Tauch Terminal Resort Tulamben & Spa

English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside German and Indonesian, so practical conversations are straightforward from the start. Tauch Terminal Resort Tulamben & Spa is built around the things that matter when diving is the main reason for travelling: the sea in front, a place to eat, two pools and somewhere comfortable to sit with a drink.

The resort has 25 rooms arranged around tropical gardens, with Balinese-inspired interiors, private terraces or balconies and views towards the sea. It is a place for divers who want the water close at hand without giving up a proper evening meal or a massage afterwards. Couples can keep things simple; families have a Family Suite with two bathrooms and room for four.

You are in Tulamben, on the north-east coast of Bali, Indonesia, directly on the beach. The resort faces a coral garden, with the sea immediately beyond the grounds. Tulamben Beach is effectively at the property, while Pantai Tulamben is about 900 metres away.

The setting is away from the busier tourist areas in southern Bali, but you are not cut off from a few useful alternatives. Warung Chezesa Tulamben, Toko Wayan and Dive Versions are all roughly 150 metres away, and Bali Est is about 200 metres away. Baturinggit Beach is around 2.5 miles away.

For land-based days, Puri Agung Karangasem Palace is about a 45-minute drive and Besakih Temple about an hour. Ngurah Rai International Airport is 42 miles away, so the transfer is part of the travel plan rather than a quick hop across town.

Every room has sea views, air conditioning, a private bathroom with hot and cold shower, a minibar and a seating area. That combination does useful work after a day in warm seawater: cool the room, put a cold drink within reach and sit down before deciding whether you have the energy to go anywhere else.

The Bungalow with Sea View suits a couple wanting a private terrace and a more individual feel. For more space, the Deluxe Double or Twin Room with Sea View and the Junior Suite add room to spread out without moving into family-sized accommodation. The Family Suite is the sensible choice when three or four people need separate sleeping arrangements and two bathrooms; no one has to queue for the shower while still wearing traces of the day's salt.

Ground-floor rooms have terraces and first-floor rooms have balconies, with outdoor seating and loungers. The interiors combine whitewashed antique-style furniture with traditional Balinese details and more modern fittings. A wardrobe, clothes rack and drying rack keep the practical clutter under control, while the private outdoor space gives you somewhere to take the first coffee of the morning.

Bamboo Restaurant looks over the ocean and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from 07:30 to 22:00. The menu covers international dishes and traditional Balinese cooking, from pasta and steak to local curries and seasonal seafood. Breakfast is included, with continental, halal and Asian choices; half-board and full-board arrangements are also available.

There are two named bars. Beach Bar handles mocktails, cocktails, local and international spirits, fresh fruit juice, wine and draught Bintang, with the pool and beach close by. Sundowner Lounge is the slower option: tea and coffee in the morning, cake in the afternoon, then an Arak cocktail while the light goes out over the sea.

Weekly food and evening events add a little structure to the calendar without turning the resort into a timetable. Thursday brings a barbecue dinner from 19:30 to 22:00, while the weekly Balinese Dance Night starts at 20:00. Meals can also be enjoyed in the privacy of your room, which is handy when the day's diving has won the argument.

Two outdoor pools sit beside the sea, with loungers, umbrellas and a pool bar. One is a training pool between 1 and 3 metres deep, while the other gives you somewhere to cool down without making the afternoon another organised activity. The private beach area has loungers too, and the gardens provide the more shaded route back to your room.

The spa offers massage, facial treatments, aromatherapy, flower baths, body scrubs, foot reflexology and sea-salt foot baths. There is also an open-air bath and a relaxation area. A couples massage is available when both of you have had enough of discussing who used the last dry towel.

Free yoga classes take place by the ocean twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, for one hour. Away from the water, you can use the bicycles, sea canoes and stand-up paddleboards, play billiards, visit the local market or join a cultural excursion. Hiking, cycling, fishing, local-culture tours and wider trips around Bali are also available.

Check-in starts from 14:00 and check-out runs until 12:00. The front desk is open around the clock, with express check-in and check-out, a tour desk, concierge service, vehicle hire and shuttle services available. Free private parking is on site, and Wi-Fi is free throughout the resort.

Ngurah Rai International Airport is about 42 miles away. The hotel can arrange an airport shuttle, so organise the road transfer with the resort rather than treating the airport distance as an afterthought. The drive across Bali is the least glamorous part of the journey; at least the arrival logistics are handled in one place.

Children of any age are welcome. Cots and extra beds can be requested, subject to the accommodation selected, and children aged four and over are charged as adults at the property. Cash is accepted, smoking is not allowed indoors and pets are not allowed. Laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services are also available.

The resort is installing solar systems for hot water and has replaced almost all lighting with energy-saving lamps. It has also introduced a fully electric dive buggy, cutting emissions on the short journeys used around the dive operation.

Plastic water bottles have been removed in favour of glass bottles and refillable thermos flasks, with free refills. Bamboo straws are used in the restaurant, and the resort is working to replace plastic bags and packaging with biodegradable synthetic materials. These are practical changes you will notice in the way water and drinks are handled, rather than a list of grand promises.