Virgin Beach
Candidasa, Bali, Indonesia
Virgin Beach, also called Perasi Beach or Pantai Pasir Putih, is the only stretch of white sand in East Bali, Indonesia, tucked into a small bay near Candidasa framed by cliffs on either side. Simple warungs line the back of the sand, and the water stays clear enough that even a casual look down shows the bottom.
A genuinely pretty stretch of white sand in a part of Bali that's mostly black volcanic sand, but the small bay means it gets crowded fast once tour groups discover it.
Go on a weekday morning if you can. The bay is small, and it fills up fast with day trip groups once the tour vans arrive from Candidasa and points west.
There's a paid parking area near the entrance, a few thousand rupiah for a car alongside the roughly IDR 20,000 entrance fee per person. It's open daily except for Nyepi, Bali's day of silence.
The walk from the parking area to the sand is short and mostly flat, manageable for most visitors, though the beach itself narrows quickly toward the cliffs on either side.
The dry season runs April through October and brings the calmest water for swimming, while November through March is wetter with more overcast days along this stretch of coast.
More Asia Pacific beaches
Sanom Beach
Koh Lipe, Satun, Thailand · Asia Pacific
Sanom Beach sits at the far southern end of Pattaya Beach on Koh Lipe, Thailand, reached by a wooden walkway over the rocks once the main beach runs out. The sand is quiet compared to Lipe's busier strips, backed by shade trees, and the resort here is run by local Urak Lawoi sea gypsies rather than an outside chain.
Bamboo Bay
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Bamboo Bay, also called Ao Mai Phai, is the last beach before Koh Lanta's national park boundary, a two kilometer curve of sand at the island's southern tip in Krabi province, Thailand. Big boulders break up the shoreline in places, the water stays clear enough to see your feet, and by evening the day trippers have mostly cleared out.
Sunset Beach
Koh Kradan, Trang, Thailand · Asia Pacific
Sunset Beach is the quieter western shore of Koh Kradan in Trang province, Thailand, a short walk across the island from the long main beach that gets most of the attention. There's less wave action here than on the east side, the swimming stays calmer, and as the name promises it's the spot locals and the handful of resort guests head to for the evening light.