View of Menjangan Island from the tower.

Skip the older rooms built around a pool well off the beach and instead head directly for one of the bungalows built right on Sentigi beach. They’re connected by boardwalks presumably there to protect the surrounding mangrove as much as possible; the staff member who showed us around told us that national park workers regularly visit to ensure park rules are being followed. (How they managed to open in the first place, more than a decade ago, is anyone’s guess —  new owners have since taken over and added the bungalows.) Just seven of them mean the beach is quiet, though people staying up at the other accommodation (still only 15 rooms) can come down to use the beachside facilities as well.

Those darned Bali crowds.

The decor is tastefully minimalist, all sleek lines and white sheets, with the amenities you’d expect in this (high) price bracket. A semi-outdoor bathroom means you can soak in fresh seaside air; a veranda out front complete with bean bag and low-slung chairs means you can enjoy the beach without having to step in any pesky sand.

Bed and bath.

Though you can do that too, with sun loungers and tables and chairs both oceanside and set back a little closer to the restaurant as well. Note that verandas drop directly to the beach, with no railings — this isn’t a place to bring small kids.

View from the veranda of one of the bungalows.

Beach bungalow users can similarly hop on over to the swimming pool inland — you can use a safari-style double-decker minibus to move around if you don’t feel like hiking in the heat. It’s basically a car with seats on the roof — swing on up, and you’ll see a lot more from here than you would in a car. You’ll be passing through drier terrain than what you’ve seen elsewhere in Bali; it’s more African savanna/Australian bush than classic Southeast Asian rainforest.

The bush-set pool.

The highlight of staying here would be a trip to nearby Menjangan Island, where the snorkelling and diving is probably the best on the island. You can also head out trekking — the park is home to deer, wild pigs, black and macaque monkeys and a wide range of birdlife, including the endangered Bali starling, one of whom happened to be home in one of the resort-built houses when we passed through. (And if you get really intrigued by the starlings, you can always go visit a great project trying to revive their numbers on Nusa Penida.) You can arrange trekking directly with the park if you’re keen.

A Bali starling at home.

Dine down by the beach, or back up where the reception is, at the Bali Tower, a 28-metre high open-air wooden building that gives you fantastic 360-degree views of the surrounds, across Menjangan and to neighbouring Java, where plenty of volcanoes cooperate to give you some great photo opps. Even if you’re not staying here, stopping by for a meal is an option and we think the views make a detour worthwhile.

Menjangan from the beachside restaurant.

The spa is beautifully located right on the water. We’ve inspected our fair share of spas on Bali and this is one of simpler but better ones we’ve stepped into.

A spa with a view.

So the price? The best internet rate on their site for a bungalow is $325++ — Agoda.com is a little cheaper. While this plonks the Menjangan firmly in Bali’s high-end luxury category, if you’re after a splurge in a beach bungalow well away from the crowds in Bali, this could fit the bill. (The older rooms in the poolside Monsoon Lodge go for $170++ but we’d go for the beachside ones — for the price of the Lodge rooms you can find better deals in Bali.) We didn’t stay here, but definitely preferred it over the Waka Shorea — the only other park-set resort as far as we can work out — though it’s also substantially pricier here.

If The Menjangan is out of your budget, but you like the sound of the national park and Menjangan Island, we’d suggest staying in nearby Pemuteran instead and doing a snorkelling trip from there.

Check rates & availability at The Menjangan on Agoda.com

The Menjangan
Jalan Raya Gilimanuk, Singaraja Km. 17
Desa Pajarakan, Buleleng
T: (0362) 94700
www.themenjangan.com

A prayer for the mountain.

Treat the mountain with respect
This is the holiest mountain on Bali. Treat it with the respect it deserves. Just about every house and building on the island has a shrine for daily offerings to Agung. This is a highly revered site.

Which route
Gunung Agung has two primary trekking routes. The more popular leaves from Pura Pasar Agung and leads to the crater rim, which is 2,866 metres above sea level. The less popular (and apparently even more difficult route) leaves from Pura Besakih and leads right to the absolute summit at 3,031 metres. While everything I had read indicated you had to leave from Besakih to reach the true summit, I saw a group on the day I climbed who started from Pasar Agung but then branched off to reach the summit. Talk to your guide regarding this.

As for which to choose, the summit offers complete 360 degree views of Bali, while the the crater rim has primarily views of south and eastern Bali. The summit trek is considerably more challenging. On the day of my climb there were about 30 people at the crater rim and just four at the summit. See Gunung Bagging for detailed write-ups on Agung trekking routes.

Look carefully and you can see a solitary climber at the true summit.

You must have some degree of fitness
I’m not the fittest guy on the block and am carrying a few kilos I don’t need, yet I managed it. However, if you are not fit at all then you should carefully consider if this is for you.

How are you with heights?
Some of the climb is extremely steep. While you’re climbing up at night-time it is difficult to imagine just how steep the surrounds are. In daylight, on the way down, the steepness of the slope is obvious. If you have serious troubles with heights, this is not for you.

It can get steep in places.

Rest beforehand
While you can trek from one of the centres in south Bali, most opt to leave from Sidemen, which has the best range of accommodation within an hour of the slopes. Some choose to stay in Selat, which is about 20 minutes closer, but I’d happily forgo the 20 minutes for the extra comfort in Sidemen. Assuming you’re leaving from Sidemen, you should leave at around 01:00 to start climbing at 02:00. That means hit the sack at 19:00, giving you a solid five hours sleep before the climb.

Have decent footwear
This is not a flip-flop or sandal climb. I wore trekking boots that wrapped my ankles and I saw others in solid running shoes. Make sure you have sufficient grip on your shoes as you’ll be walking in mud low down and slippery moist rocks high up. This is a very easy trek to slip and twist an ankle or worse. There is nothing in the way of air-evac — you will have to hobble out, so watch your step. You do have insurance right?

Dress sensibly
Bintang singlet tops and board shorts are not advised — that’s not to say some people were not wearing them. Ideally you want long pants and some sort of fleecey top. The main problem with wearing cotton T-shirts is you will work up a sweat and when you stop the shirt gets very cold, very quickly. As I don’t have any fleece gear, I wore a pair of cargo pants and two T-shirts. Wet weather gear (at least a poncho) is a good idea, as you may get some rain down low. I saw some people wearing gloves and I wished I’d had some, but if you do wear gloves, make sure they are fairly thin so you can still reach into nooks and crannies when you’re traversing the steep rock faces.

Great product placement by Bintang.

Cut your toenails
Sounds ridiculous, but on the way down, the walk is punishing on your toes. By cutting your toenails short you will avoid some of the worst of the pain.

Headlamp or torch
As you’ll be climbing at night, you’ll need a light. I had my own headlamp, so used that. Others had a torch. Personally I prefer a headlamp as it frees your hands. If you have neither, talk to your guide beforehand and they should be able to sort you out.

Food and water
Take at least two litres of water — one for the walk up and one for the walk down. Three is a lot, four litres is overdoing it. Remember you have to carry your own water. I went with two litres and finished the last mouthfuls of the second litre at the carpark. High energy snacks or a couple of chocolate bars are a good idea. Your guide should have some simple food for you. In my case Nyoman had for me a couple of jam sandwiches, a boiled egg and a hand of sweet bananas. I saw other guides cooking their guests chocolate banana pancakes at the summit (seriously!) The sandwiches and bananas were enough for me.

I’ll have a decaf soy milk latte with a banana pancake please.

Sunscreen
Unless you are climbing during the day, only the last hour of the trek down should be in direct sunlight, and even then, early in the morning. I wouldn’t bother with sunscreen.

Other gear
I took my iPhone and Nikon D90. It is definitely worth having a decent camera for sunrise and for the walk down. On the walk up it is unlikely you’ll need to use your camera other than for a few pics of the city lights in the distance. I meant to take a tripod, but forgot. In any event, the summit was so crowded it would not have been practical to set one up as there simply wasn’t any space to do so. My advice would be to leave the tripod at home (unless you’re going for the summit of course as you’re far more likely to have that to yourself). There is very little phone signal coverage on the way up. I had a small daypack — ideally you want as small a backpack as possible.

Out of the way, I need room for my tripod!

Drugs
The climb up is extremely strenuous and, if you’re not an experienced climber, you will need to have your wits about you. That said, I used a moderate pain killer/anti inflammatory (Nurofen 400) on the way up and back. I took two before the start, two more two thirds of the way up and two more at the summit before starting back down. I’m glad I did. (This is more than the recommended dose — you should follow the instructions on the pack. Or talk to a doctor. Also, eat something before you take any.)

Rest often
The trail is more or less straight up — there are almost no switch backs and, of the entire climb, perhaps 100 metres is on relatively flat terrain. The relentless nature of the trail alone is exhausting. Matters are made worse by the quality of the surface. Up high you’re often scrambling on bare rock with plenty of rubble — big and small — while down low the trail can be slippery and very muddy, often with exposed tree roots ideal for tripping people up. Because of this you must watch every step. Seriously. There are no safety barriers and no safety ropes.

Looking into the crater. Security fencing? What’s that?

These factors, combined with the physical drain of climbing, means you are well advised to rest often. I rested perhaps 15 times on the way up, fewer on the way down, each time for around two to three minutes. This gives you time to compose yourself and catch your breath. It is not a race and do not try to treat it as one. Your guide should not push you and should keep to your pace. If your guide is outpacing you, ask them to slow down.

Use a guide
While guides are supposedly compulsory I saw six Russians climbing during the day without a guide. I’d say this is extremely unwise. I used Nyoman (T: 0852 3854 8412) on both my climbs and recommend him as a guide. He charges 500,000 rupiah for the climb before any costs for transportation (I had my own car so didn’t need to be picked up from Sidemen). Guidebooks and other travellers are also good sources for recommendations. Regardless of who you use, arrange to meet the day before so you can discuss the climb and so the guide can address any queries you may have.

Don’t freak out
At around 2,500 metres just as I was about to traverse a fairly steep rock section, I involuntarily vomited. This was followed by what I can only describe as a wave of, “I’m freaking out now”. I stopped and rested for a few minutes (I actually hid the vomiting from my guide as I didn’t want him to make me turn back being so close). I drank some water and just chilled out till I got myself together. From there I went on to reach the crater rim. Keep your head.

Stretch
Unless you’re climbing a peak every other day, climbing Agung is probably going to be a bit of a shock to the system. Do some simple stretches before starting to wake those legs up. If you feel cramping coming on during the climb, rest and do some more stretches. At the end of the climb, when you’re back at your guesthouse, rest. If you have time, book a massage for the following day (you’ve earned it!) — chances are you’ll be sore for a few days after the climb.

This is Gunung Agung.

Early morning views of Agung from a guesthouse in Sidemen.

While you can climb the peak during the day, most opt to climb it at night so they can see the sunrise from the crater rim. I was staying in Sidemen, a 45-minute drive from Pura Pasar Agung — a temple located at 1,575 metres above sea level and where the walk starts. This meant a 01:00 pickup (not a typo) from Sidemen so my guide Nyoman and I were ready to start walking at 02:00… yes, it is all a bit mad.

The view from higher up. The distant glow is Kuta, lower right is Besakih temple.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the fittest guy on the block, but the climb is just brutal — really excruciating. I’ll be writing more about the climb later, so just imagine four hours of absolute total and utter agony, culminating in arrival at the crater rim (elevation 2,866 metres) at 05:50.

Hello sun. Hello Gunung Rinjani (the distant peak, on Lombok).

There was quite a crowd at the crater rim — perhaps 30 people (including guides). This was a surprise, but for this time of the year it’s considered normal.

Yes, that is a chocolate and banana pancake.

Not everyone makes sunrise. This isn’t at all a surprise given the strenuous nature of the trek. Nyoman said roughly half the people attempting the hike do not make it to the summit.

Stragglers.

Once the sun rose higher we were bathed in a glorious light and the view across southern Bali was just breathtaking.

Grab a selfie.

Pretty pretty.

Not long after the lightshow, people started to head back down.

Check the shadow across Bali. That is from the volcano.

We stuck around for a while longer to enjoy the scenery and savour the silence. I wasn’t still trying to catch my breath, honest.

The views across Bali are the real attraction.

An offering from one of the guides.

Then we decided to head down as well.

Just as steep down as it is up.

If you’re interested in doing the hike, we used guide Nyoman on both trips. He speaks good English and we recommend him — his number is 0852 3854 8412.

But we have more to come…

Yes, this is fun.

Labuan Bajo offers possibly the best range of groceries you’ll find on all of Flores, as well as medical supplies. Stock up here on foods that your kids like if they’re fussy — but even then, be warned that you won’t find the brands you’re used to at home. You can buy long-life milk here, but we did have trouble finding any in small cartons; we had to buy a few large and use one a day (our four-year-old has a bit of a habit). Warn your kids that outside Labuan Bajo, they’re in for a diet of nasi goreng, mie goreng, fish, repeat. That way when they discover the pizza on Kanawa they’ll be over the moon.

Never pull a Komodo’s tail. (NB: This is a trick photo!)

If one of your kids really can’t get by without a particular snack, bring it with you. Don’t bring anything that needs to be refrigerated, unless you’re staying somewhere like Bintang Flores, where you’ll have an in-room fridge. At lower-end places you may very well be able to use the hotel’s fridge — check in advance if this is important. Once you head to places like Kanawa and Seraya — or even just to Waecicu Eden Beach — there is no electricity for most of the day and no fridges in any rooms.

As a matter of course you won’t be offered lifejackets on boats, but many do have them. Be warned that they won’t, however, be kid-sized — you may want to BYO.

Tired out after an all-day trip to Komodo.

Komodo is infamous for dangerous currents. While these can be great for drift snorkelling, you’ll want to keep a very close eye on your kids at all times. If you stick with experienced boat pilots (it’s hard to tell though…) they should be able to quickly gauge what the waters are like and warn you against snorkelling if it’s too rough or the rips are too strong. Listen when they tell you what area to stick to; they generally do know what they’re talking about. From around April till around September, waters can be calm in many areas, but currents can still run very strongly.

Calm seas and great conditions at Batu Bolong.

While snorkelling equipment is readily available for hire for adults, you won’t find kid-sized stuff, so again, BYO on this front.

As always, make sure your kids (and you!) drink lots of water and wear sunscreen. Flores is malarial — read up on the risks and discuss with a doctor who knows her tropical medicine stuff. Many travellers we met were taking malarials, but as we go in and out of these areas quite frequently, we didn’t. We minimised our risk: we wore repellent, slept under mosquito nets — most places do have them — and were generally cautious on keeping an eye out for mosquitoes and on anyone feeling feverish, as malaria is very treatable if you diagnose it within a day or two of the onset of fever. We spoke with a doctor specialising in malaria who told us that to have a 50% chance of catching malaria, you’d have to get about 400 mosquito bites during a night (obviously, even if you just get a few bites, there is still a small chance you’ll contract the disease). If you’re stuck somewhere with no net and you wear repellant, which generally lasts around six hours, he said you’ll still be protected during the period of night when malarial mosquitoes are at their biting peak (if you sleep normal hours). If this is a one-off trip for you, you’ll probably be advised to take malarials.

Hanging out at Sabolo.

Now, those Komodo dragons look kinda sleepy and lethargic — almost cute — but they are killing machines and can move very, very quickly. Keep your kids close at Komodo National Park or Rinca, the two most popular places to visit the dragons. It goes without saying, don’t let your kids touch them. You’ll need to walk around the islands with a guide; listen to their warnings carefully. (They also know how to set up trick photos!)

Hammock test at Waecicu Eden Beach.

If you plop yourselves down for a bit longer at somewhere like Kanawa — which we recommend, despite the service at the restaurant — take lots of games and jigsaw puzzles, as aside from the various daytrips, snorkelling and hiking, there’s not much other entertainment. Kanawa is the best spot we visited for sandcastles and hermit crab catching, with plenty of tree shade. (We’ve covered whether you should head to Kanawa or Seraya already.)

Luckily superhuman strength not required.

Be warned that though Kanawa and Seraya have electricity for a few hours in the evening, they do not have fans. The bungalows get stinking hot — really, really hot. If your kids are old enough, and it’s within your budget, get them a separate bungalow just to keep things cooler. Take a battery-operated fan to get everyone to sleep if you can (we hadn’t even heard of them until someone told us we should have taken one…)

Exploring Seraya Island’s viewpoints.

All of this may leave you wondering why on earth you’d travel with kids to Komodo. Here’s why: The snorkelling is truly world class — we saw manta rays, turtles, and a fantastic array of sea life. The hill-climbing at Kanawa is great — we carried our four-year-old on our shoulders, but our six-year-old was fine — with goats to spot along the way and great views waiting at the top. The scenery throughout the archipelago is stunning and you really can’t have bored kids when there’s so much to see and do just on the beaches alone.

Unlike resort areas like Bali, there’s no babysitting available, but hopefully the kids will be so tuckered out from running around all day they’ll be asleep easily and early, leaving you time to swing in a hammock and contemplate what you did with all your time before you had children.

It’s early…

Beanbags and umbrellas are scattered around a curved pool that looks straight out to the Indian Ocean; southward lie Dreamland and Padang Padang. Snare a beanbag or sit at an outdoor or indoor table if you really need shade — be warned it can really get hot here. The pool will be tempting, so make sure you do bring swimmers.

Peak hour!

Minimum spends are enforced, starting with 100,000 rupiah per person for a table and heading north. This is becoming more standard practice at places with pools in Bali these days, so don’t get cranky — and unless you’re planning on sitting on iced water all day, the minimum is pretty easy to reach. Prices are splurge-y but not as high as institutions like Ku De Ta or Rock Bar; for a special afternoon or evening, we reckon El Kabron is worth it. We’d go for sunset, but make a booking.

Loads of classic tapas is on offer — perfect for the pace you’ll want to take here, which is slow and steady. We tried the Mediterranean anchovies with onion marmalade (55,000 rupiah), and though simple, it was a flavourful side to a classic Mojito (90,000 rupiah) that also came well prepared.

This is how to do a sunset.

Other tapas selections include spicy chorizo, grilled calamari, prawn and lobster croquettes, and octopus with potatoes, most around the 45,000 to 75,000 mark. Or nibble on Spanish cured meats and cheeses.

If you’re hungrier, head for the paellas — minimum order is for two — with for instance paella de marisco, a traditional seafood paella, priced at 145,000 rupiah per person; a vegetarian version is 130,000 rupiah.

Looking south.

Desserts also tend toward the classics — brownies (50,000 rupiah), crema catalana (40,000) and Sacher torte (55,000) are included in the offerings. A full bar offers cocktails, wines and beers — wine starts at 295,000 for La Plaga and a small Bintang is 30,000.

The way in…

Service is prompt and friendly — though he must have done it a million times, the owner enthusiastically offered details directions on how to find our way back to the main road down to Jimbaran. We still got completely lost and found ourselves waving our iPhone in a figure 8 to get our compass back… but part of the allure of El Kabron is its isolation so we can’t really complain about that…

El Kabron Spanish Restaurant & Cliff Club
Jl Pantai Cemongkak, Pecatu Bali
T: (0361) 780 3416
www.chiringuitoelkabron.com
Oddly, website has no map — it’s reasonably well signposted

Who needs a verandah?

Motel-like rooms — currently there are 33 or so, with more on the way — are set up well back from the beach in three long lines, facing each other but with plenty of still-growing greenery offering some privacy. There’s space on the verandas for surfboards to be parked, but no furniture. Once you see the pool and restaurant set on the beach, you’ll understand why.

Simple.

Rooms are small, but chic and functional, with brushed-blue tiles and white walls lending a breezy atmosphere. The polished concrete floors make it easy to brush sand out; the bedhead is smart; a few toiletries are provided, which is a nice touch at this pricepoint; and with a desk, small lounge and TV, you won’t go nuts if you’re holed up here for a few hours in bad weather. The bathroom is accessed from two different sides — one for shower, the other for toilet and basin (no tub).

Functional, but with a bit of style thrown in.

While the rooms do the job competently enough, the resort really shines when it comes to its gardens and beachfront location. Between the reception — topped with bamboo and solar panels — and a veggie patch boasting purple eggplants and various other goodies is flourishing. (It seems veggie patches are becoming a thing — Kali Manik has its own as well.)

Crunch-fresh veggies on the way.

A glassed-in joglo serves as the spa — 150,000 rupiah for a 60 minute massage, plus other treatments available — and finally you hit the circular restaurant and baby-blue pool, set on the black sands of Keramas and at a popular surf break.

No membership required.

If you don’t surf, plenty of activities are on offer to keep you distracted, such as snorkelling, scuba diving, quad biking and fishing trips, plus day trips to places like Nusa Lembongan.

The restaurant menu, offering a good range of international plus local dishes, is reasonably priced considering the quality and location, but quite a bit more than your average surfer warung. Cockails for instance are 80,000 rupiah baht (++) and a small Bintang 30,000 rupiah. A few sample dishes: chilli calamari 55,000 rupiah, prawn and mushroom pizza 150,000 rupiah and nasi campur 79,000 rupiah. That’s quite a pricey nasi campur, but it was excellent — a few skewers of squid, prawns, generous hunks of fish, green beans in coconut plus rice and crackers. A kids’ menu is available too.

Bit toned down, but delicious.

The current best room price is US$55 per night for a minimum of three nights’ stay. Extra cot is provided free of charge or they can make up the small sofa (not suited for older kids though).

The only downside we can see here really is that the rooms are too small to have kids past toddler age easily accommodated; you’d have to take two rooms and divide and conquer come bed time. Two-bedroom bungalows however are expected to be open by the end of the year, which solves this problem.

Even if you don’t want to stay here, though you have to do a bit of a loop on the highway to stop here if heading north, you could do worse than stopping here for lunch on say a Seminyak to Amed trip.

Check Agoda for a discounted online rate!

Komune Resort and Beach Club
Jalan Pantai Keramas, Gianyar, Bali
T: (0361) 301 8888
www.komuneresorts.com

Arrival at Kanawa.

Let’s start with the bad. Solely by accommodation standards, they are both overpriced. Both restaurants (and resorts for that matter) are ineptly managed — service is ludicrously slow and the dishes that arrive are often not what you ordered.

Arrival at Seraya.

Continuing with the bad, neither place has regular electricity (generally evening only) and neither resort offers fans in the bungalows. This means the rooms get brain boilingly hot. At both places at least one of us ended up sleeping in the hammock. Neither island appears to have natural water — it’s brought in by boat. If you’re one who likes to have hour-long showers, don’t be surprised by the surcharge for the water you hosed down the drain.

Neither resort has WiFi, ATMs or any other creature comforts. You’ll get a very patchy Telkomsel 3G signal on both.

Now that we’ve got that out of our system… on with the good.

The house reef at Kanawa.

The off-the-beach snorkelling on both islands, Kanawa in particular, is fabulous. Kanawa was in fact the best snorkelling (in our admittedly novice career span) that we’ve ever experienced. Critter-wise we saw sharks, turtles and sea snakes on both islands. Kanawa has a dive shop — Seraya does not.

Seraya’s house reef.

The beaches are beautiful. The sand is a slightly coarser grain on Seraya, but the main beaches on both these islands are pretty close to rustic A-grade in our opinion. Kanawa makes better use of shade trees, but some of the bungalows are back off the beach a little, while on Seraya, it’s a single row — every one is beachfront.

Typical Kanawa beach scene.

Off the beach, both islands have hilltop viewpoints. In Kanawa’s case the views, especially at sunset, really are just breathtaking and magical. Seraya doesn’t give you the height Kanawa does, but we loved it all the same. For those looking to see how the locals are living, Seraya has a fishing village on it, Kanawa doesn’t.

Seraya’s main beach. Not my legs.

Back to the restaurants — and we should note this reflects our experience in shoulder season (April 2013). Kanawa has a far broader menu than Seraya and the food is generally better — especially if you want Western stuff like pizza. That said, we had absolutely mouthwatering fish on Seraya. Seraya’s menu is extremely limited — like, do you want spaghetti or fried rice?

The new pier at Kanawa.

At both places, the prices did not strike us as unreasonable given the location. If you’re a picky eater who flips out when the Coke is warm and the salad comes after the ice cream, take our word for it, you do not want to visit either of these islands. Guests are encouraged to pre-order, but even that yielded poor dividends for us. This probably isn’t as big a deal for adults, but for those with kids, this can be trying. Drinks on the other hand are prompt and cold. Seraya’s booze range was very extensive, encompassing Bintang, Bintang and more Bintang, while Kanawa stretched to wine.

Seraya’s restaurant.

Activities is where Kanawa comes into its own. For starters they have a dive shop. Seraya doesn’t have one. Kanawa also runs daily trips to points of interest like Rinca, Komodo, Makassar Reef and so on. These are competitively priced and because the island is often busy, you’ll generally not have to wait around a day or two for the trip to go. On Seraya, it’s much more a case of roll your own. They list a range of trips on their board, but they go, well, whenever. We had a memorable conversation with the manager where we asked which was the better island to visit for snorkelling. The response: “I don’t know.” Useful. Their trips are, like Kanawa’s, well priced, but also bear in mind that you’re an extra hour away from Komodo here, which means an extra two hours on the boat.

One of Kanawa’s viewpoints.

Then there are the rooms. Kanawa has more options — camping, bale bales (basically shacks with four walls that can be rolled up with a mossie net and shared bathroom), old bungalows and new bungalows. Seraya on the other hand, has camping (high season only) and a bunch of rustic huts — hammocks extra and string-up-yourself. There were some solid looking chalets, but they weren’t open for business when we visited.

Walking out to the point on Seraya.

As already mentioned, the lack of electricity and a fan means the rooms on both islands get very, very hot at night. This actually makes the bale bales on Kanawa a tempting deal — if you’re happy with shared facilities, they’re the best pick. Kanawa’s newer bungalows have a daybed out front and are absolutely worth the extra money. Kanawa has the better bathrooms. Seraya is saltwater bucket for flushing (you fill your own bucket out of the ocean) while at Kanawa it’s all piped in, but the fresh water is rationed at both. Bathrooms at each have open ceilings.

Bale bales at Kanawa.

The vibe at Kanawa is much more activities based. It was humming with people, even in April, and there were always things happening — people snorkelling, coming and going, dive classes, kids running around, punters waiting in the restaurant and so on. Seraya is MUCH more chilled out. Guests walk down to the water’s edge to fill the bathroom bucket with seawater, then maybe lay in a hammock for a while.

Bungalows at Seraya.

For us, each has a distinct appeal. We love the accessibility of the tours on Kanawa and the food (when it arrived and was correct) is good. Staff are also sociable and helpful. If you want to do stuff and meet people, this is a good option.

At Seraya, staff are not unfriendly, but they’re just not very interested in helping you enjoy your trip more — but we kind of liked that. It’s very much a DIY kind of place — want to lay in the hammock all day? Do it. It reminded us a lot of one of the old cheap rundown joints that used to exist in Thailand.

Kanawa lightshow.

For many a choice will come down to price. If you’re on a tight budget, Seraya has the edge, with bungalows going for 260,000 rupiah in low season and 300,000 rupiah during high. On Kanawa you’re looking at 175,000 to camp, 200,000 for a bale bale, 450,000 for an old bungalow and 550,000 for a new bungalow. Yes, you read that right — 550,000 rupiah for a cold water beach bungalow with no fan and limited electricity.

Good morning, Seraya.

If you’re happy with shared bathrooms and want a more social vibe, go for a bale bale on Kanawa. If you want your own (admittedly grotty) bathroom and can’t afford 450,000, then head to Seraya.

A final word: we stayed at both these in April 2013, and April is shoulder season for Flores. Kanawa was full — we had to change rooms three times in five nights. Seraya was almost empty — three rooms were taken. But the staff at Seraya said that in July and August (peak season) they have 80 people staying there, many camping on the beach. We’d imagine high season on either island to be an extremely different experience to the one we had — frankly, we’d skip it and go next April.

More information
Kanawa Island
T: (0385) 41 252, (0857) 3850 6180
http://www.kanawaresort.com/

Seraya Island
T: (0813) 3949 5244
http://www.serayaisland.com/

Now that’s a cucumber salad.

Part of what blew us away here was we were expecting perhaps a standard nasi goreng for dinner and some fried eggs on toast for breakfast; instead we were greeted with a lengthy menu boasting many ingredients sourced from their own veggie and fruit patch out the back in dishes that sounded so delicious I had to read half of it out loud to Mr Travelfish.

Mmmm, butter garlic sauce.

Dishes run the gamut of Western and Asian options, but whereas in most restaurants this means nothing is done well, here it really is all scrumptious. The common starting point for the meals simply seems to be fresh, usually local produce. Pop out the back and have a look at what you’re eating! It’s the start of the dry season now, so the garden had just been replanted, but we saw eggplants, zucchini, beautiful rosella bushes, various herbs, leeks, papayas, bananas, rucola, lettuce and more. There’s a reason your salad is so crisp.

Natural and fresh rosella kisses.

I kicked off on arrival with a cashew nut curry, served with steamed rice, roti, chickpea and cashew nut patties and cucumber salad with yoghurt, mint, cinnamon and raisins. It was a full-on mini-banquet of a meal, richly spiced and balanced, and at 68,000 rupiah, a steal.

Kid’s burger with the lot.

Mr Travelfish had the crispy fried sardines with garlic butter — a pool of it — plus pommes au beurre and tomato salad with balsamic vinaigrette (also 68,000 rupiah).

He was a handsome rooster.

Coq au vin is one of those if-it’s-on-the-menu-he’ll-order-it dishes, and order it here Mr Travelfish did. It was perhaps a touch dry, but came in an exquisite red wine sauce, with mushrooms and bacon, plus creamy mashed potato, garlic ice cream — correct! — and green beans sprinkled with toasted almonds (88,000 rupiah). I had a seafood stew that I was hoping would be richer and yummier than its simple description — and it was.

Chickpeas for brekkie — why not?

There’s a kids’ menu, but parents will be delighted to find it’s a real food menu — yes, there’s spag bol on there, but it’s a proper bolaignese sauce. The burger (42,000 rupiah) is worthy of an adult’s attention, too.

Chicken sambo for brekkie — ditto!

Included breakfasts are imaginative. We had the Indian, which was a chickpea curry with a generous dollop of yoghurt, plus pineapple chutney and a roti, as well as an open chicken sandwich and a black rice pudding.

Sesame seared slices of tuna, tomato and lettuce with lemon and ginger vinaigrette, served with toast. 42,000 rupiah.

We had to stay for lunch before we left. The tuna salad was perhaps the only dish we thought came close to missing its mark, being just a touch too dry, though the salad leaves were crisp only the way leaves just picked can be. My bacon sandwich was incredible — house-made break, bacon, warmed Brie, toasted almonds, and a pepper rosella sauce drizzled on top (44,000 rupiah). I’ll never look at a bacon sandwich the same way again.

The new bacon sandwich bar setter.

Mr Travelfish had baked eggplants on tomato sauce, filled with minced goat meat, topped with cheese, served with preserved lime and raison couscous, plus a spinach, bean and cashew nut salad drenched in a thick yoghurt dressing (78,000 rupiah). Oh my.

Sadly, no belly dancers.

Ice creams are house-made as well — we tried the tamarillo and chocolate, both thick and luscious. Alcohol is very affordable for Bali — 38,000 for a gin and tonic. Alas, they were out of tonic — and a few other things, but not so many as to be unreasonable — so we went for a mojito, sipped from one of the bales off the beach during sunset. A bottle of Two Islands chardonnary was around 250,000 rupiah.

The sunset to endure this food by.

In summary, Kali Manik would do brilliantly down south — to stumble on food like this up north is incredible luck, and worthy of chasing for a gourmet stop on your trip to Bali.

Kali Manik Eco Resort
6km west of Seririt, North Bali
http://www.bali-eco-resort.com

Our guide Hero on the lookout for beasties.

Established in 1980, Komodo National Park encompasses the three main islands of Komodo, Rinca and Padar along with dozens of smaller islands, islets and barren rocks. Originally set up to protect the Komodo dragon, over time it was expanded to include what lies beneath and it is now a massive terrestrial and marine national park encompassing almost 2,000 square kilometres.

While you can visit the park on a tour out of Labuan Bajo or as a stop on the Lombok to Flores liveaboard trips, we decided to visit from Kanawa Island, which sits just outside the park boundary.

Calm calm oh so smooth.

Price varies depending on number of passengers (kids are free). With ourselves and two Singaporean travellers the trip cost 350,000 rupiah each for what turned out to be a very full — and very enjoyable — day. Here’s how the day unfolded.

Amazing visibility.

Kickoff was at 07:30 so we boarded the beanbag-filled boat and off we motored. First spot was Batu Bolong about 1.5 hours away. This early the water was silky smooth and so clear we could at times see the bottom some 20 metres below.

One of the advantages of doing the trip from Kanawa is that you get a head-start on the trips out of Labuan Bajo, so we were the first to arrive at Batu Bolong — seeing a turtle just as we pulled to. The pierced stone outcrop is tiny but it has a good drop off and plenty of coral and fish. Later a dive boat arrived and we snorkelled over the divers as they slowly sunk in a stream of bubbles below us.

Snorkelling Batu Bolong.

The next stop, Makassar Reef — better known as Manta Point — turned out to be the highlight of the trip. As you might guess, Manta Point is known for its manta rays, and as we reached the starting point our guide Hero looked over the side and saw two — they glided under us as we rushed to get the flippers on.

I’d like a holiday house here please.

Makassar Reef is a drift snorkel thanks to the strong current — the boat just glides along with you — but after the initial spotting we didn’t see any for perhaps 20 minutes. Then, just as we’d returned to the boat, another appeared so we swam off after that one; it was joined by another, and the two neatly chased each other’s tails in circles — magic.

From here it was a long motor to reach the Komodo dragons part of the trip. As you go further into the park the landscape becomes even more magical and wild. Soaring peaks, white beaches, bubbling currents and crystal waters — really!

Meet and greet – not meet and eat.

Arriving at Loh Liang, we walked down the pier and the first thing we saw, basking right by the entrance, was a Komodo dragon. The park has three main trails you can do — the short, medium and long. We opted for the Short Trail as our six and four year old would have struggled with the medium, but the Singaporeans agreed to give it a try and report back.

Just a walk in the woods.

The walk was very easy, through some light forest and to a water hole where there were two dragons laying around. To imagine them racing across the opening to kill a deer was really a bit difficult to imagine — but they’re apparently quite quick — another Travelfish.org writer was chased by one on Rinca a week after our visit.

Pet please.

The trails diverge at the waterhole with ours looping back to the restaurant (where there were another five dragons) while the Singaporean’s trail included a scenic viewpoint, though they didn’t see any more dragons till they also reached the restaurant. They hang around the restaurant area for food scraps — but there are plenty of deer (a main food source) within snacking distance.

Dragon snacks.

Back on the boat, and we were off to retrace our route to stop at Pink Beach, so called because the sand is pink. You don’t really notice it till you are close, but among the millions of white grains are flecks of red, giving the shore where the waves lap a soft pink hue. The real attraction though is the snorkelling, with plenty of coral and fish.

Late light at Mesa.

On a whim, next the crew decided to stop at Mesa Island, a Bugis fishing village on the way home. The boat captain was from here and showed us around. The village is interesting both for its boat building and traditional houses, as well as the warm smiles and hellos we got as we wandered through. We pulled away with the sun sinking low and the mosque’s call to prayer ramping up.

The sun sets on another great day.

Under an hour later we’re back in the restaurant at Kanawa looking at underwater video of us snorkelling with manta rays and eyeing off Komodo dragons. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

How could you not want to head inside?

Go on, you walk past the above and try to not go inside! It’s a riot of ebullient, joyful colour, outside and in. Mexican in Bali? Sounds like a stretch, and it’s a long way from a rijsttafel with gamelan playing in the background, but somehow Motel Mexicola manages to capture an essence that Bali and Mexico share: a love of playfulness, a sensual spirituality, a chilled kind of attitude that says, “Bring it! Two tacos and two shaken margaritas!”

Bali, meet Mexico.

Pull up a comfortable seat outside for a drink and taco earlier in the day, when the menu, at least for now, is very short and sweet — basically booze and tacos.

Evenings, head inside to a large courtyard area — sit at one of the bars, on a sprawling lounge, in one of the clusters of chairs… The creative space feels like it’s been set up for a big, friendly party. In a week or two a more formal dining area is set to open, with an extended menu, one of the managers, Adrian, told us on our first visit when he introduced himself while working the floor.

Two of those and one of those and one of those.

Over that night and the next afternoon, we tried the pork, chicken and prawn tempura tacos, served on white corn tortillas (17,500 rupiah each, all prices +15%). They’re light, flavourful and delicately prepared –  it’s a serious step above just cheap and cheerful Mexican. Two chilli sauces are served bottled on the side; the red will make you cry, it is that good.

Thank you. For tacos. And tequila.

Margaritas are good (79,000 rupiah) but forget about silly glasses — so 2012! — and come in no-nonsense plastic tumblers edged with salt. Maybe a little heavy on the ice, but that’s alcohol in Bali, and prices are competitive for the area (Ku De Ta is just down the road, after all).

Did we mention this place is photogenic?

We also tried the quesadilla with chicken and cheese (50,000 rupiah) and a few tostada (3 for 29,000 rupiah), simple, solid fare better than just for drinking with. We didn’t wade into the marinated raw seafood or heavier mains, like pork ribs and jumbo prawns, and look forward to seeing the more comprehensive menu when it’s out.

Put your feet up and watch it all go by.

Make sure you have a wander around the whole, rambling, almost ramshackle premises — there are shrines and fountains and potplants and decorative touches everywhere worth having a look at. It’s a bit of a treasure hunt, really.

All of Bali’s fake flowers, in one convenient location.

Mexican seems to be having a bit of a moment in Bali, but Motel Mexicola is the most ambitious and grandest place to have opened to date. If you’re staying in Seminyak, you really must try it. It’s not beachfront, but eating in Bali has become so much more than just beach and mountain views now.

Well colour me crazy.

Lacalaca around on Drupadi is another solid, fun choice worth checking out; and if you just want something simple, Taco Casa on Jalan Petitenget serves up fresh, healthy greatest Mexican hits as well. And don’t forget Sea Circus, just around the corner from Motel, which isn’t just Mexican, but does a mean margarita and some great Mexican stuff too.

Motel Mexicola
Jalan Kayu Jati, No. 9X, Petitenget Beach (behind the temple, opposite Bodyworks)
T: (0361) 736688
Open daily 11:00-01:00
motelmexicolabali.com