Sanur is a place that attracts its fair share of tourists when things are going well and its an area I haven't explored much. So today I took the road down there from Seminyak. It takes about 20 minutes from Kuta and on Friday lunchtime the traffic was not too bad.

Sanur has decent size hotels close to the beach and is popular with short term vacation type tourists from Europe especially.

I was doing some promotional work here but stopped to check out the surf. Apparently the late showers we've been having recently have made surfing a pain and people are looking around for the best waves. The word was Sanur could be good today and it seemed fairly decent to a non surfer like me.

On the beach a school party insisted on having their photo taken with me and shaking my hand ( more on that later).

The tourist scene in Sanur has been hit harder than areas like Kuta I think because the budget minded people tend to start off in Kuta and higher scale tourists will be the first to stay away. Still the local businesses still have a market.

Will be interesting to see how things come around when the war in Iraq is over.

This evening Yumi and myself joined Bill and Susy for some nasi goreng down on Poppies I. He told me the surf was lousy recently and I said he should of went to Sanur.

On the southeastern side of Bali, Sanur beach is easily reachable from Denpasar, about a 5 to 10 minute drive. Sanur is an excellent site to watch the sun rises, as you jog along the white sandy beach. Being one of the first resort developed in Bali, Sanur maintains its traditions. Only a stone thrown away from the beach, ancient temples stand as solemn as they have been in centuries past.
Sanur Beach


While the rest of Bali's beaches have developed at a breathtaking pace, Bali's first beach resort remains largely unchanged.

Sanur is one of Bali's biggest traditional villages but it's also one of the most established tourist areas. Fine hotels, restaurants and modern entertainment venues complement traditional village activities like drama and dance, so it's a good place to enjoy the delights of a tropical island and gain a real appreciation of Balinese culture and local life.

Where to Stay
Gradual and early development has meant that Sanur has grown alongside the village, with hotels located right next door to local meeting halls and Brahmanic temples. Many hotels have expansive gardens that face the ocean in a picturesque unbroken seaside promenade.

Excellent value in all categories. Our recommendations: Bali Hyatt (distinctive rustic charm) Sanur Paradise Plaza (formerly Radisson) Sanur Beach Hotel, Puri Santrion, Mercure Sanur, Segara Village, Woka Maya Resort, Parigata Villa, Inna Grand Bali Beach, Inna Sindu Beach.

What to Do
Relax..on the beach.
Hang out, sunbathe on the soft sand beach. Located on the east coast, Sanur has a coral reef that makes it ideal for snorkeling - you can even do sea-walking. While local beach restaurants and bars provide an ethnic alternative to hotel dining.

Sanur is an important religious centre and the venue for many colourful ceremonies and traditional dances that mark the calendar each year. It's also the kind of place where exclusive hotels, boutiques and chic restaurants nestle in with the local shops and cultural centres. Explore Sanur's shady lanes and discover traditional markets, shops nightspots and local life, especially in the late afternoon.

Watersports. More and more popular, both within and beyond the reef.

What to Do - Nightlife
Nightlife in Sanur is pretty relaxed. It starts and finishes earlier than in Kuta. Most restaurants fill up early in the evening and apart from a few bars and the disco, generally wind up around midnight.

Getting Around
Metered taxis are available all around Sanur.