Exploring Kuta- Bali's Most Infamous City

Kuta is located in the southern part of Bali. A lot of people come here to relax by the beach. I actually had nothing planned coming here. My plan was to just relax out by the beach which I actually didn't do a lot of. I spent 3 days in Kuta but not at the beach. The first day I got to Kuta in the afternoon and I was still sick so I wasn't up for doing much. I just went to Kuta beach and hung out for a few hours.

It looked like it was getting ready to rain so I didn't want to stay out long. I was just excited to walk along the sand. I stayed at Funky Monkey hostel, which was only about a 10 minute walk.

Sun setting at Kuta Beach

After walking around the beach and taking some pictures, I randomly saw this mall on the way back to my hostel. I didn't check out the Boardwalk, I just got some food to eat and then went back to the hostel and decided to come back tomorrow.

The next afternoon I went to Kuta beach and walked around. There was a beach club I really wanted to go to, so I walked along the beach until I got there. La Plancha is located on Doublesix beach in Seminyak. If you just follow the shoreline you will eventually get there. There are a lot of beach clubs in Seminyak, La Plancha had good reviews and wasn't as expensive as Potato Head. La Plancha had a really cool laid back vibe, everyone was drinking, eating and just relaxing while listening to top 40 music. I ordered a chicken wrap and had some beers. I wouldn't waste your money on the food, as its expensive and nothing special.

La Plancha Beach club

After sitting around for a few hours I went back to my hostel to change because I felt uncomfortable walking around in beach clothes. I found the men here to be a it creepy and like to ogle at women. After I changed I went to go check out the Bali Bombing Memorial. In 2002 a popular tourist nightclub was bombed as well as a car in the same area in Kuta. A memorial was built where the original nightclub was to remember those killed in the bombings. There is a gate around the memorial so you are not allowed past the gate. This area actually has a lot of night clubs and bars!

Bali bombing memorial

When I was finished checking out the memorial I headed to Beachwalk. Beachwalk is a large outdoor mall right across the street from Kuta beach. There are tons of restaurants and stores to explore. I was hungry so I decided to eat at Kitchenette. They have an extensive menu and everything sounds good. I ordered chicken and waffles! I've actually never had chicken and waffles for and it looked and tasted amazing and only $10 CAD. I also got a healthy beet juice for $4. I still think about this meal today!

Chicken and waffles at Kitchenette

After eating, I walked around Beachwalk. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how beautiful this mall was. There are a lot of great stores for shopping, it looks like it was specifically made for tourists (which it probably was). They had stores like Pandora, Guess, La Senza, etc. There is even a rooftop, which has a beautiful garden and places to sit.

There are also events at the mall like Balinese dances and live music. There are other attractions like a movie theatre and museum. I actually ended up spending a lot of time here shopping, eating and I even saw The Jungle Book. At night the rooftop turns into a nightclub which I didn't find out until I went to find out why there was music blasted. I actually found Kuta and the surrounding area to be underwhelming. This area is best for people who are into water sports, shopping or partying which was not really something I wanted to do.