Nusa Lembongan – The island paradise near Bali
The beautiful little island paradise of Nusa Lembogan is just 30 minutes by boat from Bali. The Nusa Islands are three islands: Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida. We decided to spend 5 days on the second largest island of the Nusas at the beginning of our Bali vacation. Speedboats depart daily from the port of Sanur in Bali to the Nusa Islands. For us, the journey directly from the airport was relatively quick and uncomplicated. The speedboat dropped us ashore in the beautiful little bay of Mushroom Bay on Nusa Lembogan, from where we took a cab to our accommodation. The cab was a small truck with benches on the loading area, otherwise people on the island mainly move around on scooters or on foot.
As we always on the lookout for beautiful boho hotels, we couldn’t help but check into the absolute boho paradise of Nusa Lembogan:
Indiana Kenanga Resort & Spa
The Hotel Indiana Kenanaga* is located on the white, expansive Jungutbatu Beach. The view from the restaurant is breathtaking and invites you to linger at any time of day. Stick your feet in the sand while you sip a fresh coconut – wonderful!
The accommodation at Indiana Kenanga consists of various villas with one or two bedrooms, which are spread out in extensive, green gardens. Unfortunately, there are no sea view rooms, but our villa with its own pool was so beautiful that we didn’t miss a thing. We particularly liked the huge, open living room with the kitchen corner.
The hotel’s pool area with adjoining spa is also lovingly designed in Balinese boho style and you feel completely at ease in this fantastic hotel complex. We will certainly return to the Indiana Kenanga Hotel and Spa one day!
There are numerous restaurants, small stores, spas, bureaux de change and mini markets both on the beach and on the road behind the hotel. We particularly liked the cafés and restaurants within walking distance, Ginger & Jamu, Ombak Zero Waste Café and Nusa Bodega. A bit of Mediterranean flair, a tapas platter and a glass of wine on Nusa Lembongan. Cheers!
Ohana’s Beach Club – a boho dream
Right next to our accommodation was another perfect spot for all boho lovers! A turquoise pool by the turquoise sea, white Balinese umbrellas and plenty of boho flair– that’s what you can find at the beautiful Ohana’s Beach Club. You can also stay at Ohana’s over night, but we preferred to spend our time there as day guests with chilled tunes on a huge daybed,hopping into the pool or the sea every now and then.
Every evening there are sunset sessions with a DJ and you can round off the day with dinner on the beach. Reservations for a table for beachfront dining are recommended, as Ohana’s is definitely one of the hotspots on Nusa Lembongan.
A day trip to Nusa Ceningan
The small neighboring island of Nusa Ceningan is perfect for a day trip. Strictly speaking, it is a peninsula, as the two Nusas are connected by the famous yellow bridge. A cab can take you as far as the bridge, then the taxi ride is over. If you want to get around Nusa Ceningan by motorized means, you will need a scooter. Otherwise you won’t be able to cross the bridge because it is too narrow for cars. However, we explored Nusa Ceningan on foot, as the island is not particularly large.
The trip to Nusa Ceningan is worth it for the numerous stylish restaurants and beach clubs with the famous and very insta-worthy swings in the water. Fancy taking a good photo? Snap Snap! Our favorite beach bar on Ceningan was definitely the Sea Beeze. However, this was just a stopover on the way to our actual destination and highlight on Nusa Ceningan: Secret Beach. The view there is breathtaking and the small bay is quite simply a paradise within paradise. The café invites you to enjoy a refreshment or a snack while watching the surfers at Secret Beach Point. We certainly had the perfect day out.
Hai Tide Beach Resort – Mushroom Bay
Before our departure back to Bali, we wanted to change locations on the island to try out another hotel on Nusa Lembongan and gain further impressions. The Hai Tide Beach Resort* on Mushroom Bay really is the perfect little island paradise, straight out of a picture book. Incredibly idyllic. Our beach hut on stilts was cozy and we had a great sea view from the bed. The natural materials in boho style always give a cozy feeling and the turquoise blue, crystal clear water does the rest. We would have loved to stay longer because it was sooooo lovely there!
In addition to the 2 restaurants, the Hai Tide Resort also offers a pool and a spa. In the backroads of the bay you can find several stores, restaurants, ATMs and mini markets within walking distance.
Kai Koa Fast Boat
On the day of our departure from Hai Tide Resort it was raining like crazy. Before we knew what was going on, we and our luggage had been lovingly wrapped in plastic bin bags at the hotel reception. Very stylish. Then we were loaded onto your cab boat and taken to the departure meeting point for the return journey to Bali.
On the way to Nusa Lembongan, we chose one of the normal boats for the crossing. For the return journey, we opted in fora little more speed and fun. That’s why we chose 2 seats on the Kai Koa Fast Boat. The crossing back to Bali took about 15 minutes and was great fun. Amazing crew, loud music and very bumpy at times. We actually squealed with delight.
As the speedboat only has 8 seats, it is advisable to book journey in advance.
Our conclusion: Nusa Lembogan is definitely worth a visit. We enjoyed our stay so much and can’t recommend a visit enough. It’s like Bali, only more chilled.
Bye bye, little paradise. We had the very best time and will definitely visit Nusa Lembogan again one day!
