Things To Do in Kuta, Bali

Shopping in Kuta isn't nearly as swank as in Seminyak. What you will find is surfer gear, cheap sarongs and printed batik shirts and shorts, beaded belts, designer knock-offs, and tourist knickknacks. Don't be fooled by the first price offered, because prices are generally three times what they should be, so be prepared to bargain hard. On Poppies Gang II you'll find everything from tie-dyed sarongs, shorts, swimsuits, knock-off cologne, hats, and wristwatches. Traffic-jammed Jalan Legian also has a large selection of shops and restaurants. Jalan Pantai Kuta has a few good fashion and accessories shops. Kuta Square has international brand knock-off stores including Nike, Polo, and Armani -- don't get suckered into paying high prices.

The Discovery Mall (www.discoveryshoppingmall.com) has a multitude of high-end shops, along with a good selection of international restaurants, cafes, and banks. The Galleria Bali (tel. 0361/761945; www.dfsgalleria.com) is the oldest luxury shopping mall in Bali but is currently undergoing renovations. You can find duty-free goods like Chanel, Coach, and other big brands (designer labels here are the real deal). Galleria Bali has a variety of affordable restaurants that serve both international and Indonesian food. Free shuttle service is offered from many Kuta hotels. Istana Kuta Galleria, in a strategic area between Kuta and Legian, consists of 250 shops and many good Indonesian and Western restaurants.

Most stores are open daily, 9am to 9pm.

Books

For books, stop by Periplus, with locations in Discovery Shopping Mall (tel. 0361/769757), Kuta Square (tel. 0361/763988), Carrefour (tel. 0361/8477336) in Seminyak, and even at the airport.

Clothing

On Jalan Legian, you'll find a mix of classier shops like Uluwatu (tel. 0361/751933) which produces handmade lace clothing called krawang. Their product line includes women's clothing, nightwear, and bed and table linens. Body & Soul (tel. 0361/767169) is another great shop with trendy Hong Kong -- inspired clothing for women. The styles are youthful and fresh with smaller sizes but there are a few items for fuller-figured women. Their Bambini line offers a good selection of really cute fashions for children 3 to 8 years old with an emphasis on girlie clothes and a few styles for boys, too. Another shop worth visiting is Decollage (tel. 0361/758510), a boutique with handbags, funky shoes, accessories, and hip clothing.

On Jalan Pantai Kuta, Emily the Strange (no phone) offers a variety of great tees, tanks, hoodies, sweatshirts, dresses, bizarre collectible toys, and fun accessories; Skin (tel. 0361/765020) is for those seeking unisex clothing in cotton, silk, and linen.

In Kuta Square, Milo's (tel. 0361/754081) is the one exception that's worth checking out for beautiful designer clothing for men and women. Milo, an Italian born designer, finds great inspiration for his exclusive designs from orchids and other flowers indigenous to Bali. Dresses, blouses, and skirts come in a mix of elegant floral motifs in satin and silk. This is high-end couture, so be prepared to pay up to US$400 for designs. A great shoe store for big-size men and women's shoes is Maju Jaya (tel. 0361/751184). Women's sizes go up to European 45 and men's to 46. Most of their shoes are leather with a good selection of sandals, closed shoes, dress shoes, and children's shoes. Prices go from Rp75,000 on up.

Groceries & Wine

J Cuvee, Jl. Kartika Plaza 20 (tel. 0361/761888), offers a wide selection of international wines, but with recent government crack-downs on illegal wine imports, prices have escalated so be prepared to pay a lot more than what you'd pay at home.

An outlet of the French supermarket Carrefour is on Jalan Sunset (tel. 0361/847-7222), and stocks everything from fridges, art material, and cheap clothing to Western and local food and produce. They have an excellent fish counter and their bread is the best on the island.

Housewares & Furniture

Farah's Oriental Rugs & Carpets, Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai 5 (tel. 0361/766901/2), offers an exclusive collection of more than 2,500 handmade rugs, carpets, and kilims -- Turkish non-pile rugs. Vinoti Living, in Galleria Bali (tel. 0361/752723 or 752720), has an excellent selection of high-end contemporary furniture skillfully crafted from ash and nyatoh woods. Their furniture designs are sleek with clean lines. You can also find an impressive collection of artwork, including antique look-alike objects from more remote regions of Indonesia. Lightcom, Jl. Patih Jelantk, inside Komplek Pertokoan Kuta Gallery (tel. 0361/769246), offers a wide array of stunning indoor and outdoor lighting imported from the U.S., Europe, Australia, and China. Their designs are simple and very contemporary. The name says it all: the Why Not Shop, Jl. Nakula, corner of Imam Bonjol (tel. 0361/499001), offers a surplus of Asian home decor items such as paintings, furniture, and lighting as well as some nice jewelry and clothing. There are some unusual finds here and everything is handmade and reasonably priced. The Zire, Jl. Dewi Sri 21 (tel. 0361/755431), specializes in synthetic rattan furniture, which is both attractive and highly durable. You can choose from a variety of color schemes and contemporary designs for indoor and outdoor furnishings. They also have some attractive wooden furniture, kitchen accessories, and housewares. Another great one-stop place is Serba Antik, Istana Kuta Galleria (tel. 0361/769400). They have everything under the sun from curtains, wallpaper, carpets, rugs, furniture, bed covers, upholstery, and more. The furnishings are simple yet elegant, and are beautifully crafted from fine woods and other natural materials.

Surf Shops

Internationally recognized surf clothing and lifestyle brands have their anchor stores in Kuta. The massive Curl, Jl. Legian (tel. 0361/754455), is one of three Rip Curl outlets in Kuta. Quicksilver is in the Discovery Mall (tel. 0361/757838).

Kuta is the place to be if you want to party hearty. The action begins roughly at 10pm but really gets going around 11pm and lasts until dawn every night. Don't forget your sunglasses, you'll probably need them. Plenty of clubs and bars have their own unique style, although many are more alike than not.

Balinese Theatre

One of the highlights of being in Kuta is the multitude of cultural performances on offer at many of the four-star hotels and restaurants. The Kuta Paradiso Hotel, Jl. Kartika Plaza, Tuban-Kuta. (tel. 0361/761414; www.kutaparadisohotel.com) features a nice variety of traditional dance performances with their theme night buffets, on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The Legian Beach Hotel, Jl. Melasti (tel. 0361/751711; www.legianbeachbali.com), presents a gamelan orchestra with elegant Balinese dancers. Performances are also held at Banjar Tegal, Jl. Raya Legian (no phone; Rp50,000), every Saturday and Tuesday night at 8pm. Puppet performances (wayang kulit) can be seen in Banjar Buni, Jl. Raya Kuta (no phone; Rp50,000), Monday and Thursday night at 8pm.

Bars & Pubs

Peanuts' Pub Crawl, Jl. Legian and Jl. Melasti (tel. 0361/754226), is a great way to visit a few of Kuta's infamous watering holes. The crawl begins at Peanuts II, every Tuesday and Saturday. You get to ride in the historic Peanuts' car while barhopping. Peanuts also has a "Welcome to Bali" party every Thursday.

The sports bar at the Stadium Café, Jl. Kartika Plaza (tel. 0361/763100) ensures you always know the score of your favorite team while you're on holiday.

Down in Poppies Gang I, you'll find a myriad of small cheap bars, always full with crowds looking for less expensive food and drinks. The Nusa Indah (no phone) has been around since the heady days of the '70s, and nothing much has changed. You can still get super-cheap drinks, and you never quite know who you'll meet at the long bamboo bar.

Vibrant Q Bar, Jl. Dhyana Pura (tel. 0361/730927), throbs with DJ music, live drag shows, and an enthusiastic patronage of trendy gay men. It has video screens, a dance floor, and a stage. The extensive drinks menu has over 60 different exotic cocktails and shooters. Regular late-night live entertainment includes themed parties, drag shows, fashion shows, talent contests, look-alike contests, male model competitions, and masquerade balls. Shows usually begin around 11pm, but it is best to arrive early.

Jalan Melasti -- The aging Aussie Pub (tel. 0361/751910) is famous for its icy cold beer and is subsequently full of all beer-loving Australians, and then some. The walls are covered in graffiti, so while you're here you can leave your mark. Bali Rock (tel. 0361/754466), opposite the Aussie pub, keeps the live music rocking to appreciative crowds. Easy to find, it's the loudest bar on the street. If Sweet Child of Mine gets your blood pumping, then do drop in.

Jalan Double Six -- Bacio (tel. 0361/7566666; www.bacioclub.com) is a great venue offering music, cocktails, wine, and tapas. Take in views of Blue Ocean Beach from the outdoor bistro, or groove to the thumping beats inside with two DJ booths and an upstairs VIP member's only lounge. The stylish bar of De Ja Vu (tel. 0361/732777; www.myspace.com/dejavubeach) is best for a sunset cocktail. Later in the night things start getting funky and spunky. The small La Vida Loca (no phone) club packs them in for vodka drinks, with a great live band nightly, playing mostly Latino grooves. The crowds don't really get here till after 2am. Bring your sunglasses as well as your salsa moves as most La Vida Loca's party till sunrise.

Poppies Gang II -- The Bagus Pub (no phone) is busy day and night serving up ice-cold beers to the holiday brigade. Close to the night spots on Jalan Legian, it's great for meeting other holiday makers. Tubes (no phone) was established in 1986, at a time when surfers had very few places to hang out. No one anticipated just how fast the word would spread about this place by the constantly traveling surfers as they rode the waves to all the corners of the globe. Tubes is popular for playing pool and watching the feature and surf movies shown daily on a big screen. While here, enjoy some good food with a choice from two kitchens: Buffet style nasi campur from the traditional Indonesian kitchen, or "No Noodles . . . Western food for when you're all noodled out," offering pasta, pizzas, burgers, and baked potatoes. For an older-style Bali bamboo bar that gets raucous later at night, head to Crusoes (no phone). Pub-style food, drinks, and pool tables make this popular with the guys and their miniskirted cue-toting compatriots. The Double D Sports Bar (no phone) is an older sports bar that screens every imaginable game on the globe. The bar on the street seems to be just as busy during the heat of the day as it is in the heat of the night. Good pub food and drinks, and a friendly crowd. Opposite Sky Garden , the Engine Room (no phone) keeps the young tourist crowd revved up and accelerated. Think fuel-injected cocktails and live bands. It's always busy and a great pit stop for well oiled revelers.

Jalan Legian -- Paddys Bar (tel. 0361/758555) packs the crowds to the rafters nightly as DJs play the latest sounds to fired up backpackers. Buy-two-get-one-free specials keep the party moving in the right direction -- or not. Opposite Paddys and Bounty is the Espresso Bar & Pizzeria (tel. 0361/752576), a tiny older bar so crowded that the band stands out on the street to play. Cold beers flow and ensure any would-be rock stars are well oiled enough to brave belting out a number -- like Mustang Sally in c-flat. The first club along the strip to go five floors high, Sky Garden (tel. 0361/756362) is still one of the most popular any night of the week. The ground-floor base camp serves food all night long, while upstairs DJs crank out different styles of music depending on what floor you want your party plans elevated to. This is a great place to meet old friends and find some new ones if you are anywhere under your 30s. Vi Ai Pi (tel. 0361/750425; www.viaipiclub.com) is the more upmarket choice for an evening cocktail while watching the street scene unfold below. Towards 9pm it heats up even the most discerning of guests. The top floor has an air-conditioned billiard room.

Jalan Padma -- The Legian Pub (no phone) is another raucous night spot that starts early in the evening (some folks in there appear to have started a lot earlier). There is live music or karaoke most nights, and a super-friendly bar staff that also like to jump up and sing. Be sure to try the green starfish cocktails, but only with caution. It's hard to know if it's the clientele or the passing parade who are doing the posing at Posers (no phone), an English-style corner pub that makes a fine meeting place over a nice cold ale. On Jalan Sahadewa, the small road linking Jalan Padma and Jalan Melasti, Legends (tel. 0361/755376) is busy every night with the holiday crowd looking for good value drinks and food. There's a live band most nights, so if you can find your way to Jalan Sahadewa keep an ear out for the party noise -- you'll be sure to find it.

Clubs

Kama Sutra (tel. 0361/761999) has become a local teenager hangout, at the north end of Kuta. Nightly shows feature local bands that love to do those tried-and-true cover songs; you won't find much or any original music in Kuta's clubs. The one exception is Hard Rock Hotel's Centerstage, Jl. Pantai Kuta (tel. 0361/761869), which occasionally features some good live acts, but it can get pretty crowded. Deejay Café, Jl. Pantai Kuta (tel. 0361/755661), is the only after club in Bali, located just behind Stars Surf Café. Their professional DJs and state-of-the-art sound system will get you in the mood to pump and grind on their huge dance floor.