Candidasa was a nice waypoint on my road trip around Bali. It was only a couple hours from may last stop, Sidemen. Unfortunately, an hour of that was in the rain.
The first view of town, and the sea, was quite dramatic, as the road switchbacked down to sea level. There were some nice photo ops on the drive to town.
Coming in to town I was caught in a massive traffic jam as a parade of locals accompanied by Balinese music marched to a temple.
The town of Candidasa itself is spread out along a busy road. The traffic spoils the seaside atmosphere a bit. Due to the traffic, distance, and heat, you have to be like the locals and drive your motorbike everywhere.
The beach is black volcanic gravel, which is unique, but not good for hanging out on. Snorkeling gear is available to rent for those inclined.
Candidasa isn’t really packed with attractions, but the nice, cheap, hotels on the sea make it a good place to relax for a couple days. The small size of Bali means it could be used as a base to explore nearby temples.
Even though there are not a lot of attractions, I always enjoy walking around with my camera. I observed fishermen repairing boats, and locals at the temple. I finally bought a sarong when a guy approached me and said I needed one. The activity at the temple proved to be more interesting than the sunset.
