Dreamland

Dreamland Beach is a beach located on the Bukit peninsula, on the island of Bali, Indonesia

The beach provides basic accommodation and cafes for surfers and day trippers. One of the most beautiful beaches on the island, it is also renowned for its dangerous shorebreak.

Dreamland is on the south side of Bali, about 30 to 40 minutes from Kuta. There are 2 alternative ways to go to Dreamland. You can either go through the Jimbaran Bay area or pass through the Dwipayana University (a well-known public university in Bali); both ways are easy to follow. If you do get lost, ask for directions to Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK). It’s a famous cultural park located in Bukit Unggasan, Jimbaran. Here you can find a 75 meter-high and 60-meter wide figure of god Visnu, one of the Trimurti symbols in Hinduism. The status is made by I Nyoman Nuarta, and is now still unfinished. When it is done, it will be taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York!

About 15 minutes from GWK, you will find a big statue of Garuda (the symbol of Indonesia), on the right side of the road. That means you’re just a stone throw’s away from Dreamland Beach. Dreamland Beach is located on a big-deserted property, a failed Pecatu Graha development. You will probably have to pay about Rp 5000 for the entry. When you get to the end of the road, you will be on top of a cliff, with the big blue ocean’s sky in front of you. Look down! That’s Dreamland Beach.

Dreamland is a white elephant, donated to the people of Bali by Tomy Suharto. Actually it wasn’t really donated, it was grabbed, mangled, then taken back. Riding along Jl. Uluwatu on the bukit, one passes a grand looking entrance complete with statute. A long 4 lane road takes you down towards the coast, passing construction that seems to be frozen in time. ‘Is this place on the way up, or on the way down?’ you might ask. When I arrived in Bali in 2003, the place was on the way down, with locals manning a barrier, demanding a fee from vehicles accessing the beach. They were replaced by soldiers, who themselves tried, on occasion, to get a fee. Yesterday it was the security staff of the new resort construction company, who waved at us as we sped past.

Dreamland, a place so aptly named for its dreamlike qualities, holds a special place in the hearts of many surfers and beach-goers, local and foreign tourists alike.

The quaint beach-side small food shops (warungs) coupled with an amazing a-frame wave, water so blue that it looks like it should belong in one of those brochures at your travel agent and a beach second to none, combine to create a dream that of late has been shattered and transformed into nightmare by the conglomerate behind a new golf course development.

The beach side warungs look more like a building site from hell now, completely ruining the beach’s previous atmosphere.

A huge desalination pipe to water the golf course now runs out into the surf, whilst diggers and trucks plow the land above, basically what was a place that still held some of the magic of Bali is slowly but surely turning into yet another tourist-filled commercial center that will only add to the pollution and continue the slow destruction of one of the most beautiful islands in the world.

A brake with longer left and a short right hander. Surfable at low to dead low tide and works well when there is an average swell above 3ft coming. When the swell is over 7ft, the waves tends to be unpredictable and closes out. Soft, fat waves and deep water make it suitable for those with some learning experience behind their back. Only down side, the place can get very busy. One consolation the beach is beautiful, so are the views!