Where to Find the Best Beaches in Bali, Indonesia

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I love the idea of a beautiful beach. The Bali beaches, Seminyak, Padang Padang, and Kuta fit the fantasy. The white-capped waves foamed onto the velvety soft sand. Seagulls cawing in the pale blue sky… the sun, warm and bright… little kids’ sandcastles dot the landscape. The beaches are just one of the things to do in Bali. Sounds nice, right? Summer = beach, right?

Table of Contents

• 1. The Best Bali Beaches
• 2. Seminyak Beach
• 3. Water Fun
• 4. Turning up the Heat
• 5. Padang Padang
• 6. Best Beach to Swim and Snorkel
• 7. Kuta Beach
• 8. Surf Lessons, Services, and Proximity to Food & Drink
• 9. Related Content

The Best Bali Beaches

We only went to three of them, and they were on the south or western shore, so I can’t speak personally about any other beaches on the island. We went to one each in Kuta, Seminyak, and Padang Padang. Actually, I went to three, and my husband went to one.  If lounging on a beach in Bali is on your bucket list, here are three great places I can personally recommend to make your dreams a reality.

1. Seminyak Beach

Seminyak Beach was the first beach we visited en route to our new hotel in Kuta after spending 4 days in Ubud. We spent an hour or so walking the streets of Seminyak, where I bought some knock-off Gucci sunglasses and some of the local potato chips, something we started a long time ago. We picked up a bag of chicken satay chips at one of the corner stores before heading off to the beach, less than 10 minutes by car.

Water Fun

Paddle, wave loading, and surfing fun, isolated and not crowded

Seminyak Beach is pretty, but it has the least amount of services, with only one restaurant nearby and a handful of food carts huddled in the shade. They were smart because the beach was hot. And the sand felt like hot coals underfoot. There were only one or two people in the water; most everyone else took refuge under a beach umbrella. The waves weren’t too bad, mostly rolling. It was a great spot to use your paddle or wave board, but too small for surfing and just a little too much wave for me to swim in. But if you like walking or sitting on the edge of the surf to just enjoy the cool water– perfect.

Turning up the Heat

And all the above held true except it was hot as hell in early April, and the idea of the beach was actually better than the real thing.

After the beach in Seminyak, he refused to go to another one with me. I had planned to go to two other Dreamlands and White Beach, but c’est la vie. And while each one was more beautiful than the last, you really should check out the surrounding islands if you really want to say you’ve seen the best beaches in Bali. Not having a huge wellspring to offer on the subject, but not wanting to disregard it… I have decided to rate the three on 5 different categories: sand, sea, services, swim ability, and sustenance.

2. Padang Padang

The beach had just a few vendors right on the beach. But quite a few more are within walking distance if you feel like braving the narrow passageway and steep flight of stairs to access them. This seemed to be the best beach to swim in the water.

Best beach to swim and snorkel, mysterious entrance, and fun in the shade

There were a couple of visible reefs that protected the beach from getting big waves. But good swimmers would have no problem paddling out beyond that to paddleboard or snorkel. I loved the “hidden” factor of this beach and the rock formations found on the shore and out into the sea. There was also a lot of shade under the largest one to the right of the beach, where I found most of the people hanging out. It was just so darn hot.

3. Kuta Beach

Kuta Beach had the most services. It seemed like the perfect beach to learn to surf. I saw a lot of beginner surfers, young and old, conquering the small to mid-size waves. Surfing lessons can be arranged right on the beach. There was also a lot of intermediate to better surfers tackling the larger waves, and it was fun to watch them overcome and get crushed by them, too. No one was injured in the making of the post. It was the longest stretch of powder-fine sand I’d seen that day, behind a wall of brick and palm trees that separates you from the action of the strip. They both provided shade from the sun.

Surf Lessons, services, and proximity to food, drink, and lodging

You’d hardly know you were right in the middle of the city if not for the constant tapping of the taxi cabs. Boy– that was annoying. And no, I don’t want a ride. lol, I was concerned that you’d find a lot of hawkers, but no one approached me while I walked along the edge of the beach except to ask if I wanted them to take my picture. That was nice. There are a lot of places we should visit while stationed in Asia. Bali is just one of the places I’d recommend.

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