Denpasar, In the City

Sanur Beach, the Water Activities Centre

Sanur Beach, 6 km east of Denpasar, constitutes the first beach tourist resort in Bali. It was on that beach, the Dutch troops in 1906 landed and then attacked Denpasar Kingdom that provoked a bitter struggle that well known as Puputan Badung. This beach also tempted the heart of Belgian painter, Adrien Jean Le Mayeur, to establish a museum on 28 August 1957 that currently named Le Mayeur Painting Museum. In the meantime, five-star hotel and the only ten-floored one in Bali, namely Inna Grand Bali Beach, founded in 1966, can be seen on this beach.

Sanur Beach, up to these days, stays interesting to visit. Apart from having a white sandy beach along with its small and mellow waves, its cultural uniqueness and customs continue to exist. From this beach, you can see the sunrise. It is good for sunbathing while luxuriating in mountain view that looks in line in the north and as well the allurement of Nusa Penida. Sanur Beach, either in the morning or afternoon, is immensely convenient to do aerobic as it has pavement of more than 5 km.
As a matter of fact, many activities can be done at Sanur Beach, like sunbathing, swimming or having bath in the water of the sea, playing beach volleyball or football. Similarly, many take advantage this white sand for yoga exercise. This September, in front of Inna Grand Bali Beach will be held an international competition of beach volleyball. While, for daily activities, there are Sanur Reefs Snorkelling, glass bottom boat, boat/Balinese outrigger sailing, wind surfing, canoeing, jet ski, parasailing, coral fishing, trolling fishing and scuba diving at Sanur Area. All equipment for those activities are provided by Jeladi Wilis, a cooperative of marine transport belong to the community of Sanur.
According to Made Darpa, Chief of Jeladi Wilis Cooperative, tourists favour nearly all activities mentioned above. However, the most preferred is surfing, jet ski and glass bottom boat. They are mostly from Europe and Australia whilst Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese tourists prefer to visit Le Mayeur Museum or take a promenade on the beachside and this activity is commonly done in the morning.
In addition, jukung (traditional outrigger) also draws numerous interested persons. They sail around Sanur Beach and some other utilize this outrigger to sail to Nusa Lembongan or Serangan. “Local tourists seldom put to use our facilities. They prefer to have bath or play on canoes,” he says.
Various kinds of tourist facilities like hotels, restaurants, travel agents, security posts and lifeguards are also available in Sanur Area. Many art shops sell miscellaneous souvenirs. Hawkers are not left behind, either, to get their fortune. They sell light meals or snacks like roasted corn, coffee, tipat-sate (boiled rice in plaited coconut leaf added with satay), Balinese cakes and mineral water. “A day, I obtain up to IDR 100,000. Maximal net earnings reaches 20-30% of the total sale of my wares,” says a food hawker at Sanur Beach.
This situation will be greatly different on Galungan holiday. Visitors on that day reach 500-1000, so their wares will be soon sold out.
Restaurants that never lacks visitors is Ananda Bar & Restaurant located on Sanur Beachside. European, Australian and Asian tourists mostly visit this restaurant that provides 20 seats and a variety of food and beverage. “They eat or drink here while waiting for the outrigger that will take them to Nusa Lembongan,” says one of restaurant attendants.
Sanur Beach is lengthy. Several kilometres to the south and north, this beach has different names and superiority. On the southern area of Sanur Beach lay the Segara, Sindhu, Semawang and Mertasari Beaches. All these beaches have nearly similar facilities.
At the area between the Sindhu and Semawang Beach is regularly held wind and kite surfing competitions and traditional regattas. On the Semawang Beachside, precisely in front of Puri Santrian Hotel sits the Bali Seawalker Park (undersea promenade activity).
From Sanur Beach to the north, lay the Matahari Terbit or Sunrise and Padang Galak Beach. Both beaches are seldom used as a place to take a bath because its waves are very large and undersea stream is swift due to numerous seabeds. Activity that can be watched here is mostly processions of religious ceremonies like melasti (deva yajna homage), melukat (manushya yajna) and meajar-ajar (pitri yajna).
Padang Galak Beach is widely taken advantage of for a place of meditation, gymnasium and other spiritual activities. It is greatly possible since the beach is so extensive and has good facilities to support them. (BTN/015)