We visited Bali in late February and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We stayed at Ubud in Komaneka at Tangayuda and at Nusa Dua in Marriot. The area in which we stayed at Nusa Dua was more of a colony of five stars. The beach is five minutes’ drive and you can easily walk down to the beach in the evening. It is more of a private beach so you will find very less people and even less hawkers. Nusa Dua is a small city and there isn’t much to see within it other than a museum and a temple.
You can visit:
1. Pandawa Beach
We went to Pandawa Beach to enjoy the pristine natural beauty of white sands and clean beach. Pandawa Beach is also called the Secret Beach. It is located in the village of Kutuh in Southern Bali. Concealed behind high cliffs and overgrown shrubbery, Pandawa beach is secluded from the crowds of tourists, due to the less-than-easy path that had to be taken to access it. It is called the Pandawa Beach because of the statues of the Pandawa brothers carved on the rocks. This beach is 15 minutes away from Nusa Dua. The road leading to the beach is exceptionally beautiful marked by Limestone Mountains on both the sides.
2. Devdan Show, Nusa Dua Theatre
If you love theatre and would like to spend one evening enjoying the art and culture of the place then you must visit Devdan show. Excellent lighting, stunts, drama, sets and costumes. The ticket price is expensive but then you don’t get to see such shows on regular basis. The seats were comfortable. But the only drawback was that there was no intermission for almost 1.5 hour long show. It was a 5 minute drive from our hotel (Marriot) and others actually walked down to the place.
3. Puja Mandala
If you want to see religious tolerance and harmony at one place then you must visit Puja Mandala. It is a worship complex which has a temple, a mosque, a church and a Buddhist temple and so on. It won’t take long to see the place and offer some prayers but definitely we can get some inspiration from the idea of Puja Mandala and let peace prevail in our communities as well.
4. Club hopping at Kuta/Seminyak
Kuta and Seminyak are popular with the party hoppers. Bars, clubs, shops and eating joints throng the place. Australian young crowd is seen enjoying their night away. So if you are planning to go club hopping, take a taxi from Nusa Dua to these places and enjoy your evening. But let me warn you, these are highly commercialised places so do not expect any peace like the movie ‘Eat Pray Love’. It is like any other party city.
5. Bali National Golf Club
If you play golf then visit this well laid out lush green course. Close to new Kuta, this golf course was just 15 minutes’ drive from Nusa Dua. It is expensive but worth a visit. On a pleasant day, you and your caddy can cover many holes around the course. The staff is good, the place is clean. They also provide pick up and drop facility from your hotel. You can also enjoy a sumptuous lunch at the clubhouse. Though, I don’t know much about the game but enjoyed the location and its beauty.
6. Bali collection
Bali collection was walking distance from our hotel. It is a cluster of eating joints, gift shops, massage parlours and currency exchange shops. We bought a few gifts here. Though, the gifts are a bit expensive than what we saw in Ubud but you might find a quality thing or two here. Almost every dining area provides free wifi so you can park yourself here for hours if you do not wish to be by the sea or in your hotel. A few of the eating joints offer local food as well.
7. Kupu-Kupu Amphitheater at the Grand Nikko Bali
If you are interested to dine while watching theatre then visit hotel Grand Nikko Bali’s Kupu-Kupu Amphitheater. It is a different way to enjoy ‘nightlife’ in Nusa Dua and a great way to experience Balinese culture and cuisine at one place. The Balinese open-air amphitheater is located at the resort’s beachfront, with a backdrop of a towering limestone cliff carved with a magnificent statue. Lavish buffet dinners accompany the live Balinese dance performances and regular traditional culture shows. Guests are encouraged to wear traditional Balinese ‘kamen’ waist cloth and sash, and ‘udeng’ headwear for men. After performances, the audience are welcomed onstage for pictures with the dancers.
8. Cabaret Show at the Sol Beach House Benoa and over a Catamaran
Sol Beach House Benoa in Tanjung Benoa, just south of Nusa Dua, presents exciting cabaret shows every Sunday for its all-inclusive guests. Outside guests can be accommodated on request. It is conducted at their beach front in the open air. The show stays on schedule but moves into the ballroom in case of unfavourable weather. You can also book a couple dinner over a Catamaran where live cabarets are performed. Your hotel would certainly have all the information. The tour company usually picks you up and drops you back after the dinner.
9. Jimbran Bay
Jimbran Bay, 15 minutes away from Nusa Dua. Jimbran Bay boasts of serving the best seafood in Bali. The entire seaside is lined up with eating joints which serve fresh sea food as per your preference. From crabs, to king fish to local offerings like Jacket fish, you can find the best quality food there. You can make your food spicy with Sambal masala or keep it bland. But be careful as taxis work on commissions and they take you to average places. So go to a place only after doing proper research. The best thing about Jimbran Bay is that you can see the planes landing and taking off from the airport runway and it looks fantastic in the early evening. These restaurants are right on the beach so your table might be set up where the waves can kiss your feet. They also arrange for entertainment like you can find women performing Balinese dance in traditional attire, or a group of musicians performing a popular song from your country, or fire stunts, etc. This is a good place for an evening. Though I found the prices were steep.
10. Blue Point Beach, Ungasan
The beach is very beautiful. Big rocks carved out with sea water over time. The rocky mountain gave a beautiful view of the blue clear water and the restaurant over a rock cut table-top. You can chill at the restaurant and catch the sunset or walk down to the bottom of the beach and play with the small waves coming in. It has very steep steps so be careful while climbing up and down to the beach. In a low tide, you can see live corals, little fish in puddles of water and marine life without even going for snorkelling. This beach is 15 minutes’ drive from Nusa Dua and I recommend this if you want to enjoy a beautiful day enjoying the sea. It is also favoured by the surfers.
What do you think about these suggestions? Do leave a comment below.