Step out of your hotel and turn your watch back 30 years as you are surrounded by village life, some of it unchanged in a century. This is what Kuta was like in the 70's. Rise early and you will be treated to a colourful sunrise giving a dramatic view of the jagged peaks of Lombok Island. Interested to also visit Lombok Island, you can reach the island via Padangbai Harbour.

Amed is also a great place to explore the area being only 20 minutes from Tulamben and the wreck of the USS Liberty, torpedoed off Lombok in 1942, and 30 from the sleepy capital of the Regency, Amlapura.

Take the coast road, one of the most spectacular in Bali and return by the backroads with giant bamboo forming an archway overhead. Unforgettable. Trek up the river valleys, swim accross the bay or just kick back with a good book in one of the most peacefull places in Bali.

Amed has the usual range of accommodation from backpacker to boutique hotel with most enjoying tranquil sea and dramatic mountain views. There are many local eateries serving similiar fairly ordinary food and a few stylish restaurants, mainly within boutique hotels, with different menus and good to excellent food.