Set off to Amed with our wonderful driver Ketut Narka. The scenery along the way is breathtaking and well worth the journey. Stopped at Candi Dasa for morning tea (approximately some 1.25 hours after departing Ubud), on the waters edge, Jack decided to purchase a kite whilst there (pain in the neck for packing I can tell you). Saw the funniest sight along the way, you know how we have gas here, called LPG, well on a gas tanker on the road (and I have the photo to prove it) was a sign 'EL PI JI' .. too funny.
Finally arrived in Amed after a 3-hour journey (not including the stop). There is a central town (kinna) with a number of accommodation options and restaurants and then as you travel along a 10km stretch north, there are accommodation places spread out along the hills and beaches. We were out of town and not far from Lipah staying at the Anda Amed, which is owned by an ex pat Kim and her partner Koman.
Anda Amed Resort - Jl Raya Bunutan - Amed
http://www.andaamedresort.com
The owner Kim used to own another place in Amed but the name escapes me. Lovely accommodation for those looking for peace and quiet as well as a touch of luxury and romance (well we had to skip the romance as I had my 14 yr old son with me). There appears to be two one-bedroom villas and one two-bedroom villa that can be sold separately. The two bedroom one is the highest and the view over the ocean from the front of the villa (also from the bed) is outstanding. You can pull up the blinds at night and peek through the mosquito net surrounding your bed and just look out over the blue ocean or as we did watch an amazing electrical storm which took place whilst we were staying there. There is a lil garden out the front of the villa and a lovely landing with day beds and cushions, tables and lamps. There is a TV provided (DVD use only), air-conditioning (bedroom area), fridge, large bathroom, tea and coffee making with small hanging space and a few drawers to store clothes in. We paid USD $90 a night including breakfast. There is a lovely well-maintained infinity pool. The restaurant is gorgeous with its resident ducks (there is a lil stream through the restaurant). There are also the resident cats x two who tend to hang out at reception. The staff are very attentive and friendly and made us feel right at home. There were a few small issues that I raised in an email to Kim on return to Australia and she had already attended to most of them, which is to her credit.
Good Points...
· View from Villa
· Tea and coffee making facs
· In room safe
· TV (DVD only)
· Large bathroom
· Excellent food
· Excellent service
· Lovely day beds everywhere overlooking the ocean
· Comfortable bed and large pillows
· Lovely setting with its tropical gardens and view
· Meal prices very reasonable
Not so good points...
These issues were raised with Kim and she assures me they have or are being attended to J
· Free bottled water was not supplied
· Fly problem which included the kitchen
· Lighting in the bathroom was focussed on the shower which left the hand basin and mirror in darkness
· Air conditioning struggles to cool both bedroom and bathroom area
· No hand towels or face cloths provided
· Beach is a rocky walk down the slope opposite which can be difficult for some
· Location means that transport is required to go to the best snorkelling spots and many other restaurants
We arrived on Christmas Eve and had pre booked to have Christmas Eve dinner with Kim at Anda Amed Restaurant. We took a swim in the afternoon and ordered some lunch (yum), had a few drinks and generally relaxed. The weather was fabulous compared to the weather in Kuta and Ubud where we had experienced a lot of rain. Clear blue skies and sunshine here in Amed (great for the tan). Took a stroll down to the beach (very rocky) and spoke with one of the fishermen about taking us snorkelling the next day... arranged a price and off we went back to the hotel via another property. Dinner was fabulous and we were joined by a number of ex pats from the local area. Dinner consisted of Turkey (done the Balinese way), a large fish, ham and an assortment of entrée's and salads and desert. Had a few glasses of their very own Sangria, which is a favourite of mine, and a few pina colada. Jack was a lil bored as there were no children around. Xmas Day was spent snorkelling around the Japanese Wreck, excellent snorkelling. The previous day I had mentioned to Ketut (fisherman) that I had trouble getting in and out of the traditional boats when snorkelling and this was of concern to me. When we arrived at our destination, he proudly brought out a ladder that he had made overnight and with a bit of fiddling and re arranging of seats etc he attached it to the boat and wollah!!! an easy way into and out of the boat. I thought that was incredibly nice of him and he was so proud of his ladder. On this subject, it can be difficult if you do not have good arm strength to get into and out of the boat and you can sometimes bruise yourself in doing so, some boat have ladders and they certainly are an asset.
Snorkelling was great and the Japanese Wreck is just offshore so the water level is not very deep, lots of fish and some coral. Certainly better snorkelling here than in the south and on Lembongan Island. Spent the greater part of the day here and then headed off home to relax by the pool. Ketuts charge for the day was 200,000rp... we got him down to 150,000, as we were only gone 4 hours.
Had lunch by the pool and then relaxed for the rest of the afternoon (as one does in Bali). We decided that it was too much trouble to try to arrange transport to visit one of the other restaurants that had been recommended to us so we had dinner in the restaurant. Once again, the service and food were excellent. Grabbed a DVD from reception and retired for the evening. During the night, a storm arrived and we just sat on the veranda and watched the light display, it was unbelievably beautiful, I have never seen an electrical storm like this previously. The whole sky that reached far across the ocean was lit up repeatedly with lightening strikes followed by that deep thunderous sound.
The next morning it was raining, our driver arrived and off we went back to Legian.
Amed provides great snorkelling and would be ideal if that is all you wanted to do other than relax by the pool. I am not sure if we would stay there again but may choose instead to do a day trip. Other than the snorkelling, there really is no other reason in my view to go to Amed.
Another property we looked at included:
Puri Wirata Resort - Jl Raya Bunutan - Amed - 0363 23523
This property is located on the opposite side if the road to Anda Amed and runs down the hillside to the waters edge. There is a lovely restaurant and pool overlooking the ocean. The villa's overlook the ocean and although are much older in time and in décor than Anda Amed are still however very nice and for the price we would definitely be happy to stay there. They have a large bedroom and outdoor garden bathroom with a lounge and coffee table. The rates quoted on walk in were very reasonable at around USD $40. There is a PADI dive centre located on the road at the top of this property and its website address is:
www.diveamed.com
There are so many properties to choose from and some of the ones recommended include Dancing Dragons, Life in Amed, Apa Kabar, Coral View and others.
More to come.....