In Reply to: west coast suggestions? posted by helenb on Friday, 29. October 2010 at 12:35 Bali Time:
Dont know if you are thinking day trips or overnighters, but we often stay now at Balian Beach. The area is mostly visited by surfers, and consequently along the beachfront are quite a few inexpensive accommodation options. We stay at Gajah Mina which is on the next headland north of Balian. Very nice little restaurant. Access to pristine beaches and beautiful coastal walks amongst rice paddies than end on the sand dunes. There is a decent small supermarket up on the main road for supplies, but absolutely no touristy shops.
We have also driven along from here to Permutaran via Medewi. I wasn't very impressed with Medewi,stopped and looked at some nice hotels, but the beach seemed very stoney. The traffic is a bit hairy as its the main road to the port at Gilamanuk.
Alternately, there is a road about half and hour before Balian that takes you on a scenic drive up thru to the mountains around Papuan. You can follow this road all the way thru to the north coast. On our day trip there we stopped at the Sanda Hotel and had a beautiful lunch. Lovely, peaceful little hotel, would also be a nice spot to stop over.