Region deep dive
Nusa Dua: the resort bubble
A planned enclave of five-star resorts and calm, clean beaches. Honest take on who it suits and how to get out of the bubble when you want to.
Nusa Dua is Bali's resort enclave, a planned development of large five-star hotels with calm, wide, clean beaches. It suits people who want a pool villa, a spa, good food and a beach in front of them, with everything controlled and easy. The flip side is that it is a bubble. To feel any real connection with Bali, you have to take a scooter or a car out of the resort zone and go exploring.
Photography and drone
This is a low-priority region for shooters. The resort beaches are tidy but generic. The exception is Water Blow, where ocean swells force through a rock channel and explode upward; it is a fun 20-minute stop and a decent action frame on a big-swell day.
Worth doing
Water Blow, on the road toward Uluwatu, is free and takes 20 minutes. The Kecak dance at the GWK Cultural Park is more accessible from here than driving to Uluwatu, though the Uluwatu setting is far superior if you are willing to deal with the traffic.