Poppies Lane, which used to be a cornfield and shrub area, has now turned into a famous tourist area in Kuta with Kuta Beach as its main attraction. Kuta Beach, which is located north of Ngurah Rai Denpasar Airport, has made the surrounding develop as a tourist area including Poppies Lane. Every tourist who goes on vacation to Bali feels incomplete if they haven’t visited Kuta Beach. Kuta Beach, which has white sand, is one of the best places in Bali to enjoy the sunset and exotic views. Kuta Beach is also the best place in Bali to learn to surf because of the challenging waves. It is easy to find a place to hire surfboards as well as instructors who teach surfing.
The existence of Poppies Lane cannot be separated from Kuta, which is currently a tourist icon in Bali. In the 70s when foreign tourists first visited this village, Kuta residents made simple accommodations by hiring out part of their house rooms and also making bamboo stalls for food needs for tourists.
The name Poppies itself originally came from the name of a restaurant that still exists today in Poppies Lane I. In early 1973, two tourists from California, United States, named George and Bob, visited Bali. Feeling attracted to the natural beauty of Kuta beach, he then intended to build a lodging consisting of a restaurant and accommodation. Coincidentally, there was a small restaurant there called Warung Jenik which was managed by Jenik Sukeni who was none other than the owner.
Meanwhile, Bob and George themselves initially also had a restaurant called Poppies in the city of La Jolla, California, United States.
Because the restaurant was no longer operating when they saw Warung Jenik, the two foreigners intended to collaborate with Jenik Sukeni to develop a new restaurant. One by one the modern restaurants became quite famous until finally, the area also changed its name to the Poppies Lane area. Poppies themselves are actually wildflowers with orange flowers that grow wild in the state of California.
Poppies Lane slowly but surely developed rapidly. Various tourism facilities are built to meet the needs of tourists visiting Kuta, such as souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants, tattoo studios, and others. Poppies Lane, which was originally a dry field full of bushes, has become one of the tourist destinations, especially for backpackers who have a budget-friendly vacation.
There are two Poppies Lanes, Poppies Lane I and Poppies Lane 2. Both of these lanes connect Kuta Beach Street with Legian Street. Now this lane, as seen in the video, is a narrow lane with quite busy traffic and frequent traffic jams, especially at night. In the morning, restaurants are busy preparing breakfast menus because several hotels and lodgings in the Poppies area only hire out rooms without breakfast. Then souvenir shops, tattoo studios, spas, and massages open to offer their services and products. From the afternoon until night, the sound of music from various genres from cafes and bars begins to create a lively atmosphere until early morning.
Hire a Car at Poppies Lane Kuta
While on holiday in Bali choosing to stay in the Poppies Lane area certainly has several advantages such as easy access to Kuta Beach, glittering nightlife, and average affordable accommodation prices, not as expensive as hotels in the Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Seminyak, Canggu or other areas. However, there are several disadvantages if you choose to stay in the Poppies area, namely:
- The entrance to the hotel is narrow and often congested.
- Some hotels do not provide car parking.
- The Poppies area is very crowded, especially at night
Deciding to hire a car with a driver, tourists must ensure the location of the pick-up point to make it easier. This is because Poppies Lane also has a one-way lane for cars. Likewise, if you decide to hire a self-drive car, it is very important to ensure that the place to stay has a parking area and good car access. The availability of parking space is important to maintain smooth traffic and car safety.
