If like me you have to slot in diving with a family holiday you may find this useful, most of the time 2 dives were logged and I was back at the villa by 1.00pm
2 years ago was so good we are returning, the island is so large there is more than enough left to see for the first time. Air Malaysia (from U.K.) again good value and this time we included 3 weekends to give us 18 nights and make the most of long haul.
I believe a holiday here is as cheap as Europe, 2-3 Bed Villas with pool from less than £100 per night and eating out is ridiculously cheap.
Days 1-5 Tulamben Wreck Divers
The only reason to stay in this village is the diving but if you want to dive the Liberty Wreck and sites such as Seraya then staying here is a must, it cuts down on all the travel time.
Great pick up from the airport then a 3 hour drive but you get to enjoy the scenery. We stayed in their Villas which are about 1km from their main hotel and dive centre, breakfast is provided at the Villas and for lunch/ dinner you can order in or go into Tulamben where there are plenty of Warungs to eat at.
There are free scooters for you to use but we simply chose to walk, it is only 15-20 minutes and it is nice to stretch the legs, there are torches in the Villas you can use to light your way home.
The Villas are lovely and quiet, with large pools and right on the sea front giving you a lovely breeze. My wife and daughter enjoyed swimming and sun bathing whilst I was out diving, during the day even quieter as most occupants were diving too.
Diving
I found TWD to be very competent and well run, with a good number of instructors and DMs, all my 10 dives were 1 to 1
Liberty Wreck - interesting large Wreck, lots to see and great light through the Wreck, by far the best dive on the Wreck in my opinion is the 6.00am dive to see all the Bumphead Parrot fish leave the Wreck and watch / enjoy the light changing as the sun comes up, did this dive times. You can get another 2 dives in and still be back by 1.00pm for lunch with the family
Seraya and Sedum (Muck Dives) - whilst I suspect no where as good as other more famous destinations I enjoyed drifting over the black sand shooting all sorts of life, Rhinopas, Seahorses, Nudibranch including Cyerce Elegan which is quite rare I believe, Moray eels, Lionfish, Stonefish, Orangutang Crab, Harlequin Shrimp, Mantis Shrimp to name but a few
Food
We ate in a couple and didn't have any bad meals but ended up having all our lunches and 80% of our evening meals at Wayan's opposite a Wreck Divers, tasty, good value and a lovely breezy upstairs seating areas
Days 6-13 Candidasa
Our second time here and this time we chose a Villa located down a side road towards the end of Candidasa near Benthos Bali Diving
Vista Del Mar, a fantastic 2 bed villa with pool, our teenage daughter liked the fact the second bedroom was in a separate building 20 feet from the main villa. The pool is a generous size and just the right depth (5ft) and gets the sun for most of the day.
The owner is excellent with quick responses to emails and queries with local, we would definitely stay here again if we come back to Bali.
Diving
I used Benthos again, very professional and they start at 8.00am which often means you beat the crowds to the first dive of the day.
I like the variation of Candidasa hence why I am diving here again 2 years later, from the islands out front Mimpang & Tepekong with lots of varied fish life including Mola Mola (if you're lucky) to the macro dives at Blue Lagoon and The Jetty.
Must do are day trips to Manta Point, Crystal Bay and the lovely drifts at Ped are only half hour away at Padang Bai then its a quick 50 minute boat ride over. Manta point is very reliable and we had over a dozen circling us for 1 hour.
Food
Lots of places to eat, we generally breakfasted in the villa with fruit and toast, the 'go to' places for lunch was the Coffee shop next door, great baguettes and Cap Cay - lunch for 3 including a drink coming in at circa 200k idr or our other favourite for similar money for lunch was the Hot Dog Shack
Evening meals we ate around this time, The Hungry Crocodile is still great but Ganesh just 5 minutes walk turning left out the villa was equally as good (2 courses and a drink for 3 typically 500k idr) Astawa opposite Benthos very nice, great prawns and satay.
For simplicity we were really taken with Boni, about another 5 minutes walk past Ganesh, go up the hill at the crossroads - simple food and just 250k for 2 courses and a drink for 3 of us
Places Visited
A must do while in Candidasa is a walk to the top of the (Bukit Gungan) the view is stunning over Candidasa and the sea beyond, all it costs is 5,000idr - they take your money at the bottom of the hill
Nice to see Tenganan but once you had seen one weaving shop etc. the rest were the same. Tirta Gannga Water Gardens (tip take some fish food for the massive fish) were nice and a good place for lunch overlooking the gardens but we felt Ujung Water Palace was better but as they are close you can easily do both back to back - in fact all these 3 make a good tour route for a day from Candidasa
Days 13-18 Ubud
No diving
but 5 days of sight seeing and relaxing
2 years ago was so good we are returning, the island is so large there is more than enough left to see for the first time. Air Malaysia (from U.K.) again good value and this time we included 3 weekends to give us 18 nights and make the most of long haul.
I believe a holiday here is as cheap as Europe, 2-3 Bed Villas with pool from less than £100 per night and eating out is ridiculously cheap.
Days 1-5 Tulamben Wreck Divers
The only reason to stay in this village is the diving but if you want to dive the Liberty Wreck and sites such as Seraya then staying here is a must, it cuts down on all the travel time.
Great pick up from the airport then a 3 hour drive but you get to enjoy the scenery. We stayed in their Villas which are about 1km from their main hotel and dive centre, breakfast is provided at the Villas and for lunch/ dinner you can order in or go into Tulamben where there are plenty of Warungs to eat at.
There are free scooters for you to use but we simply chose to walk, it is only 15-20 minutes and it is nice to stretch the legs, there are torches in the Villas you can use to light your way home.
The Villas are lovely and quiet, with large pools and right on the sea front giving you a lovely breeze. My wife and daughter enjoyed swimming and sun bathing whilst I was out diving, during the day even quieter as most occupants were diving too.
Diving
I found TWD to be very competent and well run, with a good number of instructors and DMs, all my 10 dives were 1 to 1
Liberty Wreck - interesting large Wreck, lots to see and great light through the Wreck, by far the best dive on the Wreck in my opinion is the 6.00am dive to see all the Bumphead Parrot fish leave the Wreck and watch / enjoy the light changing as the sun comes up, did this dive times. You can get another 2 dives in and still be back by 1.00pm for lunch with the family
Seraya and Sedum (Muck Dives) - whilst I suspect no where as good as other more famous destinations I enjoyed drifting over the black sand shooting all sorts of life, Rhinopas, Seahorses, Nudibranch including Cyerce Elegan which is quite rare I believe, Moray eels, Lionfish, Stonefish, Orangutang Crab, Harlequin Shrimp, Mantis Shrimp to name but a few
Food
We ate in a couple and didn't have any bad meals but ended up having all our lunches and 80% of our evening meals at Wayan's opposite a Wreck Divers, tasty, good value and a lovely breezy upstairs seating areas
Days 6-13 Candidasa
Our second time here and this time we chose a Villa located down a side road towards the end of Candidasa near Benthos Bali Diving
Vista Del Mar, a fantastic 2 bed villa with pool, our teenage daughter liked the fact the second bedroom was in a separate building 20 feet from the main villa. The pool is a generous size and just the right depth (5ft) and gets the sun for most of the day.
The owner is excellent with quick responses to emails and queries with local, we would definitely stay here again if we come back to Bali.
Diving
I used Benthos again, very professional and they start at 8.00am which often means you beat the crowds to the first dive of the day.
I like the variation of Candidasa hence why I am diving here again 2 years later, from the islands out front Mimpang & Tepekong with lots of varied fish life including Mola Mola (if you're lucky) to the macro dives at Blue Lagoon and The Jetty.
Must do are day trips to Manta Point, Crystal Bay and the lovely drifts at Ped are only half hour away at Padang Bai then its a quick 50 minute boat ride over. Manta point is very reliable and we had over a dozen circling us for 1 hour.
Food
Lots of places to eat, we generally breakfasted in the villa with fruit and toast, the 'go to' places for lunch was the Coffee shop next door, great baguettes and Cap Cay - lunch for 3 including a drink coming in at circa 200k idr or our other favourite for similar money for lunch was the Hot Dog Shack
Evening meals we ate around this time, The Hungry Crocodile is still great but Ganesh just 5 minutes walk turning left out the villa was equally as good (2 courses and a drink for 3 typically 500k idr) Astawa opposite Benthos very nice, great prawns and satay.
For simplicity we were really taken with Boni, about another 5 minutes walk past Ganesh, go up the hill at the crossroads - simple food and just 250k for 2 courses and a drink for 3 of us
Places Visited
A must do while in Candidasa is a walk to the top of the (Bukit Gungan) the view is stunning over Candidasa and the sea beyond, all it costs is 5,000idr - they take your money at the bottom of the hill
Nice to see Tenganan but once you had seen one weaving shop etc. the rest were the same. Tirta Gannga Water Gardens (tip take some fish food for the massive fish) were nice and a good place for lunch overlooking the gardens but we felt Ujung Water Palace was better but as they are close you can easily do both back to back - in fact all these 3 make a good tour route for a day from Candidasa
Days 13-18 Ubud
No diving
but 5 days of sight seeing and relaxing
How's July / Aug? as that's when we're restricted to as our eldest starts school this Sept.
