"Goddam Street Merchants" Kuta by alvis

Kuta as you may know is the most popular of the Bali beaches and is famous for it's surfing and nightlife. Originally Kuta was small but it's beaches and surf brought thousands of tourists to the area and it began to develop. Before long Kuta had grown so much the area of Kuta had reached Legian and Seminyak and between the 3 of them are the biggest area in Bali.

It is the most crowded tourist resort in Bali and because of this a lot of down sides come with it. When walking on any street in Kuta you will be hassled by people selling taxis, food, clothes etc. This really gets quite annoying. The beaches are just as bad with people approaching you every couple of metres trying to rent you surfboards etc. It is advised to get a resort with a private beach to get a break from this.

Other than this Kuta is a great place with great beaches, a variety of shopping malls, decent food joints and other attractions i.e. bungy ball and waterpark near the centre.

My original perception of Kuta was that it would be similar to greasy Spanish resorts and for this reason I decided on staying in Sanur. After staying in Sanur for a bit I was really glad to get to Kuta as the atmosphere was completely different and there was a lot more to do. I was not in Bali for the beaches and only visited the beaches once in the 6 days to do some surfing (better beaches in South-East Asia). If I returned to Bali I would probably stay in Kuta for the nightlife, shops, restaurants but it is a must to get out and see the rest of Bali and enjoy Kuta when you arrive back from your day trips.

• Pros:Good for a hangout
• Cons:Don't miss the rest of Bali