Java - Lovina From Yogya or from Mount Bromo you can easily take a bus to Lovina. It leaves Bromo around 9 am (from Ngadisari) and arrives around 6 pm in Lovina. Mind you, this trip is very uncomfortable, the AC bus we had from Yogya to Bromo was on his way back to Yogya!
Hotel We stayed at a marvellous little hotel called Rambutan hotel (prices 5/97).
- It's kept by an Austrian with his Indonesian wife. They have smaller rooms with cold water for 40.000 (without breakfast) or bigger rooms with hot water for 65.000 Rp (without breakfast). Definitely recommended.
- The hotel has a marvellous swimming pool set in a beautiful garden. It has an open restaurant and a badminton field (but you have to pay for the bats) as well as a table tennis table.
- It's situated at 300 m from the beach but we didn't go there.
Not recommended is the Suma Beach Hotel. Be careful that you don't get dropped there by the bus coming from Ubud. They charge 25.000 Rp for a double, but it's away from the center, close to a dirty beach, food is poor and the owner will try to have all your bookings for trips.
A good and cheaper option is the Dupa hotel, close to the busstop next to Arya's café. They have rooms of 10.000, 20.000 & 30.000 Rp (10/98). It's not right at the beach, but the closer you get to the beach, the more expensive it gets.
Restaurants
Malibu:
Average food, quite expensive and only worth it if you want to spend your evening watching an American movie.
Other people did like it however.
Kopi Bali
Good food, especially fish and not so expensive. They have special deals like juices for half the price.
La Karma
Really great Mexican food, although a bit more expensive (5 US$ a person, 5/97).
What to do? You can cheaply rent a motorbike (10.000 Rp a day without petrol) and visit the neighbourhood(5/97).
Dolphin tours
We didn't do this ourselves. The reports I got from these tours are mixed, and largely depend on the fact whether dolphins could be seen or not.Price is 20.000 Rp pp (10/98).
Gitgit waterfall
This is quite a nice waterfall on the way to Bedugul. Park your motorbike on the Parking lot on the left hand side of the road. There's a guard looking after it. You first have to pass a string of 400 metres of souvenir shops. I don't know what the waterfall will be at the end of the dry season though.
- This is an absolutely marvellous temple and not to miss while in Bali. It's very photogenically set at the border of the lake. Admittance is 10.000 Rp nowadays (9/98).
- It's quite a long way to go there from Lovina by motorbike but also quite fun if you like mountainous roads.
- There's a restaurant next to the temple where you can have a buffet lunch for 25.000 Rp. Another possibility for lunch is Ome Luang on the way to Bedugul. Here you pay 40.000 Rp, they have nice rice field views (9/98).
Hot springs
Quite nice springs, take your swimming suit. You can have lunch with a view of the springs.
Buddhist Monastery
Not worth the trip, seemed fake to me.
Going East Tulamben You can go to Tulamben to go snorkeling or diving at the USS Liberty ship wreck. It's at 20 m off the shore. Diving can be organised from Paradise Palm Beach Bungalows for 30 US$ for 1 dive including guide and equipment (also graded lenses). Other places are a little bit more expensive (9/98).
Going West - You could go to the North-West peninsula of Bali to go either to Bali Barat National Park or to go snorkeling or diving at Pulau Menjangan. A trip from Lovina (Malibu diving) including 2 dives, lunch and drinks and boat trip will cost you 55 US$. Snorkeling can be arranged for 10 US$. you'll see a lot of soft coral, gorgonian coral and lots of fish.
- There's no budget accomodation here. The Taman Sari Beach Hotel charges 35 US$ for a double with AC, bathroom and breakfast (25US$ if you book a diving tour). Segara Bukit Cottages are cheaper at 80.000 Rp for a double room with fan, shower and breakfast. They have bigger rooms at 120.000 Rp (9/98).
Off the beaten track An "off the beaten track"- tip from John Norris is to go to Munduk, North-West of Lake Bratan. This is a small village with superb views over ricefields. There are ample trekking opportunities through ricefields, primary forest, waterfalls, mountain lakes etc... There are some simple homestays, but if you want upmarket accomodation, you could stay at the excellent Puri Lumbung Cottages (tel. & fax: 0362 92810). They charge 45 US$ for excellent cottages in the form of traditional rice barns, each with verandas and stunning views (11/98). |
