advice needed as to where to stay with husband and 25 yr old daughter for 2 weeks.

[scarke]

My husband is an avid diver (over 135 dives) and diving always has to be part of our holidays. Our daughter is joining us for this trip.

Where do we even start? I want a beautiful beach with beds on it…we prob need a villa or a large room as our daughter would not be comfortable in her own room I don't think.

Have heard that Nusa Dua has a stunning beach and good hotels. Is the diving from there really good tho? Or should we do a two centre one?

Thanks.

 

[pughio83]

From my visits to Bali I would say nusa dua has a lot of large hotels and an ok beach. Diving for me isn't very good there, neither is Sanur or kuta. There are plenty restaurants and touristy things in these regions but for diving I personally would prefer to stay in a diving resort or boutique resort around tulumben area but you do sacrifice the beach. If you want a nice beach then perhaps look at nusa lembongan which has some nice beaches and great diving. However the currents can be strong and isn't for everyone and swimming around the island can be challenging. That said it has mola mola in August-oct and mantas all year round. For me Bali has great diving but doesn't have world class beaches as a general. But the interior kind of makes up for that and some of the northern volcanic beaches are beautiful. Maybe a two or three centre would be better - one week ubud (one of the highlights for me in Bali), one week nusa dua and one week tulumben. Or maybe look at Gilli Islands as part of the trip which has great beaches and reasonable diving and easily accessible from Bali. Have a look at Lombok next door as well as it has decent beaches and is close to Gilli Islands.

 

[scarke]

thanks for the reply..our daughter dives as well but has not done much diving with strong currents. I am dead against flying from Bali to any island in little planes after all the accidents in the air. Those rickety ferries scare me too!…Looks like its going to be hard to cater for everyone…and we def don't want to be in the young peoples areas full moon parties etc….

 

[Luko]

There should be no problem providing you fly with Garuda planes, which btw was elected 5* Airline by Skytrax in 2014, along with Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, etc.
it's no "little planes" flying through out indonesia but regular B737s or A321s, some of which are brand new.

Speedboats plying Bali to Lembongan or Gili islands have nothing to do with the rickety ferries you mention, they transport a max of 50 passengers, some of them with 4*250hp engines riding at 30 knots/h.

Bali is probably is much more modern and safe than you would think.

 

[scarke]

Luko, thanks for that….puts my mind at ease somewhat…not worth taking a risk for just a holiday!…will do some more research now..thanks

 

[gilbubblefish]

There should be no problem providing you fly with Garuda planes, which btw was elected 5* Airline by Skytrax in 2014, along with Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, etc.
it's no "little planes" flying through out indonesia but regular B737s or A321s, some of which are brand new.

Speedboats plying Bali to Lembongan or Gili islands have nothing to do with the rickety ferries you mention, they transport a max of 50 passengers, some of them with 4*250hp engines riding at 30 knots/h.

Bali is probably is much more modern and safe than you would think.

thanks Luko for the explanations....

 

[gekodivebali]

White sand beaches and diving off the same spot is tricky in Bali. Nusa Dua, Sanur, Kuta or Seminyak have white sand but the diving commute is lengthy (e.g. 2 hours + to Tulamben). Tulamben and Amed offer great diving but have pebbly/rocky beaches. Padang Bai has 2 white sand beaches called Blue Lagoon and Bias Tugel (my favorite). No mattresses on the beach itself but great little restaurant/huts on the beach.

Away from Bali, you may want to look at Lembongan (great diving) or Gili Air (less good diving but easier access to the sea with less current). However, this does involve speedboat rides, which I'm not personally very fond of either...

 

[charlier]

After thinking about it, Amed does have nice beaches. Compared to Tulamben, the Amed beaches have smaller pebbles and at high tide its even sandy. They are great beaches to walk along at sunset. Some of the nicer accommodations have pool adjacent to the beach. So you have a beach view, from the poolside with a nice cocktail.

Between Amed and Tulamben, you will find very nice diving. Your daughter might even be interested in taking free diving and yoga classes. Gekodivebali is on the mark, its a long drive from Nusa Dusa to diving. It is not a relaxed drive from Nusa Dusa to up the coast to Tulamben/Amed. Lastly, flying from Singapore to Bali - you have many airlines that fly r/t including Singapore Air, KLM, etc.


Sunset at Amed, Bali

 

[matts1w]

Thing is with most of Indonesia- if you want great diving, you gotta sacrifice great beaches and/or stay in more or less less a self contained resort. It is hard to find a place where avid divers and non divers are both happy. There has to be compromise. I have found the Gili Islands to be a happy middle ground. The diving is ok...and at times pretty darn good. It is not the best Indonesia has to offer underwater, but there are tons of turtles, sharks, bump heads, etc.. The diving is not nearly as intense as Lembongan as the drifts are almost always easy. The beaches are pretty darn nice, and the water is warm and mellow. The are tons of places to get a bed on the beach and enjoy an amazing view of Lombok and blue water. Gili Trawangon is the most developed and a BIG TIME party; probably more than you guys want. Gili Air has enough going on to keep your daughter happy, but is mellow enough to keep the knuckleheads away. I am much more a Gili Air kind of guy. Anyway, do some research. It might a good fit for your family.

 

[nomadasdiver]

Combination of good beaches and great dive you can find it in Lembongan. From our resort We arrange daily dive trips and many other activities such yoga, surfing, kayaking. Good combination for families that like to do differnet activities. Please Take a look to our website Planet Nomadas|Dive lembongan,buceo lembongan,surf lembongan|Lembongan