Sanur hotel guide
Best hotels in Sanur, Bali
Sanur is Bali's original beach resort, a low-rise strip on the east coast of Denpasar, about 15 km from the airport (30 to 60 minutes by car). It is slower paced and family friendly, and skews older. A reef about 500 m offshore breaks the swell, so the lagoon stays flat and safe for small children. The beach faces east, with sunrises over Mount Agung and the Badung Strait.
What Sanur is actually like
A car-free paved beach path runs about 5 km from Matahari Terbit beach to Mertasari beach, past hotels, warungs, and small shrines. Sindhu Beach and Segara Ayu are among the better swimming stretches at high tide. Sunrise is around 5:50 to 6:10 am, best watched from Matahari Terbit or Karang beach. Sanur Harbour at Matahari Terbit beach, at the north end, is where fast boats leave for Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan.
Pura Blanjong in south Sanur holds the Blanjong pillar, a stone inscription dated 914 AD, the oldest dated inscription on the island. The Le Mayeur Museum is the beach house the Belgian painter Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur built in 1932 and lived in until 1958. Pura Dalem Sakenan, on Serangan Island about 10 km southwest (20 to 30 minutes), is one of Bali's most important sea temples, with its festival every 210 days on Kuningan. Sindhu Night Market, a few minutes inland from central Sanur, sells street food such as satay for IDR 20,000 to 30,000 and is open roughly 5 pm to 10 pm. ICON Bali mall opened on June 7, 2024, with about 200 shops and Bali's first IMAX screen, and an entrance straight off the sand. Jalan Danau Tamblingan is the main street, parallel to the beach.
Getting around and when to visit
Walk or cycle the beach path for most things in town; bikes are widely rented. Use Grab or Gojek for longer hops, and hire a private driver for day trips. Ubud is roughly 60 to 90 minutes away.
The dry season, roughly April to October, brings the clearest beach days. July and August are busy, and the Christmas to New Year week is the busiest of all. The wet season, roughly November to March, has showers in bursts with mornings often clear.
Honest downside: at low tide much of the lagoon empties to seagrass, sand, and coral barely ankle deep, with no swimming until the tide refills, so time swims around high tide and bring reef shoes. Nightlife is quiet and most restaurants close by about 10 pm, so the town can feel sleepy for anyone wanting late nights.
Where to stay in Sanur
Andaz Bali
The first Andaz in Asia, opened April 9, 2021. Designed as a modern Balinese village with 149 rooms, suites, and villas in low-rise clusters around a central Village Square, with a koi pond at the entrance and lagoon pools. Three pools include an ocean-facing pool, a quiet sanctuary pool, and a kids pool. Guests have access to the Shankha Spa and 24-hour fitness centre at the Hyatt Regency next door. Lagoon access rooms run from about $410.
Best for: families (Kemu Mai kids club, kids pool, two-bedroom pool villas), couples, and honeymooners.
Read reviews on Google →Hyatt Regency Bali
Nine hectares of tropical gardens designed by landscape artist Made Wijaya, with more than 500 plant species, on what Hyatt describes as the area's widest beachfront. Three pools include a beachfront pool, an adults-only pool, and a children's pool. Camp Hyatt is a dinosaur-themed kids club described as one of the best on the island, and there is an on-site turtle conservation area. Originally opened as the Bali Hyatt in 1973, it reopened as Hyatt Regency Bali on December 20, 2018 after a five-year renovation. Beachfront Italian restaurant Pizzaria and Indonesian restaurant Omang Omang sit on site.
Best for: families and multi-generational groups, and couples who want a classic large resort with gardens and beach.
Read reviews on Google →
The reception building at Tandjung Sari. Photo: Raymondeuro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Tandjung Sari Hotel
Founded in 1962, one of the first resorts in Sanur and one of the first boutique hotels in Southeast Asia, still owned and run by the founding Waworuntu family. About 30 individual thatched bungalows sit in walled garden compounds, with village bungalow clusters of four arranged around a traditional kul-kul tower. The reception building was once part of an Ubud palace. Past guests include David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, and Annie Lennox. The open-air restaurant on the sand is known for its rijsttafel feast for two.
Best for: couples, culture and history lovers, and travellers who want old Bali character rather than a big resort.
Read reviews on Google →ARTOTEL Sanur Bali
Design inspired by Sanur's annual Bali Kite Festival, including leaf-shaped kite architecture. Every room has a different mural by a Balinese or Indonesian contemporary artist. A rooftop infinity pool with the BART rooftop bar and sunset views, plus rooftop yoga classes, and a lobby artspace gallery open to the public with rotating exhibitions by emerging Balinese artists. Lidah Lokal Indonesian restaurant on site. Inland, not beachfront.
Best for: couples, solo travellers, art and design lovers, and budget-conscious travellers who want style over beachfront position.
Read reviews on Google →Planning a specific kind of trip? See the best family hotels, the best budget stays, and the best honeymoon hotels in Bali.
Prices are approximate nightly rates found on booking sites and guides, and vary by season, room type, and availability. Many Bali rates add about 21 percent tax and service. The Bali tourist levy (IDR 150,000, about $10 per person, once per trip) applies to all visitors. Always confirm the current rate before you book.