UFOrb
Contributor
I’m writing this report in case its useful to anyone planning a family holiday with young kids but wanting easy access to some good diving. On this trip we managed to take turns diving & still spend quality time with the kids every day. I’m not including reviews on the specific sites we dived, just a general overview of the holiday.
I want to thank all the SB members who provided useful advice for planning our trip, in particular Luko, Tippytoes12, billt4sf, matts1w & AlMitch
Lombok
We flew into Lombok airport on an Air Asia flight from KL.
Manta Dive Resort, Gili Air (6 nights)
Manta Dive arranged transport from the airport, including the short speedboat directly to the beach in front of the resort. This was not the cheapest option available but was definitely the simplest and quickest (the way I like it when travelling with kids!).
Our Garden Room at the back of the resort was fairly basic but clean and large enough to comfortably fit a baby cot. There was a king-sized bed so big enough to share with our 4 year-old, Charlie. My main criticism in terms of the room is that the bathroom is open air. This in itself is nice as you can shower etc al fresco looking up at the trees & sky, but it does make it really difficult to keep the mozzies out of the bedroom every time you open the door… and there did seem to be a lot of them around!
If we were to go again we’d probably pay a little more and stay in one of the Deluxe Bungalows in the sister resort The Waterfront next door.
The included breakfasts were pretty good, and the lunch / dinner menu was nice (great (fresh) pesto pasta) but mainly consisted of Thai food, not local cuisine. The best Indonesian/local food we had was at Sunrise Resort just down the beach, a nearby satay bar and from a mobile steetfood trader (obviously not for the kids).
We spent much of our time with the kids at the Waterfront pool as it has shaded areas around and in the pool. We met several other families with young kids so it was nice and sociable, and good for the kids.
The diving at Manta was well organised, with options to dive at 9am, 12pm (sometimes) & 2pm, coming back to the resort for SIs. Night dives can be arranged (depending on numbers). The other divers were mainly doing courses or OW divers (they were all so young!), but they did separate us older, slightly more experienced divers into an AOW group so it was not an issue. The boat dropped us at different entry points for deeper parts of the sites. They have their own boat and all the sites are max half hour boat ride away so you’re never away from the family that long. The diving was, in my opinion, actually pretty good (better than I expected). I’d heard comments that the Gilis are all about turtles & small sharks, which is unfair as there's much more to it than that. We did see loads of turtles and some sharks though.
We even saw turtles grazing just off the beach in front of Manta so Charlie (in the pic below) got to snorkel with a couple
We would definitely go back to Gili Air for the decent & convenient diving and a nice beach & snorkelling for the kids. I’d possibly look elsewhere for accommodation - the beach at the northeast of the island looked nicer from the boat, although we didn’t actually visit that part of the island - but would definitely not rule out Manta / The Waterfront for another visit.
Recommended.
Bali
To get to Bali we took the speedboat from Gili Air to Amed; transport to the resort was included in the price. Advice: sit at the back of the boat (the guys at the front didn’t look happy) and wear something on your feet when you get off the boat at Amed beach – damn that black sand gets hot!!!
Liberty Dive Resort, Tulamben (3 nights)
We really loved LDR!
Nice refreshing complementary watermelon smoothie and amazing staff to greet us upon arrival.
We splashed out on a Luxury Garden Cottage and were glad we did - they're massive! There’s plenty of room for the kids to play in the room and a garden area and swimming pool (1 of 3) right in front. We had Room 24, which has view of Mt Agung from the huge bed A cot was provided for free. An extra bed would’ve cost more but we didn’t need it as Charlie slept on the sofa, which we moved to the end of our bed, facing in.
It was fairly quiet when we were there but there were a couple of other families. This isn’t really a family resort and didn’t have the same atmosphere as say Gili Air, but we didn’t expect that. The kids were happy in the pools and running round the gardens. The gardener let Charlie use the watering hose, which he just loved. All the staff were amazing with both kids, giving them loads of attention.
The main negative for us was the food, which was mediocre at best. But we weren’t there for the food. Another negative for some (although it didn’t really bother us) may be that there’s not much else around there (a couple of other resorts) so we didn’t bother eating anywhere else. There’s a small supermarket at the top, across the main road. The pavement (sidewalk for my American buddies) is probably not suitable for a baby buggy (we didn’t try) but it's not too far to carry a baby.
For diving, you’re assigned your own guide (1-2-1 if you wish, at no extra cost) and set your own dive schedule - Nice Nitrox is free for residents. 2 min walk to the beach for the Liberty wreck (they take the gear down for you), or a short ride up the beach for the Coral Garden & Drop-off, or alternative entry for the Liberty. A short ride on a tiny jukung boat will get you to some other local sites, eg Alam Anda, which was fun.
The diving was great!
Definitely recommended.
Genggong Hotel, Candidasa (4 nights)
Nice place! On the seafront and accessed down a side street not too far from the main road (for the supermarket, restaurants, currency exchange, dive shops etc.).
We received a warm welcome and lovely refreshing complementary welcome drink. As far as I could tell all the rooms had sea views overlooking the Lombok Straight towards Nusa Penida, with Gili Mimpang & Gili Tepekong in the foreground. There’s a big lawn in front of the rooms, a pool over to one side and a small beach (what's left of Candidasa beach!) down a couple of steps from the lawn – all great for the kids.
We had a ground floor room in one of the newer and bigger rooms (Deluxe, I think) with a seaview from the bed. Everything was superb. The attention detail was really impressive.
The food was great, amongst the best we had on our trip. Great breakfasts, and quality lunch and dinner (when we ate there); the Rendang was amazing! Slightly more expensive than you can find elsewhere, but worth it.
Nothing was too much trouble and the staff were fantastic with the boys.
There’s actually some decent snorkelling in the lagoon right in front of the hotel, best at low tide for children. Charlie & I spent hours looking around. We saw anemonefish, juvenile bat fish, razerfish, sea snakes, juv. angelfish, juv. moray eels, pipefish, crabs, striped catfish, black-saddled tobys etc. I even spotted a couple of Jacks but they quickly scarpered when they saw me.
For diving, I used Benthos, on the main road (only I dived here). The diving’s more expensive in Candidasa than Gili Air and Tulamben (for various reasons) but I was able to negotiate the price down a little as I have my own BCD, and because they were quiet. I dived Gili Mimpang & Gili Tepekong. Benthos were ideal for me as they depart for those local sites on a boat right in front of Genggong Hotel. I was met at the hotel by my guide at 8am and we walked straight down to the beach for the boat. Apparently we narrowly missed seeing a Mola Mola at Gili Tepekong (damn, if only we’d dived that site 1st!!). Shame, but I wasn’t too disappointed as I hadn’t expected to see any at that time of year anyway. Next time! After the 2 dives we got back to shore by around 12.00. I was then taken to the shop to rinse my gear and have lunch, which was included in the price. They then dropped me back at the hotel and later brought my gear to the hotel for me once it’d dried. Great service.
and more great diving!
Again, definitely recommended (both Genggong & Benthos).
In summary, it was a fantastic trip and we managed to balance our desire (need) to get some good diving in with spending quality time with the kids. We would definitely return to both Gili Air and Bali.
It may be worth pointing out that at every place we stayed we were told that one of the staff would probably be happy to babysit so my wife & I could dive together, but we didn’t take up the offers.
Feel free to PM me with any questions.
Cheers,
Rob
I want to thank all the SB members who provided useful advice for planning our trip, in particular Luko, Tippytoes12, billt4sf, matts1w & AlMitch
Lombok
We flew into Lombok airport on an Air Asia flight from KL.
Manta Dive Resort, Gili Air (6 nights)
Manta Dive arranged transport from the airport, including the short speedboat directly to the beach in front of the resort. This was not the cheapest option available but was definitely the simplest and quickest (the way I like it when travelling with kids!).
Our Garden Room at the back of the resort was fairly basic but clean and large enough to comfortably fit a baby cot. There was a king-sized bed so big enough to share with our 4 year-old, Charlie. My main criticism in terms of the room is that the bathroom is open air. This in itself is nice as you can shower etc al fresco looking up at the trees & sky, but it does make it really difficult to keep the mozzies out of the bedroom every time you open the door… and there did seem to be a lot of them around!
If we were to go again we’d probably pay a little more and stay in one of the Deluxe Bungalows in the sister resort The Waterfront next door.
The included breakfasts were pretty good, and the lunch / dinner menu was nice (great (fresh) pesto pasta) but mainly consisted of Thai food, not local cuisine. The best Indonesian/local food we had was at Sunrise Resort just down the beach, a nearby satay bar and from a mobile steetfood trader (obviously not for the kids).
We spent much of our time with the kids at the Waterfront pool as it has shaded areas around and in the pool. We met several other families with young kids so it was nice and sociable, and good for the kids.
The diving at Manta was well organised, with options to dive at 9am, 12pm (sometimes) & 2pm, coming back to the resort for SIs. Night dives can be arranged (depending on numbers). The other divers were mainly doing courses or OW divers (they were all so young!), but they did separate us older, slightly more experienced divers into an AOW group so it was not an issue. The boat dropped us at different entry points for deeper parts of the sites. They have their own boat and all the sites are max half hour boat ride away so you’re never away from the family that long. The diving was, in my opinion, actually pretty good (better than I expected). I’d heard comments that the Gilis are all about turtles & small sharks, which is unfair as there's much more to it than that. We did see loads of turtles and some sharks though.
We even saw turtles grazing just off the beach in front of Manta so Charlie (in the pic below) got to snorkel with a couple
We would definitely go back to Gili Air for the decent & convenient diving and a nice beach & snorkelling for the kids. I’d possibly look elsewhere for accommodation - the beach at the northeast of the island looked nicer from the boat, although we didn’t actually visit that part of the island - but would definitely not rule out Manta / The Waterfront for another visit.
Recommended.
Bali
To get to Bali we took the speedboat from Gili Air to Amed; transport to the resort was included in the price. Advice: sit at the back of the boat (the guys at the front didn’t look happy) and wear something on your feet when you get off the boat at Amed beach – damn that black sand gets hot!!!
Liberty Dive Resort, Tulamben (3 nights)
We really loved LDR!
Nice refreshing complementary watermelon smoothie and amazing staff to greet us upon arrival.
We splashed out on a Luxury Garden Cottage and were glad we did - they're massive! There’s plenty of room for the kids to play in the room and a garden area and swimming pool (1 of 3) right in front. We had Room 24, which has view of Mt Agung from the huge bed
A cot was provided for free. An extra bed would’ve cost more but we didn’t need it as Charlie slept on the sofa, which we moved to the end of our bed, facing in.It was fairly quiet when we were there but there were a couple of other families. This isn’t really a family resort and didn’t have the same atmosphere as say Gili Air, but we didn’t expect that. The kids were happy in the pools and running round the gardens. The gardener let Charlie use the watering hose, which he just loved. All the staff were amazing with both kids, giving them loads of attention.
The main negative for us was the food, which was mediocre at best. But we weren’t there for the food. Another negative for some (although it didn’t really bother us) may be that there’s not much else around there (a couple of other resorts) so we didn’t bother eating anywhere else. There’s a small supermarket at the top, across the main road. The pavement (sidewalk for my American buddies) is probably not suitable for a baby buggy (we didn’t try) but it's not too far to carry a baby.
For diving, you’re assigned your own guide (1-2-1 if you wish, at no extra cost) and set your own dive schedule - Nice
Nitrox is free for residents. 2 min walk to the beach for the Liberty wreck (they take the gear down for you), or a short ride up the beach for the Coral Garden & Drop-off, or alternative entry for the Liberty. A short ride on a tiny jukung boat will get you to some other local sites, eg Alam Anda, which was fun.The diving was great!
Definitely recommended.
Genggong Hotel, Candidasa (4 nights)
Nice place! On the seafront and accessed down a side street not too far from the main road (for the supermarket, restaurants, currency exchange, dive shops etc.).
We received a warm welcome and lovely refreshing complementary welcome drink. As far as I could tell all the rooms had sea views overlooking the Lombok Straight towards Nusa Penida, with Gili Mimpang & Gili Tepekong in the foreground. There’s a big lawn in front of the rooms, a pool over to one side and a small beach (what's left of Candidasa beach!) down a couple of steps from the lawn – all great for the kids.
We had a ground floor room in one of the newer and bigger rooms (Deluxe, I think) with a seaview from the bed. Everything was superb. The attention detail was really impressive.
The food was great, amongst the best we had on our trip. Great breakfasts, and quality lunch and dinner (when we ate there); the Rendang was amazing! Slightly more expensive than you can find elsewhere, but worth it.
Nothing was too much trouble and the staff were fantastic with the boys.
There’s actually some decent snorkelling in the lagoon right in front of the hotel, best at low tide for children. Charlie & I spent hours looking around. We saw anemonefish, juvenile bat fish, razerfish, sea snakes, juv. angelfish, juv. moray eels, pipefish, crabs, striped catfish, black-saddled tobys etc. I even spotted a couple of Jacks but they quickly scarpered when they saw me.
For diving, I used Benthos, on the main road (only I dived here). The diving’s more expensive in Candidasa than Gili Air and Tulamben (for various reasons) but I was able to negotiate the price down a little as I have my own BCD, and because they were quiet. I dived Gili Mimpang & Gili Tepekong. Benthos were ideal for me as they depart for those local sites on a boat right in front of Genggong Hotel. I was met at the hotel by my guide at 8am and we walked straight down to the beach for the boat. Apparently we narrowly missed seeing a Mola Mola at Gili Tepekong (damn, if only we’d dived that site 1st!!). Shame, but I wasn’t too disappointed as I hadn’t expected to see any at that time of year anyway. Next time! After the 2 dives we got back to shore by around 12.00. I was then taken to the shop to rinse my gear and have lunch, which was included in the price. They then dropped me back at the hotel and later brought my gear to the hotel for me once it’d dried. Great service.
and more great diving!
Again, definitely recommended (both Genggong & Benthos).
In summary, it was a fantastic trip and we managed to balance our desire (need) to get some good diving in with spending quality time with the kids. We would definitely return to both Gili Air and Bali.
It may be worth pointing out that at every place we stayed we were told that one of the staff would probably be happy to babysit so my wife & I could dive together, but we didn’t take up the offers.
Feel free to PM me with any questions.
Cheers,
Rob
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