Bali has many awesome beaches. When it came to choosing our base location, from where we’ll travel to other places, we were faced with quite a conundrum. After considering all factors we chose Sanur Beach.

Why Sanur?

Kuta, Seminak, Nusa Dua were more obvious choices suggested by many. But for us Kuta was too loud and crowded. Seminyak too costly and crowded. Nusa Dua did not have anything else other than resorts.

Sanur seemed to the right mix of old original Balinese culture and settlements with new resorts and restaurants. And we were right.

Where In Sanur?

We stayed at Inna Grand Resort. Very economically priced, it was ideal for camping for most part of the week we were in Bali. We were apprehensive as reviews were not that great. But we found the place quite to our liking. The resort was really nice with good food and ambiance.

What to do in Sanur?

We camped here as we made trips to Tanah Lot, Pura Besikah, Kintamani, Uluwatu, etc. Other than that, here’s the do to at Sanur:

1. Watch the Sunrise

Yes, you would have to wake up a bit early. But it’s worth it!

Sunrise in Sanur Beach Bali
Sunrise in Sanur Beach Bali
Sunrise in Sanur Beach Bali
Sunrise in Sanur Beach Bali

2. Relax at the beach 🙂

Ah! My favorite part. Taking shelter under the trees lining the beach, reading and intermittently dozing off. Pure bliss!

Sanur Beach, Near Inna Grand
Sanur Beach, Near Inna Grand

Sanur Beach, Near Inna Grand

3. Water Sports, Scuba, etc.

Though this is not one of the best beaches to do these activities. Options are there. We chose not to do these, as I had a bad knee accident just before the trip.

4. Enjoy mouth watering Balinese cuisine at the plethora of restaurants lining the beach

Sanur Beach Food
Sanur Beach Food

5. Walk the reef

During low tide, water recedes quite a bit, exposing lot of the coral reef. It’s fun to walk this reef till the edge of water, paddling in ankle deep water at places. You’ll find so many kinds of coral and fishes in the reef!

Sanur Beach in Low Tide, Exposing the reef
Sanur Beach in Low Tide, Exposing the reef (View from our room)
Sanur beach at high tide
Sanur beach at high tide (View from our room)

6. Explore the Sanur Market

It’s just a straight walk down the beach. There are lot of quaint shopping holes for trying out local shopping. Just around a km away from the resort is the main market street in Sanur, which lined with several restaurants, vibrant night clubs, super markets, etc.

Sanur Beach Market
Sanur Beach Market

Sanur was a perfect base for us, making travel towards north and south both easy. From Sanur we moved to Ubud for our final couple of days in Bali.