Which are the best beaches in Bali?

Bali's beaches vary more than almost any island this size: white limestone sand in the south, black volcanic sand on the west and north, reef-protected lagoons on the east, and open Indian Ocean swell on the west.

For clear turquoise water and white sand

Melasti, Ungasan. White sand at the bottom of a spectacular limestone-cut road, with road access rather than stairs. The most photogenic accessible beach on the mainland.

Padang Padang, Uluwatu. Small, reached through a cleft in the rock, famous and crowded by midday.

Balangan. A long stretch under the cliff with warungs on the sand and a good surf break at the end.

Bingin. Narrow, dramatic, with warungs built into the cliff and a serious reef wave in front.

Nyang Nyang. Enormous, empty, and a long steep descent that keeps it that way.

Green Bowl. A cave, a small beach and a long staircase.

For all of the Bukit beaches: check the tide. Several shrink to nothing at high tide and expose sharp reef at low.

For calm water and swimming

Sanur, reef-protected, shallow, flat, with a beach path. The best family beach in Bali.

Nusa Dua, the calmest water in the south, clean and patrolled.

Jimbaran, a wide sheltered bay with seafood on the sand at sunset.

Amed and Tulamben, black pebble, calm and the best shore snorkelling on the mainland.

Lovina and Pemuteran, in the north, facing the Java Sea with no swell at all.

For surfing

Kuta and Legian for learning: sand bottom, long beach break, lifeguards, schools.

Batu Bolong and Echo Beach, Canggu, for beginners and intermediates.

Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Impossibles, Bingin, for experienced surfers on reef.

Medewi, west Bali, a long left-hander and a quiet village.

Keramas, Sanur, Serangan, Nusa Dua in wet season, when the east coast turns on.

For sunset

Seminyak and Petitenget, the classic beanbag-and-beer sunset.

Echo Beach, Canggu, with bars along the sand.

Tanah Lot, for the temple silhouette, with the crowd that comes with it.

Single Fin at Uluwatu, which is a cliff rather than a beach and better than all of them.

For empty sand

Nyang Nyang, Bukit. Pasut and Kelating, Tabanan, black sand and nobody. Yeh Gangga and Kedungu, west of Canggu. Amed's smaller coves. Pantai Lima and Seseh, between Canggu and Tanah Lot. The far west toward Medewi and Gilimanuk.

The black sand question

Half of Bali's beaches are volcanic and the sand is grey to black. It is not dirty; it is basalt. It gets very hot underfoot in the middle of the day, and it photographs darker than people expect from the brochures. Canggu, Seminyak, Medewi, Lovina and Amed are all dark-sand coasts. The white sand is concentrated on the Bukit and the eastern islands.

Safety, which matters more here than the list

The west coast has powerful rip currents and most beaches outside Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Nusa Dua are unpatrolled. Read rip currents and beach safety before swimming anywhere on the west or south coast. On the Bukit, watch the tide and wear reef shoes.

Beach clubs and the day-bed economy

Most of the famous beach names in the south now come with a beach club: a day bed, a minimum spend and a pool. It is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon and it is not the beach. The free version is 50 metres away with a sarong and a warung.