kneptoon
Contributor
Don't go to Bali in March.... Definitely go to Bali in March. We thought we were at the end of the rainy season with a March travel date. We were wrong. The rains were of monsoon proportions. We had booked a live aboard for Komodo and the Flores Islands but the rain made it impossible to land the small planes that fly into Luban Bajo. After several unsuccessful trips to the airport in Denpasar we gave up. Oh, the despair. Crestfallen we headed to the north coast of Bali and booked into the Mimpi Menjangan. This is very beautiful 4 or 5 star dive dedicated resort. The first night we shared the 15 acre, 40 room resort with one other couple. Mimpi is built at the lagoon's edge on top of natural thermal hot springs. The rooms are tastefully decorated and maintained and sit among the beautifully landscaped grounds. The weather began to clear. We enjoyed the many hot springs and the two naturally heated infinity pools. We were usually the only guests so it was though staying at a private resort. I booked diving for the first morning, my girl friend does not dive, but went along for snorkeling. We headed out for Menjangan Island a pleasant 20 minute boat ride. Menjangan is a national nature park and is uninhabited for the exception of a ranger and rather large Hindu temple. Our first dive was at the Coral Gardens on the far side of the island. I was very surprised and impressed with both the health and variety of the coral and the abundance of fish. For snorkeling, this was an ideal spot as the coral grows to a very shallow depth. The fauna on all of our dives at Menjangan were plentiful and diverse, both macro and micro. We spotted white tip sharks most days as well as turtles, rays, eels, nudibranchs, octopus. My girl friend after two days of snorkeling decided to get certified. This was easily accommodated and an ideal environment for newbie training. The weather continued to clear and the ocean was glass smooth. Visibility 60-100 feet. I got in twelve dives and was never disappointed. Menjangan was for me by far the best diving in Bali. Because of recent Islamist problems, tourism is in trouble for Bali. Consequently, round trip air and a week hotel stay are very inexpensive. Under $800. I urge anyone to try Indonesia. I am definitely going back. Sure it rained a bit but I came home with a newly certified dive partner.