Trip Report Tulamben, Bali, Oh So Nice To Be Back

[Luko]

By far my favorite eatery is the Slice And Brew resto on the main road in town.

That's unfortunate you haven't tried Chops 'n' Hops, the Ocean Sun's restaurant, same owner as Slice and Brew, a real Chef on top, Martin (ex Safety Stop for the old timers in T'ben). Their Apple Crumble recipe at S&B comes from Martin btw.
C'n'H is probably the only restaurant in T'ben to serve decent meat and homemade ice cream (the Rum and Coconut ice cream is a dream, Peanut butter or Salted caramel ice cream are favorites too).

Personally I found DiveConcepts' food barely edible, a shame for a self named "French" warung. (Take it from a french foodie, they'd deserve to have their french passport taken back). As for real warung food, Warung Rusti indonesian owned is much better, if you have a scooter/car to drive you there numerous warung options on the way to the dive sites, such as warung Bukit Babi Guling (only one dish : Babi guling) or warung gurita (Octopus satay and spicy soup).

 

[Rock Hopper]

Great we all like different!

I tend to stay in Amed - also a long strip but the western end centred on Jemluk bay is great. Lots of good Warungs (Enak is suberb), Blue Earth for peoplewatching/sunset and the further "posh" restaurants will send a car to pick you up (eg Sails, Gusto).

Plenty of great places to stay and good dive shops. Still do the same dives as at T'ben

 

[JonnieB]

That's unfortunate you haven't tried Chops 'n' Hops, the Ocean Sun's restaurant.

C'n'H is probably the only restaurant in T'ben to serve decent meat and homemade ice cream (the Rum and Coconut ice cream is a dream, Peanut butter or Salted caramel ice cream are favorites too).

I saw it but never went in...I'll be back in Tulamben in a week or so and will give them a try.

 

[JonnieB]

Great we all like different!

I tend to stay in Amed - also a long strip but the western end centred on Jemluk bay is great.

Plenty of great places to stay and good dive shops. Still do the same dives as at T'ben

I did a day of diving in Amed and my reaction was the opposite...it seemed a bit of a scrum there, with the narrow winding hilly coastal road making getting around difficult without renting a scooter. Resorts, dive shops, and restos are very spread out there too, with some centered around the western end at the beach.

I will be back there in a few days, however, to give it another try. Do you have any resorts or dive operators to recommend?

 

[JohnN]

Great we all like different!

I tend to stay in Amed - also a long strip but the western end centred on Jemluk bay is great. Lots of good Warungs (Enak is suberb), Blue Earth for peoplewatching/sunset and the further "posh" restaurants will send a car to pick you up (eg Sails, Gusto).

Plenty of great places to stay and good dive shops. Still do the same dives as at T'ben

I learned to dive in Jemluk Bay. I didn't appreciate how good it was until much much later (you mean I don't get to see a seahorse on every dive???)

 

[Rock Hopper]

For Amed I have traditionally used Adventure Divers Bali Lisselotte and David run it and can also recommend where is good to eat. They also have good accommodation (no pool) or stay at Kembali Beach

Alternatively Scuba with Turk on here has a place in Amed

 

[AlMitch]

So glad you had a good time in Tulamben. It's been more than 3 1/2 yrs since we were there! But only have 3 weeks to wait until we trip and fall over the rocks down to the waters edge...hahaha.
We will be staying at Mimpi...will be first time staying there.
@Luko ...we will definitely try C&H!!

 

[JonnieB]

So glad you had a good time in Tulamben. It's been more than 3 1/2 yrs since we were there! But only have 3 weeks to wait until we trip and fall over the rocks down to the waters edge...hahaha.
We will be staying at Mimpi...will be first time staying there.
@Luko ...we will definitely try C&H!!

Yes I took a couple spills on the rocks the first day until I got my "Tulamben" legs. This is an important point...almost all the shore dives in Tulamben involve walking over large (fist size) rocks and pebbles in the surf zone before dropping down into the water. These rocks/pebbles are wet, slippery, and constantly shifting due to the wave action and this makes getting a steady gait into, and out of, the water extremely challenging at times. It is very easy to loose one's step and fall down. If this happens, it can be difficult to regain ones footing and stand up again. (The best advice if there is moderate to heavy surf is to keep your mask and regulator in while entering/exiting the water and if you're knocked down to crawl in/out on all fours. One way to lessen the chances of taking a spill is to have proper dive Booties. These would be the hard rubber shoe type soled boots and not the softer soles used when jumping off a boat or doing sandy beach shore entries.

 

[matts1w]

When I was in Tulamben last October Chops and Hops, which was easily the best food in Tulamben pre-pandemic, was disappointing. To be honest, the food scene in Tulamben was pretty much meh. Obviously, it's going to take some time for everything to recover, and I hope people can be patient and understanding.

 

[Rock Hopper]

Yes I took a couple dives on the rocks the first day until I got my "Tulamben" legs. This is an important point...almost all the shore dives in Tulamben involve walking over large (fist size) rocks and pebbles in the surf zone before dropping down into the water. These rocks/pebbles are wet, slippery, and constantly shifting due to the wave action and this makes getting a steady gait into, and out of, the water extremely challenging at times. It is very easy to loose one's step and fall down. If this happens, it can be difficult to regain ones footing and stand up again. (The best advice if there is moderate to heavy surf is to keep your mask and regulator in while entering/exiting the water and if you're knocked down to crawl in/out on all fours. One way to lessen the chances of taking a spill is to have proper dive Booties. These would be the hard rubber shoe type soled boots and not the softer soles used when jumping off a boat or doing sandy beach shore entries.

The Tulamben Shuffle! What gets me is that some of the pebbles are more pointed and that's the bit that always hits the painful part of the foot. The natural reaction is to lift the foot (as it hurts) - that is when it really starts going wrong.

The guides just wander in - feet made of titanium I tell you!