Seminyak

Seminyak is a beach town in South Bali north of Legian and Kuta. The next town north of Legian, Seminyak is more upmarket with mostly luxury accommodation and fashionable high-end restaurants and bars. The atmosphere is much more sophisticated and laid-back than Kuta, and the beach in particular is quieter during the day. Seminyak is also the high end spa and boutique shopping capital of Bali. Nowhere is the upscaling of Bali more obvious than here.



Understand
Seminyak was once a distinctly separate village, and something of a backwater. Development occurred at an astonishing pace, and has absorbed all green space that separated Seminyak from Legian, it is now almost impossible to determine where Seminyak ends and the nearby villages of Petitenget, Umalas and Kerobokan begin. The district has become very congested.

By car
Seminyak is part of the main west coast conurbation in South Bali and it can get very congested with traffic. There are two main routes in. From Kuta and Legian, Jalan Legian runs parallel with the beach and at its western limit, becomes Jalan Seminyak. If at all possible try to avoid this road though, and take instead the eastern bypass called Jalan Sunset. This is almost invariably the quicker route from Kuta and Legian into Seminyak, although it is actually further in distance.

A prepaid taxi from the airport to Seminyak costs a fixed Rp 60,000. Trips to or from Kuta cost around Rp 30,000 and from Legian about Rp 15,000.

Get around
The streets of Seminyak are increasingly jammed, with Jalan Laksmana being a particular black-spot. Your best options here are to walk or rent a motorcycle/bicycle.

A number of roads in Seminyak have alternative names. Whilst this issue is not exclusive to Seminyak, it does seem to happen here more than anywhere else in Bali. There follows a list of road names with the most popular given first and the alternatives afterwards in brackets.


 * Jalan Arjuna (Jalan Double Six, Jalan 66)
 * Jalan Raya Seminyak (Jalan Raya Basangkasa)
 * Jalan Dhyana Pura (Jalan Caplak Tanduk)
 * Jalan Laksmana (Jalan Oberoi, Jalan Kayu Aya)
 * Jalan Pantai Legian (Jalan Blue Ocean)
 * Jalan Mertanadi (Jalan Penjara)

See


Seminyak Beach and Petitenget Beach is a continuous expanse of grey sand stretching in both directions as far as the eye can see. To the south it becomes Legian Beach and then Kuta Beach, but is noticeably quieter than both. The sunsets here are famous, and opportunites abound to mix with the glitterati who frequent the high end beach front establishments such as Ku De Ta. Easy access points to the beach are at the end of Jalan Dhyana Pura, and from the large public car park (Rp 2,000) between Petitenget Temple and La Luciola restaurant.



Spas, massage and other treatments
Seminyak is the high-end spa capital of Bali. Your spa experience here will be one of great luxury in a sophisticated setting. You pay up for all of that of course, but the prices are still 50% or more cheaper than you would pay in a western country.

If you are staying in one of Seminyak's high end hotels there will undoubtedly be an in-house spa service. If you are staying in a villa, then in-villa treatments will almost certainly be offered - check with the staff.



Other
A little bit of surfing goes on here, but it is not as good as off Legian and Kuta beaches to the south, or at Canggu to the north.

Buy
Seminyak is the centre in Bali for hip and inventive fashion boutiques, other designer stores and art studios. A good starting point for any shopper would be the legion of small boutiques and designer stores on Jalan Laksmana.

Others


If you are looking for Indonesian antiques (genuine or reproductions), or just enjoy browsing for eclectic homewares, try Jalan Kerobokan between the junction with Jalan Seminyak and the next set of traffic lights to the north. This is a very busy road and moving around is not easy, but both sides of the street are lined with numerous furniture, antique and homeware stores. A quieter, but just as rewarding option for similar products, is Jalan Mertanadi which runs parallel to Jalan Kerobokan just to the east.

Two traditional fresh produce markets remain in Seminyak. The most convenient is on the west side of the last bend at the very northern end of Jalan Raya Seminyak, and is widely known as Seminyak Market. A little more out of the way is a similar market in Kerobokan, called Taman Sari. Take Jalan Raya Kerobokan north from Jalan Raya Seminyak until you reach the first set of lights. Turn right and Taman Sari market is almost immediately on your righthand side. Both are best in the mornings from 07:00-11:00, and provide visitors with the opportunity to examine and purchase traditional, fresh local fruit and vegetables.



Eat
Seminyak has developed a world-class dining scene. If you want to splurge on one very special dinner while you are in Bali, look no further than the higher end options in Seminyak. Prices are high by Bali standards but on an international scale still good value for the highest quality of food and eating environment. The clientele is demanding here and the turnover of restaurants quite high, so those that make it and stick around are invariably very good.

Budget
Although they have become hard to find, there are still some excellent budget options available in the area.



Drink
Many of Bali's hippest nightspots are in Seminyak.



Gay bars
There are numerous gay bars on Jalan Dhyana Pura, the most popular of which is Mixwell.

Sleep
There is virtually no backpacker accommodation in Seminyak. Budget travellers will generally do better to stay in nearby Kuta or Legian. However, there are some (fairly uninspiring) losmen type places in Gang Bima which runs south off the northern end of Jalan Dhyana Pura, right in the heart of Seminyak.

The main choices are villas and higher end hotels. There are some good bargains to be had in the mid-range though in low season, so shop around.

Beware of false advertising. Only the most expensive "villas" are completely private and self-contained, while many share at least some facilities, and the cheaper ones are just clusters of bungalows.

It is difficult to differentiate between budget and mid-range hotels based on stars, so a usual 4- or 3-star mid-range hotel may be a budget hotel.

The prices are stated below are normal, except if stated as discount prices.

Hotels
Any villas listed in this section do not have private courtyards and share facilities like a swimming pool.

Private villas
Villas listed here are either private individual properties with their own pool, or are within an all-villa hotel which offers only completely private units.





Stay safe
Seminyak is the centre of Bali's party drug scene with offers of ecstasy and cocaine especially common. Pay heed to the advice here, and avoid at all costs.

Cope
Indicative of its place in the elite group of high end Asian travel destinations, Seminyak has its very own lifestyle magazine. The Yak is an impressive, glossy magazine produced four times each year, and has the full run-down on the Seminyak scene: happening restaurants and bars, fashion boutiques, and reviews of the latest hip hotels and villas. Pick up a copy at any local news-stand for Rp 70,000.

Go next

 * The bright lights, shopping centres and traffic jams of Kuta are just 15 minutes away to the south.
 * The rural tranquility of Canggu is 25 minutes drive to the north.
 * The temple of Tanah Lot, famed for its sunsets, is 40 minutes away by car.
 * Further to the south lie Jimbaran, famous for its luxury hotels and beach front dinners, and the Uluwatu area, which boasts top beaches and cultural destinations, such as the Uluwatu temple.
 * To the east and the other side of the island, one will find sedate Sanur - one of Bali's oldest tourist destinations featuring a mix of tourist attractions.