Rain or shine, night or day, what hits you first about Kuta Beach is the noise of the sea. It is powerful, loud, dominating. The intensity varies with the time of day, wind, tide and weather, but it is never quiet, always present.
Next you feel the warm wind, often strong, sometimes on shore, sometimes offshore, always there. With the wind providing some cooling, it is easy to underestimate the rays of the sun. Ignore them at your peril. Underfoot, the warm sea and sand are pleasant in the sea itself or the wet sand close by. Further away from the sea bare feet will burn rapidly especially on manmade surfaces. Have your footwear ready. Whilst walking you can smell and feel the sea air. It smells of fish, not always the most pleasant of smells. You get used to it.
What you see as you walk along the beach is a long and wide expanse of sand, if you are lucky a clear blue sky and bright sunlight. This is what you see on the postcards and what caused Kuta to be so developed in the first place. It is a big, sandy beach. It is not the most beautiful beach in the world. In March 2010 there were many small dead fish had been thrown up on the beach. There are various theories to explain these but common sense says that they should not be there if all was well. The beach appeared quite well kept and relatively clean. Apparently much work has gone into this recently.
Kuta Beach also appears to be home to many locals, the numbers are hard to estimate but surely run into the thousands along its whole length. It is easy to explain why when you realise that Bali attracts over 2 million visitors every year in an island with a population of just over 3 million. Unemployment is not especially high (around 3% - a number that would be the envy of many Western economies). Yet the jobs that exist are low paid and workers need to travel for an hour on their motorbikes and scooters to their villages or accommodation they can afford. Surely much more attractive to live on or near the beach itself and serve the needs of the visitors during the day?
In March 2010 the following were on offer, in no particular order: massages, manicures, pedicures, dresses, skirts, pearls, shells, pineapples,other fruits, ice cream, water, sun beds, boat trips, fishing trips, surfing,sunglasses, hats, scarves, beads.
If you are interested, bargain patiently and hard. If not, ignore the sales efforts and walk away. There is no need or place for aggression. The Balinese are some of the most gentle and welcoming in the world, that is part of the charm.
Kuta Beach is sometimes listed among the world’s best topless beaches and occasionally it is mentioned as a nude beach which it most certainly is not. It is a very relaxed place and there are a few topless sunbathers but to nothing like the extent seen in Europe nor say Miami ’s South Beach . Thong watchers will be disappointed too, very few in evidence. Not to say that they go unnoticed, one lady walking the length of the beach several times in her Wicked Weasel 457s to appreciative comments from men and women. Despite the persistent selling, nearer the sea you are left pretty much alone. The beach is also remarkably free from the excesses of behaviour, loud music, drunkenness and the like that are to be found in many other parts of the world.
The landscape of the beach changes as you move along it. From south to north, starting at Tuban Beach nearest to the airport, this section is bordered by large hotels, mostly quite new, and all very low rise so not unpleasant to look at. Some of these have good restaurants and are worth exploring. The path along the beach from Tuban to Discovery Mall is modern and block-paved.
Outside Discovery Mall, on the stretch of beach by Oceans 27 restaurant, many events take place at night. On one occasion, an outside disco that rivaled anything in a nightclub. Of course it rained but no-oneseemed to mind and thankfully the electrics and sound held out. Another day, a local bank celebrated its 30th anniversary, with dancing (to which all onlookers were invited) before they released lanterns into the sky, that took off with huge flames and became twinkling stars before vanishing from sight. Yet another day, a wedding complete with firedancers. And later, during the day, a vintage car show.
Towards Kuta itself, the beach widens and the path is no longer man-made. There are no hotels bordering the beach at this point, but lots of shade and this is where the local vendors ply their wares. You will see groups of people, often a blend of tourists and locals, enjoying massages,manicures, hair braiding and all the services on offer. Just off this section is the centre of Kuta, Kuta Square , the entrance to Poppies 1, and if you insist, MacDonalds and Hard Rock.
Further north and the beach blends from Kuta to Legian and then on to Seminyak. Take a look on Google Maps. It is about 6 km (4 miles) long in total.
Kuta Beach is not just a beach; it is part of the experience of Bali. You may not love all of it, but you cannot fail to be moved by it. And not all beaches can do that.
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