Relax at one of the finest beaches in laid-back Sanur Bali

Sanur Bali is a very relaxed place, it lacks the hustle and bustle of Kuta and is not so uptight as the strip of hotels in Nusa Dua.

It has one of the biggest and finest stretches of beach on Bali and has a nice palm-fringed pathway along the beach for jogging, cycling or strolling for miles on end.

In the evening you'll find terrific restaurants lit by candles and Chinese lantern where you sip your cocktail, have mouthwatering seafood dishes and see the beautiful Bali life go by.

Getting around: Plus important addresses and handy phone numbers...
Things to do: Laze on the beach or swim among coral fish, relax at the spa or visit Le Mayeur Museum...
Restaurants: These can be found on Jalan Danau Tamblingan and at the beach with romantic candle light dinners...
Hotels: Relax in style in classy hotels right on the beach...

Sanur Bali has been an exotic place for decades and has attracted the Belgian artist and aristocrat Adrien Le Majeur de Merpres in the 1930’s. He fell in love with the place and with one of Bali’s greatest Legong Dancers, Ni Polok, who became his wife and the subject of many of his paintings.

Together with Nusa Dua, Sanur Bali is one of the most suitable places on the island for disabled travellers because of the neatly paved pavements and boulevard.

picture perfect at Sanur beach

This laid-back fishing village has been an exotic place for decades and has attracted the Belgian artist and aristocrat Adrien Le Majeur de Merpres in the 1930’s.

He fell in love with the place and with one of Bali’s greatest Legong Dancers, Ni Polok, who became his wife and the subject of many of his paintings.

Le Majeur was different than the Dutch colonists because he loved to wear a sarong and walk bare feet, much to the dislike of the Dutch who complained about his behavior and wanted him of the island.

painting of Ni Polok

Fortunately for Le Majeur his cousin was the King of Belgium who talked to the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina. She asked the colonists to leave him alone and Le Majeur continued painting on the beach for more than 25 years.

Ahhhh it sure helps to be a royal, doesn’t it…?

His house on the beach is now a museum and can be found next to Bali’s first tourist resort, the ugly Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel.

breakwaters at Sanur Bali and Gunung Agung in the distance

This Miami-styled hotel was built in 1966 by ex-president Sukarno with repatriation money from the Japanese government. It has 9 stories, a bowling alley, nine-hole golf course and a huge swimming pool.

Sukarno even trucked in golden coral sand to cover the black sand, which had formed from the volcanic shores over centuries. To keep the sand in place a breakwater was built with a helicopter-pad at the end.

Now Sanur beach has several breakwaters to trap the sand and here you have a good view on the waterfront activity with a fleet of colourful fishermen boats, snorkellers, parasailers and surfers.

Lady selling snacks along Sanur beach...

On the other side of the Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel you can find the Pura Dalem Kedewatan temple. Here colourful ceremonies and offerings take place throughout the year.

Most of the beautiful decorated hotels in Sanur Bali are owned by local Balinese families through a cooperation and this gives the area a relaxed atmosphere where you can spend a well-deserved tropical holiday far away from home.