Jimbaran



Jimbaran is a small town in South Bali with many high-end resorts and villas.

Understand
Jimbaran is just south of the airport and Kuta. It used to be a backwater: just a tiny fishing village with a daily market. Everything started to change in the 1980s and Jimbaran is now home to several world-class 5-star beach resorts, and a few more moderate mid-market hotels. There is however little in the way of budget accommodation and there are also many high-end villas in this area, particularly on the ridges of high ground above Jimbaran Bay. This has resulted in monikers such as the "Beverly Hills of Bali" or "Millionaire's Row".

The bay has a pleasant white sand beach and is very safe for swimming. The three clusters of grilled seafood restaurants on the beach are a major tourist draw in the evenings, as is the truly stunning sunset.

Jimbaran is also home to a Norwegian university: Gateway College, with around 500 students studying athletics, philosophy, culture, economics and journalism. The school is located in Kedonganan close to Sari Segara Resort and in Jl, Bantas Kau where it also has a small cafe.

Jimbaran has an increasing number of rather chic shops but there is little or no nightlife here but it is close to Kuta and Seminyak and the cultural highlights of Central Bali.

Get in
Jimbaran is between Kuta and the Bukit Peninsula, with Nusa Dua to the southeast and Uluwatu to the southwest.

By car
Jimbaran is 10-15 min south of the airport. A pre-paid airport taxi costs Rp60,000-80,000 depending on exactly where in Jimbaran you are heading. Virtually all Jimbaran hotels offer a free airport pick-up service, however make sure that you request this when making a booking.

Jimbaran is around a 20-minute drive from Legian and Seminyak, and 30 min from Sanur, via the Jl Ngurah Rai bypass.

By bus
Bemos serving Jimbaran are almost non-existent but there is a sporadic service from Tegal terminal in Denpasar (via Kuta). This service continues on to Nusa Dua.

Get around
As elsewhere in Bali, motorbikes are readily available for rental and taxis are everywhere. Have a read of the main Bali article for detail on this. The main roads in Jimbaran are the Jl Bypass Ngurah Rai which goes from the Ngurah Rai International Airport in the north, goes south and then east to Nusa Dua, and Jl Uluwatu, which branches off Jl Bypass Ngurah Rai and leads to Uluwatu Temple in the Bukit Peninsula in the south.

This is one of the better areas of South Bali for walking.

See
Jimbaran is a typical little Balinese society with lots of small streets and gangs (alleys) that makes a perfect backdrop for a stroll. Just walking around in Jimbaran is an adventure and the locals are smiling and welcoming. The road along the beach and Jl Uluwatu make good orientation points. Follow these and take the different small roads that connect them back and forth. Arrive at around 17:00, take a seat in one of the restaurants on the beach, order food drink, and enjoy the romantic sunset while waiting for your orders. The sunsets in Jimbaran are very beautiful.

Water activities

 * Surfing, there are a couple of good surf breaks off the airport which are easiest accessed from Jimbaran Bay. It is too far to paddle out, but boats are easily chartered from the beach in the middle areas of the bay or close to the fish market. When the surf is rolling here it is very good but it can be a bit unreliable.
 * Swimming, a great bay for swimming with perhaps the safest waters in the whole of Bali. You will find lots of local children come to beach to swim in the evenings - a sure sign that the waters are safe.

Spas
Jimbaran has a number of high-end spas, both within the luxury hotels and independent establishments.



Buy
There are nice boutiques and antique shops in the stretch of Jalan Uluwatu between The Intercontinental and the junction with Jalan Uluwatu II.



Seafood restaurants on Jimbaran Beach
Eating seafood on the beach in Jimbaran is a quintessential part of many a visitor's itineraries when coming to Bali.

Jimbaran Bay is home to about fifty grilled seafood restaurants in three different groupings, all set along the beach. The three sections are Muaya (in the very south), Kedonganan (in the middle), and Kelan (north of the fish market). Each of the restaurants is much of a muchness and of the groupings, the most southerly, closest to the Four Seasons, is the most popular these days.

Tables are set up right on the sand and if you sit at the lowest tables at high tide, you can even get your feet wet. The sea breeze is cool, the sunsets are beautiful and the whole area is lit by oil torches after dark.

The restaurants serve essentially the same menu with one basic dining format:


 * fire-grilled (bakar) seafood with your own choice of various fish, crab, squid, shrimp, lobster, and other shellfish
 * local green vegetables steamed with garlic
 * rice or french fried potatoes
 * local spicy sauces

Simply go up to the seafood tanks and choose the number and type of seafood you want to eat, pay by weight, and the produce is grilled there and then. You also have the option of ordering from the menu but that is nothing like so much fun. Prices at the restaurant for two with local Bintang beer or soft drinks are in the range of Rp200,000-600,000 plus 15% tax and service, depending on the quantity and type of seafood selected. Typically, 1 kg of fish costs about Rp160,000.

All the restaurants also offer set menus for couples, ranging from Rp400,000-900,000 for different types of seafood combinations. All the prices are negotiable, so make sure you shop around. Everything is freshly caught as Jimbaran is still a functioning fishing village. If you want to drink wine, bring it with you and pay a nominal corkage charge.

The combination of atmosphere and good food make this a memorable and delightful place to spend an evening.

Other dining options in Jimbaran
There are a number of good, cheap local warungs on Jalan Uluwatu between the four road junctions (Four Seasons roundabout) and McDonald's.

Jimbaran is very well served by high-end resort hotels, and the dining options at the Four Seasons and the Ayana Resort for example are truly exceptional.



Drink
Nightlife is limited in Jimbaran, and most venues close after 23:00. If you want to avoid going to a more busy area, you can try going to Chocolate Café, in Jimbaran Corner, where they have live music and DJ occasionally.

To enjoy a sunset on the beach, there are few better places in Bali. For a cheap beer sitting on plastic chairs, go near the fish café. For something more elegant, try PJ's Bar at the Four Seasons, or JBC (Jimbaran Beach Club), just next to it.

The Rock Bar at Ayana Resort is a bit of tourist trap but it is nonetheless spectacular as it is perched on natural rock 14 m above the waves of Jimbaran Bay, at the base of a low cliff. The design is rather chic, but beware of problems when it rains - you will get soaked as there is no shelter at all, and it is a long walk back up the cliff to the main part of the hotel.

Sleep
There is not much in the way of budget accommodation in Jimbaran. Low cost travellers are better off staying in Kuta and day-tripping Jimbaran, which is 20 minutes away.

Private villas
All the villas listed below are standalone and feature private entrances, dedicated staff, accommodation and their own swimming pools.



Stay safe
Jimbaran was the site of a terrorist bombing in 2005, but the sand and airy construction of the restaurants kept casualties much lower than in the previous Kuta attack.

Cope
The following countries have honorary consulates in Jimbaran, though the names of the consulates confusingly include the words "in Denpasar":


 * 🇩🇰 Denmark
 * 🇳🇴 Norway

Go next

 * North to Kuta for partying and surf.
 * Up to Ubud in Central Bali for art, temples, mountains and the cultural heartland of Bali.
 * South to visit Uluwatu Temple which is amongst the oldest extant temples on the island in Bali.