Seminyak, Bali

We coordinated business trips to Bali in order to have a long weekend together and relax and Seminyak provided a beautiful, relaxing location.

Seminyak has a west-facing beach that provides daily doses of awe-inspiring sunsets. Everyone we talked to made sure we arranged at least one evening on the beach just for the sunset.

Each evening, around 4:00 the beach bars set up rows and rows of beanbag chairs, unbrellas, tables, and speakers and people fill the seating to watch the sun set. The better bars have different DJs each evening to shake up the music style so it doesn’t become monotonous day-after-day.

Sunsets here are an event to be witnessed. Most everyone stops on the beach and watches the show and for good reason; the sunsets are spectacular.

There is more to Seminyak though…like good eats. We had tacos at Sea Circus, a short walk from the hotel. It reminded us of Virginia Beach. All they need now is orange crushes!

Jalan Laksamana is better known as Eat Street for obvious reasons. However, there are several streets in the general vicinity that have great places to eat or drink.

There are some great coffee joints in Seminyak as well. We enjoyed the speakeasy-like atmosphere of Revolver, which is tucked away down an alley off Eat Street. Anomali, which has a large Bali presence is also on Eat Street. They roast several different Indonesian coffees and if you’re looking for a departure from the tried-and-true Sumatra, try a coffee from Flores. Coffees from Flores are know for floral and fruity aromas imparted by well-executed bean fermentation.

There are two other locations I highly recommend, both are restaurants: Potato Head Beach Club and Metis. Potato Head is a massive, two-story building in the shape of a horseshoe, facing the beach. There is a large pitch and a pool in the center and the cool breeze coming in off the ocean is sublime. Both floors of the restaurant are fully open to the center of the horseshoe, making it seem like outdoor dining. The food and drinks are great and the atmosphere is young, progressive, and relaxed. Think sophisticated food, lounge music, and well executed coctails.

Metis was built on one of the many reclaimed rice paddies as Seminyak rapidly expands and they have incorporated a rice paddy into their decor. Caveat emptor: bring mosquito repellant. They are everywhere here. You can also ask for a mosquito coil (or two) to put below your table. We arrived late, around 11p and had the entire back area to ourselves. Metis is more of an intimate location, making it a great place to meet a few friends, have a drink, and catch up with each other.

There are a few more pictures here, on my Flickr site.

Enjoy!