The Best Things to Do in Echo Beach Bali - Where to Surf, Eat, Drink & Sleep

The Best Things to Do in Echo Beach Bali

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Echo Beach in Bali is just a tiny bit further north of Batu Bolong beach (the main beach in Canggu. Like with Berawa a lot of people class Echo beach as still part of Canggu as it’s so close and hard to tell exactly where one starts and ends and the other begins.

If you were to head down Jalan Batu Bolong towards the beach there will be a side turning on the right at some point where Luigi’s is on the corner and Deus is just a bit further along. Follow that road, Batu Mejan, along and round till you go past Garden Canggu by Pizza House on your right and as you turn left you’ll be on the road that heads straight down to echo beach. That’s the main stretch of Echo beach and the area no one could deny is in it.

The beach itself, pantai in Indonesian, isn’t the prettiest as it’s a black sand beach but it is very chilled out.

 

Echo Beach Bali Things to Do

Chillin’ | Surfing | Shopping | Co-Working | Restaurants | Beach ClubsNightlife | Accommodation

 

Echo Beach Chillin’

You can surf on Echo Beach but it’s also great if you just want a chilled out beach day. Batu Bolong is very crowded nowadays so for a bit of a quieter time it’s worth going across to Echo.

Along the beach is La Brisa, one of the beach clubs I’ll get to in a bit, but also a cluster of smaller independent stands where you can sit on a bean bag, buy a fizzy drink or a beer and chill out while watching the surfers.

 

Surfing

Echo beach is great for surfing, if you’re good. At the end of Pantai Batu Mejan there are two surf breaks. One to the right which is almost always working and one more directly ahead, in front of the rock, that’s a bit more temperamental and needs a bigger swell to work.

The waves at both of those spots are fast. They’re reef breaks, like all the other spots in the area but at Batu Bolong the waves are fat and slow. They’re good for learning, there’s a lot more space and they work well for longboards. At Echo beach, they’re fast and hollow. Great if you’re a good surfer.

I would strongly recommend against surfing it if you’re not intermediate level at least though.

It’s a good spot to do some yoga pre or post-surf too.

Echo Beach Bali Surfing

Shopping

As you get closer to the beach there’s a number of boutiques selling bikinis and beachwear as well as some markets with the typical Bali goods on sale.

Boardriders Echo Beach is also located along the beach road which sells all the surfwear you could need, from boardshorts to boards, and it also has a café if all the surf browsing gets a bit too much for you.

 

Coworking

Dojo Bali Coworking, which was Canggu’s first Coworking space (there are now loads), is located just down from Echo Beach.

It’s a great place to meet people staying in Bali longer term and the constant churn of people can get exhausting if you’re planning on sticking around for a while.

Dojo Coworking has a chilled out vibe. The space is made of wood with beanbags around and a pool so even while working you’ll feel the Bali island vibes.

 

Echo Beach Restaurants

Echo Beach Bar and Grill

One of the big draws to Echo beach is the Echo Beach Bar and Grill. They have a BBQ on every night and plenty of space with the best sunsets around.

For the BBQ they have a chilled area where you pick whichever meat, fish or veg you’d like barbequed and then once you’ve paid you can help yourself to as much of the salad bar as you’d like. It’s good value for money for the meat and fish options. Less so if you get a veggie skewer but as all vegetarians will know sometimes you just have to suck up these things for your mates. Also, the Salad Bar is lovely.

Echo Beach Bali

Santorini Greek Restaurant

Quite a lot like Souvlaki in Seminyak, with similar décor, Santorini Greek restaurant is really cute and is perfect if you need a little hummus fix.

 

Garden Canggu by Pizza House

This isn’t the best pizza in Canggu, although it is still delicious and the restaurant garden is lovely but it is the only pizza place which is technically in Echo Beach if we’re being strict about it hence why it’s the only one on the list.

 

Taco Casa

Pushing the boundaries of Echo Beach a bit here, Taco Casa is just past Garden Canggu. They’re a chain that has restaurants in Seminyak and Ubud too. Their Mexican food is delicious and very cheesy. Not the cheapest, however.

Echo Beach Bali Restaurants

 

Echo Beach Clubs

La Brisa Bali

La Brisa is good as a beach club and for a night out.

It has a swimming pool, the décor is shabby chic, and during the day it has a laid back vibe.

 

Como Beach Club Bali

If you’re looking for a luxury beach club head to Como Beach Club. It’s much more chilled out than the likes of Finn’s over in Berawa and has great food and wine, as well as live music.

It’ll set you back a few bob too though.

 

Where to Go Out in Echo Beach

The Beach Shacks

For a sunset beer, you can’t go wrong with going to one of the local stands along the beach and plonking yourself on a beanbag.

 

Faraway Sports Bar & Grill

If there are any foreign sporting games you wanna catch while away Faraway Sports Bar & Grill is perfect for it. They open till 1am but stay open later when there are big games on and I’ve never heard of someone wanting to watch something they weren’t showing.

They also have a pool table.

 

Lost City Bali

Open till 4am Lost City is the biggest and only nightclub around Echo Beach. They have Hip Hop nights on Thursdays and a Free Flow happy hour on Fridays with house music and Techo music Saturdays.

La Brisa is also great for a night out on a Friday.

 

Echo Beach Bali Accommodation 

There are so many good cheap places to stay in Canggu Bali and even on the road leading down to Echo Beach so you’re within walking distance to everything listed above if you don’t want to rent a scooter in Bali.

 

Budget Hostels/ Cheap Accommodation 

Canggu Surfing House is only 100,000 IDR a night for a bed in a 6 person dorm and they have cute hammocks outside too.

Repag Wayan Canggu Hostel is about the same price too and also have reasonably priced private rooms. Just behind the greek restaurant it’s very well located to walk down to the beach.

Bima Sakti Hostel also has dorms and private rooms for a similar price but it has a pool and is right on the beach!

 

Mid-Range Hotels 

If you want your own room with aircon, hot water and a pool check out Caroline Guest House for about 300,000 a night or Echoland Bed and Breakfast for about 450,000 IDR.

Bali is also very reasonably priced to hire your own villa. The best bet to find a well priced Echo Beach villa is to join facebook housing groups for the area or use AirBnB, you’ll get $45 off your first stay with this link (and I’ll get a little reward too). Villas are only really cost-effective if there are a few of you though.

 

Luxury Hotels

If you can afford it, or want to treat yourself for a night, definitely stay at COMO Uma Canggu beach resort. It’ll set you back at least 3,500,000 IDR a night but it is absolutely stunning.

As is always the case with Bali if you want some luxury without breaking the bank though there are options. The Surf Motel with a rooftop pool and day beds (who needs a beach club when you’ve got one in your accommodation) is only 700,000 and some rooms have views of the sea. Just behind Greenspot Café is also Ecosfera Hotel, Yoga & Spa if you fancy a bit of pampering with rooms from 800,000 IDR a night.

 

***** WARNING ATMS and MONEY EXCHANGE in ECHO BEACH***** 

This is important and will affect you if staying in the area. The ATM opposite Dojo, where a goose hangs out frequently for some reason, has been known to skim peoples’ cards frequently. This isn’t a one-off at all. It happens to almost everyone who uses it and it has been going on for years.

Better to travel out of the Echo Beach, and even the Canggu area, till you find an ATM that is in a bank and has security. Card skimming at ATMs is a big problem in the area and you can’t trust the ones over in the center of Canggu either.

There are a few money exchange places along the road going down to echo beach too. Some of these have also been reported for pulling the typical Bali money changer scam that happens in all the popular tourist areas from Kuta to Seminyak to Nusa Dua, Uluwatu, and Canggu.

This is where they count out the money they’ll be giving you, give it to you to count, then take it back and ask you for something so you’re distracted. Whilst you’re not looking they then take back a chunk of the money, and you walk away shortchanged by 1,000,000 IDR or so, none the wiser till you get home.

If exchanging money, after you have counted the money don’t let anyone else touch it again. It’s the only way to be sure you’ve been given the right amount.

A big tell that a money exchange location might be dodgy is when the exchange rates look too good to be true. They are. They’ll exchange your money at that rate, then take back half of it!!!

 

Echo Beach, Bali, maybe right by the center of Canggu but it’s so much more chilled out than down by the madness of Old Man’s. Well worth a visit if you’re a little travel weary and just want to be able to walk down to the beach while having good options of places to eat and go out around.

Got any favorite spots in Echo Beach to add to the list? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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  1. 10 Awesome Things to do in Canggu, Bali – Wandering Wheatleys - […] you head even further north you’ll find a surf break at Echo Beach. The waves are much more powerful…