In Reply to: Rama & Candidasa any recent experiences posted by Coco on Friday, 28. April 2006 at 05:17 Bali Time:
Hubby & I spent a week there from March 28 this year. We stayed at Bali Shangrila Beach Club and loved it. Candi D is sleepy hollow, apart from the heavy traffic on the main road on which most of the restaurants are located - it's the route to Amlapura. Very few tourists. There are lots of restaurants of varying quality, no problem finding somewhere to eat, but because of the lack of tourists be careful what you order. We ate mainly at the tiny Candi D Bakery just around the corner on the road to Tenganan - run by a German guy and his Balinese wife, it specialises in extra yummy pastries & breads, does hamburgers & pizzas as well as basic Indo dishes like Nasi Goreng. Cheap, very hygenic and once we discovered it we didn't bother eating anywhere else. Curiously, many restaurants have set 3 course meals.
One very good thing about Candi D is that street selling is banned and shop owners aren't permitted to hassle you on the street. The only hassles are from guys offering transport and on the beach guys offering diving or fishing trips. I very much wanted to go fishing but is was stormy the whole week.
Candi D is in a beautiful area - stunning sea, mountain & rice paddy views. It's an excellent base for trips to places such as Tirtagangga. The traditional village at Tenganan, 6 Ks away, is a must. A motorcycle costs 50K/day. Just about any road will take you through breathtaking scenery.
Enjoy:)