In Reply to: Candidasa posted by Valerie on Thursday, 8. February 2007 at 09:32 Bali Time:
I haven't stayed at Shangrila, but am familiar with it, having eaten there and been to a great birthday party one time of a Shangrila guest.
A small, classy place. Very comfortable. On a clean, white sand beach, which is unusual for Candidasa. A live coral reef with plenty of fish just off the beach. Good low key snorkeling.
A few minutes pleasant walk from the North end of Candidasa main street. Down a narrow sealed road past Legends Cafe, through coconut and banana groves, to a little farming/fishing village. This village, a few minutes past Shangrila, has one warung, Warung Pini, owned by the delightful Wayan. And one shop for water, Bintang etc, very obliging, if they're shut go around the back and they'll open up just for you. And a great walk out to a headland.
Candidasa is about 2/3 hours drive from Kuta, much of the way along the relatively new South Coast highway. Reasonably fast, except for rush times, or if you get stuck behind trucks.
Candidasa has an adequate supermarket/dept store and a number of money changers, who I have found to be honest. Plenty of places to eat, ranging from very reasonable to a bit pricy. Two or three of the restaurants have music on non-conflicting nights, generally pleasant and not too loud.
Handy base for visiting Padang Bai, Amed [with Tirtagangga and Amlapura on the way], and Tenganan traditional Bali Aga village. I can recommend a good driver, Wayan Manek [Nick] ph 081 8353501. And a good guide for Tenganan, Komang Mardika, who is probably working in one of the Candidasa restaurants as a waiter.