is usually considered strictly entertainment, as opposed to a day performance which usually serves a strict
religious purpose. Temple festivals and other ceremonies can sometimes be a good place to find a wayang performance.
Many Balinese dances are often performed at night at regularly scheduled performances which are available throughout the year or provided at open air theatres at the large hotels.
Besides these traditional activities night life, as commonly known in the West, also exists in Bali, especially in Kuta. For the people-watchers, the cafes, pubs, and discotheques lining the streets of Kuta and Legian are definitely the place to be
and to be seen. Pub crawls can require many nights, and the variety available beats even the wildest college towns you have ever known. So, if your idea of fun consists of nightly pub crawls and daily sun bathing to cure the hangover, stay in Kuta
day and night. You won't be disappointed.
About Legian
Legian extends from The Legian Beach Hotel to Hotel Jayakarta on what is still known as Rum Jungle Road. All types of accommodation, including villas, hotels and home-stays, are available along with some good eating and a few interesting bars,
most of which close by midnight. Legian is a quieter area with less traffic than either Central Kuta or Seminyak as it has its own one-way road system leading in and out. The beach hotels are separated from the actual beach by the new
village-owned roadway, which is closed to general traffic. Street map of Legian.
A few years ago Legian was a small village situated a short distance from Kuta, but has spread out so much that Legian is now part of the greater Kuta area. Legian is a quieter alternative and has a more sophisticated nightlife scene focusing on
dining-out and socializing rather than full-on partying but, while nightlife is not so frantic, Legian does have its own entertainment scene around Jalan Gado-Gado. Close to the action but far enough away for some down time, Legian still retains
something of its village atmosphere and is easy to walk around with good shopping & restaurants.
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