Jan 1, 2010 – Amed, Bali – Jake
Happy New Year! Wow, 2010 already. I missed my ten-year high school reunion while farming it up in New Zealand, but the big 2-0-1-0 really cements that I have arrived in the future. Still no flying cars, but my life and the technologies I use have come a long way. I hope this year brings happiness to you all.
Speaking of change, we are here in the beautiful coastal town of Amed in Bali. Kendall and her fam were here almost two decades ago, and they say it has changed quite a lot. Back then there were two hotels to choose from and now there are dozens. However, for those of you that came in the past, the place still has its small town charm. The dirty mountainous coastal roads just have a few more warungs (small restaurants), motor bikes, and places to stay. Things are still quiet and peaceful and the ocean is as beautiful as ever. They also still have the little fishing boats with faces on them that Kendall remembers fondly, although they don’t use them as much and opt for the newer faceless version :(
We have spent the majority of our time relaxing in the sun and snorkeling. The reef is literally feet from the beach behind our hotel and stretches a ways up the coast. I have spent hours just swimming along it. There are so many fish and the visibility is very reasonable. The cozy bath water does not hurt either. I am reminded a lot of my honeymoon on the island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras.
It turns out that we are actually staying at the same hotel that the Smith’s enjoyed eighteen years ago on accident. Ellen was hoping for this place, but could not remember the name and could not find it. Well she got it right on. It is very fancy compared to the places we have stayed thus far on our journey. Definitely no complaints from me about spending the New Year holiday here.
We have tried many of the warungs in town and have found a clear favorite. Wayan’s Warung has the best food around and Wayan is a wonderful and kind host. The fresh praws were amazing.
Ellen thinks that she actually got a massage from Wayan way back when she was a massage girl at the other hotel they stayed at in Amed down the street. We have shown our affection to Wayan with many meals at her refreshing restaurant.
The whole eastern coast is full of fun and relaxing entertainment, but one more thing that we did and enjoyed was renting motorbikes and going over to the ship wreck just down the coast from where we stayed. Don’t bother getting a boat or a guide, it is easy to find right from the shore and nothing worth paying extra money for. Plus, driving around a motorbike is always an adventure.
you guys all look really happy and beautiful in that picture. Made me really happy.
miss you.
me
Which hotel did you stay at in Amed? (so I can locate the good snorkeling!)
Linda
Hi Linda,
We stayed at and really enjoyed Hidden Paradise Cottages. You can go here for my review:http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g608478-d… Mine was "Pricy for the area but perfect for snorkeling."
Hello Linda,
I love the snorkeling access from the hotel. Were there any rooms with a good ocean view? I also wanted to know how bad the mosquitos were at the hotel and on the beach. You mentioned this place reminded you of Roatan. Though we also loved most of what Roatan had to offer we had a very difficult time fighting the mosquitos, we came home covered in bites.
Thank you for your help!
Rachel
At the hotel we stayed at there were no rooms right on the ocean because the pool and dining area are located there. You literally walk from the fabulous breakfast right onto the beach for some snorkeling.
There were mosquitoes and my wife is a mozzy magnet, but we did not get many bites. Later in our trip in Permuteran they were much worse, even in the rooms. The hotel rooms in Amed were reasonably insulated and did not let in many bugs.
hello, i’m planning to go to bali in few days, plan to try snorkeling and I heard about Amed. Is there any snorkeling places in bali where you can go from the beach (so you don’t have to take a boat to the middle of the sea). also is Wayan’s Warung clean, did you get stomach-ache/diarrhea there? also did you get hepatitis a/b vaccines before travel to bali? thanks for sharing your story.
Hi manuel,
I am jealous of your coming Bali trip. We stayed at Hidden Paradise Cottages, which is right on the beach and has excellent snorkeling from the beach at the hotel (no boat required). Here are some reviews (including mine): http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g608478-d1163220-r57593908-Hidden_Paradise_Cottages-Amed_Bali.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT
There are several other places that have snorkeling access from the shore, but sorry I do not have their names. Even the shipwreck dive is accessible from the shore. We rode motor bikes to it and swam in from the rocks. It is very close. A boat is really not required at all unless you want to do an island trip.
Wayan\’s Warung was very clean. She gets the food fresh each day. We ate there several times and got many different items. In our group of four, nobody got sick.
I got the Hep A/B combo vaccine before our trip, but mainly because we were traveling to so many different places. My wife already had both vaccines. Not sure if they are required for Bali. Some people are interested in getting the rabies shots since Bali has had some problems with rabies. However, we did not get the rabies shots. Just be careful around all the animals, especially street dogs.
Have a great trip!
jacob,
thanks for your reply. just curios, how much you pay for that prawns meal? it looks very delicious :-)
They were very delicious and only available on certain days. Not sure of the exact cost, but everything on her menu was extremely reasonable in price. We were on a pretty tight food budget.
Can you/anyone give us advice on the most practical way to get to Ahmed from Ubud and to get back to Seminyak several days later?
What is the best way to get to Ahmed from Ubud and to Seminyak several days later?
Hi Linda,
I think the best way is to hire a private driver. You would be surprised at the level of service that you can get for an extremely reasonable price. The driver can either stay in the area or return when you want them to. If you do not have any existing contacts, you can ask around and try to find a reputable driver. You get the best deal if you stick with the same person. However, be sure you are comfortable with whomever you pick and feel free to switch if it is not working out. If you like where you are staying in Ubud, you can ask the owners about a driver. They surely will have a family member dying to drive you around. Agree on the price up front to avoid any awkwardness. Sometimes the drivers may feel shy about this, but you really want to get it squared away so you can have a good time. Feel free to bargain a bit if it makes sense or ask around to make sure you are getting a reasonable price. You can check the shuttle service prices to get an idea.
Hope that helps,
Jake