Why you can Trust this Guide
Although I’ve been visiting Uluwatu since October 2023, I only visited the beaches there (other than Melasti Beach) in this summer! That’s almost three years after my first Uluwatu trip!
The main reason that it took me this long to make it to the beautiful beaches of Uluwatu was that I read so many negative Google reviews about the beaches that I felt like it was best to visit with friends first.
I eventually built up the courage to visit one Uluwatu Beach on my own (Thomas Beach) – despite the scary reviews – and I slowly started exploring other beaches on my own (Suluban Beach with friends).
And this is why I think you can truly trust this Uluwatu Beaches guide and ignore the Google reviews that put me off visiting the Bukit beaches for a really long time.
In this guide, I will share the mobile data signal availability and ease of access for each beach that I visited apart from Melasti Beach.
Melasti Beach is the easiest beach to access. The only thing you need to know about this beach is that you can only get dropped there with online bikes but can’t be picked up. So you must keep this information in mind if you plan to get there with an online bike.
This Uluwatu Beaches guide covers the main beaches except Bingin, Padang Padang, Nyang Nyang and Impossibles. I plan to visit Nyang Nyang this Friday and Padang Padang sometime soon. So stay tuned for when I document the rest of the beaches!
Uluwatu Beaches Guide
Dreamland Beach
- Ease of Access: This is the easiest Uluwatu Beach to access after Melasti. With only a few short and small steps, you will find yourself at the shoreline.
- Steps: Very few, easy and small steps.
- Tide warning: As long as you check the low tide times, you will be fine. Dreamland Beach is great for a sunset beach walk. That was when I visited. But I wouldn’t go there for a long walk at the beach as the stretch isn’t that long for walking.
- Busy? This is a very busy beach since it’s so easy to get to. So if you don’t mind the crowds, go ahead.
- Mobile Data Coverage: I easily walked up the hill to the nearest street and I was able to book an online bike. To get to the beach, ask the online bike driver to drop you at the dedicated bike parking area at Dreamland Beach. Super easy to get there and to leave.
Thomas Beach
- Ease of Access: I was staying in a nearby villa when I visited Thomas Beach. I literally walked for seven minutes to get to the stairs going down to the beach. There’s a good amount of steep steps to get down to Thomas Beach. But if you’re a fit person who likes to walk and stay active, then this isn’t a problem. I actually felt like it was a good effort and that I could burn more calories by going to this beach.
- Steps: Steep but easy if you’re an active and fit person.
- Tide warning: As long as you check the low tide times, you will be fine.
- Busy? This is a very quiet beach and I liked how peaceful it felt. Walking on the stones can be slippery because of the algae so be very careful. I wouldn’t go there to walk as it wasn’t very comfortable for walking.
- Mobile Data Coverage: I didn’t need to check as I walked from my villa. But there area many cafes and restaurants in the area so you will be fine.
Balangan Beach
- Ease of Access: As long as the tide is low, you can easily go down the stairs leading to Balangan Beach. Just make sure to leave before the tide changes. I got dropped off by the online bike driver at the beach entrance and took the easy steps down to the beach.
- Steps: Easy and not steep.
- Busy? This is another quiet beach and it’s mostly frequented by beginner surfers or those learning how to surf for the first time. There are a couple of surfing schools dotted along the stretch of beach.
- Mobile Data Coverage: There was mobile data signal at the beach entrance. I managed to use my phone’s data to use Google Maps and walk to a nearby place. So there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to mobile data coverage at this beach.
Suluban Beach
- Ease of Access: Super easy. I kept delaying visiting this beach because I read about the monkeys around this beach. Yes, there are monkeys. But I actually didn’t encounter any when I went there with my friends. As long as you’re mindful and alert, there’s nothing to worry about. The access is from Single Fin or the main beach access.
- Steps: Easy and not steep. Although the steps are not even, you can easily get down to the famous Suluban Beach. Just watch your step as you make your way down to the cave.
- Tide warning: Since Suluban Beach is a professional surfers’ beach, it’s so important to check the low tide timings before heading there. When it’s high tide, there’s no beach and you can’t really go down to the beach.
- Busy? Very busy since I visited at sunset. There were many tourists taking photos and doing photo shoots (including us!). So make sure you give yourself enough time to get down and wait for the right time to take a good photo.
- Mobile Data Coverage: There’s a weak signal at the beach but it’s not non-existent. I think the signal is intermittent and you can easily walk to nearby places with better mobile data coverage.
Gunung Payung
- Ease of Access: This beach is technically in Nusa Dua but it’s not too far from Uluwatu. One thing to note is that this is the best beach for burning calories and getting your steps in for the day. The access to this beach is down many small steps or down a steep cliff. I took the stairs down and then I took the cliff up (because I missed the stairs on my way back!)
- Steps: This is the best beach for getting active and burning calories as there are so many steps to get down. There’s a shuttle service if you want to get there with ease and are not looking to burn calories. The shuttle service goes both ways so you can take the shuttle back up too.
- Tide warning: As long as you get there when it’s low tide, then it won’t be an issue. Just make sure to check the low tide timing before you make the trip as this beach is quite remote.
- Busy? Not too busy since this beach is kind of remote. Gunung Payung is located next to a beach in Nusa Dua where there’s paragliding activities.
- Mobile Data Coverage: I’m so glad that I went here and did the research for you so you don’t have to! I went to this beach alone and I read on Google reviews that this beach is one of the few beaches around Uluwatu where there’s mobile data coverage. I also trusted my Grab bike driver who shared with me the same information. But when it was time for me to leave, I realized that I couldn’t get any phone data signal on my phone! Luckily, there was a local guy sat at one of the warungs at the beach entrance watching videos on his phone. I asked him if I could use his hot spot and he agreed. So that’s how I managed to book an online bike and it wasn’t too difficult to get one after a few minutes of waiting. Moral of the story: Don’t visit this beach alone and only go there if you can get out! This beach is very remote and I wouldn’t want anyone to be stuck there and not be able to leave! So I made this adventure and I managed to leave so that you can know!
