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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.
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. 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.
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,
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.
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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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