18.02.2019 Alexey Glazunov
In this article I will tell you in detail about Nusa Dua beach, the infrastructure of the area and give recommendations for choosing a hotel.
Nusa Dua is a large area of the Bukit Peninsula in the south of Bali. For most, this name is associated, to a greater extent, with the Nusa Dua beach, as well as the closed tourist area where good five-star hotels are located - this article is dedicated to this area and the beach.
You can often find reviews on the Internet that Nusa Dua is not Bali, but a boring, closed tourist reservation, where there is absolutely nothing to do. This is partly true, of course, but only partly. If you want to immerse yourself in the atmosphere and culture of Bali as much as possible, then Nusa Dua is not the best option.
But if you are accustomed to a high level of comfort and service, to good five-star hotels, and want to get the impressions of Bali in doses, in parallel with a relaxed and quiet holiday on the beach, then Nusa Dua is a good choice.
The only thing you shouldn’t do at all is to come to Bali, settle in Nusa Dua and spend all your time there without leaving anywhere. Nusa Dua beach is quite good by Balinese standards, but not ideal, and if your goal is a 100% beach holiday, then it is better to choose another country for this - the Maldives, the Philippines, Thailand, etc.
Nusa Dua Beach is located on the Bukit Peninsula, in the very south of Bali. This is one of the closest resorts to the airport, from which you can get there by toll road in about 20 minutes. On the map, the large lilac polygon is the Nusa Dua area, Bali, and the small red one is the closed area and Nusa Dua beach.
Nusa Dua area, Bali
The territory of Nusa Dua is closed, it can be accessed from several sides, and everywhere you need to go through a checkpoint. They inspect cars, look into the trunk, sometimes they also slow down motorcyclists - a couple of times they asked us where we were going, but most often we drove by without stopping.
Nusa Dua is a small separate tourist world inside Bali. Everywhere here is very clean and beautiful, the area is well-groomed, traffic is minimal, there are sidewalks and signs. In general, it’s pleasant, comfortable and safe to be there.
The territory has its own huge Bali Collection shopping center, with shops, spas and restaurants (free shuttles run to it from many hotels); a very good BIMC hospital, Museum Pasifika and even the Bali Nusa Dua Theater with a cool production of Devdan Show.
There are also several independent restaurants on site.
Almost all hotels in Nusa Dua are located along the beach. Since beaches in Indonesia cannot be private, it looks like this - the hotel has its own territory on which there are living quarters, swimming pools, most sun loungers and other infrastructure.
Through the pedestrian path that runs along the entire Nusa Dua, there is a section of the beach, on which there are also some hotel sun loungers
and the cleanliness of which is monitored by the staff of a particular hotel.
As a rule, outsiders are not allowed onto the hotel grounds, but anyone can stay on the beach. However, there are not many outsiders here, and it seems that there are no merchants at all (at least, we have never seen them).
Thus, it turns out that the three-kilometer Nusa Dua beach almost entirely consists of areas assigned to one or another hotel and therefore, in general, it is very well-groomed.
True, in the morning, especially during the rainy season, garbage washes up on the shore, and if you go to the beach before cleaning, you can find such an unsightly picture.
Near one of the beach clubs we saw how all this garbage was immediately buried in the sand! We hope that hotels don’t do this, after all.
The beach is wide everywhere, from the water to the walking path almost everywhere about 50 meters.
The water in the ocean is clean and transparent,
the sand is not “floury”, but not too coarse either, yellow, with small, not sharp inclusions of fragments of shells, without large stones.
The shore is quite shallow; at high tide there is enough depth, but at low tide in some places the bottom can become quite exposed.
There is one lagoon on the beach, in which even at low tide there is a good depth near the shore and you can normally enter the water - for more details, see the “Hotels in Nusa Dua” section.
Near the Ayodya Hotel there is one of the few restaurants that does not belong to hotels,
Here you can eat, rent a sun lounger, and there is also a shower.
Otherwise, almost all the infrastructure on Nusa Dua beach is the services provided by hotels. Some put old, shabby wooden sun loungers on the beach, others - poufs with tables.
Some people put chairs
gazebos,
or straw umbrellas.
Almost every hotel has its own options for water activities, but there are also several third-party points where you can rent a surfboard or kayak.
Nusa Dua beach is conventionally divided into three parts - northern, southern and city beach.
The southernmost part is often distinguished separately and called Geger Beach, although in essence it is all one beach.
There are even fewer people here than on the Nusa Dua beach, and in the deeper sea, at low tide the water does not go out as much, although there are sometimes waves near the shore.
Most often locals come to the city beach; I don’t see much point in going there. If you don’t live in Nusa Dua, then it’s still better to come to the beach at some hotel, it will be cleaner there than in the city.
Between the city beach and the southern part of Nusa Dua there is a remarkable place called Waterblow - a stone ledge on which waves roll and crash noisily against the rock.
It’s nice to stroll here under the refreshing salty spray of the sea surf, take pictures,
and just enjoy the sunrise
Hotels in Nusa Dua
Nusa Dua, at first glance, seems like a very large space, but in fact there are only 13 hotels there, 10 of which are located on the first line - this is what Nusa Dua beach looks like from above.
Hotels in the table are marked on the map with corresponding numbers (from right to left). There are 10 hotels on the first line of Nusa Dua beach, and the last 2, the coolest and most expensive (The St. Regis and The Mulia) are located outside the closed territory of Nusa Dua (they have separate entrances on the other side), but, as you can see on the map, they are located on the same beach.
In principle, all the hotels on Nusa Dua beach are very good and it is quite difficult to recommend just one, it all depends on personal preferences.
If the budget is not limited, then of course it makes sense to choose The St. Regis, in which the simplest room is a luxurious 100 sq. m. m., and the largest villa occupies more than 400 sq. m. The beach area next to the hotel is appropriate - very long, deserted and with sun loungers installed at a distance of 50 meters.
Another cool, new, modern, stylish hotel, which is located at the very end of Nusa Dua beach, in an impenetrable place and with good depth in the sea, is The Mulia. Despite the fact that its beach, formally, is still public, it is separated from the rest of the beach by a fence and strangers are very rarely there.
Simpler hotels, but also very good, are Sofitel Resort and The Westin Resort.
If you want to find a middle ground and get the maximum for the minimum price, then I recommend paying attention to the hotels The Laguna and Inaya Putri.
A significant advantage of the last two is also the presence of a small lagoon in the ocean right between them (it is clearly visible on the map above, between points 7 and 8), where a decent depth is maintained even at low tide, so if it is critical for you to be able to swim in the ocean at any time time of day, pay attention to these hotels.
True, right at this place the road approaches the beach and between them there is a section of the beach where people from outside come. There is a restaurant and sun loungers for rent, i.e. if you are not staying in a hotel in Nusa Dua, this is where you can come to swim.
Three more hotels in Nusa Dua are located on the second line, away from the beach. All these hotels are not bad, but still, this is not the first line - it makes sense to stay in them if you want to stay in Nusa Dua, but at the same time cheaper.
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The Nusa Dua resort area in the east of the Bukit Peninsula is the best in Bali. Until the beginning of the 80s. it was just a coastline covered with palm trees, and today it is an elite holiday destination with a chain of luxury hotels beloved by Hollywood stars, politicians and businessmen. The beaches of Nusa Dua are sandy and very clean. They are fenced off from high ocean waves by a chain of coral reefs. In the center of the resort, behind the hotels, is the Bali Collection shopping complex, under which there are more than 80 shops and boutiques, as well as restaurants, art galleries and a theater.
To the north of Nusa Dua stretches a narrow sandy strip of Tanjung Benoa. This is a former fishing village, now turned into a chain of four- and five-star hotels (of a relatively low class) with a whole bunch of opportunities for water activities.
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How to get to Nusa Dua
All routes to Nusa Dua pass through Ngurah Rai International Airport, located 13 km from the resort. There are no direct regular flights from Russia and Bali, but you can get there with 1-2 transfers by Singapore Airlines, Air France, KLM, Bangkok Airways, etc. The cheapest way to fly from Moscow is “ South China Airlines with a transfer in Shenzhen. Travel time is 22 hours, round trip ticket - from 680 USD. The fastest option takes 14.5 hours - first with Thai Airlines to Bangkok and then with Qatar Airways. The ticket price in this case is from 915 USD. Prices on the page are as of October 2018.
The fastest way to fly from St. Petersburg to Bali (17 hours) is by Emirates with a transfer in Dubai. Minimum ticket price 850 USD. However, in order to meet this amount, you will have to fly back with 2 transfers and spend 30 hours on the road.
On the New Year and May holidays, as well as at the peak of the tourist season, the cost of air tickets increases by 30-50%.
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Search for flights to Bali Airport (closest airport to Nusa Dua)
From airport to resort
The cheapest option is to take a comfortable shuttle bus from the Trans Sarbagita company, which takes tourists to hotels in the Nusa Dua resort area. Runs from 5:00 to 21:00, travel interval is 15-30 minutes, stop opposite the domestic airlines terminal, ticket price is 3500 IDR, travel time is 1-1.5 hours depending on the location of the hotel.
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The taxi ride will only take 20-25 minutes. It can be ordered at a fixed price of 150,000 IDR and paid immediately at the Prepaid Taxi counter directly at the airport. Payment for a Blue Bird taxi ride (office site in English) is made according to the meter and, in case of traffic jams, may be even higher than the fixed rate. Private cab drivers, after bargaining, agree to carry you for a lesser amount, but prepare money in advance - they never have change.
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Transport
You can move around the resort area by taxi or free yellow-green shuttle buses, from 8:00 to 23:00 carrying passengers between hotels and the Bali Collection shopping center. No other public transport is allowed to enter Nusa Dua.
Intercity buses of the transport companies Peramatour (office site in English), Trans Sarbagita and Kura-Kura (office site in English) run between the main resorts and main attractions of Bali. The fare is 10,000-80,000 IDR, however, on some routes they operate only 1-2 times a day.
The most common type of public transport, convenient for traveling short distances, is bemo minibuses for 12 people.
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The station is located outside the resort area - in the neighboring village of Bualu on the central street. Ngurah Rai. However, you can stop the minibus anywhere with a wave of your hand. The fare for locals is from 4500 IDR, for foreigners - as the driver decides. The main disadvantages of bemos are cramped conditions, lack of air conditioning and operating hours - after 16:00 their movement practically stops.
Of all the taxi companies in Bali, Blue Bird has the best reputation with its signature blue cars, blue bird on the logo and the words “BLUE BIRD GROUP” on the windshield. The drivers know English well, fares are paid according to the meter: landing 7000 IDR, 1 km of travel - 6000 IDR, every minute of idle time - 600 IDR.
Avoid taxis with non-functioning meters. If you have no choice, negotiate the price in advance.
Car rental at Ngurah Rai Airport from local rental companies - from 200,000-250,000 IDR/day, from Avis - from 600,000 IDR/day.
Resort Maps
Nusa Dua Hotels
With the light hand of the President of Indonesia, who personally opened the first hotel at the resort, his fellow presidents, royalty and successful businessmen became regular guests of Nusa Dua. There are 13 luxurious five-star hotels in the closed tourist area, 10 of which are on the first line. Each is located in its own tropical park and looks like a mini-state washed to a sterile state, where you can completely forget about the existence of the rest of the world.
The prestigious hotel The St. Regis Bali Resort is affordable only for people with an unlimited budget. The cheapest room in it is a luxurious suite priced from 10,700,000 IDR per night. The best value for money is offered by the Grand Hyatt, Ayodya Resort and Inaya Putri hotels, with room rates starting from IDR 3,500,000 per night. The undoubted advantage of the last two is a small but deep lagoon between them, in which you can swim even during low tides.
Some 3-5* hotels located outside the resort area position themselves as belonging to Nusa Dua, but this is nothing more than a successful marketing ploy. Many of them are located far from the sea and are affordable even for budget tourists. Everything is much simpler here. Thus, a room in Litus Mesten Nusa Dua 3*, a 15-minute drive from the beach, can be rented for only 303,000 IDR.
Beaches
The Nusa Dua beach stretches 3 km from the Sofitel Resort in the north to the Mulia Resort in the south. With a wide strip of light yellow sand, a gentle slope, clear water and a protective barrier of coral reefs, it is considered one of the best in Bali. The staff of the hotel opposite which it is located is responsible for the cleanliness, order, and proper condition of umbrellas, sun loungers and other infrastructure. A narrow paved path stretches along the beach, separating it from the rest of the hotel area, which is usually closed to outsiders. At the same time, the beach itself is accessible to everyone, and anyone can settle down on it.
In the center and south of Nusa Dua Beach there are areas intended for the public not staying in hotels in the resort area. The sand on them may not be so clean, but here you can have a snack in restaurants, rent a sun lounger (35,500 IDR) and even take a shower.
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Each hotel offers a wide range of beach activities - jet skiing, banana boat rides, parasailing, surfing, wakeboarding, etc. at prices ranging from 200,000 to 500,000 IDR. But the rare beach vendors do not bother anyone - under pain of losing their license, they are strictly forbidden to approach the sun loungers. Therefore, they understand the word “no” the first time.
Shopping: shops and souvenirs
Shopping in Bali is an essential part of your holiday. There has not yet been a person born who would leave here without shopping. For hundreds of years, entire generations of craftsmen have worked to decorate the local temples and palaces, who now create real masterpieces for tourists. Balinese masks, dolls, batik, mosaics made of different types of wood, figurines of gods and goddesses - from tiny to huge, the size of a man, are known all over the world.
Famous jewelers live in the village of Cheluk. Mas has the best woodcarvers on the island. Tenganan Village is famous for its basketry and artistic panels carved on palm leaves. At the beginning of the 20th century, Europeans were literally stunned by Balinese painting, and Western artists who fell in love with the island gave it new shades. Now both directions - traditional and modern - exist simultaneously, and each has its own fans and buyers.
All products of the famous jewelry brand John Hardy, which Sting and Jessica Parker love so much, are made only in Bali. The founder of the brand, American John Hardy, arrived on the island and was so captivated by the art of local craftsmen that he opened his own jewelry factory here and made Bali his second home.
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You can do shopping in Nusa Dua without leaving the hotel premises - each has boutiques and art galleries that are more like museums. It’s even better to go to the huge Bali Collection shopping center (office site in English), located in the resort area. In addition to handicrafts, here you can buy interestingly cut clothes from European and American designers living in Bali.
Holidays in Nusa Dua
Cuisine and restaurants in Nusa Dua
Each of the hotels in the resort area has restaurants serving international cuisine - Indonesian, Italian, French, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Latin American. They compete with establishments of the Bali Collection shopping center (including the Russian cuisine restaurant “White Bear”) and beach establishments. Chefs invited from all over the world try to outdo each other by treating their guests to exquisite haute cuisine.
Not the least role is given to interior design. One of the most popular restaurants - The Pirates Bay in the center of Nusa Dua beach, has everything to feel like a real filibuster - a pirate ship, an observation deck on a tall tree, huts with thatched roofs. To get into character, you can dress up in pirate costumes and take part in the search for a chest of gold coins.
When ordering a dish of local cuisine, you should warn the waiter so that the cook does not overuse hot spices.
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You can eat cheaply and tasty in the neighboring village of Bualu with quite affordable restaurants, cafes, pizzerias, sushi bars and “warungs” - small eateries devoid of any glamor and serving national cuisine. This could be an unnamed eatery with 2-3 tables on the street, or a small restaurant, for example, Warung Bule and Susi (Pintas Siligita St., 111), beloved by Western tourists. The menu includes traditional local dishes: “babiguling” - spit-roasted suckling pig, “bebekgoreng” - chicken baked in banana leaves, grilled fish “ikanpepes”, vegetable salad “gado-gado”, fried noodles “migoreng” and, of course , “sate” - small skewers of chicken or lamb.
The average cost of dinner in a hotel restaurant in the Nusa Dua resort area is 1,000,000 IDR per person, lunch in a “warung” is 150,000-200,000 IDR, street fast food is from 40,000 IDR.
Entertainment and attractions
No matter how good the hotels in Nusa Dua are, all the fun begins at their doorstep. There are more than 20 thousand temples on the “Island of Gods and Demons”. One of the most ancient is Pura Luhur Uluwatu, located on the west coast of Bukit just 17 km from the resort. Founded in the 11th century, it is one of the six most revered temples on the island. Once upon a time, only members of the royal family of Denpasar could pray there. By some miracle, Uluwatu was caught on the very edge of a cliff rising above the sea to a height of 90 m. It is best to come here in the evening around five to admire the sunset. And sunsets in the tropics are magical.
Every evening, on the stage next to the Uluwatu Temple, about 100 men and women dressed in traditional costumes perform a spectacular Balinese kecak dance, based on the ancient Indian epic "Ramayana".
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The fact that Bali is an inexhaustible source of inspiration can be easily seen in the Pacifica Museum (office site in English), which appeared thanks to the French collector Philippe Oguet and the Indonesian businessman Moetaryanto. This is one of the largest collections of paintings by European artists and Asian masters, whose work is associated with the Pacific region. One of the halls displays Balinese ritual masks and costumes.
The most popular natural attraction of Nusa Dua is a high stone ledge jutting into the ocean with a Waterblow observation deck in the center of the beach. Falling into a narrow crevice on the outer side of the ledge, the waves roar high up, showering spectators with millions of salty spray - a truly mesmerizing sight.
June
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The land of eternal summer - Bali, is located in the Southern Hemisphere near the equator. Therefore, throughout the year there are no significant differences in air and water temperatures, and day and night divide the day exactly in half - the sun rises at about 6:00 and sets at about 18:00.
The climate is equatorial-monsoon with two seasons - dry and wet. Dry season lasts from April to October, the best time to travel is July-August. The wet season is from mid-October to March. The rainiest months are December and January. Precipitation, as a rule, is not prolonged and falls more often at night. Much more trouble at this time can be caused by currents that carry garbage and plastic waste into coastal waters and onto the coastline. It’s not for nothing that the wet season is often called “garbage.” In refined Nusa Dua, at this time the beaches are cleaned several times a day.
Ebbs and flows
When making plans for the coming day, it is worth checking them with the tide table, which is available in every hotel. Otherwise, when you come to the beach one day, you may find a bare seabed instead of an ocean that has gone somewhere beyond the horizon. The strength and timing of the tides depends on the phases of the moon. The strongest ones occur during the new moon and full moon. The difference in water level can reach 2.5 m. During the day there are 2 maximums of high water and 2 minimums of low water. They alternate every 6 hours. During the day, the peaks shift by about an hour. In addition to the time, the corresponding water level is indicated in the adjacent column of the table. In Nusa Dua, swimming is possible at a level of 1.5 m and above.
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general information
“Capitalist ministers” of the leading countries of the world like to come here for various summits, and “owners of factories, newspapers, ships” have chosen the Bali Golf and Country Club courses, which are considered the best in the world. In the last few years, they have been increasingly being replaced by “bad boys” from the Russian bureaucracy and the oil and gas sector with their long-legged girlfriends, as well as the descendants of Japanese samurai. For them, voluntary confinement on the territory of their hotel at a price of $200 - 300 per night fits perfectly into the concept of real relaxation.
Indeed, outside the coastal hotel zone, life in Nusa Dua practically comes to a standstill and is represented only by roadside restaurants on Jl street. Pratama, among which there are several very good ones. Their prices are much lower than in hotel catering. Especially for those who want to escape from the golden cage, there is a shopping and entertainment complex “Bali Galleria”, which is located between the Grand Hyatt and Melia Bali hotels. This is a carefully guarded area of restaurants, art salons and souvenir shops. Various shows in the national style and a department store with famous brands also take place. Those wishing to get a bird's eye view of this artificial paradise, surrounded by real greenery, are invited to board a hot air balloon with the bright inscription Nusa Dua visible from everywhere.
The peculiarity of local beaches is the absence of waves that interfere with swimming. The sand here is fine and clean; merchants are prohibited from pestering vacationers. Local residents also do not appear in the area of hotels guarded by vigilant security forces, so things can be left in the sun loungers in peace. Only strong low tides, exposing hundreds of meters of seabed for half a day, upset guests. Luckily, hotels have no shortage of pools. The Sheraton Laguna has a whole cascade of them, and some rooms on the first floor also have direct access to the water. All hotels are surrounded by gardens; the best landscape designers from different countries worked on the design of the territory. To appreciate their efforts, you don’t have to live right here. The hotel beaches are open to the public, and you can simply wander through the fragrant gardens, admiring the riot of colors and floral aroma. In the ponds of the Ayodya Hotel (formerly Bali Hilton) live herons and many colorful fish.
If you turn off the road leading from the center of Nusa Dua to the Nikko Bali Hotel in the Bali Golf Club area, you can get to the wonderful Geger Beach (Geger). European expats gather here for whom Bali has become their second home. They rent houses and rooms in a nearby compound (village). You can only get to the beach by taxi or your own transport. (entry fee). The Nikko Hotel, built into the rock, completes the Nusa Dua area from the south. Japanese investors once paid huge bribes to build a multi-story hotel in this exact location. The location, design, interiors, furniture and everything else fully meets all the requirements of Feng Shui. A little further from Nikko there is a beach with big waves, very popular with surfers.
Gigantomania, which reached Bali, spilled out into the construction of the Central Park of Culture and Culture named after. Garuda-Vishnu-Kencana (GWK) west of Nusa Dua, on the road to the Ulu Watu Temple. Here, in 2003, the builders of Balinese communism erected the world's tallest monument to the mythical bird Garuda, sitting on the shoulders of the Hindu deity Vishnu. All monuments in Indonesia are made in a special manner, unlike the European one, and for this reason alone are worthy of a visit.
Often our tourists who come to Nusa Dua complain about high prices in hotel restaurants and high taxi costs. Indeed, some of the resort's isolation from the center of nightlife in Kuta, traffic jams and its claims to eliteness raise the stakes. The whole question is whether you are willing to pay for these claims.
Transport
The easiest way to get to Nusa Dua is by metered taxi. A trip from Jimbaran will cost 50,000 Rp, from Kuta 70,000 Rp. Blue Bemo buses also go here from Denpasar Tegal bus station - 15,000 Rp. Bemo to the capital must be caught on the By Pass highway outside the resort village; the route runs past the airport, to which you still have to walk 500 m.
Tanjung Benoa
Jutting into the bay north of Nusa Dua, the narrow five-kilometer peninsula of Tanjung Benoa stretches, like a finger pointing towards the port of Benoa. The village of Benoa, located at its tip, was once a busy trading port. It is now a resting place; Jet ski and motor boat rides are organized here, there are diving centers, bars, hotels, including the prestigious Conrad Resort.
Don't confuse Tanjung Benoa (Benoa village) with the port of Benoa, which is located on the opposite, northern side of a small bay. You can get there along the long paved road Sanur - Kuta. The port serves cargo ships, day steamers, cruise ships, motor boats and ferries. There is a fee to drive along the paved road to the pier, but it only makes sense to drive all the way to the end if you are going to Nusa Lembongan or on a deep sea fishing trip.
The Bukit Peninsula itself is located south of the airport and is almost a real island. Much of it is a windswept limestone plateau, quite unlike the rest of southern Bali. In its soil, which is too dry for rice cultivation, legumes, cassava and peanuts are grown. The sharp coastline is suitable for lovers of risky surfing. In the early 1970s, in search of the right wave, surfers discovered several dangerous breaks, hidden caves and golden sand beaches. In those days there was practically no infrastructure there. Now Bukit, along with the Pecatu golf course, is an exclusive destination with luxury villas and hotels.
Many Indonesian islands are fabulously beautiful, and Bali is certainly one of the most amazing and interesting parts of the country. However, its popularity among travelers is associated with a well-designed and successfully implemented large-scale program for the development of tourism infrastructure, which was carried out by the BTDC corporation.
After all, no matter how good the landscapes are, no matter how unique the culture of the inhabitants, no matter how rich the flora and fauna of Bali, tourists accustomed to a certain level of comfort would never pour into the island in a powerful wave.
About the resort
During the implementation of the program, the Nusa Dua area (more precisely, Benoa), located on the east coast of the Bukit Peninsula in southern Bali, was chosen, where the best island resort was rebuilt from scratch. The distance from Ngurah Rai Airport is about 20 km and takes no more than half an hour.
This place is highly recommended to everyone who is very sensitive to the slightest shortcomings of the tourist service, who prefers a “civilized” beach holiday. It’s no secret that many tourist villages on the island provide satisfactory, but far from luxurious service. Although it is quite suitable for those who are on a limited budget or come to Bali for the sake of “Bali”.
Nusa Dua is a small village protected from unauthorized “invasion” by local residents. You can get here through special checkpoints. However, a native or tourist who has not booked a room at a local hotel may still be able to visit the resort. True, at the entrance they sometimes inspect the belongings of those who are suspicious. But any vacationer does not have to worry about the safety of the contents of their suitcases and their own safety. And what is important, you will be freed from endless annoying offers of services and goods.
The territory of Nusa Dua is well planned, almost perfectly groomed and very beautiful. Fans of leisurely walks or cycling will be pleased with the excellent condition of the paths. and catering establishments are presented, as they say, in a wide range. Without any exaggeration, we can say that the resort has a great many advantages, but only one drawback - a clear lack of national flavor. Which, however, can be easily made up for by drawing up and implementing a program of visits to. But more about everything.
Beach
‒ one of the best on the island, well equipped, well maintained, has a gentle entrance to the sea and is suitable for swimming. The latter is important, because the sea off the coast of Bali is noticeably more pleasing, and especially so. By the way, surfing at the resort is possible, but more on that later. The total length of the beaches is 3 km.
The beaches are covered with pleasant champagne-colored sand, the sea is clean. However, some beaches are a bit “exciting”, and in some places it is almost impossible to swim at low tide.
- Sawangan or Nikko Beach is located in the southern part of the resort. There are almost no ebbs and flows here, but waves are possible. Overall, swimming is comfortable.
- Geger is also located in the south of the resort. Very popular among Russian tourists, great for small children. During low tide it is suitable for snorkeling.
- Mengiat is located closer to the center of the resort. Convenient and quite crowded beach. You can swim at low tide.
- Nusa dua is a beautiful, clean and comfortable beach in the center of the resort. However, it is not possible to swim here during low tides. But you can admire the impressive natural phenomenon called Water Blow: waves crash wildly and beautifully between the rocks.
Housing
The resort and its immediate surroundings offer, that is, hotels of all star levels, guesthouses, villas, etc. Capricious or wealthy tourists will be satisfied with the service of 5* hotels, some of which are known throughout the world for their comfort and chic. Almost all five-star hotels in Nusa Dua are located on the first line. Room prices start from $50/night for two.
The 4* hotel category has more than 60 options. This is more than decent accommodation, but at a much nicer price: from $18/night for two. There are about 75 2* and 3* hotels. Rooms will cost no less than $13/night for two.
Tourists on a budget can find a suitable option among 1* hotels. The price for a room in this category starts from 10 $/night for two.
Thus, not only media personalities and wealthy people can enjoy their vacation; the Nusa Dua resort is accessible to almost everyone.
It is impossible to feel at home in the most spacious and luxurious hotel room. For those who want to feel like a boss even on vacation, it is better to rent a villa. As a rule, this is a decent mansion with an area of 200 square meters. m, with a full range of amenities and household appliances, a plot and a swimming pool. The villa will cost from $30/day.
All prices are valid for high season. During the low season, housing prices decrease.
Entertainment
Bali is, in principle, not the best place for lovers of parties and incendiary parties. There is only one place on the entire island where tourists craving a vibrant nightlife can enjoy their holiday - Kuta in the southwestern part of the island. Nusa Dua is a calm, and "decent" resort. Here you don’t suffer from insomnia due to the roar of the dance floors, and you won’t see cheerful young people wandering around the streets until dawn. However, there are many options to have a good time.
To the delight of connoisseurs of cultural spectacles, there is a theater - Bali Nusa Dua Theatre, where several times a week you can see a colorful dance show on stories dedicated to the history and culture of Bali.
The island offers all kinds of water activities, among which surfing is worth highlighting. This activity is seasonal for each section of the coast of Bali. So, in Nusa Dua they catch waves in the low season, from November to March. For lovers of water attractions, we recommend Bali Wake Park, located approximately 14 km north of the resort.
There are few attractions directly in Nusa Dua and its surroundings. This:
- the magnificent Nusa Dua Park;
- Puja Mandala is a square where temples of five faiths allowed in Indonesia are erected: Muslim, Buddhist, traditional Balinese, Catholic and Protestant;
- Pacifica Museum of Art.
The resort will meet the expectations of those who consider shopping a pleasant pastime. Frankly speaking, the creators of the resort have made a lot of efforts to ensure that dear guests leave as much money as possible in local stores.
The Bali Collection center was created in the best traditions of the trading business. In addition to a pleasant walk through the labyrinth of world-famous brand stores, here you can relax in a massage parlor, get yourself in order in one of the beauty studios, or sit in a cafe or restaurant. From time to time, entertainment events are held on its territory. Many hotels offer a free shuttle to Bali Collection. In a word, the center is good for everyone, but the prices are steep.
Nutrition
Something, really. Particularly impressive is the number of breathtakingly expensive restaurants, many of which are located in luxury hotels. But there are even more establishments for less wealthy travelers, and warungs, traditional eateries, are recommended for tourists on a very limited budget. Perhaps the dishes in warungs do not qualify for Michelin stars, but they are quite affordable, tasty and satisfying.
For those who decide to cook their own food, we recommend the quite decent Hardy’s Nusa Dua supermarket, located near the aforementioned souvenir market.
Weather
In general, the weather at the resort is typical for the Bukit Peninsula - somewhat drier than in most of Bali. Bali is located in the equatorial monsoon climate zone, with distinct dry and rainy seasons. The first lasts from May to October (local winter), the second - from November to March (summer). The air temperature varies slightly throughout the day and year, and the water temperature fluctuates within even smaller limits.
The hottest month is March, when during the day the air warms up to +32⁰ and above, the coolest is July (+28⁰ ... +30⁰). The warmest sea is in March: up to +30⁰, the coldest, when the water can cool below +27⁰, is in July. At first glance, you can relax here all year round. But still, the time of the trip should be taken more seriously.
Indeed, Nusa Dua is located on the east coast, which is not affected by the storms that block access to the beaches in the west. In addition, during this period an additional “option” opens up in the form of surfing. But still, deadly humidity, terrible heat, as well as frequent downpours that can cancel all planned excursions can significantly spoil your vacation.
So, Nusa Dua is a well-maintained and cozy resort offering a calm, “lazy” and comfortable holiday. The disadvantages include some distance from many of the most interesting Balinese attractions and, of course, not very pleasant prices.
Probably first of all in the tourist world, the island of Bali is known for its hotels located precisely on the beaches of Nusa Dua. And it is in the booklets dedicated to this beach and hotels that there are very beautiful photographs of snow-white beaches and luxury hotels.
Is it really as beautiful there as they say in the booklets? :) Let's figure it out.
The Nusa Dua area was designed as a holiday destination for wealthy tourists. Some even call this place a reservation for tourists :) There is a security checkpoint at the entrance to Nusa Dua, plus strict inspection of tourists' belongings at the entrance to some hotels, much like at the airport.
The beaches in this place are very picturesque. Indeed, with pleasant light, almost white sand.
There is a coral reef in the ocean and therefore there are no high waves here. Only small ones and you can swim in them.
But there are very strong low tides, we lived there in April and the low tides were mainly in the afternoon.
What does high tide mean? This means that on 90 percent of the beach there is approximately ankle-deep water in the sea. And there is no question of any swimming.
The best section of the beach at low tide is at the Ayodya Resort hotel - you can always swim there. I will write about the hotel below in even more detail. We lived there for 10 days and really liked it.
There is a pedestrian and bicycle path along the entire beach in Nusa Dua.
And my husband often used it as a treadmill :) What we really liked was that it was easy to walk throughout the resort and see all the other hotels.
Nusa Dua Beach - Bali
Roughly in the center of the Nusa Dua resort is a large open-air Bali Collection shopping center with a large number of different shops and restaurants. And on the sides in both directions there are hotels. As you can see on this map of the Nusa Dua resort.
Right behind it is a small park that ends with these black rocks and a cliff.
This place is very spectacular, and if you come here during high tide, you can see huge waves crashing against the rocks. Just don't get too close - it can be dangerous. Or at least yours will have a refreshing shower waiting for you.
I was there at low tide, the waves also crashed beautifully against the rocks, but did not rise so high.
Where to stay on Nusa Dua beach in Bali?
Mostly five star hotels are located here. Some are worse, some are better, but overall they are all very good.
You can book a hotel and read reviews on it on the most convenient booking site, in my opinion, booking.com It was through it that I booked our hotel Ayodya Resort on Nusa Dua beach.
My mini review of the Ayodya Resort hotel on Nusa Dua beach in Bali with photos.
The hotel is very pleasant, beautiful and well maintained. Several pools, one of which is right on the ocean, with very warm water, from which you really didn’t want to leave.
Just as I already wrote, this hotel was the only one in Nusa Dua where you could swim in the ocean at low tide.
Very tasty, varied breakfasts. And overall a very good price/quality ratio. And great work from the staff.
Well, very good internet. My husband, who worked almost all the time, was very pleased :)
In my opinion, the hotel had only two drawbacks. Not particularly tasty food in restaurants at a fairly high price. And the fact that it was possible to leave a child only from 5 years old in the children's club.
There is a shuttle from the hotel once an hour to Bali Collection, although it’s only about 10 minutes on foot. At Bali Collection we enjoyed having dinner at the Tropical cafe
Well, that's probably all. Nusa Dua Beach is really very good, and the hotels there are excellent, but you need to be prepared for some pitfalls in the form of strong tides and small waves.
Well, in general - in my opinion, the island of Bali is not for a hotel holiday and not for big fans of swimming in the sea :) Here you need to be very active on excursions and attractions and admire the beauty of nature and the power of the ocean. Because the island is simply stunningly beautiful. And lovers of nature and the ocean will definitely love it :)
I hope this information will be useful to you.
Have a bright and unforgettable trip!
Success and good luck!
