Tag: East-Bali

Amed

What to do in Amed

What to do in Amed if you are interested in more than diving and snorkelling? Discover hidden spots and find out how you can explore this part of East-Bali by land and by sea. Amed is actually a long coastline of small villages, connected together, as places to visit for those who love water sports, nature and agricultural landscapes.

Amed the long coastline of connected villages seen from the Bali Sea.

Enjoy a magnificent sunrise

Rise up at 6 in the morning and find a place where you can see the sunset. Easy if you happen to stay on the beach. Otherwise take a nice early beachwalk or head out on a boat to see the sunrise at sea. This is a great opportunity to see the fishermen on their traditional sailing boats, called ‘Jukung’.

Sunrise in front of Villa Sinar Cinta in Amed, captured by our special guest Michael Geerings. Michael has been here many times and photographed the sunrise from the upper terrace.

Catch your own fish

Amed is a traditional fishing village, where the fishermen go out to sea early morning or at night. If you like to go fishing, you can go sailing with a local fisherman and combine this with a sunrise or sunset sight seeing trip. If you happen to catch fish, you can have it prepared at the place where you are staying, either grilled or steamed in banana leaves.

Max is very lucky with his catch of the day, caught at sea during his boattrip.

Taste Amed sea salt

Amed is known for their sea salt that is popular among chefs in and outside Indonesia. You can visit the Amed Salt center to learn about the production and buy the salt.

AMED SALT CENTER
Jl. I Ketut Natih, Purwakerti, Abang, Kabupaten Karangasem, Bali 80852
80852 Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia, telephone: +628819-3645-1718

Baskets with sea salt on the beach in Amed, a traditional craft in Amed.

Walk around the farmer fields

If you walk around in Amed, you will find fields of corn, peanuts, vegetables and rice plants. If you love to see the local agricultural life, you can see farmers planting the fields or prepare for harvest. Sometimes before or after school children help to wash their cows and feed the pigs and chickens.

A ricefield along Melasti Road on the way to Villa Sinar Cinta in Amed is one of the beautiful landscapes.

Go tracking to a refreshing water fall

The hills behind the coastline of Amed are great to explore especially if you love tracking. Here you will see panorama views and even find a ‘hidden waterfall’. To visit this area you have to be an experienced driver or go with a guide.

This ‘hidden’ waterfall is to be found in the hillside part of Amed.

Learn how to dive

There are many great spots in Amed for diving and snorkelling as I have described my experiences on my blog. If you can spent a few days here you will have a good opportunity to learn how to dive and get your PADI certificate. There are SSI dive instructors who teach in multiple languages.

Me at Villa Sinar Cinta following instructions from SSI dive instructor Lena from the Amed Dive Center. She is fluent in English, German and Bahasa Indonesia.

Take in the views on Mount Agung

Wherever you go in Amed, you will see the volcano Mount Agung. Especially during sunset it looks spectacular. Combined with a drink or dinner on the beach or from the hills, it’s a sight to enjoy at the end of a perfect day.

Sunset view on Mount Agung from a cornfield at Melasti Road in Amed.

Find out more about what to do in Amed

To discover more about Amed and hotspots in East-Bali, feel free to contact me. I can connect you with drivers, special guides and fishermen.

Amed

Favourite places to eat in Amed

Post author By admin
Post date January 23, 2021
No Comments on Favourite places to eat in Amed

If you are looking for delicious food here are my favourite places to eat in Amed. There are many choices for Indonesian dishes, western, vegetarian and vegan meals. Some places are within walking distance of our Villa Sinar Cinta. A big plus is that some restaurants offer free transport for your convenience.

Meeting Point Amed

The Meeting Point restaurant is on walking distance via the beach in front of Villa Sinar Cinta. It’s a nice place with a small garden where you can have a great lunch or dinner. They are linked to restaurant Gusto (where you can also order pizza!) by the same owner who has a bakery. So they have lots of fresh baked bread and serve for instance sandwiches and baguettes.

Meeting Point is known for the special bread from their bakery.

Chill Bar & Grill on the beach

If you have a craving for some Mexican food like taco’s or home made french fries with fresh fish and/or hamburgers Chill Bar & Grill is a great place on the beach with sunset view.

Taco’s with great sunset view on Mount Agung on the beach at Chill Bar & Grill

Galanga fusion food in Amed

Galanga restaurant is known for their yummy fusion Asian food. You will be pleasantly surprised by their food and drinks and the way it is served. Galanga has a terrace and a garden and more info can be found via their facebookpage. It is located in the Bunutan area of Amed and from Villa Sinar Cinta you will need to drive like 15/20 minutes up here, either by scooter or by car.

Galanga serves Asian fusion food and drinks plus great desserts.

Local warungs and streetfood

Amed offers a great variety of streetfood and small restaurants, called ‘warungs’ in Bahasa Indonesia. You can get favourite Indonesian dishes like fried rice (nasi goreng), fried noodles (mie goreng), local soups, grilled fish and meat or chicken on sticks (saté), mixed vegetables with peanut sauce and several cooked or friend tofu (tahu) or wedges of soya bean (tempe). One of our favourite places to eat in Amed is Warung Ole. They have a menu for Indonesian food plus Western fast food like potato fries.

Favourite places to eat in Amed with special view

Our staff at Villa Sinar Cinta can tell you more about favourite places to eat in Amed with a special view and on the beach. They can arrange for your transport to the restaurant and for food delivery at our private villa.

If you are travelling from the south of Bali to Amed our drivers can give you advice for restaurants on the way or near the hotspots that we recommend in East-Bali. Read this post if you like to find out more about what to do in Amed?

There are several restaurants near this sunset viewpoint at Jemeluk Bay in Amed.

Special service at Villa Sinar Cinta

As guests at our private Villa Sinar Cinta you can enjoy homemade food for breakfast, lunch or dinner, especially vegatarian. Plus famous Bali dishes, like suckling pig (Babi guling) and stuffed chicken (Ayam betutu) are on special delivery. If you want to celebrate a birthday or wedding anniversary, we can also arrange special cakes and festive fruit baskets with flowers and other decorations.

Enjoy this fish in banana leaf (ikan pepesan), with green vegetables and white rice. A homemade meal at Villa Sinar Cinta.

East-Bali

11 Hotspots enroute to Amed

Post author By admin
Post date January 13, 2021
No Comments on 11 Hotspots enroute to Amed

Explore amazing hotspots enroute to Amed in East-Bali and discover fascinating temples, waterpalaces, great panorama views on Mount Agung, rice fields and the Virgin beach. All locations can be found via roadsigns on the main coastal road and your navigation program.

Lake Yeh Malet

Yeh Malet is a tiny lake and one of the newest attractions enroute to Amed. Local villagers offer you a roundtrip on a bamboo raft. It is located near the main road before the harbour of Padang Bai.

It is very nice to explore the lake full of water flowers while being on a bamboo raft.

Batcave Goa Lawah

Goa Lawah is one of the most popular temples in East-Bali. It has a big batcave and many Balinese ceremonies are being held here. On the beach opposite of the temple Balinese people especially gather here for the festive cremation ceremonies.

One of the entrances to the bat cave temple know as Goa Lawah.

Lotuspond Candidasa

The lotuspond in Candidasa is a popular hotspot near the sea. Many people like to walk around here and have a meal at the nearby restaurants.

The many water flowers open up in the morning. Photo Bert Vrolijk, Guest Villa Sinar Cinta www.sinarcinta.com

Panoramaview Mount Agung

Enroute to Amed you can also decide to have a (lunch)break at the Virgin Beach aka White Sandy Beach. The Bukit Asah hill road has this amazing panoramaview on Mount Agung and the Bali Sea.

This new road with amazing views has just been opened a few years ago.

White sandy beach

Virgin Beach aka White Sandy Beach is a special spot as the North East coast of Bali is known for its black sandy beaches. The secret beach’s bay is secluded by huge rocks on both sides. You can relax by yourself at the far end or rest in the central part of the beach. Here free sunbeds are available in front of the restaurants where you might like to eat and drink.

The sea current in front of this beach can be very strong and refreshing.

Waterpalace Ujung

In 1909 ‘Taman (meaning garden) Ujung’ was built by one of the kings of Karangasem. The water palace was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Agung in 1963 and rebuilt again after an earthquake in 1979. Although not all the buildings were restored the remaining ruins give it a certain archeological charm.

Viewpoint towards the Ujung waterpalace with the sea in the background, photo Bert Vrolijk guest of Villa Sinar Cinta www.sinarcinta.com

Traditional market Amlapura

If you like traditional markets than this is one of the favourite hotspots enroute to Amed, the market in Amlapura. Here you can buy groceries, fresh fruit, spices, hot peppers and also local handicraft.

The use of hot peppers and spices are very popular in the Indonesian cuisine.

Waterpalace Tirtagangga

The Tirta Gangga water palace is a beautiful water garden, where you can cross the water basins via stepping stones and watch the giant Koi fish. After you have finished your early morning walk a cool dive in the special royal swimming pool is the best reward. Here you can bathe in the holy water coming from Mount Agung.

This is the most popular waterpalace in East-Bali, as many visitors like to share their pictures on social media.

Rice fields Tirtagangga

The rice fields in Tirtagangga are a green oasis and a special landscape in East-Bali. A local guide brings you for an unforgettable walk up the hill, through the forest, the villages and the rice fields where you can photograph the daily process of seeding, growing and harvesting rice.

Rice fields in East-Bali as far as your eyes can see.

Heavens Gate at Lempuyang

The area of Lempuyang consists of many temples on different levels. If you don’t want to climb all the way up, you can choose to stay at the first level of the so called Heavens Gate. If you are lucky and it’s not cloudy you can see Mount Agung through the impressive gateway at the temple. As this is one of the most popular places for pictures on social media, the waiting time to take your picture can be more then one hour during high season. Luckily there are many more alternatives to take amazing picture.

At Heavens Gate facing Mount Agung. Here at Lempuyang temple it is tradition to wear a Bali ‘sarong’ around your waist.

Sunset view Jemeluk Bay

Even if you just visited a view hotspots enroute to Amed, you might like to conclude the day with a drink and a great sunset view in Jemeluk. This is actually also one of the favourite hotspots for snorkelling and diving in the Bali Sea.

On the hill overlooking Jemeluk Bay in Amed you can see Mount Agung and mountain top of two other giants in East-Bali. Cheers!!! Selamat minum!

Bintang beer is one of the favourite local beers in Indonesia.

Contact me

Feel free to contact me if you like to book a tour to hotspots enroute to Amed and discover the spirit of East-Bali. Also if you are interested about what to do in Amed?

Tags Amed viewpoint Jemeluk Heavens Gate Lempuyang temple, Batcave temple Goa Lawah, Bukit Asah, Candidasa lotuspond, East-Bali, Hotspots enroute Amed, Karangasem, Lake Yeh malet, Market Amlapura Waterpalace Tirtagangga, Mount Agung, Ricefields Tirtagangga, Virgin Beach, Waterpalace Ujung, White Sandy Beach, wisata

Diving & snorkelling

How to go diving and snorkelling in Amed

Post author By admin
Post date December 11, 2020
2 Comments on How to go diving and snorkelling in Amed

Mary Afdan snorkelling — Me snorkelling in Jemeluk Bay

Amed and Tulamben offer some of the best hotspots for diving and snorkelling right next to the coast of East-Bali. Near Tulamben is the famous WWII USA shipwreck called ‘The US Liberty’. Close to Amed there is a small Japanese WWII shipwreck just in front of the coast. And there are many more exciting places to go diving and snorkelling.

This picture was taken by one of the divers who stayed at Villa Sinar Cinta in Amed.

Snorkelling with your family in Jemeluk Bay Amed

The most suitable place to go snorkelling and diving in Amed is at Jemeluk Bay, as mostly the sea current here is not so strong. Small children and those who are trying for their first time can step easily into the sea to discover the colourful fish, coral and sea stars in the Bali Sea. It’s also very exciting to explore the special underwater statues of a ‘mermaid’ and a ‘temple’.

We organise snorking & diving trips from our Villa Sinar Cinta

If you want to go snorkelling or diving in Amed, we can arrange this for you with individual snorkelling guides and with the local diving schools. There are SSI dive instructors who can speak English, German, French, Bahasa Indonesia and Chinese. Amed is also known for special Free Diving courses. Contact us for more information.

This new snorkelmask has greatly improved my time and my pleasure snorkelling, also here at Jemeluk Bay.

What to bring with you when snorkelling

Masks and other gear can be rented in Amed, but I always bring my own snorkle mask.

See my first GoPro recording of a turtle in the Bali Sea

I am so proud of my first GoPro recording of this turtle in the Bali Sea

The villa is about 40m from the beach with some of the best macro sealife you can find (shrimp, crabs, seahorses, etc) 10/10 would stay again!

Claude & Melissa from Michingan in the USA about diving in Amed in their review of Villa Sinar Cinta on Airbnb.

Besides diving and snorkelling you may be interested in my post about what to do in Amed?

East-Bali

Hello world!

Welcome to my Blog about how to travel and explore hotspots in East-Bali. Please allow me to share with you how Bali colours my life and answer frequently asked questions about the fishing village Amed. I like to inform you about my private villa in Amed and what activities you can do, like snorkelling and diving.

I am happy to give you some ideas of the beaten track, so you can experience the old authentic Bali. Just like the Dutch family Van Mierlo enjoyed their holiday when they stayed at our Villa Sinar Cinta in Amed twice. See their photo’s below as they loved to go rafting, sailing and tracking. They can’t wait to come back again.

Group photo Dutch family rafting East-Bali

Family Boat trip East-Bali from Villa Sinar Cinta

Let me know

If you have a question or suggestions, please go ahead and post it as a reaction to this post. Thank you, terima kasih, matur suksma!

Ceremony on Melasti Beach in front of our house in Amed, Karangasem, East-Bali

Travelbooks I recommend

Imagine walking through these ricefields in East-Bali. This is part of our walking tours.

Komang is from Amed and he is one of the most favourite private drivers for our guests. He can tell a lot about the culture in Bali and he has a great sense of humour. He is one of our experts on how to travel and explore hotspots in East-Bali.

Explore hotspots enroute to Amed

From the south of Bali, like for instance from the airport it takes about 2,5 hours to travel to Amed. If you like to know which hotspots you can explore be sure to read my article about these 11 hotspots enroute to Amed.

Health protocols

Villa Sinar Cinta is a registered and fully licensed tourist accomodation. We follow all necessary health protocols for the safety of our guests and our staff during the covid19 pandemic. This applies to the cleaning of the entire villa and to welcoming our guests. We expect our guests to wear mouth masks and follow the rules of the Balinese government in preventing the spread of the virus.