In Reply to: Is Kuta Really This Bad - Read On posted by octagonmike on Monday, 6. June 2005 at 04:05 Bali Time:
Many tourists seem to pack everything, but leave their common sense behind. Don't carry a lot of things around, don't carry valuables that you don't need to carry. If you have to take your passport anywhere, take it back to the hotel as soon as you've finished, even if it is not convenient. Don't leave things on the beach without a friend or family member looking after it. (My second cousin, from England, left his valuables in the care of some Scandinavian tourists that he had just left. Guess what, they weren't there when he got out of the ocean!).
Just walk around with your eyes open. If you are uncomfortable, go elsewhere on the island. There is something for everyone there (except snow! :)