A personal experience of Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, 21 years after the first visit. About how tourism has gone terribly wrong and created a party that should have ended long ago.

The first time I visited Kuta was in 1995. I had been traveling around Asia for about four months when I arrived in Kuta. Kuta was the “place” where backpackers gathered, and it was where surfers from Australia came to ride the wild waves.

Even back then, it was popular to say that Kuta was spoiled and not authentic among backpackers. Yet, it still had a certain appeal for hanging out, meeting other travelers, eating European food, and, of course, partying.

No matter how much or how little I admit it, I have had some great parties in Kuta back in the days. I have slept on the beach and met and talked to many travelers there. Yes, I have many experiences and memories from Kuta.

Returning to Kuta

Fast forward to July 2016. My girlfriend, son, and I had been traveling around Singapore and Bali for nearly three weeks, and we just had to see Kuta. Or rather, I definitely wanted to revisit Kuta! I knew that I would probably feel like Kuta was no longer my kind of place, but I still wanted to see it again. So, we took a taxi from Seminyak, where we were staying, to Kuta to revisit the town.

I had imagined that Kuta would be much more touristy, much noisier, and there would be many more shops and everything in general. And all of that was true, and much more. It was overwhelmingly crowded with people, extremely noisy, and there was no way to escape it. Kuta offered no sanctuary where you could just walk into a quiet park – you were trapped in the noise.

If it were just the noise and the crowds that were the problem, I could have lived with that. But during our little trip to Kuta, you could almost smell the booze, the urine, and the vomit from the previous night’s parties. We saw several people who were clearly high from their drug intake, including tourists.

The feeling that best describes what I experienced was a sense that Kuta is a party that’s over. The party is over, and all that’s left are remnants of alcohol, vomit, and intoxicated partygoers who haven’t quite grasped that the party is over or, at the very least, should be over.

I don’t think the blame for this “hell” lies with the Balinese people, but rather with the ignorant tourists who show no respect for the local Balinese. Kuta was a party destination even in the ’90s, and with such large numbers of tourists who are there specifically to use drugs, drink, and engage in sexual activities, the inevitable has happened. The place has been completely ruined (which it was already on its way to in the ’90s), and who wouldn’t become indifferent to everything if all you experienced and saw revolved around sex, alcohol, and drugs?

Seminyak

Continuing from Kuta is Legian, and after that comes Seminyak, which can best be described as the “in-place” in the Kuta area. It has a completely different atmosphere than Kuta. While Kuta is mainly about cheap alcohol, parties, and cheap items in the stores, Seminyak is about fashion boutiques, design, and excellent restaurants.

Seminyak has a much more relaxed and sophisticated atmosphere than Kuta. It’s also where you’ll find fantastic restaurants and trendy, imaginative fashion boutiques. In other words, Seminyak is the place for anyone who loves a more laid-back and “hip” atmosphere. Unfortunately, prices in Seminyak are higher than the rest of Bali, but I believe the quality justifies it.

For me, Seminyak was a much better experience than Kuta. Unfortunately, it also requires a different budget than when I traveled to Kuta in 1995. Regardless of the price level, Seminyak feels much more like a city that aligns with how I see the world today. It’s possible that it’s because I’ve gotten older, but I don’t think that’s the only reason. I believe the world has simply changed in the direction that Seminyak represents, and I have followed the same path.

In my view, it seems that Kuta has been overwhelmed by its success and has forgotten to take care of itself. Although Kuta has always been a tourist trap, there used to be a certain sense of the “Kuta spirit.” That spirit is completely gone now. I think the city became too focused on success and money and forgot its core.

What remains is a city like a nightclub where the party is over, but not all the guests have realized it yet.

This post is simply an expression of how I have experienced Kuta, and yes, it’s not positive. It’s possible that you have experienced or perceive Kuta completely differently, and perhaps I’m just an old grumpy man.