We had a spur of the moment change of plans and left Sanur to go to one more destination before our final planed stop in Ubud. Thank goodness we did that, because we were pleasantly surprised at what we found in Bingin beach. We hoped to find good surf and a nice beach, something to combine both Andrew and my passions, but what we ended up with was far better than expected.
A fellow traveler suggested a hotel on the beach and gave us a business card for it. Of course like every wonderful destination we had to “work” hard to find it. We left Kuta with our clueless driver who reassured us that he knew where the hotel was located, of course he did not! With our hotel business card in hand, we were dropped somewhere on the side of a dirt road and given instructions to follow a barely visible dirt path towards the beach area. We walked and walked with our heavy backpacks for what seemed like forever down many steep stairs towards the beach. It was not easy because all the accommodations are set upon a cliff side, so it involves quite the trek to get from hotel to hotel. Finally, after much sweating and frustration we finally found the place we were looking for, tucked away neatly up on the cliff. We worked hard to get there… and the hotel did not disappoint!
We got an upper bungalow facing the ocean; it was high up a winding set of large stairs into the cliff. Our huge front patio overlooked the ocean with an amazing view of the horizon. The bungalow is exactly the type of hut that is a mixture of rustic, but with the small touches of comfort. Our patio was lined with wicker carpets and the perimeter had a seating area of floor cushions with pillows along the walls. The bungalow was made of weaved bamboo and wood with tons of open area to let breeze in. The bathroom was Balinese style (short waist high wall), so whether sitting on the toilet or showering you could look into the ocean. One of the best features was the sunsets, from our patio while sitting on one of our comfy floor cushions we got to see the sun setting across the water. At night we fell asleep with all the windows and doors open, listening to the sounds of the ocean and feeling the ocean breeze.
Of course one major draw back of having a bungalow that has so many open spots for air to circulate is the amount of creepy crawlys that can enter. Our first night at Stinky's Place, as Andrew walked into the bathroom he saw something scramble behind the toilet. It really freaked us out since it was dark... Andrew looked behind the toilet and to his surprise.
It was a CRAB!!! How the heck did it get there??? We were located high up in a cliff. Maybe it climbed over the bathroom wall???
What a funny sight, Andrew trying to shoo it out of our bungalow with a broom in one hand and a toilet brush in another hand. The next day we spoke to the owner about the incident, and apparently it is quite common... and "NO", unfortunately you can not eat that type of crab.
Surfin' at Bingin:
The Bingin beach is essentially a rocky beach, with some areas of sand. We really liked the look of the beach, with the rocks giving it a natural appearance. At low tide you could see the rocks and coral really far into the water. Unfortunately for Andrew, he found out first hand just how shallow and sharp the rocks and coral can be on our skin.
The break was just a short paddle out from our hotel it was called Bingin (the name of the wave) it is a reef break which means that it breaks right over the coral reef area. We watched many people surf this area, all with grace and expertise- making it look really easy!
On our second day, Andrew rented a board to try his luck at Bingin Break. Let's just say that Andrew has found a new respect for the ocean and all its might! The water was really shallow and he incurred some minor cuts and scrapes on his hands and feet during his paddle out to the break. At the break he was tossed and thrown around a bit. The wave was strong and were breaking much quicker than what Andrew was used to and was pulled under the water a couple of times. He came back to the beach a bit tired, and feeling a little defeated.
After the surfing experience, we decided to change plans once more and head back to Kuta (where the surf is better for novices) before going to Ubud. This was very unexpected, but we both welcomed the chance to get back to the hustle and bustle of Kuta Beach.
Swankin' it up in Dreamlands:
After the surfing experience, we went to Dreamlands beach for some R&R. Unlike Bingin's rocky beach, it is sandy and better for swimming. It is another beach located about half hour walk from Binging beach. Since the tide was low, we were able to walk the distance instead of taking a taxi or motorbike.
Dreamlands was really nice, we rented an umbrella for the day to relax and escape the sun. The break there is called Dreamlands and it is a beach break, there were a lot of surfers out that day. The waves were really high and strong, I didn't go near the water because I watched many people get thrown off their feet at the edge. Of course Andrew went in the water, and had a great time diving through waves. We agreed that it was a good thing for him to get back into the water after the surfing incident, so that he not develop a fear of the water.
There is this huge entertainment complex called KLAPA right on Dreamland beach, it has a night club, two restaurants, pool and more to built in the future. We heard through other travellers that before the entertainment complex, golf course, and luxury villas were built it was a place where you could stay in traditional huts right on the beach and experience a really laid back vibe. This was only a few years ago, and apparently the construction of this huge complex has ruined the waves of Dreamland and of course has impacted the environment in many other ways.
But... I must admit I was very put off by the appearance of this big monstrosity looming right on the beach. It was concrete and massive and oh so ugly! After our afternoon under our nice umbrella we decided to get something to eat in the complex. We were surprised at how lavish and swank the complex was. We were immediately greeted by a Waiter who insisted on getting us the right table in the shade, when none were available he set us up our very own table under a tree to eat dinner. The prices of the food were high by our backpacker standard, but definitely not high by Western standard. They had a beautiful infinity pool that overlooked onto the ocean, which huge deck chairs to lie on. The whole area was grass, and we enjoyed the sunset in the infinity pool while listening to a live band. The whole experience was a bit over-the-top, but for a day... we felt like rock stars!
~Nicola
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| Bingin Beach, Bali |
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