SINCE the early 1970s, Kuta’s 6 kilometer-stretch of coastline, the longest and the most beautiful in all of Bali, has to its credit a broad crescent-shaped swath of gray sand, peerless people-watching, volley and footballing, sunbathing and sauntering, as well as excellent recreational waves of up to 2 meters, fanned and given shape by offshore winds for at least nine months of the year.

But many say Kuta may just be too famous. The beach