Bali has become a victim of it’s own success in many ways, with gridlocked roads and a poor waste and recycling infrastructure to cope with the millions of tourists who visit each year. The main resort towns of Kuta and Seminyak are dominated by large hotels, with Sanur and Canggu aiming to be smaller family friendly locations, and Ubud just about clinging to it’s yoga charm and vibe. But there are still parts of Bali that are less explored and have so much to offer. We decided to venture to the east coast for a long weekend, spending a night in Sideman before moving to Amed for 2 nights and we would recommend these locations to any families visit who want to see what Bali was like before all the crowds arrived!

Sideman

Sideman is a small sleepy town in the hills, half way between Ubud and Amed, making it a great place to stop and explore if you are heading to the East coast town for a stay. The town lies at the top of a very windy and steep hill, so perhaps not recommended for moped travels, and it consists of two main roads with small homestays, restaurants and small shops. The landscape here is simple - it’s green and beautiful. Our view from our little homestay (Abian Dauh) was one of lush green vegetation that clung to the hillside, and then rice terraces and gardens lying at the base. Roads are more rustic and it’s worthwhile noting that Grab and Gojek don’t exist here so either expect to walk (the distances aren’t far but it is very hilly) or hire a moped for 70k/£3.50 a day - driving a moped here is very easy due to the quiet roads!

Food and drink and activities are generally cheaper here as well, with most main courses costing between 20k-60k/£1k-£3, for local and western food. Accommodation is similarly cheaper with our homestay costing less than 400k/£20 per night including breakfast.

There is not a list of 50 things to do in Sideman, rather it’s a town to explore at leisure soaking up the calmer way of life. In our 24 hours here we took some time to divide and conquer the kids and the things to do.

Full body traditional Balinese massages - 150k/£6. The spa we visited (Tini’s spa) looked over the valley which was a stunning backdrop and the cup of ginger tea at the end was a very nice touch. The massage was strong in terms of pressure but you could ask them to ease off a little if needs be. It started with a lovely footbath as well before the kneeding and prodding began! There are definitely not as many spas in Sideman as in other parts of Bali, but there remains a good choice and availability.

Silver making workshop at Pande Silver making - 300k each/£15 which included the silver metal. This was definitely suitable for older kids and Alicia really enjoyed herself and is delighted to have a ring that she made herself. The company who we booked with here all really friendly and helpful and we would recommend them any time. They guide you through the whole process in around 2 hours and will get as involved as is needed to ensure you have a lovely piece of jewellery to take home.

Rice terrace trek - on the outskirts of Sideman, aptly named Sideman rice terrace trek, there is a 3km trail through the greenery - and it’s not only rice terraces but rather allotment style with chillis and runner beans being the main crop grown, and the locals are working their fields whilst you walk past. Nyle thoroughly enjoyed looking out for bugs, wandering along the paddy-streams, exploring the gardens and following the signs. The whole trek was flat and whilst not suitable for pushchairs, it was find for little legs and we finished it in around 90 minutes even with taking our time. We did pass some local families washing themselves in the streams which took a bit of explaining to Nyle, but that’s all part of the education! The fee for the rice terrace trek was 25k/£1.25.

We did enjoy dinner at Nana’s which was delicious and we opted for here to use the pool whilst eating - unfortunately the rain put a stop to those plans, but if you need a dip in a pool during your stay in Sideman then this restaurant offers use for free as long as you eat there - and the food was very good! They also even had a couple of games of jenga for the kids to play with whilst waiting for food.

Other things to do in Sideman if you did have longer include weaving workshops, more hikes and treks and even using it as a base to climb Mount Batur or Agung!

amed

Travelling just over an hour from Sideman to the East coast town of Amed is a must do. We really wished we had longer in this sleepy town, especially since we lost a day with Nyle getting the first sickness big of the trip. Amed lies at the base of the volcano Agung and must be what bali was like before the tourists arrived en mass to Bali. There is one long road that has guest houses, restaurants and bars on either side and runs from one end of town to the other. The beach is black sand with volcanic rocks and stones (take water / aqua shoes) but the sea is crystal clear and this makes it a haven for snorkelling and diving. The town has a real diver feel about it with lots of diving centres offering Padi certs or day trips. Our first glimpse of the beach was at sunset and the sun was setting behind the volcano at around 6pm (a bit earlier than other parts of Bali) which gave a very impressive back drop.

We booked ourselves into a guest house, Ghamed Sari with a pool which turned out to be very handy with Nyle being under the weather, but it was also only a 2 minute walk to the main stretch of beach, Amed beach. The hotel was very clean, comfortable and the food they offered was great quality and price - breakfast was included but we also had drinks and food around the pool.

Our time in Amed, when not spent around the pool or in a hotel room, was spent snorkelling. The sea is so calm and so really ideal for children and both of our two enjoyed spotting all the fish and coral. There is snorkelling gear available from all along the beach, including life jackets, and costs around 50k / £2.50. Within 10-20 metres of the beach there is plenty to look at, including fish that I had never before seen and if you are lucky - we weren’t - there are turtles to be found. Warung Bobo provides the best snorkelling area on Amed beach and there is a shop next door which rent out glass bottom kayaks (100k/£5) and Stand up paddleboards (150k/£7.50) by the hour between Tuesday and Sunday. The food at Warung Bobo is also very good, arrives super quickly, and do great cocktails for enjoying a drink at sunset!

If you hire a moped (no Grab/Gojek again) then a 5 minute ride further along the coast brings you to a small bay where the snorkelling is even more amazing as the reef and coral is more prevalent here. The other bonus here is that there is a small hindu temple to be found under the water - this is located around half way along the bay - and it’s not something you see every day! From both Amed beach and the next bay, there are plenty of snorkelling trips available to book or even local boats to hire where the going rate seemed to be around 200k/£10 per person, or 400k/£16 respectively.

Further down the coast there is also a Japanese ship wreck which is only 30m from the coast and may be of interest for older kids or if you want to do a wreck dive but we ran out of time and so will have to save it for next time. We definitely wished we had longer in Amed and would encourage any families visiting Bali to escape the usual towns and explore this less well known but beautiful spot.

Both Sideman and Amed offer taxi services to other parts of Bali, but with Grab and Gojek not being used, you will pay more. The return journey from Amed to Ubud, which took nearly 3 hours, was 550k/£27.50.