We had wanted to go to Nusa Lembongan for a while now and finally got to spend a few days there this trip.
On the recommendation of a friend we chose Lembongan Reef Bungalows. At $45 a night they were very good value. This hotel is situated on the hill beside the main beach where the boats arrive so it is only a short walk.
The hotel booked our boat trip over with Rocky Fast Boats which was a pretty slick operation. Picked up from our hotel, taken to the office where you pay (if not paying through your hotel) and then off to the beach in Northern Sanur.
All the luggage is put on first and then passengers are loaded....shoes off and into a box and you time the waves so as not to get too wet. Best to wear something you can hitch up. Our trip across wasn't too bad and the thirty minutes went quite quickly.
Again at the other end the luggage is offloaded and the crew help passengers to alight without getting too wet! Staff from the Lembongan Reef Bungalows were there to meet us and carry our suitcases up to the hotel. I had requested the lower rooms, 1,2 and 3 as the bungalows went up a steep stairway. We ended up with rooms 1,3 and 4. The view from room 2 is obscured by the office and restaurant building so don't get that one!
For the price this hotel is great. The views from the rooms are a real wow factor, looking across the bay with its boats and seaweed farms, to distant Bali and the majestic Mt Agung which appeared and disappeared each day behind cloud. The rooms are large and light with large bathrooms and a balcony on which to sit and take in the views.
We had an issue with no hot water one day but that was soon fixed as was the broken toilet cistern. One of my sisters would not be as kind in her review of this hotel. She and her husband had cold showers for four days, even though their hot water service was looked at many times it just never worked. Upon complaining yet again she was told it was working before they used it!! Mmmmmm.
Breakfast is included and it is your typical old style Balinese breakfast.......eggs (done anyway you like as long as you like them hard!!! Best to have scrambled) Tang orange juice, toast that is dried rather than toasted and melts in your mouth, butter in those little, hard to open packets along with jam and honey, also in little hard to open packets!
Balinese coffee or tea and some fruit. What do you want for $45 a night!
The restaurant also has meals and these provided decent Indonesian and Western food. We had dinner and lunch here at various times.
A frustration on these holidays was wifi. Villa Puri Ayu in Sanur has wifi throughout its complex but unfortunately it wasn't working properly when we were there. Lembongan Reef also stated they had wifi but it too was sporadic.
On a reconnaissance walk from our hotel we discovered Batu Karang, a beautiful hotel with restaurant just two doors up from us. Its run by an Australian lady. We certainly couldn't afford to stay there but we could enjoy their restaurant. We had dinner there and some of the others also opted to have breakfast there. I must admit to enjoying a good coffee and they did a good one. So often in Bali they use either Bali coffee or UHT milk in their lattes and cappuccinos.....I sound like a spoilt latte sipping Melbournite! But it is so nice to have a decent coffee! And a bonus, it had great wifi! I was keeping a blog so needed wifi to upload the content and we also like to keep in touch with home and the business.
On our first day we went off for a walk to discover the local area. After ending up in someone's backyard (can you imagine having six big white Aussies traipsing through your backyard?) we came out onto the beach where we met Wayan aka Mr Bali. He wasn't one of those pushy Balinese....he was lovely and made us an offer we couldn't refuse.......a snorkelling trip of about four or five hours, four stops all for 700,000 rupiah....about $70 for six of us. Who knows if we paid too much? We were more than happy to pay $12 a head...bargain!
We also watched how they farm seaweed. It the thick rubbery sort and they tie small pieces onto lengths of rope and at low tide they float their baskets full of seaweed out to their plot and tie the rope to stakes buried in the sand. Once the seaweed has grown to a certain size they harvest it. Seaweed is used in many things - confectionary, cosmetics and food products.
Our snorkelling trip was the next day. Mr Bali came good for us but we had our doubts early on. I have never been on seas so big. The swells were huge. We were starting to regret our choice of local boat as opposed to larger boats with insurance and adequate life jackets! When we first met Mr.Bali and were negotiating with him, I asked him if he had life jackets. His reply was "how many do you need? Can't you swim?" Oh dear!!
Our first stop was Manta Bay and there was no way known I was getting in that water.....there were huge swells with waves crashing into the rocky cliffs not far from us. He convinced us it was okay and there were other snorkellers in the water, so kitted out with flippers, goggles and snorkel we jumped in.
Wow! Amazingly there were huge manta rays gliding through the water only feet away from us. With memories of Steve Irwin it was a little bit daunting as the first one swam toward me only to veer off at the last minute. It was a wonderful experience and I would have been happy to head back then, seasickness having set in! But for the sake of the others, those of us feeling seedy, soldiered on.
So glad we did. Each stop was more beautiful than the next.......Tiny, colourful tropical fish eating out of our hands and beautiful coral. A wonderful day was had by all. So in the words of Molly, do yourself a favour and go to Lembongan and do a snorkelling trip.
It rained throughout the next morning and we had many coffees in the Batu Karang restaurant waiting for the weather to clear which it eventually did.
We headed into town and Wayan AKA Mr Bali organized some bikes for the boys and the girls hired a buggy. None of us were confident bike riders and although i was going to give it a go, the village was busier than I expected so I gave it a miss. We loved the golf buggy and it really got up a bit of speed.
Nusa Lembongan may be little but it is easy to get lost! Down little back roads we trundled, past small clusters of homes with chooks and cows and tiny children encouraged by their mothers to wave at the silly white ladies in the buggy. Groups of men sat and stared at us with slight smirks on their faces only to break into huge grins when we waved and shouted hello.
We found our way to the bridge that crosses over to Ceningan but it was "broken" Awwww! So on to somewhere else we went unperturbed, lunch and drinks at a little warung overlooking a peaceful bay....idyllic! Top Cat, the chatty waiter who was only helping his friend, told us we paid far too much for our snorkelling yesterday so we thought it best we didn't mention how much the buggy cost us! (The boys paid $5 for their bikes for the day whereas the buggy cost us $60! And there was no negotiating on the price)
Onwards to Dream Beach, Devils Tears and Mushroom Bay each different but same same. We stopped on the hill at Panorama Restaurant, newly opened that day and sat and admired the view. We wished the owner good luck and squeezed our way back down through the village main street to head out towards Mangroves.
The beach along the way was a photographers dream. Seaweed farmers were loading their boats to head out to attach their seaweed to the grid of ropes they have laid out on the seabed. The mountains were in the background and the light was just beautiful as it was about 5 o'clock. Down the very rough road we proceeded, 2000 rupiah to some guy on the side of the road collecting for who knows what, to let us pass. It certainly wasn't going towards road maintenance!
There were many little warungs and plenty of water sport places along here but not for us today....we needed to get the buggy and bikes back before dark.
What a fantastic day....one we won't forget in a hurry. We shall return to Lembongan one day....there is so much to do here...or nothing at all.
Now where to for dinner? Yep you guessed it! Batu Karang!