Lovina Beach is a 12 km stretch of coast to the North West of
Singaraja in North Bali. It is several resorts rather than one. It is
comprised of several narrow stretches of black volcanic sand. Lovina,
like most of Bali, fills up with tourists from all over the world in
August and Australians at Chrismass. Lovina is a nice break from the
bustle of the South. These days the mix of tourists is mainly families
and couples rather than the backpackers of yesteryear.
Kalibukbuk is the largest and most developed village but it is just
two streets of hotels, bars, restaurants, and dive shops running down
to the beach. There is a wide range of accommodation and restaurants to
suit all budgets and tastes. There are two clubs and several bars, but
the nightlife is generally low key and easy giong.
You can easily get to Lovina by bus from all parts of Bali, but it
is a long ride from the East or South. Getting your own car with or
without a driver ( I don't recomend without!!) is a much easier way to
get to the North. Bemo’s are the local public transport buses and they
ply all the local routes. Again it is much easier to hire a driver and
car for any longer journey. You can travel from Kuta in less than 3hrs
and from the airport or Sanur in about 2.30hrs. You will travel through
(Pura Ulun Danau) Bedugul and could go the pretty way through Munduk if
you are not in a hurry. So you could stop to take in the temple, lakes
and rice paddies on your trip and make a day of it.
Sightseeing trips are easy to organise either with drivers on the
street or through your hotel. Some sugestions are:
Air Banjar Hot Springs - Located west of Lovina, Air Banjar (or
Panjar) is an enchanting hot springs with stone carved mouths gushing
water among a lush garden setting. A nominal entrance fee is charged.
Go in the morning if you want some peace and quiet, you will have the
place to yourself if you get there before 9am.
DolphinTrips - These trips leave early each morning and are great
fun for the kids, despite the critiscism that the boats tend to
outnumber the dolphins. Prices are fixed by a dolphin cartel, they are
around 50,000 (4 euro).
Snorkeling is possible on the reef just offshore from Kalibukbuk in
the mornings around 10am. You will need to hire a boat for this and it
costs about 50,000 per head (includes gear, although your own will be a
better fit). Snorkeling and scuba diving trips leave from Kalibukbuk
for Menjangan and other north shore dive spots. There are several dive
operators based out of Lovina that operate daily dive trips to
Menjangan Island, Tulamben and Amed, as well as night dives from the
local shore. "Spice Dive" are based out of Lovina and offer day trips
to all of the dive spots on the northern shore. Guides are available in
a variety of languages and multi-day discounts are available.
"http://www.lovinadive.com/" price=US$55-$75 per day.
Spa - Lovina is lucky to have several spa facilities. While a little
more low key than the spas to the south, the service is excellent and
the prices, being much less than the opulent spas in the south, are an
excellent value and well worth it. ''Agung's Spa offers body scrubs,
facials, massage, etc. It is also the nicest spa facility in Lovina,
though by Balinese standards it is much smaller and basic than what you
would find elsewhere on the island. 'Bali Samadhi Spa
[http://www.BaliSamadhi.com] (Tel. 081 338 558 260) in Lovina offers a
variety of massages. One is called Rebalancing Massage a very nice
mixture between therapeutic and well-being massage. Mandi Lulur scrubs
are available including the yogurt mask.
Eating and Drinking - 'Kakatua' in Kalibukbuk is one the most
popular with tourists and not without reason. The menu is varied, the
staff friendly and you can see the food being prepared and cooked from
fresh ingredients. There are many good restaurants and bars listed on
other pages in the site.
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