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| Once solely the
preserve of coconut groves and
fishermen, the scenic five-kilometre-long peninsula
of Tanjung Benoa has over the years been
transformed into a charming resort area.
Converging in the small harbour at its tip,
the peninsula is connected by a narrow,
meandering road populated by luxury hotels,
private villas, fine restaurants, open-air cafes,
and a plethora of water-sport facilities.
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| The relaxed rhythm of the businesses that
line the long snake-like road is more Costa Brava or Mallorca
in character than the other southern Balinese resorts
of Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. |
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Those into marine sports
will delight in the dozens of dive stores which offer
dive-trips and sell and rent equipment. Visitors can
also try their hand at windsurfing, water-skiing,
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In fact, Tanjung Benoa exudes a worldly air with the hotels,
upscale shops, innovative restaurants and dive centres
of the peninsula affording guests no shortage of quality
recreational, shopping and dining options.
Acclaimed for its seafood restaurants with unimpeded views
of the Nusa Penida cliffs across the Badung Strait, the
whole coastal strip is dotted with premier hotels offering
deluxe ocean-view suites and convention and meeting facilities
complete with audio-visual function rooms.
Unique to the area is photographer Heinz von Holtzen’s
award-winning Bumbu
Bali which serves the finest Balinese cuisine, while
down the road his Rumah Bali - an exquisite restaurant,
museum and cooking school bundled into one.
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jet-skiing and
reef fishing, as well as experiencing exciting glass-bottom
boat, power-boat and banana-boat rides. Only 10 minutes
away in Nusa Dua is the Bali
Golf & Country Club, one of Asia’s premier
golf courses.
On the peninsula’s tip, the quiet port of Tanjung
Benoa retains a remarkable village-like atmosphere. Distinctly
multi-cultural, it is fascinating to explore the lively
alleyways of a real Bugis village, peer into the smoky
confines of a large, scarlet-red and gold Chinese Buddhist
temple, or stroll along the beach southeast of Benoa past
rows of brightly painted Balinese outriggers pulled up
on shore.
In Benoa harbour, yachts, fishing boats and traditional
jukung bob at anchor. Whilst offshore in the distance
is Serangan, commonly known as Turtle Island - the site
of a sacred Sakenan temple dating back to the 16th century.
The reef, lying 200 metres off the peninsula’s northeast
tip, is easy to reach and has a gentle current and is
home to a surprising variety of colourful, tropical fish.
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