After spending a few weeks in Bali in the fall, our tour continued to Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan before we traveled on to Lombok.
The small Nusa Islands have beautiful hotels, wonderful beaches and several sights to offer.
In this blog article, we report on our experiences and provide tips for your trip to Indonesia.
Ferry to Nusa Lembongan
We took a boat from the port of Sanur on Bali to Nusa Lembongan. Unfortunately, we saw too many TikTok videos about these boats beforehand: High swell, seasick people and poor safety precautions.
That’s why we searched a little longer for a suitable boat company and decided on Arthamas Express.
Maybe we were just lucky, but the 45-minute crossing was totally relaxed. The swell was moderate, the boat was fine and only half full.
Once we had solid ground under our feet again, we realized that there are no cabs on the island.
You can either rent a scooter directly or be picked up from the hotel. The vehicles for this are like small trucks where you can sit in the back on the loading area.
Hotel Darsan Lembongan
We booked the Hotel Darsan Lembongan as our accommodation for a week. However, it wasn’t a classic hotel but about ten so-called boutique cottages – small wooden houses, each with its own outdoor bathroom.
We were lucky and got the only house from which you could see a little bit of the sea.
The cabins consist of a small terrace with table and chairs, a bedroom with bed and sitting area and an outdoor bathroom with toilet, washbasin and shower.
The accommodation was fine for the price of around 50 euros per night. However, we had the feeling that the wooden houses were a few years old. The cleanliness was mediocre.
A few uninvited guests, such as the largest beetle we have ever seen, often came through the sometimes quite large gaps in the roof of the hut. However, this is not unusual in Indonesia and was completely fine for us.
The Darsan Lembongan also has a nice pool with a few sun loungers. However, the latter were also quite old and partly broken.
We had booked this accommodation without breakfast, but had breakfast in the hotel one morning for an extra charge. We can definitely advise against this: It was very unkind, with white toast and some butter from plastic packets.
On Bali and the neighboring islands, most people get around by scooter. That’s why you can rent one at almost any accommodation for a few euros a day.
Officially, an international driver’s license is required, but nobody asks for one.
The quality of the scooters at our accommodations was extremely different. While we were given a brand new, modern scooter at the Boni Beach Hotel on Lombok, there was a “slightly” older model on Nusa Lembongan.
The brakes had to be applied very firmly for the right effect and the helmets had already seen a few thousand heads.
The roads on Nusa Lembongan are not very good, but the traffic is also very manageable. In this respect, it is also possible for beginners to ride a scooter here.
Despite all the negative points for the Darsan Lembongan accommodation, it had one huge advantage: it was within walking distance of the beautiful Song Lambung beach.
Not only is it perfect for swimming and surfing – it is also a good starting point for various activities.
Song Lambung beach on Lembongan
The beach is a very small bay with a fine sandy beach. The differences between high and low tide on Nusa Lembongan are quite large. At high tide, there is hardly anything left of the sandy beach.
At Song Lambung Beach there is Nilas Warung, where you can get cheap drinks and local snacks. And there is the Lago, which provided us with many pleasant hours.
Lago Hotel, Café and Pontoon
The Lago is a huge guest house that can be rented exclusively for larger groups and would probably have been unaffordable for us.
This house also has a small, beautiful café on Song Lambung beach, a sun deck with sauna and a pontoon, i.e. a floating island on the sea.
The café, sun deck, sauna and pontoon are not just for hotel guests but can be used by everyone, sometimes for a small fee. And we made extensive use of this.
The Lago Café is a great place to have breakfast on the beach in the morning or a beer in the evening. It also serves small snacks such as sandwiches.
The Lago sun deck can be used for a few euros per day and includes sun loungers, towels and even a sauna with a sea view.
As a die-hard sauna fan, I naturally tried it out, but even for me it took some getting used to going into an even hotter room at 90 degrees in tropical temperatures.
You can even order food and drinks from the Lago Café on the sun deck and have them brought directly to your lounger. The sandwiches were okay, but not a highlight.
I would recommend going to the sun deck as early or as late as possible. We were there at midday, when there is hardly any shade and it gets very hot, even without a sauna.
Another highlight of Lago Bali is the so-called Pontoon: a floating island off the coast to which you are taken by small boat free of charge.
The trip only takes 2-3 minutes. On the island there are comfortable beanbags and a large bar where you can order various cocktails, beer and soft drinks.
We spent a whole afternoon here and can definitely recommend the island.
The best thing is that you can jump straight into the sea from the pontoon, go swimming or even snorkeling. We spotted lots of colorful fish.
But the Song Lambung beach is not the only way to get to the lake. On the beach, a brand new, very beautiful wooden path leads along the rocks to other restaurants.
You can even quickly reach the largest stretch of beach here, where the boats moor and where there are more restaurants and small stores.
Restaurants on Nusa Lembongan
The first restaurant that you reach via this path after a few minutes is The Deck. From here you can enjoy a great view of the sea. It is arranged on several levels and serves food from early until late.
One evening there was even a DJ playing relaxed chill music as the sun went down.
If you walk further north from The Deck, you’ll reach other lovely restaurants. We ate at the Thai Pantry, which is almost next to The Deck and is also very tasty. It just took an extremely long time for the food to arrive.
We also went out for dinner one evening at La Bianca, which serves good pizza as well as local dishes. Here, too, you can sit right by the sea and enjoy a beautiful sunset.
A little further on, we can recommend the Greek restaurant Nisi Taverna. We found it a little too expensive, but the food was very tasty.
In the street where the Nisi Taverna is located, there is also a large supermarket where we stocked up on the essentials.
Don’t expect a supermarket as you know it from Germany and remember to take off your shoes before entering. This is common practice in some (mostly private) houses in Indonesia, and this supermarket is no exception.
Sandy Bay Beach Club
For a relaxing day on the beach, we can recommend another beach club on Nusa Lembongan: The Sandy Bay Beach Club.
It is located on the western tip of the island and consists of a small pool, plenty of sun loungers and a nice restaurant.
At the beach clubs on Nusa Lembongan, it is often not possible to reserve sun loungers, so the rule here is “first come, first serve”.
We spent a few hours working on our laptops at this beach club and can recommend the fast and stable WiFi. The dinner was also fine.
Dream Beach Lembongan
Another beautiful beach on Nusa Lembongan is Dream Beach. The sand is wonderfully light and soft and the sea is crystal clear.
We also went swimming here briefly, but at low tide it is very difficult to get over the rocks into the deeper water.
The timing of high and low tide therefore plays a major role on the islands if you like swimming in the sea.
Nusa Ceningan
Nusa Ceningan is the small neighboring island of Nusa Lembongan. Both islands are connected by a bridge, which you can either cross on foot or by scooter.
We were only on Nusa Ceningan for one day, but we can recommend one beach club in particular.
The Suku Beach Club was only opened in 2023 and is located on a rock right by the sea.
At the top of the entrance is a large bar and restaurant. If you go down the stairs, you come to a beautiful pool with lots of lounges and sunbeds. You pay a small fee for this.
From the pool you can go down a few more steps and reach a small bay with a sandy beach.
We really liked the Suku Beach Club. Even though it was still quite empty when we were there, we can imagine that it will soon be much fuller here.
Our conclusion
Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan are definitely worth a visit. Many tourists only come to the islands for a day trip, which is why the remote places are often empty and very relaxed.
One week was quite long, as the islands are really small and manageable. However, this gave us the opportunity to see every corner and find the hidden spots.
Even though we would not recommend our hotel, the Darsan Lembongan, without reservation, the location was perfect for excursions on foot or by scooter.
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