Nusa Lembongan Island is Bali without the intense Kuta tourist pressure – no TV, no cars, no vehicle exhaust fumes, no nightclubs and no rushing crowds.

But it has got all the other ingredients of a classic Indo holiday – excellent waves, warm water, exotic food experiences, cold Bintangs by the beach, good accommodation across the price scale and smiling, warm people. It’s a romantic getaway for couples and great for families to relax and spend quality time together, free of the usual tourist distractions… and then there’s the surf.

traditional delights on an island escape with aqua playgrounds for all

Lembongan is 22.5km and an hour’s trip across the Badung Strait by the daily ferries – or two hours sailing by catamaran – from Benoa, Bali’s main harbour. It sits directly opposite Sanur on Bali’s south-east coast, just 12.5km away. Lembongan is small and lies between Bali and the much larger islands and fabled waves of Lombok and Subawa, further to the east.

The island has a permanent population of some 7,000 Hindus. They live in the villages of Jungut Batu and make a living from seaweed harvesting for trade to the USA and Europe for use in the manufacture of cosmetics.

Tourism began to grow on Lembongan just a decade ago when Bali Hai Cruises identified the island as another place for surfers and tourists to go on a day trip from Denpasar-Kuta.

In 1995, the Australian-owned company built the Bali Hai Beach Club and adjoining Bali Hai Huts on the sheltered blue waters of Sanghiang Bay, with spectacular views west across the Strait of the towering 3142 metre volcanic peak of Agung on Bali. More small developments followed. In 1999, the five-star Nusa Lembongan Resort was built on the headland of the bay.

Over the coral reefs of Lembongan Bay, Bali Hai Cruises has a permanently moored, specially-built diving pontoon which offers a myriad of water sports to a daily average of 200 visitors crossing over from Bali.

Other day cruise operators and another diving pontoon have since followed, boosting the tourist facilities and infrastructure on Lembongan’s waters. Regular shuttle barges from the ferry moorings carry ashore both day trippers and visitors staying for a while.

Lembongan has a range of accommodation, from cheap wharongs in the fishing village, which are favoured by the young backpacker shortboarders, through to the five star Nusa Lembongan Resort.

Bali Hai Cruises Hai Tide Huts are moderately priced and are a great holiday location for any type of Lembongan holiday.

The huts are inspired by a traditional Indonesian rice house or lumbung – sort of an A-frame with a curved roof of thatched palm fronds. Upstairs are giant king size or twin beds, with ceiling fans, air conditioners and large glass doors opening on to small verandahs perched two metres above ground and looking out onto the beach and water just a few metres away. The bottom levels of the huts feature raised timber floors and two day beds – ideal for relaxing in the open air for an afternoon nap or even sleeping out on at night. These bottom levels are also good for stashing boards, covers, boardies, rashies etc.

Two shared toilet blocks feature four large, indoor-outdoor units. Toilets and hand basins are covered by thatched rooves. The walled showers are open to the sky but still provide total privacy.

Every morning, fresh cut tropical flowers adorn garden statues, the toilets and shower areas.

Guests staying at the Bali Hai Huts have full access to the large salt water pool, kayaks and surf skis, banana boat fun rides and the bars and restaurant of the Bali Hai Beach Club. They can also take advantage of Bali Hai Cruises’ diving pontoon, snorkelling equipment and glass bottom boat.
Diving tours, parasailing, fishing and island tours are also available.

But, most importantly, a power boat skippered by a local who knows the surf spots and is knowledgeable about tides and wave conditions, is available free to ferry guests out to Playgrounds, Lacerations and Shipwrecks and back to the resort’s beach each day.

The luxurious Nusa Lembongan Resort is less than five minutes’ walk around the bay from Bali Hai Huts. The resort features beautiful landscaped gardens and a truly stunning swimming pool area – sort of a mini version of the Four Seasons on Bali. The resort’s 12 villas are split between ocean view or garden view locations spread throughout the gardens. All feature huge four-poster beds and large sliding glass doors which open out on to wide, covered marble verandahs. The resort also has its own catamaran and a glass bottom boat to take guests out to the surf spots.

A more recent accommodation option on the island is the Lembongan Beach Villas – two and three bedroom, self-contained villas which are built on a steep rise above the fishing village with spectacular views of all three main surf locations from wide balconies. The villas feature their own private swimming pools, sundecks and bars and have a full-time manager on site.

There are three main breaks on Lembongan: Playgrounds, Lacerations and Shipwrecks. They are all located not far offshore from the string of bays which are home to the island’s resorts and also the main fishing village.

Playgrounds and Lacerations are close to the diving pontoons and moorings for the ferries, catamarans and pleasure cruisers which visit the island each day.

Playgrounds is a soft, hot dogging wave. A long, walling left and short, more hollow and less consistent right. The left is reminiscent of a smaller version of Kuta Reef. The line up is unique. Riders sit just to the south and almost amongst the flotilla of moored pleasure craft, with day trippers snorkelling and splashing off water slides. It is a bit like surfing in a theme park. The swell sort of lumps through the boats, hits the reef and just stands up. Playgrounds is easy and lots of fun.

Lacerations is located just to the north of the Bali Hai Cruises’ diving pontoon. It is a thick, bowling right hander and generally acclaimed as the best wave on Lembongan. You don’t have to be Einstein to work out how it got its ominous-sounding name – think ‘sharp’, ‘coral reef’ and ‘shallow’!

Shipwrecks is about a kilometre further north from Lacerations. It is a meaty, hard-breaking right, with some tight, short barrel sections. Its name comes from the remnants of a freighter which ran aground on the reef many years ago. The wrecked ship’s steel bow and what remains of the rusting ribs and midships protrude above the waterline. On the incoming tide, Shipwrecks lines up straight and peels down the line. As the tide goes out, the take-off area begins to shift around, the wall starts to horseshoe on the inside and the odd close-out sections appear, as it all gets a bit trickier.

All three spots break into deeper channels, so there are easy escape routes to paddle out of harm’s way when the big sets come through.

All spots are ridden on mid to high tides. The incoming tide brings the waves. At low tide, the reefs are right out of the water or just too shallow.

There is one other local spot but it is suited only for the thrill seekers who like their waves large and life-threatening. Scotties is a left hand point break on nearby Ceningan Island, which is joined to Nusa Lembongan by a small suspension bridge. Scotties is reached by boat.

The locals say July and August are the best winter months for waves on Nusa Lembongan but the island gets lots of consistent surf through summer too.

Accommodation, surf and food are only part of what Lembongan and the neighbouring island of Nusa Penida have on offer as leisure and travel experiences.

Both maintain a traditional sea based island lifestyle and culture yet provide fascinatingly different travel perspectives.

Despite the close geographical proximity of the islands, variations in topography, rainfall, agriculture and way of life make the exploration of both a worthwhile and rewarding part of any Lembongan stay.

Nusa Lembongan’s size gives it the unique quality of being small enough to explore in a couple of afternoons yet large enough to have an extensive mixture of terrain, people, social and religious festivals, architecture and places of general interest.

Immediately upon leaving the grounds of any of the resorts centred around Shanghiang Bay, you step into village life. There is very little evidence of the fringe of tourist orientated commercial activity seen at so many other locations throughout Asia.

There is only one retail outlet, a beautifully upgraded village shop, very low key in its sales approach, which has good value, quality textiles and apparel available.

The most common scene you are likely to see is men discussing and displaying the features and prowess of their prized fighting roosters, or children being involved in whatever activity happens to be going on at that time.

The lack  of a good road and signage system on Lembongan does not distract from enjoying a safe passage about the island. Just head off in a direction which  appeals. The traffic density is light by any standards and the vast majority of it is small motorbikes.

The two main Lembongan villages, Lembongan and Jungut Batu, are about a 45 minutes apart by push bike. Motorbikes and covered mini vans can be sourced at a vast variety of prices but the method of transport most favoured by the longbreak crew was push bikes. The terrain is not too challenging, so bikes allow you to cover ground at a good pace.  This ensures easy stopping to explore in greater depth some local idiosyncrasy, chat to locals, especially school aged children wishing to show off their multilingual skills, or simply view the bays to study the surf breaks.

Lembongan is a hillside village with sweeping views across the seaweed farms and on to the fabled break of Scotties. Ambling through its narrow streets brings to light the great detailing and practicality of Balinese domestic residences. Courtyards, rooms opening to the sea breezes and fine wood and masonry carvings are all an important and intricate part of village life. 

There are no iconic or major historical attractions to be viewed but this does not  seem to matter as you wander around the village and work areas of the seaweed farming industry. Viewing a canoe being hand carved out of a single tree trunk, or witnessing the harvesting, sorting and drying of the seaweed all revolving around the ebb and flow of the tides are features in their own right.

Jungut Batu, the island’s larger village, faces onto Lembongan Bay which is the main jump off point for Shipwrecks, Lacerations and Playgrounds and has a larger foreign visitor content. It seems to move at a faster pace, yet still not approaching anything too frenetic. The arrivals and departures of crowded local ferries from Sanur and Benoa, in typical island fashion right on to the beach rather than any form of jetty, seaweed farming, fishing and surf transportation activities can be viewed and enjoyed from several cafés and local eating houses located on the beach front.

Begging exploration along this shoreline are the shaded narrow laneways weaving between coconut palms, bamboo groves and tapioca plots with small clearings appearing at irregular intervals. These clearings provide space for the grass and bamboo matting constructed beach dwellings that are the homes and work places of local fishermen.

Discarding the bike and acquiring some form of water transport, a trip to Nusa Penida island is a good addition to Nusa Lembongan exploring.

Only a few kilometres apart, they are surprisingly different. Nusa Penida is far larger in land mass, with better soils and rainfall, which enable the more intense Asian type agriculture and the lush images that go with it.  Due to its size and steeper terrain, the best option is to arrange a small private tour which will include boat, mini van and walking components.  Tours can be arranged from most of the resorts situated on Lembongan.
 
The options available for eating on Lembongan have increased dramatically in the last six years. There is now a good range of choices available.

Bali Hai Beach Club has three restaurant areas.

Breakfast for guests is served on a deck located right on the beach and features fresh, local fruits and juices and western style cereals and bacon and eggs cooked whatever way you fancy.

Lunch is available at a separate restaurant off the beach by the pool with its own bar, and offers a smorgasbord which is a mixture of western style barbecue and local cuisine. The Bali Hai Cruises’ ferry ticket across from Bali includes a lunch voucher for one day.

Dinner comes with tables, white cloths and chairs in the sand by the water, beside a second bar perched right above the beach. The menu changes nightly and features fresh local seafood cooked on the spot. Prices are moderate and the Bintangs are cheap.

Anybody staying on the island is also welcome to drink and eat at the Nusa Lembongan Resort. A pre-dinner drink by the pool at the Sunghiang Bay Bar, followed by a meal at the lovely JoJo’s restaurant looking north over the water is a treat. But for the ultimate romantic taste experience, the five-star resort also serves dinners for two, four or six people on four private timber decks hung above the water on the limestone cliffs of the headland.

Diners look down into crystal clear waters and watch the giant orange orb of the setting sun across the Strait. Lushly-coloured tropical flowers splash the white tablecloth like a work of art. Vivid Balinese parasols adorn the deck railing. Once darkness falls, dozens of tea candles spread along the deck and through the rocks are lit. The à la carte meal is five star.

The setting, service and standard of food for this dining event is at the top of the price range on Lembongan but you won’t forget the experience – and neither will your partner.

But it is also possible to have great, cheap meals on the island.

Café Pandan at Dream Beach, which only opened a couple of years ago, is well worth a visit. A phone call – Telstra mobiles work on the island – for bookings brings motorcycles to pick up diners and carry them the few kilometres on the narrow, twisting roads and tracks to the island’s south-east shores.

The restaurant is located high on a point, with great views over the beautiful bay and out to sea. Diners climb stairs to the covered, balustraded top deck which features locally crafted timbers and is open to the breezes off the ocean.

About A$30 secured a delicious meal for two at Dream Bay – half a plate of spring rolls for starters; a whole fish and vegetables for one main and minced fish cooked in banana leaves for the second; pancakes for desert; and all washed down with half a dozen Bintangs.

This need to cater for the more budget conscious surf traveller has led to the opening of several other small, family run eating houses. 

These are mainly located in Jungut Batu village, situated on the beach front or the main street which runs along the back of the village.  They are easy to identify by the bright lights and ‘gettoblaster’ type music issuing from within. The food is usually a ‘fusion’ of western and Indonesian basics.  It’s never going to be a style promoted by any culinary super star or major publishing house, but it is food that fills, at low cost, with no later gastric consequences.

These small, family run restaurants are usually very laid back in their approach to service and dining finesse but are very high on friendliness, making them a good, fun visit. 

Getting there
Garuda offers the most surfer-friendly flights to Bali these days. With morning (but not too early) flights out of Australia, you can be in the waves in Bali by early afternoon. After the late afternoon ferry crossing back to Benoa from Nusa Lembongan and a short cab ride to the airport, early evening departures have you arriving back home in Oz before midnight.

Garuda’s flight arrival time means the morning ferry to Lembongan is not an option so you need to stay for at least one night in Kuta... but the up side is you do get that extra afternoon of surfing in. A trip to Dreamland or its neighbouring breaks is easily achieved.

Qantas’ current Bali schedule has late night departures and post-midnight touchdowns. So you don’t get any waves for your first night’s paid accommodation. And flying back to Australia on Qantas features post-midnight departure times and bleary-eyed dawn arrivals.

A great place to stopover on the journey to Lembongan is The Vira Bali Hotel. The newly-opened 56-room Vira Bali is located in South Kuta, between Kuta and the airport. Although there is increasing new development occurring in South Kuta, including a major new shopping centre, the area is far less cramped and much quieter than the frantic bustle of central Kuta.

The Vira Bali is still within walking distance of the main shopping and tourist strip, although the hotel also provides a shuttle service to Kuta beach.

All rooms at The Vira, many with balconies, face onto a beautifully landscaped and sheltered central tropical courtyard garden, waterfall fountain and pool. A small restaurant overlooks the pool area, and is ideal for breakfast.

The Vira Bali features European-style furnishings, lots of timber, stonework and art pieces but all with a local flavour. The overriding impression is of refined good taste.

Nusa Lembongan Return Visit
Many travellers are now looking beyond Bali. Far removed from Kuta Kulture with no cars or hawkers, Nusa Lembongan has much to offer first timers; and some rewarding surprises if you’re doing a ‘Melba’.

Some travellers are on a constant search for new experiences and never give a thought to returning to previous destinations. Others return again and again to a special favorite. While expecting things to have changed in their absence, they proceed in hope that the essential ingredients of their recollection remain.

Longbreak encompasses both types of traveller. Whilst on the one hand necessarily informing readers of new destinations, Longbreak also returns to special favorites and one that never disappoints is the small Indonesian island of Nusa Lembongan, just a short boat ride off Bali’s east coast. On Longbreak’s most recent visit we found that amidst increased options the essential ingredients remain, ranking Lembongan high on the escape list as easy, affordable and varied.

Since the late 70s Lembongan’s essential ingredient for the surfing traveller has been three great breaks ranging across the broad sweep of Lembongan Bay and even more if the right conditions prevail. The names of the main three are a direct indication of their status.

‘Playgrounds’ can produce waves to elevate the adrenaline of even the most competent longboarder. Surrounded by pontoons for visiting day-trippers and their moored cruise boats, Playgrounds has a theme park atmosphere, as if amongst the ultra-modern cruise boats, ferries, aqua entertainment pontoons and local craft floating around the perimeter, the perfect waves are being manufactured by remote control.

Like all Lembongan breaks, Playgrounds is dictated by tide. At low tide the reef is usually waveless and one of the best places on the island to float the surface with snorkel, fins and face mask to feast the eyes on the myriad colourful corals and tropical reef fish below. But with the incoming tide and any swell, this patch of reef can produce some entertaining waves. Swells rise up from deep water and quickly shape into a fast take-off, concaved-faced wall, with left the direction most favoured by those in the know.

Speeding along a translucent Playgrounds wall over colourful coral is a boardies and rashies affair only. With not a wetsuit in sight it’s a great way to spend the several hours of full tide. Those prone to milking their surfing sessions to the max should be warned that hanging on for that one extra wave as the tide retreats can result in bloody scraps with the Playground bully - the reef. So get out while the going is good to rise again another day when Playgrounds maybe at its rideable maximum of head-and-a half high.

‘Shipwrecks’ is the break of most notoriety on Lembongan and considered by many as a world-class right-hand break. Mainly the domain of the slash and burn shortboarder, both local and visitor, Shipwrecks nevertheless offers the experienced longboarder a fair share of excitement. The incoming tide brings the waves and in the space of half an hour the swell can grow from knee-high to almost double overhead. Take-offs have plenty of power and, especially on the outgoing tide, one very idiosyncratic feature.

As you spring to your feet you notice the wave has wrapped around in front of you. There follows a sudden rush of dread that the wall will come tumbling down, trapping you on the inside for no more than a white water journey towards the rusting iron hull of a wrecked coastal trader perched on the shallow coral. Not so. Just set your line and look no further than the immediate and it all seems to work. If this break had not been named Shipwrecks for the scenery it could have been named Horseshoes for the waves.

‘Lacerations’ (most appropriately named in the Lembongan break nomenclature) is situated between Playgrounds and Shipwrecks. From the comfort of the shore it looks a spectacular wave on a good swell with a long wall peeling off at lightning speed in both directions, though predominantly right.

Closer inspection reveals a major drawback. Lacerations breaks into very shallow water and onto razor sharp coral. When this break is on fire the best option is to grab the digital camera and take up position on one of the comfortable pontoons at the end of the right-hander. An hour of capturing images of shortborders and boogie boarders racing the falling curtain that is trying to pound them into the reef should supply a great screen saver series for your long-term pleasure.

Fourth in line of Lembongan’s recognised breaks is Ceningan, a ten- to fifteen-minute boat ride around to the south side of the island. This is the break to visit when the other breaks are not performing, as it has a more direct aspect to any incoming swell. Ceningan’s wall is very wide and reasonably round, making for a good longboard takeoff. As it grows in size it does tend to have some closeout sections and will break right across the bay, making the paddle out to the take-off zone an energy-sapping affair.

While Playgrounds, Shipwrecks, Lacerations and Ceningan are the constants of Nusa Lembongan, major changes have occurred in accommodation and dining options, giving greater scope to the type of stay on offer. Once Lembongan was very much surf based and, with the exception of two resorts located away from the main surf area, limited to fairly basic accommodation. Now there is plenty to choose from around Lembongan Bay, depending on the mix and numbers of people to be accommodated.

On this visit Longbreak stayed at the Lembongan Island Beach Villas - twelve architect-designed villas terraced down the side of the rise overlooking Lembongan Bay and the village of Jungut Batu. The villas are privately owned individually, but available for rent as fully serviced luxury accommodation via a cooperative management scheme.

These villas are perfect for a variety of combinations of guests and ideal for families and couples. The villas are massive, each with two en suite master bedrooms, and two families with a couple children can be accommodated in villas with an extra downstairs bunking area. All have a fully equipped state-of-the art kitchen that flows into an entertaining and dining area. But the best space of all is the wide balcony across the full width of each villa, except those with the added luxury of a plunge pool. Whether full width or half, the balcony is just perfect for sunset drinks with long de briefings and forecasts, whilst gazing over the spectacle of the surf breaks scattered across Lembongan Bay and beyond to Bali, with its highest peak Mt Agung frequently wearing a collar of pink cloud.

Aimed at a different market entirely is Batu Karang Resort and Day Spa, the newest on Lembongan Bay. This comprises ten architect designed, stylishly appointed, spacious, one bedroom Balinese villas. Facilities include a restaurant and bar offering a variety of cuisine, and a day lounge with appointments and facilities just perfect for the indulgent relaxation of a non-surfing partner while the surfer works out quality time at Playgrounds, only minutes away.

Lembongan Bay is fringed with water side cafes and bars ranging from surfing backpacker standard to establishments with very individual approaches to decor and cuisine. The cafes and bars accommodate a ‘united nations’ of proprietors with delegates from throughout Europe, Asia and Australasia, providing a ‘fusion food’ kaleidoscope.

A satisfying visit to Lembongan can be a year round event as it is in the rain shadow of Mt Agung and considerably dryer than Bali. Even during the Summer monsoon down poors Lembongan is spared the brunt of the afternoon or morning drenching. The optimum time for weather and surf to be at its best is May through August when the winds are offshore and regular swell arrives up from the Indian Ocean. Nusa Lembongan is a first time treat and a destination well worth returning to.