Studying at Warmadewa University in Bali during the summer semester is a very special experience. The university campus is located in Renon, just a short ride from Sanur on the Southern East coast of Bali. The central location of the university allows Asia Exchange students to easily explore the nearby areas, and find their favorite parts of Bali on their time off from studying.
Integrate with local students!
Your studies at Warmadewa University will take place at the same campus as the local Indonesian students are studying at! Most young people in Bali speak great English, so even if your Indonesian skills don’t start getting better immediately after arriving, (trust us, they will as far as you try; Indonesian is one of the easiest languages to learn in the world.) you will be able to chat and make friends with the real locals as well. Getting to know the locals better will open a whole new world to you; many of our previous students have gotten invited to visit local people’s home towns for big parties or ceremonies.
Just by Sanur!
So what is there in Sanur, one might ask… Well, there’s a lot more than you would think! What started as a sleepy little fishing village, has since the 70s transformed into a nice holiday town where almost everything is within a reach of a quick walk. The beachside of the town is dotted by resorts and little businesses that are feeding off the visiting tourists. Restaurants – from all sorts of eat out option ranging from little shacks on the beach selling freshly caught, grilled seafood, to finer dining end scale, all can be found here. For international food chains, McDonald’s, KFC, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, all can be found in Sanur as well.
The white sandy beach stretches for a couple of kilometres, with a little walk path by it. Walk from one end to another and stop for a cold drink at any of the beach bars! An outer reef shelters the beach, so it is well suitable for a safe swim. On any days that the waves are a little bigger than usual, the reef hosts a series of challenging surf breaks, suitable for more advanced surfers.
Sanur is also a harbour for the local and fast boats taking off to Nusa Lembongan, a famed little getaway island where you can even snorkel with manta rays! Sanur is a great option to look for your own accommodation, and actually has some of the cheapest beach side rental apartment and villa options for students in the whole of Southern Bali. Just imagine waking up in the morning and walking down the road barefooted for a swim in the ocean before the classes start…
Nusa penida, the secret island
10 minutes to the new Toll Road!
There is a recently built toll road over the Benoa bay that connects Sanur/Renon with the airport and also Nusa Dua area. What this means in practice is that a trip from Sanur to Nusa Dua which used to take over an hour, is now just a mere 30 minutes on a scooter. For people staying in Sanur this means that visiting Nusa Dua or Bukit/Uluwatu area is very easy!
Should you want to live in Nusa Dua, and study at Warmadewa University, this is definitely an option as well! Just be aware that if it is a really windy day, the side wind can be pretty strong when crossing the bay.
Close to all the great surfing spots of East Coast!
Do you surf? If you do, and have visited Bali, you would have heard of a wave called Keramas. The East Coast of Bali is a home for many less crowded surf spots than the south coast around Kuta area. The lava beach that stretches North of Sanur, Padang Galak, can be really fun for beginner to intermediate surfers, and there’s always enough space in the water for everyone!
Heading North past Ketewel area there are a few great waves to be found, and the world famous right-hander that was also a stop on the ASP surfing world tour on 2014 is just 15 minutes aways! Around Keramas there are several other less-known surfbreaks as well, many only suitable for more advanced surfers.
check out our blog also about surfing in Phuket, Thailand.
Not so far from Ubud either!
It’s only 40 minutes to ride to Ubud, the spiritual and cultural centre of Bali, known from the book / movie “Eat, Pray, Love”. In fact, it’s a short ride to almost anywhere! Cutting through Denpasar, assuming the traffic isn’t bad, it shouldn’t take much longer than 30-45 minutes to ride to Canggu area, where many of the new trendy restaurants have recently popped up.
And once you learn the roads, it really doesn’t take long to get anywhere! Exploring Bali with your local and international friends when not studying is a big part of what makes the memory of your time studying abroad unforgettable!
Click here to read more of Asia Exchange summer programs in Bali.
