2 nights in paradise, Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Lembongan is a little island to the southeast coast of Bali and is only 8km squared.

It is so far removed from the hustle and bustle of Bali and I found it the perfect place to relax.

There is no hassling from shop owners, taxi drivers or restaurants and the scenery is stunning.

Getting to Nusa Lembongan

We arranged a transfer and ferry to Nusa Lembongan from Ubud for 400,000 rupia or £24.

They pick you up from your accommodation in Ubud and drive to the ferry port of Sanur.

The boat itself only takes half an hour but the wait at the port is about an hour and a half so we have learnt our lesson that literally nothing is on time.

The boat over was pretty pleasant and we actually both fell asleep.

Staying in Nusa Lembongan

The ferry drops you off along the east coast of the island, which was where we had booked to stay. Once you have collected your bags, you get crammed into an open side vehicle and they drop you off at your accommodation.

We had booked Mega Cottage through Air B&B, and when we arrived we knew we lucked out.

The pool was literally on the beach, the cottages were directly behind them, the sun loungers had cushions and there was a shop selling bintang next to the pool. Could life get any better?

The cottages were large and the ceilings high, the bathroom was a wet room and the bed was really comfy.

My only snag about the cottage was that if you tried to dry your hair the power tripped out.

So on the 2nd night when I decided I was going to dry my hair for our meal, it meant I had to walk round the back of the cottage at least 10 times to flick the switch!

Yes I know I could have just let me hair dry naturally. But it feels disgusting when it’s hot and your wet hair is hanging from your head like rats tails ok.

Exploring Nusa Lembongan

Dinner

On our first day we did a but if research about the island while laying by the pool (yes it has wifi at the pool, result) we had selected a restaurant about 1.5km away.

However when it actually came to leaving the cottage we were so hungry. We just walked along the beach and found a restaurant we liked the look of.

It turned out to be a restaurant called bunga bunga it has pretty lights all of different shapes and sizes and looked over the sea.

We actually sat in an old ship for our dinner which was pretty cool, though actually not that comfy.

The food and the cocktails were good but the service wasn’t amazing. We had to ask to order food and drinks and our waitress had no idea what was going on even when we pointed at the menu.

Relaxation time

Breakfast

We had heard good things about Eco Bali, it’s a cafe which gives back to the local community.

We both had a fruit bowl and I had an iced latte while Dom had a smoothie.

The bowls were good. But I have had better. The drinks were great and the ethos behind the restaurant is one I can get behind, so we are still glad we went.

Chilling at the pool

We had a super lazy day, we got ourselves a sunbed, laid out our towels, planted ourselves on the sunbed and stayed that way all day.

We only moved to take a dip in the pool in front of us to cool down.

Dinner on the island

We had seen amazing things about Hai, a restaurant on the other side of the island and decided we would head there for dinner that evening.

A lot of the restaurants on the island offer a pick up and drop off service which is really neat. A driver picked us up at 7pm and took us to the restaurant.

We had been considering walking but we were glad we didn’t when we saw the roads and lack of light.

Hai was beautiful. The restaurant was made out of woven bamboo (think it’s bamboo may be wrong) and it had lights dotted all around the structure.

We ordered a bottle of wine, I had the Nasi Goreng and Dom had the prawn and spicey rice dish.

The food was amazing, best Nasi Goreng I have had since arriving in Asia.

We loved the food so much we also had the chocolate tart for dessert and a baileys for good measure.

The service was great and as soon as we were ready to leave they arranged a transfer back to our hotel.

Getting off the island

Our next stop was Gili T. We had booked a boat with the same company we came over on D’camel.

However, when we got picked up in the morning it was apparent that they had just sold the ticket and that we were actually going with Ekajaye.

This would have been fine if the day before we hadn’t read the reviews about lost luggage, boats breaking down and cramped conditions.

But hey, we had no choice but to just roll with it. This is something that has actually changed in me since starting my travels.

I am usually the type of person to get really uptight worried and annoyed about these things. I would get all flustered and irritated.

But I have learnt that there is just no point. No one gives a f**k so your wasting your time and energy getting in a tizz about it. You just have to roll with it.

The port

After about an hour journey we arrived at the ferry port, it was very crowded and the queue was long.

After waiting in a queue for about half an hour to check in, I decided I would buy a coke and go to the toilet (apparently fizzy drinks help with sea sickness).

Word of advice, if you can hold it I would.

The toilet was honestly the most rancid thing I have ever seen. I walked in and immediately wanted to vomit. I’ll spare you the detail but heat and non watered toilets are a potent mix.

We got shouted to board the boat and they literally packed you in like sardines. There were 4 people to a 3 seat bench, people standing and sitting on laps and the luggage was just piled up with nothing to secure it.

Every ones face looked a picture of fear and concern for our safety. It says on the ticket the sea gets rough. So we were really happy to learn that we would only be on that boat for 45 minutes before we transferred to a larger boat.

This boat was better though only marginally. It felt like the longest boat ride ever the rocking and swaying was not pleasant. Obviously Dom fell asleep (she can’t stay awake on anything moving) so I just focused on the avatar movie playing and wished the time away.

I have made that boat journey sound horrific and actually it really was. But Nusa Lembongan is beautiful so worth the trauma.

Abbie’s view

Nusa Lembongan is stunning, the sea is bright blue, the sand a pale yellow and the weather when we visited amazing.

 

Hai is amazing, some of best Asian food I have eaten and the setting is picturesque.

Lembongan is definitely worth the crazy boat ride and I would love to go back.

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Thank you!

Abbie x