1

The Amed area of the east Bali coast is only about a 10 km stretch of various fishing villages. While there is some development going on there, I’d hardly say it’s developing quite rapidly. Most of the villages still maintain their quiet fishing village ambiance. We were just there last week and we go there several times each year. The Amed area is most definitely still quiet and laid back.

In addition to the wreck of the USS Liberty in Tulamben, you should also dive Jemeluk Beach. There are several other great spots in Amed for diving, none of them requiring a dive boat either…rather you can dive right off the shores. Those would include Lipah and Bunutan. These places are equally good for snorkeling.

There are a few good dive shops in the area, our preferred one being Eco Dive in Jemeluk.

2

Amed still quiet, and no much activities to do, there are some restaurant around but not so tasty. Have you ever stay at Sanur or Jimbaran area, that area not very crowded especially at night, not like kuta legian seminyak, and the beach is better. Also many good restaurant in Sanur and Jimbaran.

3

"there are some restaurant around but not so tasty."

Not so tasty?

Sails is a great restaurant in Lean Beach, Amed:

http://restaurantamedbali.com/

4

MadeIndra, I know about it but if it compare with restaurant in Kuta Legian Seminyak Sanur Jimbaran NusaDua area, you can find much more better restaurant (in price, taste, ambience, etc) and more choice (italian, western, local, seafood, etc). Such as Warung Made, Ultimo, Rumours, as well as Menega in Jimbaran that maybe one of the best and cheapest beachside seafood restaurant on the world, etc.

5

It's always a good idea to read the original post before replying to it:

"I don't want anywhere busy, and I don't need any nightlife. I just want somewhere relatively quiet and laid-back, but with at least a few restaurants around."

Does Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Sanur, Jimbaran or Nusa Dua seem anything like that to you?

Each of those places is the exact opposite of what the original poster is looking for. Moreover, none of those areas are comparable to the Amed area for diving and snorkeling.

A decent alternative to Amed would be Padang Bai...but none of those areas you mention would fit the bill of what the OP asked.

6

I like candidassa, just a little bit above Padang Bai. The problem there is there are no nice beaches but its quiet, it have a nice restaurant (vincent), there are nice mountain and sea views.... Also u can move quickly from all the sigth seeing sites if u want.

If u can find a room that has an oceans view it is all very relaxing.... i loved it....

7

I agree, it’s “six of one, half dozen of the other” when it comes to comparing Padang Bai over Candi Dasa. Personally I find Candi Dasa as getting somewhat over developed and the prices for room and board slightly exceeding Padang Bai in general.

The trick with Padang Bai (beach wise) is to walk from the harbor beach over to the White Beach right next to the harbor:

http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/uploads//1341801276/gallery_3402_66_20693.jpg

That photo is recent, in fact I took it the day before yesterday.

This beautiful beach in nicely tucked away with a few run down warungs serving cold drinks and beer, and some snack foods. Getting there is a bit of a hike, but most any of the friendly villagers in Padang Bai will gladly run you over on their motorbike for a modest tip or fare.

In Padang Bai, a great place to stay on the cheap as well as excellent food is the Zen Inn. Liam Birch has been running this place for quite a while and manages to get the first picks on fresh fish of the day.

http://zeninn.com/

The snorkeling and diving around Padang Bai is pretty good, especially around Shark Island just outside of the harbor. The draw back is that you need boat transport. No worries about the sharks, they are only reef sharks.

In my order of preference…Amed, Padang Bai, Candi Dasa.

8

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. They've been very helpful.

Jason