Resorts & Eats
What is often referred to as "Tulamben" is about a 10 kilometer stretch of coastline in northern Bali, about a three hour drive from Denpasar. There are dive resorts spread out all along to this stretch of coastline, but the central hub or town of Tulamben is a one kilometer stretch of road centered with Matahari and Mimpi resorts at its center. If you want to be centrally located and withing walking distance to restos, shops, laundrys, and mini-marts pick a place to stay centered around these resorts. If you stay further out, you will have a more resort oriented stay (diving and eating there...maybe that's what you want) and need to rent a moto to get around, while if you stay in the central area, everything is a 5-10 minute walk away.
I had a mixed stay in Tulamben in that I stayed and dived at different places. My stay was at Wonder Resort, just up from the main road through Tulamben and a 5 minute walk to the center of town. It is a small botique resort and dive operation of only 4 rooms. The villa style rooms are large, clean, and comfortable. There is a pretty garden area and pool. A simple egg or pancake breakfast is included with your stay. The majestic Mount Agung is the backdrop to this resort (and just about everything in Tulamben). I also dived with Wonder's dive operation. I can recommend both the resort and the dive shop, which is an easy going laid back affair, as there are usually only a 1-4 divers a day. These divers are often further split into one or two person groups. For the local shores dives it's a 5 minute or less drive to the site and then gearing up and a walk into the water. The surface interval is back at the resort. For site a bit further away, the break will be taken at the site, with towels and water provided.
As while I was in Tulamben, a group of friends was participating in a photo workshop at Matahari Resort I also did a week's worth of diving with them. I suspect Matahari is one of the original diving resorts in Tulamben, due to their prime location and popularity. It is smack dab in the heart of Tulamben town and right on the shoreline. It's right next to the equally venerable Mimpi Resort. Matahari is a large operation, with maybe 30 or more rooms and up to 40-50 divers per day. It's well run but can be a bit of a scrum around the gear room. The diving is more regimented as to times and sites verses a small shop like Wonder. There are a lot of photographers diving with Matahari. You can't go wrong with either dive operation...just that one might suit you more depending on your preferences. Me, I prefer the smaller more personal touch at Wonder. One advantage of staying at one of the shoreline resorts like Matahari is the ease of doing unguided buddy or solo diving. (Verify with the resort beforehand if they allow these dives.)
Where to eat:
Wonder only serves a simple breakfast and doesn't have their own restaurant. Matahari has a full restaurant and bar facing the ocean, which is a nice place to chill between dives or to eat after a day of diving. The food is hearty Indonesian and Western staples...certainly nothing fancy but gets the job done in a nice setting.
For a little more upscale experience, the resto at the next door Mimpi Resort is recommended. The setting and food offerings here are a cut above what's on offer at Matahari. The French Warung at the Dive Concepts shop has a nice selection of Indonesian and Continental European favorites. By far my favorite eatery is the Slice And Brew resto on the main road in town. They have again a selection of local and international dishes in a spacious comfortable setting. They also have daily selections of delicious home baked cakes and other dessert treats, to go with their espresso based coffee drinks. (I probably gained 5 kilos during two weeks eating these cakes
) There is also a pool table for free play while you are there. One final mention is the Massimo Italian Ice Cream stand in front of Scuba Tulamben. This is gelato ice cream from the famous Massimo Italian restaurant in Sanur...rich creamy ice cream for only $1.50 a scoop
