Candidasa, Bali

Ian arranged for a shuttle bus to take us to Candidasa where we hoped to do some diving. The small van picked us up at our hotel and already had other passengers in it so as usual, Ian and I occupied the very back. Somehow, we always end up back there.  This wouldn’t have bothered me except the a/c wasn’t working and it was super hot.

We stopped in Padang Bai to drop off our passengers and I thought that meant Ian and I could move up, but alas, we had to change buses. This time, I sat scrunched with two other girls in the middle seat and Ian had the front seat in yet another van with a/c that didn’t work. Ugh. One nice thing though was the driver dropped us off right at our hotel: Bali Palms Resort. This saved us from walking up and down the street with our bags looking for the place. Or worse, trying to bargain with a taxi driver over a fare and always wondering if we are getting ripped off.

The name Bali Palms Resort makes the place sound fancier than it actually is but it’s just an average place. The rooms are really clean but small, the a/c works and there’s a TV and balcony with a pretty great view of the water and pool. It’s dry and there aren’t any bugs! This is the view from our balcony – can’t get much closer to the water!

Candidasa is a seaside town located on the east coast of Bali. It started out as a fishing village but in the 70s, tourism flourished because of diving and snorkelling opportunities. Ironically, the town received a large investment for tourism and construction and the reef was mined for lime for construction materials to build resorts, bungalows, and restaurants (can you believe it?!). This removed the coastal barrier that had protected the beach and as a result, it washed away.  Locals built cement barriers in an attempt to preserve the beach, but nothing is left but a bit of black rocky sand. My photos are when the tide was in, so at this point, there wasn't even a beach.

The town itself is one street lined with open air restaurants and bungalows. Other than diving, neither Ian nor I could figure out why anyone would want to be there. 

I couldn’t dive because of my cold so Ian went on search of some dive companies alone but struck out. Turns out, there was a big ceremony going on (I think for the full moon?) and there wasn’t any diving. Our little trip to Candidasa was a bit of a bust. But it was super weather, really hot, so we got in some swimming and soaked up the sun. After our damp stay in Ubud, this was most welcome and it helped me get over my cold.

After our horrid shuttle bus ride to Candidasa, we decided to arrange for a driver to take us to Sanur. Seems like we’re being spoiled, I know, but the price was right – about 28 dollars for an hour’s drive from our hotel straight to our accommodation; in a clean, air conditioned, empty van. Nice.