Surfers paradise at the South Bali Beaches

South Bali Beaches -- Dreamland

Dreamland beach is located south of Kuta, half way to Uluwatu. It is an amazingly beautiful strip of beach that is located right at the cliffs.
The last time we were at Dreamland there was just one restaurant at the beach. But we expect some big changes in a short period of time.
There was a lot of construction work going on so there might be more restaurants and shops coming in the near future. The white sandy beach has clean soft sand.
Most of the people rent one of the many beach chairs to enjoy some sunbathing along the beautiful sea.
However if you walk further to the right the beach becomes less crowded and sometimes it feels as if you are the only one on the whole beach.

You can have the feeling of being the only one here...

The water is good for swimming, but in the late afternoon the tides can switch quickly and big waves can suddenly appear. Every time we wanted to go for a swim, the low tide would set in and a rocky shore would appear.
Just like most of the other south Bali beaches there is a current that can make swimming difficult and somewhat dangerous. So check it out first before going into the water.
Surfers on the other hand appeared in large numbers to catch the waves. I could see that the waves are pretty good and excellent for intermediate surfers.
In this picture they seemed to be having a ball...

Sadly the people who used to live at Dreamland had to pay a heavy price for this amazing beach setting.
Tommy Soeharto, the former president's youngest son saw the beauty of the beach as well and included it in his plan of developing the area.
However the 200 Balinese families who were living here were not part of the plan and they were cleared from the land together with their temples and fruit orchards.
After Tommy’s arrest, the development plan was terminated for a couple of years. Today the land is still barren except for the 4 lane road to the beach.
In the beginning of 2008 there were some changes going on: there was a golf course overlooking the sea and the Comfort Inn hotel had also just started their construction work. Another huge hotel group had also just finalized the construction of their resort.

So it looks like the development plan has continued again and that in a couple of years the complex will be another tourist lure with big hotels and many shops.
Nevertheless, if you are in the area then you should definitely go see Dreamland. Just head towards the south Bali beaches and follow the signs to Uluwatu. Halfway you will see a huge entrance of Pecatu Graha.
Drive in and follow the road till you end up at a car park. Make sure that you have arranged a ride back. It can be a hassle to arrange one from Dreamland and drivers waiting at the entrance offer unreasonable prices. Expect to pay Rp.50.000 for one way.
It is often said that the former land owners stand at the entrance with a sign which tells the visitor about the land that has been stolen from them and that they ask for an admission fee because they have no source of income anymore.
However we didn’t see any of these signs and if we had not known about the history of Dreamland we wouldn’t have guessed that there was a heavy conflict just a decade ago.

Strolling along the clean soft sandy beach...

You do have to pay Rp. 10.000 at the car park about 100m from the beach but this is not unusual in Bali.
If you are on the motor bike you can drive all the way up to the stairs leading to the wonderful beach. You will definitely have a great time there...