The east of Bali is mainly known for its black sand beaches, but near Candidasa you’ll find a stunning white sand beach: Virgin Beach. Virgin Beach is also known as White Sand Beach and locals usually refer to it as Pantai Perasi, Bias Putih or Pantai Pasir Putih. We visit Virgin Beach on our way to Amed, a lovely spot to relax for a while and enjoy lunch.
The road to Virgin Beach
At first, I think visiting Virgin Beach will just mean a simple turnoff from the main road. Technically, that’s true, but from the main road it still takes around 10 more minutes to get there. The driver tells us the new road was built not long ago — before that, Virgin Beach was much harder to reach. Along the way, there are a few places where we stop to take photos; the view of Virgin Beach is gorgeous. From these viewpoints, the beach seems quite remote and hard to access, surrounded by dense (palm) forests. We pay 15,000 IDR per person for access to the beach, at a small booth halfway along the road leading down.
Lunch at Virgin Beach
Apparently, it’s fairly new that you can drive all the way down to the beach. There’s a fairly large parking area and from there it’s just a short walk — a few dozen meters — to the beach. It’s immediately dazzling: the sand is white, the light is bright and the sea is a beautiful shade of blue. We could definitely spend some time here!
There are several warungs to be found on Virgin Beach. We head onto the beach and walk to the right, all the way to the end. That’s where Virgin Beach Restaurant is located and that’s where we plan to have lunch. It takes quite a while before we get our food, but while we wait, we can take a swim in the pool next to the covered terrace. Behind the terrace is a large garden, where some cozy little spots have been created. There’s no one there — probably because of the heat, as there’s not much shade.
Swimming in the sea at Virgin Beach
After our (delicious, by the way) lunch, we dive into the water. The temperature is just right. There’s quite a bit of surf and the current is strong, which makes the water a little murky. Not the best conditions for relaxed snorkeling right now, but perfect for diving and jumping into the waves. Virgin Beach really is a beauty — especially seen from the sea, with all the palm trees lining the shore and the colorful fishing boats in front.
After a few hours at this beautiful beach on Bali’s east coast, we continue our Bali itinerary and head towards Amed. If you happen to be in this region, for example in Candidasa, definitely take a detour to Virgin Beach.
