Sanur is a coastal stretch of beach of Denpasar city of southeast Bali, about 30 minutes drive from Ngurah Rai International Airport, which has grown into a little town in its own right. A 5.1 kilometer area of Sanur's coastline, from Matahari Terbit Beach to Mertasari Beach, was reclaimed in 2008.HistoryIn 1906 the northern part of Sanur beach was used as the landing site for the Dutch invasion troops during the intervention in Bali. During World War II, Sanur was again the entry point through which the Japanese forces landed to occupy the island of Bali.TourismBali Beach Hotel in Sanur was built by Sukarno president in 1963, and boosted tourism in Bali. Prior to it only three hotels existed on the island. Construction of hotels and restaurants began to spread throughout Bali.Today Sanur contains a number of hotel resorts such as the Fairmont Sanur Beach Bali and Bali Hyatt (currently under renovation and not to be confused with the Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua). Sanur is also home to a growing number of popular villa resorts, such as The Zen Villas.SightsTraditional fishing boats can be seen on the beach of Sanur offering a scenic view of the island Nusa Penida.Adrien Jean Le Mayeur de Merpes (1880-1958), a Belgian painter, lived in Sanur from 1932 - 1958. His house was transformed into a museum, Museum Le Mayeur, where about 80 of his most important paintings are exhibited. Bali Orchid Garden, a park about 3 km north of Sanur is worth a visit as well.