Bali is well known for its lush ocean views, a feature that cements it as an essential item on the world’s vacation bucket list.

It’s hard to believe, but during our entire stay in Bali, we only visited the beach twice. One of those visits was a short trip to Virgin Beach, although even then it wasn’t our main destination – we ended up there on our way back from the Water Palace in Ujung and spent only about an hour there.

Virgin Beach is located a few kilometres from the main road between Candidasa and Amlapura. The road to the beach leads through a steep incline, and about halfway up, there is a booth where local residents collect a symbolic entry fee. At the top of this incline, you get the best view of the entire beach.

 Photo: Panoramic view of Virgin Beach

After descending the picturesque incline, we parked the car in a large parking lot right in front of the beach. There were public restrooms, a restaurant with a pool, and a lot of well-maintained green space with beautiful palm trees. On the beach itself, you can rent loungers and even enjoy a massage if you feel like experiencing peak relaxation.

The day we visited Virgin Beach, the waves were huge – too big for the kids to swim safely near the shore. The boys spent most of the time on the loungers, and Aliya only dipped her feet in, quickly retreating when she saw the larger waves.

I took a chance and went for a swim, but a strong wave helplessly tossed me back onto the shore, rolling me for several meters in the sand. After gaining a few light scrapes during this experience, I decided to give up on swimming.

The beach itself was fairly clean, although you may come across floating wood or occasional plastic in the water. Like many other locations in Bali, Virgin Beach is heavily populated by tourists – while services and local restaurants keep their surroundings tidy, some things will inevitably slip through their meticulous care.

Photo: Virgin Beach

Photo: Virgin Beach