I had read on "Bali Eats" that the former chef from Lola's was now with the Rama group and was at the Candi Dasa Rama Hotel; as we had been fans of Lola's in the past, when we found that the Rama Hotel was within walking distance of the cbc, we visited on one of our morning walks, and arranged to eat there the following night when the chef was going to be there. We were not disappointed - not only was the food superb, but the new dining area was wonderful, right by the sea, with glass doors which could be opened up, so that you had a sensation of being right on the water. The whole outside dining area looked on to the pool and surrounds, which had obviously been recently up graded. We looked around the accommodation, which did not appeal as much as that of the cbc, dont think this has been upgraded yet, although there is a new wing containing a spa. The appeal to us of the cbc are the generous grounds surrounding the second swimming pool which we looked over from our room in the east side wing. (the rooms on the west side of the wing do not have a view) It was worth the extra to upgrade to these rooms. We went for walks early in the morning before the sun became too intense, and discovered a little lane close by the local village where there were several villas owned by ex-pats, mainly from Australia. We started chatting to Alec, an Aussie with a scots accent (he had come to Australia when he was 13) who had been living in his house for several years, and just loved the life there - his wife was visiting her mother in Melbourne at the time, and could not wait to get back to Bali.
Alec said he wished he had moved some years earlier, as the life there was so good; he showed us through his home, including the massage room where they both have massages each morning ... and the pool where they can skinny dip, with an outdoor dining and living area. Alec had a special room for his computer, so he did not feel at all cut off from the world. He told us about other ex-pats who had moved to the area, including two New Zealanders who we visited later. On one of our walks we had come across a building site where a huge villa was being built, right on the water front with fantastic views of the Padangbai area, which included the ships coming in to the port. This was being built for a French woman.
There is a new by-law which limits villas being built so close to the ocean, so she could be taking a risk. Another large villa on the hill above was being built for an Australian man. Last year we had met a woman in Seminyak who had lived there for 15 years and was moving out because of the uncontrolled building going on around her. In the past she looked over rice fields to the mountain, and now there were high walls surrounding her home. She was moving to Sideman where there is little development, and she would be in amongst the forest. We spent a few days in a lovely villa in Sideman last year, it is a very spiritual area, wonderful forest and fields of rice, and also vegetables, as it is cooler up there. This part of Bali is a world away from Kuta and is a wonderful place to stay if you want peace and quiet. We found that the main village/shopping area of Candi Dasa is much quieter than it was ten years ago, apart from the traffic as this is the main route to the east of Bali. There are a large number of restaurants and small accommodation places right on the sea. If you want to shop and 'club' this is not the place for you, but if you want to enjoy the sea and surrounding areas which are amazing, then you will love Candi Dasa. We spent a week there, and we will return again.
Our next stay was at the Sanur Beach Villas with Ron and Irma and Pete and Deni ... coming up