Lovina in Bali worth the trip?
Jan 1st, 2007, 04:12 PM
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Lovina in Bali worth the trip?
I am planning a 10-day honeymoon in Bali. We were thinking of splitting up the trip into 5-day segments in 2 different parts of the island. We're definitely going to do Ubud (or something around there) for 4-5 days and are debating between Nusa Dua or Lovina for the other few days.
Has anyone been to Lovina? Is it worth staying there or just a day trip? I've heard mixed reviews.
Cheers!
Has anyone been to Lovina? Is it worth staying there or just a day trip? I've heard mixed reviews.
Cheers!
Jan 1st, 2007, 04:40 PM
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Lovina is OK, but nothing spectacular. While some people really like it up there, I would rather go somewhere else. We were first there in 1996 and again in 2005 and over the span of 9 years, nothing had really improved, and many places had become tired and worn. The nearby city of Singaraja is quite interesting if you wanted to have a look at local life without tourists.
There is a hotspring that's interesting, the drive up from the south is quite beautiful, and there are some quite ok places to stay, but nothing close to the quality of what you might find in the more popular parts of the island. There is a neat place called Puri Lumbung that might be worth a night or two.
Lovina is a rather poor area, as it was built up quickly during the tourist boom of the 80's and 90's, but when tourist numbers decreased, quite a few places either closed or became run down. To me, it has an atmosphere of a beach resort well past its time. Damai Lovina is maybe the best hotel in the area, but it is not at all near the beach. It is set up away from the coast, pretty much alone. Transportation will be required should you want to do anything at all outside the resort, which is not a problem as far as availability or cost, but if you like to be able to stroll around shops and restaurants, you won't be able to. Then again, Lovina isn't packed with shops or restaurants to begin with.
The beach is black/gray volcanic rock...small pebbles rather than sand, and there are several areas where I could see and smell sewage running directly into the sea, though I understand that the very same thing happens at the southern beaches as well. Didn't bother us so much as we did not swim in the sea there, but if you are hoping for a clean beach with clear water, you will be disappointed.
You can go snorkelling by boat about a 15 minute ride out, but it is not anything special. You can see dolphins in the morning, when everybody and his brother with a boat takes tourists out on dolphin tours. I still have mixed feelings about that...25 or more boats chasing behind a school of dolphins day after day can't be good for them...yet they reliably show up day after day... I'm just not sure about that.
If you want an off the beaten path beach area, you might look at the Amed area. It is supposed to be lovely. There are a number of small places to stay that are nice enough, and the snorkeling here is supposed to be nicer than Lovina's. Amed is equally quiet but is more of an up and coming place while Lovina feels like a place that is going down to me.
Nusa Dua is a resort enclave constructed for the sole purpose of tourism. It is not to my taste at all, but many people like the large resort hotels there. For me, it's too "big corporate hotel" and lacks local flavor.
You might consider Seminyak or Nusa Lembongan, or stay the whole time inland. We have found much more of interest and had better all around experiences in and around Ubud than anywhere else.
There is a hotspring that's interesting, the drive up from the south is quite beautiful, and there are some quite ok places to stay, but nothing close to the quality of what you might find in the more popular parts of the island. There is a neat place called Puri Lumbung that might be worth a night or two.
Lovina is a rather poor area, as it was built up quickly during the tourist boom of the 80's and 90's, but when tourist numbers decreased, quite a few places either closed or became run down. To me, it has an atmosphere of a beach resort well past its time. Damai Lovina is maybe the best hotel in the area, but it is not at all near the beach. It is set up away from the coast, pretty much alone. Transportation will be required should you want to do anything at all outside the resort, which is not a problem as far as availability or cost, but if you like to be able to stroll around shops and restaurants, you won't be able to. Then again, Lovina isn't packed with shops or restaurants to begin with.
The beach is black/gray volcanic rock...small pebbles rather than sand, and there are several areas where I could see and smell sewage running directly into the sea, though I understand that the very same thing happens at the southern beaches as well. Didn't bother us so much as we did not swim in the sea there, but if you are hoping for a clean beach with clear water, you will be disappointed.
You can go snorkelling by boat about a 15 minute ride out, but it is not anything special. You can see dolphins in the morning, when everybody and his brother with a boat takes tourists out on dolphin tours. I still have mixed feelings about that...25 or more boats chasing behind a school of dolphins day after day can't be good for them...yet they reliably show up day after day... I'm just not sure about that.
If you want an off the beaten path beach area, you might look at the Amed area. It is supposed to be lovely. There are a number of small places to stay that are nice enough, and the snorkeling here is supposed to be nicer than Lovina's. Amed is equally quiet but is more of an up and coming place while Lovina feels like a place that is going down to me.
Nusa Dua is a resort enclave constructed for the sole purpose of tourism. It is not to my taste at all, but many people like the large resort hotels there. For me, it's too "big corporate hotel" and lacks local flavor.
You might consider Seminyak or Nusa Lembongan, or stay the whole time inland. We have found much more of interest and had better all around experiences in and around Ubud than anywhere else.
Jan 1st, 2007, 08:38 PM
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flying, the only reason I could see to spend 5 days in Lovina or North Bali would be if you are interested in SCUBA or snorkling. Otherwise I think you could better split your time between the Ubud area and South Bali.
I personally prefer the Seminyak area to Nusa Dua as I think it offers the best balance of beach/shopping/restaurants and upscale accommodations. Jimbaran would be my second choice. Lombok also makes a good combination with Ubud and the beaches are actually nicer than those on Bali, though culturally, in my opinion, it's less interesting.
I personally prefer the Seminyak area to Nusa Dua as I think it offers the best balance of beach/shopping/restaurants and upscale accommodations. Jimbaran would be my second choice. Lombok also makes a good combination with Ubud and the beaches are actually nicer than those on Bali, though culturally, in my opinion, it's less interesting.
Jan 2nd, 2007, 01:56 AM
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We stayed at Damai in Lovina for 3 nights a few years ago but if I only had 10 days I'm not sure I'd do it again. As Kim said, the drive from the south is very worthwhile - we came up through the lakes region and returned via the lake and volcano near Kintamani. The snorkeling/scuba at Menjangan Island is about an hour away and is the best on Bali - that is another reason for staying in Lovina. A day trip to Lovina would be a very long day but it is doable - about 3 hours each way without stopping.
