Puri Madha Dive Resort — Restaurant in Kecamatan Kubu

As this dive operator is located on the shore directly in front of the sunken USAT Liberty (it's about a 50m swim out to the wreck), it is absolutely the most convenient dive shop to use (especially considering the beach is composed of fist-sized stones that make strolling any stretch of it less than comfortable). Great to be able to gear up and literally walk just a few meters into the sea, and similarly to be able to come right out, throw the gear in a bin, and hit the fresh-water shower.||||The dive master was also competent and responsible, pointing out interesting sea life (electric clam, scorpion fish, lion fish, nudibranchs, etc.) and making sure to stay appropriately near throughout each dive (I have had some other dive masters in SE Asia, especially younger guys, who, despite serving as your dive buddy, would sometimes disappear out of sight).||||The only down side is that Puri Madha seems to charge considerably more per dive than many of the other outfits in town. I stayed north of Puri Madha, and it was my hotel who recommended them, so I didn't really end up researching more than one other option until after my second (and final) day of diving. Puri Madha quoted me Rp 500,000 (USD 36) per shore dive, including gear, but then dropped this to Rp 400,000 (USD 28) when I said another outfit just up the hill, Fish in Air, had quoted me USD 30 per dive. Later, when I walked a little further into town, I found multiple operators offering Rp 300,000 (USD 21) per shore dive, including gear. Also worth noting that the price Fish in Air had quoted was for boat dives to other sites beyond the wreck; for boat dives, Puri Madha adds another Rp 150,000 (USD 11) per dive.||||I didn't try any of the other dive outfits, so can't really say if their gear was as good (the gear Puri Madha offered was all good, which has not always been the case with some of the dive outfits I've used at other sites in SE Asia) or if their dive masters were as competent and responsible. I think I probably also would be ok paying some premium for the added convenience of being able to gear up and walk straight into the water instead of having to drive/walk from some more distant dive shop; but probably worth negotiating a little harder to see if they would come closer to matching the Rp 300,000 price point (note that I went in February, the off season, so peak season pricing is probably considerably higher).||||Finally, although they more-or-less discouraged me from doing so (owing to the poor visibility in the rainy season), I did have Puri Madha take me out for one boat dive to a site called something like Jade Garden (in any event, not Coral Garden), which was fine, but not particularly noteworthy, and definitely not worth the extra Rp 150,000 compared to a shore dive of the...

As this dive operator is located on the shore directly in front of the sunken USAT Liberty (it's about a 50m swim out to the wreck), it is absolutely the most convenient dive shop to use (especially considering the beach is composed of fist-sized stones that make strolling any stretch of it less than comfortable). Great to be able to gear up and literally walk just a few meters into the sea, and similarly to be able to come right out, throw the gear in a bin, and hit the fresh-water shower.||||The dive master was also competent and responsible, pointing out interesting sea life (electric clam, scorpion fish, lion fish, nudibranchs, etc.) and making sure to stay appropriately near throughout each dive (I have had some other dive masters in SE Asia, especially younger guys, who, despite serving as your dive buddy, would sometimes disappear out of sight).||||The only down side is that Puri Madha seems to charge considerably more per dive than many of the other outfits in town. I stayed north of Puri Madha, and it was my hotel who recommended them, so I didn't really end up researching more than one other option until after my second (and final) day of diving. Puri Madha quoted me Rp 500,000 (USD 36) per shore dive, including gear, but then dropped this to Rp 400,000 (USD 28) when I said another outfit just up the hill, Fish in Air, had quoted me USD 30 per dive. Later, when I walked a little further into town, I found multiple operators offering Rp 300,000 (USD 21) per shore dive, including gear. Also worth noting that the price Fish in Air had quoted was for boat dives to other sites beyond the wreck; for boat dives, Puri Madha adds another Rp 150,000 (USD 11) per dive.||||I didn't try any of the other dive outfits, so can't really say if their gear was as good (the gear Puri Madha offered was all good, which has not always been the case with some of the dive outfits I've used at other sites in SE Asia) or if their dive masters were as competent and responsible. I think I probably also would be ok paying some premium for the added convenience of being able to gear up and walk straight into the water instead of having to drive/walk from some more distant dive shop; but probably worth negotiating a little harder to see if they would come closer to matching the Rp 300,000 price point (note that I went in February, the off season, so peak season pricing is probably considerably higher).||||Finally, although they more-or-less discouraged me from doing so (owing to the poor visibility in the rainy season), I did have Puri Madha take me out for one boat dive to a site called something like Jade Garden (in any event, not Coral Garden), which was fine, but not particularly noteworthy, and definitely not worth the extra Rp 150,000 compared to a shore dive of the...

(We only stayed at the resort but did not dive with them)

Horrendous rooms. We were part of a group who booked several rooms for a week, arrived at the resort and thought it looked okay on the outside, bungalows are next to a rocky beach, but the resort itself was hard to walk around due to the layout and lack of walkways.
The room we were shown to was appalling, I was shocked to see the condition of the rooms considering the price we paid for it.
There was barely any upkeep or upgrading to the interiors, we wanted to leave as soon as we stopped into the bungalows.
|Toilet smelt damp and rank, the horrible smell permeated throughout the room since there was only a tiny ventilation grate in the toilet, and the door couldn’t even be closed properly so we couldn’t escape the smell.
The whole room smelled like a public bathroom.|Bathroom door was also close to disintegration on top of not being to be fully closed, it was literally crumbling all over the place whenever it was moved.
Shower barely had any water and was barely drizzling. Barely any hot water.
No amenities like tooth brushes are provided, kettle didn’t work, no hangers, no where to hang or store clothing, plug sockets are old and terribly placed, it basically felt like a really old and filthy room, not worth the USD $55 a night we paid for.

We complained to the agent who talked to the front desk (Front desk staff barely spoke any English so they couldn’t handle our issue), and it took them a few hours to come to a conclusion that the resort missed out booking, so they just planned on settling us in the old bungalows instead of the newer ones. (Resort is undergoing renovation)
We eventually managed to be relocated to the rooms that we actually booked, but it left a really sour taste in our mouths.

Breakfast was also limited, and horrible. “Restaurant” (If you can even call that little corner that), felt dirty, and we weren’t uncomfortable eating there. The scrambled eggs one of us ordered also tasted sour and was basically inedible.||If you stay here, make sure you’re getting the newer rooms, (You’d easily be able to smell and see the difference). Otherwise, there are other resorts here that are more well-kept and...