Land camps

Yes you do run the risk of lack of swell, but on the flip side if you get waves it shouldn't be too crowded...id stick to the playground area that time of year been a lot of W-NW winds this year and if the swells small and winds from the west you still have options.

Thanks Indo.

Always worth the risk of less crowds. Any suggestions from those who have been up there?

Been doing some reading on this thread to pick up some tips as its the same sort of scenario. Wanting to go on a surf trip with the girlfriend, who doesnt surf much. She isnt super keen on just lounging about in the pool either. Doesnt need luxury really just some other exploring to do if thats local villages, bushwalks etc..
We've done pretty good keeping both happy with previous trips to Mex, Sri Lanka, Puerto Rico, Mozambique etc. In Moz we both took a scuba license. So thats been good to give an activity for the missus if that exists.

Ive been looking round for a place in Indo with surf and scuba.. and in Mentawais it seems Aloita is the only place that offers both. and thats pretty xxpensive to stay there!
Ive seen some mention of Scuba possibilities on Simeulue but not a whole lot of info. Anybody know anything about that? Or other places in Indo that arent crazy expensive? Or am i dreaming??

Yeah with waves and scuba diving outside of the Bali, Nusa lembongan, Gili islands area.

All surf camp/resorts that offer scuba diving i know of (which isn't many at all) are expensive.

BTW. I should aim to update this list, its absolutely scary and crazy the amount of new surf camps/resorts/losmens in Indonesia especially Sumatra that have opened in the last few years.

I was in the bay of plenty in late 2015 and all the land camps were abandoned & over run by a couple of wild dogs. They barked at us out in the surf at gunturs non stop all day long every day as we were on a charter and never had to go ashore. The over-water surfhut place looked basic but I guess it would get you into the waves. Hard to believe there's so many camps around now. I thought the airport in Medan was probably better than a few around Australia. Nias was a laugh tho.

@Indo. Thanks. yeah thats the impression i was getting. Was sort of hoping to go a bit further afield but might have to be Bali, Gili etc...

I contacted the guy at the Casarina place on Simeulue to ask if there was anything around there. I saw the neighbouring MahiMahi place mentions it on their site but doesnt have much detail.

Also found some place for diving in Banyaks that isnt too expensive. Just no surfing that side. Trying to put all the logistics together!

Anyone know if there are any homestay level accomm near telescopes? Possible to paddle out to the break? or best to hire local boat? Thanks

Heaps in the area get of the ferry at Tua Pijat wait for the crowd to bugger off and ask around, for a fash one try Arthur Homestay, Barnabas is a good guy you can find him on facebook as Arthur Homestay.

You can walk and paddle Tele's but ask around someone will run you out for a price there are also a couple of expats in the area.

Excellent, thanks for the info I Focus.

Scary how fast that area has changed in the last ten years, so many camps/resorts/losmens and bule buying up land all over the place building places.

BTW. I saw the fast ferry is not operating between 15-17 June so expect more people on other ferrys if they are going around this period.

BTW. @ I Focus is Mama still there near the beach?....she does a great feed.

Hey ID certainly more foreigners moving in two new camps on Arewa maybe a 3rd and some residences I guess when you look at the beauty of the area plus quality waves I find it a bit surprising there hasn't been more development.

People like yourself have seen it at its best crowd wise but I don't begrudge the extra numbers the local communities have certainly seen an improvement in health outcomes and a small lift in income as a result.

Don't know Mumma actually haven't set foot on land at Mapaddegat bay it is on my list one day I usually slum it at Aloita :-).

I have taken the wife last 4 trips (hence Aloita) but the ferry ride home broke her last trip (not to mention nearly getting bitten by a sea snake, monster spider in the room, sand fly, mossies) actually the ferry trip before didn't go so well either haha any way on my own this year really unsure what I'll do.

You would have run into Cann at some time around the area?

I remember when there was no real buildings on Awera just local coconut huts i camped out with the builders at the first place Awera Island surf camp when it was half built no walls just a roof.

Just adding them up there is about 13 separately owned places now i know off (few hidden from beach) about ten of those take guest in some way, funnily i think technically the island is actually suppose to be like a reserve or something my friend who owns a place there tried to get the land officially surveyed and put onto proper tittle with the BPN (lands office) and they wouldn't do it.

Cann or is it Khan? I don't know him that well but i have met him a few times and been to his place with another expat friend that lives in the area and had a few bintangs, seems to live the dream and has a few stories to tell.

Id expect Mama is still there, she has a place just near the beach and cooks the best authentic Indonesian food, Mapadaget is actually a real nice village has a nice vibe to it, if you haven't already if you grab a motorbike and go exploring from Tua Pajet id reckon you would be blow away the road is now like a concrete highway most likely all the way to Sioban now, that whole areas growth has been crazy, there is so much out the back there even spotted a solar power farm with hundreds of panels last time i was there.

I'm once again thinking about heading to the ments. Hopefully going to spend a month there in october. I'm think october should be fairly decent with better winds and less crowds. Is it fairly easy to just show up at Nyang Nyang and find local losmen? I found some cheaper camps but they all seem to include boat trips etc which i don't really care about. I'd be travelling solo, would be pretty happy to just surf the 5 waves on that island, walking between breaks is fine for me, and then taking the odd trip to Kandui or other local waves by boat with others when appropriate/possible.
Then maybe down to the Lances area as well. It looks like there is ferries that run to that area from where the fast ferry drops you. I know there are cheap places there too from my research.

October will still be pretty busy. And the winds aren't like bali. You get periods of south/east and north/west winds and everything in between throughout the season regardless of the month.

Thanks eel.

So there's all this chat about fairly pricey surf camps on Simeulue which leaves me wondering are there any cheaper losmen/homestays ? On a fairly tight budget

Thought I might bring this one up again......Im looking for somewhere I can take the family and everyone will be happy.......criteria is:
I am able to surf close to the resort so I'm not out half/all day each day
Snorkelling from the beach in front of or near the resort (bonus if scuba diving is available)
Other activities such as SUP, kayak, fishing for family and yoga/massages for wifey
doesnt have to be super budget but also not super expensive

Any Ideas????

kooklife wrote:

Thought I might bring this one up again......Im looking for somewhere I can take the family and everyone will be happy.......criteria is:
I am able to surf close to the resort so I'm not out half/all day each day
Snorkelling from the beach in front of or near the resort (bonus if scuba diving is available)
Other activities such as SUP, kayak, fishing for family and yoga/massages for wifey
doesnt have to be super budget but also not super expensive

Any Ideas????

An obvious one is lembongan, ticks all the boxes you have mentioned, waves are crowded unless it’s pumping. Has a large range of affordable accommodation, plenty of yoga and snorkeling + world class diving. You can also charter a boat and go surf along the east coast of Bali or deserts for the day . Time of year is relevant for water quality . https://tarcilembongan.com/

kooklife wrote:

Thought I might bring this one up again......Im looking for somewhere I can take the family and everyone will be happy.......criteria is:
I am able to surf close to the resort so I'm not out half/all day each day
Snorkelling from the beach in front of or near the resort (bonus if scuba diving is available)
Other activities such as SUP, kayak, fishing for family and yoga/massages for wifey
doesnt have to be super budget but also not super expensive

Any Ideas????

Lohi's in the Maldives ticks all those boxes too

Kandooma in Maldives too

Plantation Is Fiji

https://www.comohotels.com/fiji/como-laucala-island

https://reservations.comohotels.com/?Start=AvailResults&adult=2&api_pass...

haha udo, as soon as I saw it was a COMO mega bucks, didn't need to check the room rates after seeing its 500US for a half day surfing

Its Sprout's shout since he posted it :)

Yeah thanks guys for the suggestions so far......
@Supafreak Lembongan is definitely a pssibility, I haven't been there in almost 20 years so I'm sure a lot has changed....do you know if you can snorkel from the beach or do you need to use boats?
@Maddog unfortunately Lohis is out of our budget but Kandooma is on the list for review haha
@Fitzroy we went to Plantation Is last year and it was absolutely epic, just looking for a change this time

And yeah boys Como is only an option if we win the lottery, and even then I'm not sure I could sleep at night paying those prices haha

@kooklife , you can snorkel of the beach but the main lagoon doesn’t really have much coral. You could head over to laceration and snorkel there or go off the beach at the mangroves. The mangroves is a very popular drift dive where at 18 mtrs you can fly along a 7 knots ( for experienced divers only ) up on top at snorkeling depth is pretty good and you can do a lazy drift for 1-2 kilometres. I highly recommend the wall on nusa penida for a snorkel . Also worth checking out is a snorkel with mantas on penida which is extremely popular . Plenty of footage on YouTube. The main lagoon is a hive of activity for seaweed farmers but there’s plenty of room for stand up paddling and canoeing. Prices have gone up like everywhere and snorkeling was once $15 is now more like $25 ( this is with a boat taking you to various spots for about 3 hours ) accommodation is anything from $10 a night to $6000 . The link I sent Tarci bungalows is directly in front of surf break about 300 mtrs out and rooms are $35 -$50 a night for a double and single bed , hot water and air con . Best to book directly through them as Agoda and booking.com take about 20% plenty to do with family activities and there’s a huge range of different places to eat . Agus the owner of Tarci is a yoga teacher and one of the nicest blokes you could ever meet .

kooklife wrote:

Yeah thanks guys for the suggestions so far......
@Supafreak Lembongan is definitely a pssibility, I haven't been there in almost 20 years so I'm sure a lot has changed....do you know if you can snorkel from the beach or do you need to use boats?
@Maddog unfortunately Lohis is out of our budget but Kandooma is on the list for review haha
@Fitzroy we went to Plantation Is last year and it was absolutely epic, just looking for a change this time

And yeah boys Como is only an option if we win the lottery, and even then I'm not sure I could sleep at night paying those prices haha

Kooklife I have a family trip to Plantation happening this year.
You had a good time?
Would you mind sharing a few of your opinions on do’s/don’ts?
Pros/cons
Cheers

GF,if you're going with the family, they should all have a great time. Plenty for everyone to do. Kids are kept entertained, Mrs can relax and get spoilt and you got epic waves at you finger tips (short boat trip). It was 10 years ago when we went, looking at the pictures, it looks like it's had a facelift.

Thanks fitz. Yep the whole gang is going.
Sounds epic. Reading the reviews on their fb page it sounds like a good time.
Just remembered this is the Bali page and don’t want to hijack it so I won’t go on about Fiji.
Cheers fitz

No worries seaslug I'll get the 3br residence then, I can only afford 2 weeks though... Last I stayed at Maqai "Eco" Resort, Laucala would ferry people to the surf on Red Bull Jetskis. I'd want a 40ft cat for those prices. Some of the staff at Maqai used to work at Laucala and said it was no eye contact, don't talk to the guests etc. The locals are one of the best things about Fiji.

goofyfoot wrote:

Thanks fitz. Yep the whole gang is going.
Sounds epic. Reading the reviews on their fb page it sounds like a good time.
Just remembered this is the Bali page and don’t want to hijack it so I won’t go on about Fiji.
Cheers fitz

Don’t worry about hijacking this thread I personally would love to hear about places other than indo . I’ve always wanted to go to fiji but find indo very convenient and once upon a time cheap . What sought of budget is needed for a month at plantation plus airfares ?

I think it was about 8 grand for 10 days including airfares for 4 of us.
That’s for beach front bungalow accom.
There were ones a bit cheaper back from the beach.
And that doesn’t include my boat trips out to cloudbreak every morning, so add almost another grand I think. About $100 each day I think?

goofyfoot wrote:

I think it was about 8 grand for 10 days including airfares for 4 of us.
That’s for beach front bungalow accom.
There were ones a bit cheaper back from the beach.
And that doesn’t include my boat trips out to cloudbreak every morning, so add almost another grand I think. About $100 each day I think?

Thanks GF , hope ya score . Fishing is pretty awesome there too from what I’ve seen on YouTube

Fishing looks insane!

Supafreak wrote:

@kooklife , you can snorkel of the beach but the main lagoon doesn’t really have much coral. You could head over to laceration and snorkel there or go off the beach at the mangroves. The mangroves is a very popular drift dive where at 18 mtrs you can fly along a 7 knots ( for experienced divers only ) up on top at snorkeling depth is pretty good and you can do a lazy drift for 1-2 kilometres. I highly recommend the wall on nusa penida for a snorkel . Also worth checking out is a snorkel with mantas on penida which is extremely popular . Plenty of footage on YouTube. The main lagoon is a hive of activity for seaweed farmers but there’s plenty of room for stand up paddling and canoeing. Prices have gone up like everywhere and snorkeling was once $15 is now more like $25 ( this is with a boat taking you to various spots for about 3 hours ) accommodation is anything from $10 a night to $6000 . The link I sent Tarci bungalows is directly in front of surf break about 300 mtrs out and rooms are $35 -$50 a night for a double and single bed , hot water and air con . Best to book directly through them as Agoda and booking.com take about 20% plenty to do with family activities and there’s a huge range of different places to eat . Agus the owner of Tarci is a yoga teacher and one of the nicest blokes you could ever meet .

Mate thanks for all that info......you've made it sound super appealing

@Goofyfoot
You guys are gonna love it there. There is great snorkeling in front of the resort but if the kids are up for it I definitely recommend doing a couple of boat trips to other reefs, the snorkeling is world class. You can also kayak, SUP and take out hobie cats in the lagoon. They had an inflatable waterpark too which my kids (8 and 10)spent hours on. The kids club is pretty good but my kids weren't that interested so they cherry picked which activities they wanted to attend, they have a program advertised and you can come and go as you please. Every night they play a movie for the kids which is a nice time for the adults to have a quiet drink.
Surfing wise the resort has surf trips for about $120FJD ($80aus), one morning and one arvo and you get about 3hrs surf time at cloudbreak or wherever you decide to surf. Leaving at about 6 am you are back in time for late breaky at the restaurant I met some guys who had organised a boat from the village which was marginally cheaper and if there are a few of you it may be better but I just went with the resort boat and it was fine. The food at the buffet restaurant was good and the Tavola restaurant was also very good. You can have sunset cocktails in the pool next to Tavola and get out and have dinner. They are a bit funny about booking at Tavola so you need to book at least day before. I didn't rate Black Coral restaurant and thought it was overpriced. The resort has a mini mart which is ok but the resort next door (Musket Cove, 10 min walk) has a better minimart so is good for snacks, soft drinks and any misc goods you may need.
Hope that helps, if you have any other questions let me know or if I think of anything else I'll post it.

Kooklife, mate that’s a great reply!
Thanks so much.
Got me excited now ha ha

Actually, did you pay as you go with the food or do their meal plan set up?

We had breakfast included and kids eat free (under 12) which was fine for us.....after a big breakfast we only really needed a small snack for lunch and then an earlyish dinner was fine. We may have taken some apples from the breaky buffet for snacks too ssshhhh haha. If everyone is hungry at lunch the kids get a free lunch with any adult meal so we would order something like Nachos and then get a kids meal and all share it which was plenty to get us through till dinner.

Awesome thanks again

Good on Sprout haha. I've never been to Fiji, what was Maqai "Eco" Resort like?

It was an adventure at the time. The accommodation was 2 solid walls with canvas over the top, outside toilet/shower with no door, pretty shit really. I think a cyclone levelled it in subsequent years and it looks nicer now. I still wouldn't use the word resort. The surf is pretty fickle, not many breaks, if you're thinking of going then chase a swell as it's shadowed compared to the famous spots in Fiji. If it's still the same owner, he's the absolute wanker who's tried to destroy local reefs to create new breaks so fuck em. I enjoyed it at the time but would either go chase CB from whichever resort or stay at Matanivusi on the Coral Coast which I've been to a handful of times and plan on heading back again this year.