The 5 most stunning beaches in Bali, from surfing heaven to family fun

The Balinese people treat the ocean with enormous respect. Though their coastline is dotted with some of the world's most stunning (and popular) beaches, living so close to the water means recognizing the power and risk that exists alongside that beauty. It's not unusual for locals to meditate and pray at beaches to encourage positive energy and protection.

Every visitor arrives with dreams of stretching out on a blissful strip of sand before grabbing a surfboard or snorkel and diving beneath the waves. If you're here for the water sports as much as the sand, it's important to pay attention to those who know this island best. Strong currents can often lie beneath seemingly calm waters – especially at Canggu, Seminyak and beaches along the west coast.

But hundreds of shores are perfectly safe for swimming, surfing and enjoying a cold drink as you watch a spectacular sunset. These are five beautiful beaches in Bali that we think you can't afford to miss.

1. Seseh Beach

Best for sunset strolls

The most outlying beach in Canggu, Seseh has thus far evaded the large-scale development that has inextricably changed the face of Bali’s southwest coast. There is only one business on this beach, Warung Pantai, a palm-thatch restaurant with a few dozen bean bags, sun loungers and umbrellas.

With shore-breaking waves, Seseh is not ideal for swimming or surfing, though at low tide small rock pools form at the northern end of the beach. Elaborate Hindu ceremonies with devotees dressed in white are held regularly on the pavilion near the parking area, and locals come to walk their dogs along the beach and marvel at the colors painted across the sky at dusk.

2. Medewi Beach

Best for surfing

Two hour's drive from Seseh, the Muslim village of Medewi on the far west coast is a throwback to the Bali of yesteryear, with bamboo shacks where you can buy a meal for a few dollars and long black beaches littered with coconut husks and palm fronds. Medewi is also home to the longest left-hand waves in Bali – curved mirrors of water from one to three meters in height that in ideal conditions retain their shape for up to 300m.

Local tip: Surf schools in Canggu offer day trips to Medewi where they pile up to 10 surfers into a van to maximize profits. But Mukli, a professional surfer from Medewi who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, has a more equitable answer. “Those who come up just for the day with surf schools, these are not the crowd we want on our waves. Come and stay in a local guesthouse for a few days instead. It's good for the community and gives us money to send our children to school.”

3. Menjangan Beach

Best for snorkeling

Much of Bali’s coral has been degraded by bleaching and unsustainable fishing practices. But the house reef at NusaBay Menjangan – the only hotel on the Prapat Agung Peninsula, part of West Bali National Park – is a standout. The waters around the jetty are home to multicolored coral gardens teeming with tropical fish, including schools of angelfish, some as large as dinner plates, that are seemingly unperturbed by human visitors.

The sand at Menjangan and all through West Bali National Park is not black but bone white, edged with mangroves and home to a herd of Javan rusa, a large deer native to Indonesia that stands up to 185cm (6ft) high. And because this beach can only be reached by boat, there are never more than a few groups of people around.

Local tip: You don’t have to stay at NusaBay Menjangan resort to beach comb at Prapat Agung Peninsula. Go to Pantai (Beach) Karang Sewu on the mainland, where you can hire a boat, driver and snorkeling equipment for half a day for around 760,000Rp.

4. Amed

Best for boating

A 10km (6.2 miles) string of scalloped sandy bays on Bali's spectacular reef-fringed east coast named after its largest village, Amed is Bali’s epicenter for scuba diving. There’s a small underwater wreck about halfway down the coast and a much larger wreck, the USAT Liberty, which was sunk by the Japanese during WW2, a 30-minute drive to the north at Tulamben. But marine life is more abundant in West Bali National Park, and, in my opinion, it is the lack of large-scale development on the strip that makes Amed the premiere beach destination in Bali.

Another plus: every morning at dawn, a fleet of hundreds of "jukungs" – traditional wooden Indonesian outrigger canoes – can be seen returning to land after spending the night at sea. Your guesthouse or hotel can book a jukung and driver to take you out onto the water after the sun rises to marvel at Mount Agung volcano, Bali's highest and holiest mountain peak and one of eight "chakra" points in the world.

5. Karma Beach

Best for families and everything other than surfing

I’m not a fan of the big commercial beach clubs in Bali, but there’s one I keep going back to repeatedly. Set 150m (492ft) below a towering sea cliff on the Bukit Peninsula on Bali’s south coast, Karma Beach is edged by a turquoise lagoon. The only way to get there is through Karma Kandara Resort, which offers a shuttle service from the cliff top for 750,000Rp, two-thirds of which is redeemable at the Mediterranean restaurant on the beach. The entry fee includes the use of sunbeds, stand-up paddle boards, kayaks and snorkeling gear to explore the lagoon, which at high tide is flat and mirror-like. Plus there are trained lifeguards on duty, making it a great option if you're visiting with kids.

Local tip: If a visit to Karma Beach Club is out of your budget, park or catch a taxi to neighboring Melasti Beach, which has the same brilliant white sand and tranquil turquoise water. It gets quite busy on weekends and during the Australian school holidays.