03rd Dec 2009
Lovina-One Of Bali’s Best Kept Secrets
Head up to the north coast of Bali if you have a little extra energy and if you want something more than just package tourist holiday or nonstop shopping, like you find on the south end of Bali down near the airport. Rent a car and treat yourself to some beautiful scenery through the mountains, jungle and volcanoes of central Bali island. Lovina, just eight km. west of Singaraja, is known as an especially nice place to stay, blessed as it is with a calm waters for swimming and snorkeling. Also, Lovina hotels, often situated right on the ocean as they are, are especially good value for what you’ll spend.
Imagine waking up and instead of having to fight the traffic just to get to the ocean, having it right outside your front door at your Lovina hotel. This area offers you this because unlike other parts of the island, especially in the South, it is not (yet) congested and build up to accommodate the hordes of tourists. Restaurants and hotels take advantage of their proximity to the water and offer what is in my opinion, one of the best-kept secrets of the island of Bali. You will probably catch yourself comparing a relaxed lunch and a cold beverage right on the water in Lovina with the experience of dodging motorcycles, taxis and surfboards just to have a meal on Jalan Pantai Kuta or Poppies 1 or 2 down in Kuta.
It is not to say that there is not plenty of fun to be had in the busier parts of the island-of course there is, and a large part of Bali’s reputation as being built on the nightlife and party scene. But if you’re in the mood for a day trip or several days of deceleration into what Bali must’ve been like two or three decades ago, with prices that are a fraction of what you’ll find down near the airport, Lovina beach might be just what you have in mind.
A final word about the prices. Once you get away from “civilization” you may really be shocked at how prices in restaurants and hotels really drop. Lovina hotels in particular, have all the amenities of their southern counterparts except for the aformentioned better location. So if quiet is what you want, chances are you’ll have a better experience for half or even a third of the price or similar accommodations. And to find the holiday you are dreaming of when you decided to come to Bali, at a great price, will make the memory even better.
[...] Singaraja/Lovina area is a part of Bali most tourists never see. It’s too bad because between hotels in Lovina and great beachfront restaurants, as well as a much less hectic pace of life, you might just find [...]
[...] have enough infrastructure so that you can explore the surrounding area while being comfortable. A Lovina hotel right near the water’s edge, near a restaurant where you can get fresh fish caught that day, [...]