After a wonderful time in Munduk, we went to Candidasa. We choose Candidasa to have some beach time without the crowds, and also because it is located in a region with a lot of interesting attractions, meaning it would be a great base from which to embark on fun day trips. This post will be about Candidasa town and the beaches, the next blog will be about some of the attractions in the area.
Where we stayed
We stayed in Relax Beach Resort, a small resort with a nice swimming pool. A resort with swimming pool is not our usual style, but a few days of relaxing it was perfect. The father of Lidewij, his wife, Lidewij’s brother and his girlfriend all joined us at this resort for a couple of days, which was a lot of fun. We could hang out together around the pool, and we could swim together when Lily was asleep thanks to the awesome baby monitor app on our phones. We always use this app while traveling, which avoids having to carry a bulky baby monitor. This way you don’t have to remain in or in front of the room all the time, which makes this app worth every cent in my opinion.
View from our bungalow
Candidasa town
Candidasa town is a pleasant enough place. It’s basically one street with a bunch of shops, restaurants and accommodations. It is quiet, you can easily walk everywhere, there are plenty of nice restaurants (a lot featuring live music in the weekends). This makes it a perfect base for a couple of days.
There is a nice attraction in town called the Lotus lagoon. This lagoon is filled with loti, and when you are there in the morning, a lot of them are in bloom. This is a really pretty sight.
There is also a temple nearby, which is not necessarily the most spectacular temple, but after climbing the stairs to the temple you will be rewarded with a great view of the lagoon and the sea.
The beaches in Candidasa town are not really the prettiest, with the the water a bit murky and the beaches covered with dead coral. Still our daughter enjoyed the sand, the sunsets were pretty, and you can always swim in the pool! Lucky enough there are pretty beaches out of town.
Virgin beach
This beach is only a 20 minute drive from town. We actually visited this beach twice. It is a pretty place in a secluded bay. It’s called virgin beach because it lacks accommodation. There are just two simple restaurants, that rent out beach beds as well. It is a nice and relaxing place which we can really recommend.
Beaches are a lot of fun with a little child. Playing with the sand, getting wet feet, playing with local children. A little child makes hanging around the beach a very happy activity.
There are a few ‘showers’ at the beach, but it was difficult to get rid of all the sand that Lily got everywhere.
One day there was a strong wind, and there was a couple doing a wedding shoot. Combined with the rough sea they probably had some spectacular shots. Don’t mind the dress.
There is also another beach nearby (Blue lagoon beach), that is supposed to be good for snorkeling. Unfortunately the day we went there the wind was really strong and the lady renting out snorkeling equipment didn’t even want to rent out snorkels to us because she thought it was too dangerous. Good that she was being honest about it, still a pity though.
Next blog will be about some of the attractions you can visit in the area around Candidasa. See you next time!
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