Seminyak Holidays

COOL & CLASSY SEMINYAK

Just a few minutes drive along the road from heaving, hectic Kuta is hip and happening Seminyak, home to some of the best bars and restaurants on Bali, and a popular wide sandy beach. It’s like Kuta without the crowds – and with cosmopolitan good taste.

SEMINYAK IS THE PERFECT PLACE FOR….

……pleasure-seekers looking for sun-worshipping in style, with great shopping, stupendous sunsets and a terrific choice of trendy places to eat, drink and play. It’s tourist friendly without being ticky-tacky or tawdry. Hedonistic, well-heeled hippy wannabes hoping for just the right amount of liveliness - without the lager-fuelled leeriness of Kuta up the road - will not be disappointed.

THE SCENERY

Seminyak is at the quietest, northern most point of the 8km stretch of coastline which includes three of Bali’s liveliest villages, the other two being Kuta and Legian. The broad, grey beach is sprawling and well-used, but never crowded. Although the thundering surf makes the ocean more suited for boards than breast-stroke, there are flagged areas where it is possible to have a paddle.

The invisible undertows and currents can be treacherous, but lifesavers patrol the beach between the red and yellow flags, which indicate the only safe places to swim. Away from the beach, the streets have both consumer and cultural appeal. Rice fields are nearby, and fashion boutiques selling clothes you’ll find nowhere else on earth are found just a designer bag swing away from a pretty 16th century temple, Pura Peti Tenget, which is known for its spectacular beachside ceremonies.

THE VIBE

Seminyak is a small town, big buzz kind of place. Local traditions sit comfortably alongside the more recently arrived Bollinger and Bellini scene. The fashionable and fad conscious head here, but Seminyak is cool rather than cutting-edge, and its appeal has more to do with attitude than age group. It’s just close enough to/comfortably removed from (3km) the no-limits playground of Kuta, to maintain an aura of upmarket action.

The quiet atmosphere and enlightened mood in Seminyak has undoubtedly been influenced by its popularity with resident expats, and the kind of tourists that don’t need to check the price tag. As a result, Seminyak has become a bit of a style magnet, and ‘the place to be’ for people who feel it’s important to be in….’the place to be’. Although not rowdy, Seminyak can still rev-up. There’s a high-octane nightlife leading down to the beach, where every evening the sunset draws an international crowd juggling their cameras with cocktails. Raising a glass or two in Seminyak landmarks such as KuDeTa and The Living Room have almost become Bali ‘must dos’ in their own right. Tick the box, or live to regret.

THINGS TO DO IN SEMINYAK

• Peti Tenget Temple : Considered an important site of worship for Bali's Hindu community, the lovely little Peti Tenget - Peti means box and Tenget means sacred - is a beehive of activity, and elaborate ceremonies take place here on a regular basis. It’s particularly captivating around Melasti, when thousands of people walk to the temple and through to the beach for a ritual cleansing in the sea.
• Sunset watching : Seminyak’s position means that particularly in December, when the sun is close to its lowest point, sunsets are drop-dead awesome – a glorious orb of vivid mango, gold and orange, gently melting into the horizon like a scoop of heavenly sorbet. Even drifting clouds add to the effect; each sunset is like an individual work of art.
• Shopping : You’re on the doorstep of the best selection of shops in Bali, with a huge range of possibilities stretching all the way down to Kuta. But Seminyak is particularly known for the originality and creativity of the goods you’ll see on offer. Lovers of original style and inventive fashion should head for JL Laksmana. If you fall in love with a 10ft Buddha for the garden, there is a choice of overseas delivery agents who will ship once you’ve shopped.

EATING OUT IN SEMINYAK

It’s easy to eat extremely well in Seminyak, there is a plate to please all pockets and palates. There’s every style from starched linen napkin establishments to honest-to-goodness warungs, or local cafes. The hungry should head for JL Laksmana, which is so packed with restaurants and cafés that it’s been nick-named ‘Eat Street’. Some of the swisher eateries are on JL Petitenget , while JL Dhyana Pura is home to several fashionable bars and clubs.

• Café Bali, JL Laksmana : Laid back and relaxed, with an appealing chic French colonial, whitewashed wood décor, Café Bali is something a little different. The menu has lots of choice, the quality is good and the prices are reasonable. Even the loos and lamps are a bit special….
• Ku De Ta, JL Oberoi : Probably the best known, hippest beachfront hangout in the whole of Bali, this stylish bar-cum-restaurant-cum-dayclub-cum-nightspot has double divans to laze on and gaze at the ocean, while the in-house DJ spins moody music. The ‘Grazing’ tapas menu served around sunset is particularly popular.
• Potato Head, JL Petitenget : Aiming for the same audience as KuDeTa, this funky, retro-inspired beach club, with its three restaurants and daybeds by the infinity pool, is the new kid on the block to watch. The food is casual, and though not cheap (cocktails are about 120,000 Rp, roughly 13.25AUD) prices are not as off the wall as the…..walls, which are covered with rustic, colourfully mismatched window shutters.
• Hallo Restaurants, JL Nakula 4 : Not a restaurant, but a delivery service that will collect your choice of dishes from over 50 different restaurants and bring it to you. Handy-dandy for those renting villas.

THE WAY THERE

If not using a hotel transfer service, the pre-paid taxi fare from the ticket counter at the airport should be no more than 60,000 - 100,000 Rp (approx. 6.66 - 11.10AUD). The officially approved taxi drivers wear blue patterned shirts, and you should stick to them to avoid hassle or rip-off. Anyone else who offers to help you with your bags will ask for money.

Distance from airport: 10kms, and a 20 - 30 minute drive North.

THE WAY AROUND

Seminyak is about a 45 minute walk from the bright lights of Kuta, just 25 minutes by car from the rural tranquillity of Canggu and a 40 minute drive from the famous temple of Tanah Lot. In Seminyak itself there’s no public transport, but it’s never hard to hail an official (Blue Bird) taxi from the pavement if you fancy a trip further afield. Traffic jams are pretty constant, and at times it feels as if motorbikes are taking over the planet. Walking is a good way to get around locally, but be aware that away from the main streets it becomes like a rabbit warren, and that roads are often called two things. For example JL Laksmana is also known as JL Kayu Aya and JL Oberoi.

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