The beauty that is Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan
The Nusa Islands are one of my favourite areas in Bali. There’s so many areas to explore and despite it’s popularity there’s still so much more to uncover. We’ll definitively be back for more!
How to get there
The best way to get to Nusa Lembongan from Bali is a fast cruiser from Sanur (30 min). Fast cruisers offer 4 different departure times which is always handy. There’s several companies but we reccomend Rocky Fast Cruiser. We tried the others but Rocky had the best service! Last time we headed to Lembongan, we were running late as per usual, the office called us a few times to check where we where and met us in the carpark to assist with our bags.
Transfers include free pick up and drop off from the Airport, Jimbaran, Kuta, Seminyak, Legian & Sanur. If you are outside these areas I reccomend using Go Car ( you’ll need an Indonesian sim card to use the app) We payed less than 100,000 rp from Canggu. Which is significantly less than some of the quotes we received previously.
Where to stay
You’ll find accommodation on both Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan although the more popular island to stay on is Nusa Lembongan. We have stayed on both & love both the same.
Nusa Ceningan is the quieter sibling of Lembongan but that’s the charm of it!
In our opinion where you stay doesn’t really matter as both islands are conected by the yellow bridge and easily accesible. It’s worth noting that the bridge is only accesible by scooter or walking.
We reccomend Le Pirate in Nusa Ceningan if you are on a budget or if you want something more flash, there are some great villas in Nusa Lembongan. We stayed at Villa Sayang which was perfect as the one we had offered 2 bedrooms and we went there with another couple.
How to get around
We rented a scooter from our accomodation prices vary from 60,000rp – 90,000rp you can alway negotiate.
Some of the restaurants also offer free pick up, complimentary when you are dining with them.
Another option is to hire a golf buggy.
4 Things you can’t miss
1. Blue lagoon
This is definitely one of the must sees in Nusa Ceningan, the Blue Lagoon is a bay filled with the perfect turquoise water!
2. Beach Hopping
Our favorite activity wherever we go is always beach hopping. Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan have some beautiful beaches!
MAHANA POINT
We don’t really know the name of this beach as it doesn’t come up on google maps. This beach is just after Blue lagoon onto your right around the corner from Mahana point.
Tamarind beach
This was the beach right at our doorstep when we stayed at Villa Sayan.
Secret beach
I swear every nice beach is called “secret beach” do you agree? . You can find this one easily with google maps.
3. Nusa Penida Day trip
We loved our day trip to Nusa Penida. I would also reccomend if you have the time, to stay there for a couple of days to explore the whole island!
Among the best places to visit are Atuh Beach, Kelingking beach, Ruman Pohon Treehouse, Manta Point lookout, Broken beach, Crystal bay, etc, etc… Now you know why you need longer than one day!
4. Catch the sunset in Nusa Ceningan
To be fair Nusa Ceningan is the best place to chill during the day too, most of the places have swings and hammocks along the sand bar. The Sand was our favorite spot to hang, the staff are amazing! besides having great food options they also have tasty cocktails! but Nusa Ceningan was also our favourite spot to watch the sun go down.
Where to Eat & Drink
These are our favorite spots to relax and have a nice drink. Some of the places are also accomodation that you could try!
Ohana’s
Ohana’s is a very trendy spot located directly out the front of Shipwrecks surf break in Jungut Batu beach. The cocktails here are delicious and it’s also a great spot to watch the sunset.
Sandy Bay Beach Club
Great spot for dinner & drinks, their coconut cocktail is definitely a must try!
The Deck
The deck is a perfect spot to have a coconut and enjoy the view! The food isn’t really great in my opinion.
Now on to our favourite part! best places to eat.
Sorry we don’t have any photos of our food! We tend to be starving and forget about the pics.
Tigerlilys
Tigerlilys is also a hotel that some of our friends have recommended. We only ate here and we really liked it. Tasty & diverse menu with reasonable prices and great veggie options.
Hai Bar and Grill
This is one of the restaurants in Hi Tide Resort, is on the higher end of prices but still really affordable. A good option if you are after western food.
Le Pirate
Le pirate also offers accomodation. They have the best food in my opinion, great selection of local dishes and western. The dishes we had were great quality, fresh and excellent value.
