Pasir Puthi Beach- A Hidden Treasure on Bali's East Coast

Pasir Puthi Beach
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One morning we decided to look for a beach we have heard about and the Lonely Planet guidebook described as: "A little known gem east of Candidasa, this crescent of palm-fringed white sand could be a postcard."

Pasir Puthi Beach is located on Bali's East Coast nearby Candidasa, the port town Padangbai and Klungkung. We took a cab from our Hotel and told the driver about our plans. As we had guessed before the cab driver had never heard of the place, neither had many other people we asked during our trip. Anyhow, our drive took us along some stunning landscapes, through rice paddies and repeating vistas of the ocean. We passed the city of Klungkung and then headed toward the coast again and passed Kusamba and Padangbai, from where ferries to Lombok depart. Along the way there were a loose number of accomodation options including the ultra-exclusive Amankila Resort. After a couple of kilometres we had reached Candidasa, where we stopped to take a look at the palm-fringed lagoon. We kept on driving for a while and passed several small villages. The Lonely Planet suggested to look for a sign with "Virgin Beach Club" on it. We just did not spot anything like that. After our driver had consulted more locals, who were sitting in front of a house, we finally got the crucial tip. We turned right and off the main road and could see the Virgin Beach Club sign, which was heavily twisted, probably by locals, who just did not want any more tourists like us, invading their backyards. We followed the road for a while and parked our car in front of a small temple. A "White-sand Beach" sign pointed out the right direction to the beach. After a couple of hundred meters we could finally hear the ocean and spot the beach hiding behind large numbers of coconut trees. 

Fresh Seafood Lunch at the beach
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Pasir Putih Beach is a tranquil, deserted stretch of white-sand beach with cliffs providing shade at both ends. The current is strong and waves pound in from the open sea. Supposingly there is good snorkelling alongside the cliffs. There are a couple of beach huts operated by locals, which sell soft drinks and the amazingly fresh catch of the day. There are at least 20 colourful wooden fisher boats lined up on the beach. We tried on of the local establishments for lunch and had a whole Red Snapper and shrimps on the grill, combined with local vegetables and curry. This was probably as fresh as it gets. Upmarket Resorts like the Alila or the Amankila offer fully escorted daytrips to Pasir Puthi Beach, which include a fully prepared silverware lunch for their guests in a beautiful setting. Locals on the beach try to make a quick dollar by providing all kinds of services including massages, hiring snorkelling gear or selling sea shells and coconuts. All in all Pasir Putih Beach is most probably one of Bali's finest and most remote stretches of beach and still has lots of laid back charme without the commercialised hustle of most other places.