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Jimbaran Bay Travel Guide

Jimbaran Travel

Jimbaran has a surprisingly unique combination of luxury resorts within an authentic local community. It’s a great area to relax, have a seafood dinner on the beach, visit the local markets and spend the day at the beach. Although it can be a little touristy at times, it certainly doesn’t have masses of tourists lining the streets like some other areas of Bali. 

Within the community, there are predominantly local stores, in particular, a large fresh food market in the morning and a seafood market on the beach where you can see the fisherman still bringing in their catch. There is also an open-air shopping village.

There may not be as many restaurants as other areas, but they have some delicious local and international food options here. 

There are lots of things to do in Jimbaran. If you want to. But the real beauty here is enjoying the beaches. The food. The people. The local community. It’s that place that forces you to relax. My biggest problem when I travel is I feel I only have a limited time to explore everything and as much as I want to relax I want to explore. I’m conflicted. But in Jimbaran, entire days go by and before you know it, all you have done is walk, rest, get a massage, swim and eat. And the best thing is, if you want to do more, a lot of great, popular destinations are not far away.

What’s Nearby? 

Depending on traffic… Kuta, Legian and Seminyak are about 30 minutes to 1 hour north. Uluwatu is 15 mins – 30 minutes south. Nusa Dua is 15 minutes to 30 minutes away. Ubud is about 2 – 2.5 hrs away.

The Rock Bar at Ayana Resort is a stunning place for a sunset drink, even though it’s usually busy and touristy. And if you head a little further south to Uluwatu you can explore this region, including things like Uluwatu Temple and the traditional Balinese Kecak dance. The Bukit Peninsula beaches are some of the best beaches in Bali. 

FEEL // Beach resorts with local surrounds.

BEST FOR // Luxury Resorts, Beach, Sunsets, Seafood Dinners on the Beach (+ the corn!), Local Community, Local Fresh Food and Seafood Markets.

LOCATION // On Bali’s west coast, Jimbaran is south of the airport and north of Uluwatu.

GET THERE // Jimbaran is about 20 minutes from the airport, depending on traffic. You can get a taxi from the official airport stand at the airport when you arrive, or arrange a transfer with your hotel. If you’re coming from another area in Bali, you can take a taxi or a private driver if you want to stop off along the way.

GET AROUND // The best way to get around Jimbaran is walking. Otherwise, Bluebird taxi’s are the way to go to get a little further. You may also want to think about a private driver to spend the day exploring Uluwatu and Bukit Peninsula beaches.

THE UGLY TRUTH // Jimbaran doesn’t have as many restaurants and shops as Seminyak. If you plan to spend most days in Kuta/Legian/Seminyak area, then staying in Jimbaran may be a hassle.

THE SILVER LINING // Relaxing. Nice Beaches. Close to the Airport. Close to Uluwatu and Bukit Peninsular beaches. Close enough to go to Kuta/Legian/Seminyak area, say even every few days of your holiday.

ACCOMMODATION // Predominantly mid-range to luxury hotels and villas. Read More.

TYPE OF HOLIDAY // Family, Couples, Luxury, Romantic, Weddings, Honeymoons.

READ MORE // Find all of our Jimbaran Blog Posts here.

A Day In Jimbaran

Nice and early: Start your day with a visit to Jimbaran Bay Fish Markets

Breakfast: Have a look at how the locals shop at Jimbaran Markets and try a traditional Balinese breakfast

During the Day: Have a massage, go for a swim, relax on the beach or take a walk around the streets of Jimbaran

Sunset: Head to Rock Bar @ Ayana Resort in time to see the sunset over a cocktail

Dinner: End your day with Seafood dinner on the beach at the South end of Jimbaran Bay

 

6 Comments

  1. Hi Mandy and Chris!
    I am debating going here for my honeymoon. Do they have good hikes- waterfall hikes? Hot springs attractions? Any other recommendations for a honeymoon?
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Maggie, there are lots of waterfalls, and some great walks, like the Campuhan Ridge walk: https://almostlanding-bali.com/how-to-get-to-the-campuhan-ridge-walk-ubud/), Munduk is a nice area with some nature hikes and waterfalls there too. There are also some hot springs including Banjar and Batur.
      Other recommendations for a honeymoon would be some of the beautiful hotels in Uluwatu on the clifftops overlooking the ocean, there are some amazing spas in Bali, and then it really depends what you want to do. Bali is one of those places you can really make into whatever you need, there is so much to do and so much variation.
      Have a great honeymoon :)

  2. hello mandy and chris .
    what do you think about ayana resort for a honeymoon?do u recommend it for 7 nights?or should we change the location to seminyak ,we want to get some relax , spa and activities and nt out

    thank you

    1. Hi Mira, Ayana resort would be heaven for a honeymoon :) 7 nights there would be great if you are happy to relax and go to the spa there. You could also go to Finns Beach club or other beaches around Uluwatu, and do a seafood dinner on Jimbaran beach. You could still do a day trip to Seminyak from here. But if you want to spend a couple of days in Seminyak, it might be best to stay there too. Have a great trip :)

  3. My husband and I are in our 30s and planning a 2 week trip to Bali in October. We like to relax on a beautiful beach during the day with a cocktail whilst people watching and at night we like to explore outside our hotel, discover local restaurants, enjoy seafood on the beach and drink even more cocktails! We generally like a nice balance between going to cool/unique/trendy places and local/laidback places.
    Though we plan to do a couple of tours and day trips, we want to stay in one base for the duration of our 2 week holiday.
    Kuta and seminyak sound a bit too trashy and touristy… similar to chaweng in koh Samui. We’ve therefore narrowed it down to Jimbaran and Sanur. Which would you recommend? We want clean, picturesque beaches during the day and at night we would like entertainment, nice restaurants and cool bars but nothing too crazy. Help please!

    1. Hi Stephanie,
      I would say Jimbaran over Sanur from what you’ve described, but I would also say Seminyak sounds very much like what you want, it’s definitely got a different vibe to Kuta, although it’s touristy. Seminyak has the most restaurants and bars and beach clubs. Although Seminyak beach isn’t the most picturesque in Bali, you could still do day trips to Jimbaran and Uluwatu for more beautiful beaches. If you stay in Jimbaran, although we prefer this beach over Seminyak, there are not a lot of restaurants or bars around the area, at least not all within walking distance. Cuca is a beautiful restaurant in Jimbaran, drinks at Rock Bar is also nice but touristy, Single Finn is a nice relaxed bar in Uluwatu, but you’d have to get transport, Biku is a nice restaurant for lunch, but most other restaurants are within the hotels. So I would tend to lean to Seminyak for you, with day trips to Uluwatu for beaches (Bingin and Balangan are great) or Finns Beach club, a seafood dinner at Jimbaran, and maybe a day trip to Pandawa Beach (near Nusa Dua). Whatever you choose I’m sure will be great!

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