I had looked at staying here though it looked too perfect on website photos, no reviews in English to speak of plus the price on the site was in CHF (Swiss Francs) 200 per night - so gave it a miss. However being underwhelmed by our accomodation ar Blue Moon we went for a walk down the hill and decided to check out the Palm Garden Resort which looked very bright and inviting - the friendly greeting plus the price for a lovely Villa with private pool USD $200 including tax didn’t take much to convince me to make the move.

We also took a peek at ‘Life in Amed’ however it wasn’t in the same class as Palm Garden and whilst the Villas were very nice ( looked at a two story) the pool is small in a not so large lawn area - there was no verandah.I would only stay here if I was not spending much time during the day at resort.

The Palm Garden Resort is immaculately maintained ( the owners are Swiss) the gardens carefully tended, - it is a good and reassuring reflection on the management when employees seem to both enjoy and are clearly proud of their job.

Our beautiful Oceanfront Villa was well designed with a large and the best designed bathroom I have seen in holiday accommodation. It is an indoor outdoor bathroom with partly enclosed toilet, large shower area, large double hand-basins, and an area to dry off clothes on clothes horse. And a first for anywhere I have stayed in the world were bed lamps that you could actually read a book by - my suspicion that a woman had a hand in this design was confirmed during a conversation with the owners :-) This thoughtfully designed Villa had a large cool entrance hall ( a room in itself actually) where you can leave shoes and luggage etc, a King sized bed and a day bed, plenty of drawers and wardrobe space and was furnished with brightly coloured silks and attractive artifacts. The large roomy and shaded terrace overlooking the very close sea front had both a sun bed and cane table and chairs plus our own pool to have a refreshing dip.

Staying in Amed you have to decide if you want a (fabulous) view on cliff tops which means there will be steps ( lots most likely) or beachfront - Palm Garden resort is beachfront though coming from Australia I use the term loosely. Don’t be fooled by the photos there is no golden sand - it is black. You can hire gear and go snorkeling off the beach though I wouldn’t come to Amed especially for the snorkeling even around the shipwreck nearby.

The food at the resort is pretty good though not an extensive menu and the serves are not overly generous - the prices are quite reasonable for both food and drink.The friendly staff will happily make endless trips to your villa with pots of tea or coffee or something cold and refreshing.. Sails restaurant nearby has very good meals and a lovely view if you arrive early enough - they will pick up and drop you off.

This is a great spot for a couple ( I don’t think there are any villas with twin beds however they will make up the day bed for one person to sleep) to come for an absolutely relaxing few days or so - sleep, eat drink, read have a dip in the pool....

Lean Beach has only one other hotel, Life in Amed, which has crowded the rooms together and overbuilt in the little space they have (stayed 2 nights and moved). Palm Garden on the other hand has a great location towards the end of the bay, a great beach out front (without the boats taking up too much space on the sand) and very well planned lay out of bungalows, pool and restaurant. Whilst more expensive than others, you pay for what you get - the rooms are very clean, spacious, quiet and have all that is required. Food is great, staff are friendly and helpful, being newish any teething problems have now been ironed out. Lean Beach is still very much a fishing village and as such suffers badly from the rubbish problem facing Bali, the other bays in Amed have more development and as a consequence have tried to address the problem with some success. Restaurants nearby are at Life in Amed, (which was ok) and the excellent Sails restaurant, who collect and drop people off. Appx 5 min drive from Palm Garden.