Streets of Kuta

STREETS OF KUTA

Once a sleepy village with a quiet, beautiful sweep of beach, Kuta today has become a popular beach destination in its own right, alive with tourists from all over the world, swimming, surfing or sunbathing by the beach. Others, casually dressed in shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops stroll along its main road, shopping around or enjoying meals at its many open air restaurants. When in Kuta you know that you are in a holiday town, and people here are in a holiday mood. "Bali time" as the locals say relaxed and care free

Back in the 1960’s the only hotel was the Kuta Beach Hotel, but soon without much planning, Kuta developed rapidly into a mecca for surfers and backpackers, while the high end market preferred to stay at the more sedate Sanur village on the opposite side of the peninsula. With time, Kuta’s popularity grew, and shops, restaurants, discos hotels, - from the simple to the exclusive - sprang up along the main road from Kuta to Legian, catering to the ever increasing holiday crowd, that not only included international tourists but also domestic visitors from Jakarta and other big cities.

Poppies Lane 

If you love bargains than Poppies Lane I and II are for you, Poppies lanes are two separate narrow streets, both of which connect from Kuta beach road to Legian and Kuta's nightclubs hub, all within an easy 10 or 15-minute stroll.

Both lanes have become popular walking streets lined with shops, bars, restaurants and where you can get a good massage starting from around $5 AUD for 1 hour. Beware of the traffic on your walks though, as Poppies Lane II also serves as a shortcut for scooters, cars and taxis.  

Our kids love bargains as do i and save up their money to buy thing when we go markets ect once we started walking the streets of poppies lane they couldn't believe they found Nike school bags for $10, Adidas trainers for $20 and watches for $3 all cheap knock-offs of course but never the least it kept them happy and more money in there pockets for ice-cream.   

Knock-off Rolexes and cheap designer bags are a regular sight here, so shopping in Kuta does offer a unique shopping adventure. Prices vary, but with the wide range of choices, you are bound to come across a bargain deal or an item that suits your budget. 

Clothing: below you will see Julia's shop on Poppies lane 2 honest prices and very friendly
​ No.33, Kuta phone: 087 760 063 389

PRICE GUIDE

• Singlets / T shirts $4-$7
• Sunglasses $2-$5
• Watches $2-$5
• Baseball Caps $3-$7 
• Sarongs $3

• Bags $5-$15
• Purses $4-$10
• Kids T shirts $3
• Shorts $3
• Wallet $4 -$7
• Bracelets $1 - $2
  

Shopping Tips

• Don’t be rude, have a sense of humour always be polite, Indonesian people are very friendly and are more than willing to give you a good deal
• Don’t let them know if its your first trip to Bali (even if it is)
•  Bartering is expected, Usually the first offered prices are often double or triple the real price
• Quality is obviously an issue a lot of the items are cheap knock offs keep that in mind.
• Don’t rush, chances are the first place you see the item won’t be the cheapest.​
• Don’t rush the deal act as though you are thinking about the purchase, this may make them see that you may change your mind and they might offer you a better price.
• I always have a maximum amount i wanna pay and make sure i stick to it. 
• Sometimes the seller won't match your price so with out being rude say thank you and star walking away. In most cases, the seller will stop you and match your offer not wanting to lose the sale altogether.
• I have so much fun bartering with the friendly sellers and i think they do to it can be a lot of fun once you get the hang of it, have ago , i found its normal practice in bail and usually its only a few dollars so i end up giving it to them anyways or their children as a thank you gift at the end.

Fresh Fruit Stalls

There are lots of great fresh fruit stalls around bali with differnt tropical fruits you dont normally see at home. I suggest avoiding already cut or prepared fruits and always wash before eating.

Famous doughnut's 

Keep your eye out for the famous doughnut man. He travels around Legian / Kuta on a bike and sells the most delicious donuts for only 5,000 IDR (0.50 cents AUD) each.

Getting Around
Moving around Kuta its very fun and simple. You can go around on foot or you can rent a bike or motorcycle for around $8 a day.

At the end of Poppies Lane II, on Jalan Legian is a memorial for all the people that lost their lives in the Bali bombings in 2002. All the names of the people who died are listed by the country that they came from. Directly across the road from the memorial is the empty site of the Sari Club which was one of the 2 clubs that was bombed. 

Getting There
There are plenty of taxis that can take you to Kuta beach. You can rent these by the meter or by the hour. Taking your own car is not recommended as parking here is very tight.

Jl. Raya Kuta No.1, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia