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Surprisingly the best part of our trip to Indonesia: Nusa Lembongan.
Must See Nusa Lembongan while in Indonesia. All of Indonesia was an amazing time, but Nusa Lembongan Island was a little bit more special than the rest of our trip.
Nusa Lembongan- Aka Paradise. My favorite part. Beautiful. So fun. Do you get it?
Nusa Lembongan is an island southeast off of Bali. It fits the saying “island time” and has way less traffic than the main island of Bali. If you want to really just put your feet up and relax, this is where you want to be. If an adventure is what you like, this 6 day Bali Itinerary might be more for you & this HUGE Bali Travel guide will help you with your time in Bali.
Must See Nusa Lembongan Island
How to get there:
Only way to get to Nusa Lembongan is by a Fast Boat off of the southeast coast of Bali, Indonesia. The fast boats take off from a local beach with no docks. You dump your shoes in a tub, get in the water (up to your thighs) and get into the fast boat. It is about a 30 minutes ride. You anchor off of Nusa Lembongan and then they boat you in, again you get out into the water and walk to shore. Oh, and you find your shoes in the tub.
Near the fast boat area of Bali, there is a bunch of small restaurants you can eat at while waiting for your boat. There is also a beach you can hang out at as well. Bonus: The fast boat company will take you to your place of stay once you get to the island.
Stay:
The Sampan, was perfect. It was clean, great size, nice pool area, your own personal pool chairs and great ambiance. The Sampan is a well known coffee shop, great service and a relaxing place to be. If you acre a hotel member you get a discounted breakfast with your own menu. They also booked all our fast boats and transportation from airport and to another resort in Bali.
Transportation-
Mopeds. Everyone has mopeds and it is a wonderful thing. The streets are full of two wheeled bikes and people walking. About every block had mopeds for rent. We were able to rent a moped for 12 hours for $7. This was enough for the two of us and we didn’t have to fill up gas when we were done.
Food-
I got sick day two of our Indonesia trip, but I was able to find plenty of great food on the island. Every morning we ate at the Sampan for breakfast which was like any other American breakfast. Lunch one day we found one of the only Sushi places on the island. One thing I had to try in Indonesia was the sushi, I mean they are an island completely surrounded by water. Unfortunately, Oishii Sushi Bar & Grill wasn’t as good I was hoping it would be. Not the worse, but I wish I would of tried someplace else on the island. My husband, Jordan, also tried his first sushi roll, chicken sushi. Yuck.
Two great dinner restaurants I would recommend are L Good & Grill and Lemongrass.
L Good & Grill had great tasting Indonesian food with a side of fun atmosphere. Reservations recommended. Lemongrass was my favorite restaurant in Indonesia. It had the best tasting Mushroom Risotto I have ever had, it only took me a 20 hour flight to have it. I also must be a sucker for beautiful outdoor restaurants and lighting as this place also had beautiful ambiance. Reservations, also, recommended.
Things to Do:
Surf Lessons
First time surfing! Newbro Surfing was the surf school we went to and they did great work. They show you off water the footwork then take you into the water with 1:2 instructor attention. 1 instructor would be in charge of you and another surfer to help you out as best as they can. They constantly gave you tips, the best waves and the best “pushes” to catch the wave. $33.00 USD per person for 2.5 hours of surfing.
Massage
Kemilau Spa was gorgeous, relaxing, incredible, and only $12 USD per person for a hour massage. The design of their spa was one of the best I have seen. One surprising thing I have never experience, the masseuse jumps on top of the table to massage you from on top of you. Surprising yes, but my gosh it was so relaxing.
Nusa Ceningan
One way to get to this neighbor island, the Yellow Bridge. Nusa Ceningan is even more deserted of an island, with so many amazing views. My favorite part about this island was that so much of it wasn’t commercialized and mother nature was sure to impress. Just looking at the views was good enough for us, grabbing a drink and watching sunsets was memorable and taking our moped straight up a hill to sit on a swing was breathtaking.
Views:
Islands
“Islands” is a broad term, but those two islands have so much culture, people and life to see that it has to be its own category to view.
Yellow Bridge
This bridge connects Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. It is fascinating, but a year prior in October 2016 it had collapsed killing 9 people. While a new bridge was being built the only way to get across between the islands was walking through the knee high water during low tide or during high tides, you would have to use a little boat to get across. Currently, it only allows motorcyclists and pedestrians on the bridge. It also is a place to see some of the best sunsets over water.
Mahana Point
Labeled the “Surf Place” was a beautiful night. There is a little bar and some pizza you could order to watch the sunset and surfers. During the day you are also able to do cliff jumping, even though it looked like you were jumping right into rocks. Needless to say, I never saw anyone jump. I did see some of the biggest waves I have ever seen and they were being surfed. It was incredible the things these guys could do and they had a great audience with a breathtaking sunset.
Sights to See
Devils Tear, Dream Beach, Blue Lagoon and Mangrove forest are easy to get to by moped. You need to see these places. I have never seen anything like it. The bluest water, the greenest grass, the stunning cliffs… I just fall in love talking about it. You will not be disappointed.
People:
Indonesian people all together, including this island, were great hosts. They welcomed us into their streets, into their restaurants, into their transportation systems. I always felt safe and they always put the trust in us to pay a bill or return a piece of equipment. They never hesitated to start a conversation and ask us how our time has been. Lastly, they also always wanted to see us happy, always asking if we needed anything and going above and beyond with everything they could. Indonesian people were sweet, friendly and let alone make me want to go back to visit.
Things we Wish we had Time for:
Nusa Penida
The most secluded of the three islands. The Instagram pictures you see of people standing on a mountain looking down at the water, yup you can do that here. This is a very remote island and the only way you can get there would be boat rides. There is some hotels on this island but not as much restaurants and other things going on. Best thing you could do is stay on Nusa Ceningan or Nusa Lembongan and take a day trip to Nusa Penida. We didn’t have time to do a full day trip, so we were unable to go here.
Snorkeling/Scuba Diving
I was told, snorkeling/scuba diving around these islands were some of the best in the world. Yes this was all word of mouth, we were unable to do this, time permitting. We did snorkel by Komodo Island and I did feel it was some of the best snorkeling in the world. One popular snorkeling trip you can do would be with manta rays on a half day or full day tripe. We hope to get back here since we’re now PADI Certified!
Beach
We had a beautiful pool, so we didn’t feel we needed to go to the beach. After seeing dream beach though, we were bummed that we couldn’t sit on a beach surrounded by stunning cliffs.
Water Sports
You can do this anywhere, but how about in clear, bright blue water? Kayak, paddle board, canoe are a few things you could do right off the beach. Some beaches had floating, inflatable water parks about 200 yards out from the beach you could take a boat too, as well.
Yoga
Yoga on the beach. This was booked the two mornings we could of participated, but it was definitely on our to do list. We wish we could of gotten there.
Must See Nusa Lembongan, you won’t be disappointed.
I have never felt more relaxed and at peace. When I think of the meaning of “Island Time”, I think of this place.
Anywhere you go in Indonesia, you will not be disappointed. The people, the land, the culture, the weather, it is all breathtaking.
Take a look at the memories we were able to capture by visiting my Nusa Lembongan Video and Nusa Lembongan Gallery.
Nusa Lembongan is busy with a lot of tourists, Check out this post from my friend Katie, and a great place to visit while avoiding a lot of scams and tourists!
