Kuta's claim to fame owes much to two things: its beach (originally Bali's best) and the simply magnificent sunset. Apart from surfing on its huge breakers and strolling for miles on the pearly white beach, shopping is- a must with the wide variety and number of shops and street vendors selling rattan bags, batik shirts and a range of other interesting mementos. Street-side cafes like the ones you find in Paris are ideal for people-watching while the numerous restaurants offer cuisine from around the world. Nightlife is vibrant; pubs and discos are popular watering holes for revelers.

Beach bungalows first opened in Kuta in the 1930's but mass tourism did not start here until the late 1960's. During this period, Kuta boomed, becoming known as a hippie haven. The bamboo beach home-stays were turned into losmen, (a kind of BB) then into hotels. T-shirts sold on the beach were replaced by thriving garments and handicraft. The hippies either left or struck it rich, and Kuta has become one of the most dynamic places in Indonesia: a place to encounter new ideas and lifestyles and a place to experience all kinds of pleasures.