Hi, all
I've just returned from Bali and want to say a few words about seafood café/restaurants in Jimbaran village, located on the beach on the left side from Intercontinental Hotel.
We had dinners with my wife there almost every evening.
Seafood is really very tasty there. Prices are really much cheaper than in other places of Bali.
But what I noticed with surprise and some disappointment.
Most of the tourists check the prices in one of the first cafés... and then go farther along the beach.
I think their logic is as simple as that - to compare the prices in the rest of cafes. When realize that the prices are almost the same - they finally stop for dinner much further, and not come back.
As a result - cafes in the middle are always overcrowded, but first cafes sometimes have very few clients in the evening.
I asked local personnel - why? They explained that some café in the middle - have good advertisement by travel agents, who recommend tourists to visit exact café in the row.
To be honest - I stupidly did the same the first evening.
People. Don't repeat my mistake. Don't waste your time! Don't pass first cafes.
Believe me - the beach is the same. The sunset is the same. The quality of food is the same. As well as the prices!!!! Everywhere! Plus/minus 10 Rupiah/kilo of lobsters, prawns, squids or fish. ( that is less then 1 US$).
One of the waiters told me that the first 3-4 cafes in the row - belong to families of local fishermen and they exist on the beach already more than 8 years. The rest joined them much later.
By the way, those who are interested in fishing but don't want to overpay to tourist agents - you can follow my example. I found a local fisherman on the beach ( 500m to the right from the Hotel, he was cleaning the net near his fishing boat) and asked him to take me with my wife to the fishing on his local boat next morning. His name is Roma. The price was quite appropriate - about 50 US$ per 2 persons - and you enjoy bottom and/or trolling fishing for 5-6 hours. From the morning till the lunch time. During the fishing he told me that one of the first cafés on the beach belongs to his family. The name of café is "Roma Café" (the third in the row).
After the fishing we gave several fishes to this café stuff and in the evening we tasted different fishes which we caught ourselves - grilled and fried. Wonderful taste! And it cost us nothing! They prepared the meals for free! Unbelievable! The dinner cost was 2 bottles of beer!
So, to make my long story short - let me summarize. Don't waste your time to pass the first cafes on the beach and search those which you've read about in the booklets for tourists.
Just stop in one of the first cafes (for example - "Roma Café"), and you'll enjoy your dinner... For sure!
These (one of the first) cafes from the Hotel's side are the following: "Roma Café" and "Mama Donny Café". The waiters are very friendly (as anywhere else). The food is perfect (as anywhere else). The prices are reasonable (as anywhere else).
The wonderful dinned is guaranteed! So, why to go anywhere else?
I promised to write a few words about these cafes - and I did it.
Now it's your turn, dear tourists - to check my words.
Sergei from Moscow.