Bali, Day 4: Finding Paradise

Today's weather: cloudy, but still hot

Today's exchange rate: 10,225 Rupiah per AUS $

I stayed in bed again until 8:00 but busied myself with getting my gear organised for our move to Lembongan today. I was really excited for this, having never stayed at Lembongan before. Not knowing the area makes it feel like a whole new adventure. We were getting picked up from the hotel reception at 10:30 so we had some time to kill.

Sam was up at 8:30 and at about 9:00, we headed out for brekky. We once again didn't stay at the hotel by went to a restaurant next door called Wayan and Friends. The breakfast menu looked basic but we didn't need anything special so that was fine. Plus, at this point I thought we were getting picked up at 10:00 so we were in a bit of a rush. We each ordered juice ( my orange, pineapple and lemon was awesome!), Sam had Nasi Goreng and I ordered scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns or "has browns" as the menu stated. It was one of the best breakfasts I've had in Bali. The eggs had tomato and onion mixed through, the hash browns were homemade, not bought and they were just delicious!! I wish we had come here yesterday morning too! It cost us about $20.

We popped into Circle K to change more money to take with us to Lembongan and buy more mosquitoe spray. By this time, we were really running short on time (remembering that I thought our pick up was at 10:00) so when I got back to the room, I was rushing around making sure I had everything. Housekeeping was at our door wanting to make up the room and I panicked thinking that the driver from Rocky Fast Boats was already here. We rushed out of the room and to the lobby, but no he wasn't here. We sat down to wait and it was then, when I pulled out my emails from Lembongan Harmony Villas, that I realised pick up was 10:30. Whoops. So we just sat back and relaxed for a bit longer.

Our driver arrived just before 10:30. We had a quick stop at the All Seasons in Legian to pick up a couple of guys from Belgium and then we were off. I was under the impression that Rocky went from Benoa harbour but it goes from Sanur. We had a quick stop at the office to pay, where I bumped into Yuda who had dropped off a couple that I had recommended him to. He once again was as happy as could be and gave me a huge hug. Such an incredibly loving man.

The Rocky Boat costs about $45 per person for a return trip (cheaper for kids) and the boat ride is about half an hour, depending on traffic. I was really looking forward to arriving and with the weather as calm and clear as it was, the driver said it should be quite a quick trip. And it was. In about 20 minutes we were arriving at Lembongan. I managed to not get seasick but was feeling unwell from the very strong petrol fumes. Thankfully, I was back in the fresh air soon enough.

Goodbye Sanur

Hello Lembongan

I admired the view while we waited to be taken to our villa. It was a beautiful day and the mountains and volcanoes of Bali were clearly visible in the distance. I was so excited to get to our villa; it was something I had been looking forward to ever since booking it. Sister villas to Lembongan Sanctuary Villas, the Harmony villas boast a killer view over. Jungutbatu Bay and Bali in the distance. We had a private, one bedroom villa with a gorgeous plunge pool to make the most of the view. The photos looked simply amazing. Our luggage was carried to the truck to take us to the villa and as we drove further up, the view got better and better.

We pulled up to Harmony Villa and it definitely doesn't look like much from the entrance. We were invited in by Janu, the manager and lead to the office to pay our balance before going into the villa. It was gorgeous. Definitely did not disappoint. Janu invited us to sit while we got us cold towels and a welcome drink each before he went over everything with us. He was very thorough. Showed us the villa, where everything was, told us what time housekeeping and turndown would be done before he went over a file with us that had all the information you could possibly need, from spas, to restaurants that can pick you up or deliver food, snorkelling, scooters, the phone that we are given with restaurant numbers already dialled in. He was great. We were then free to explore the villa for ourselves.

It's a great set up, with a very spacious bathroom and a little kitchenette. The verandah is great with a ceiling fan, table and chairs as well as the plunge pool. The only thing we didn't like is that the sun lounges had been moved from a raised deck next to to pool to under the verandah area. I understood the reasoning behind this; the villa behind and above directly overlooks where they were before which made for no privacy but we were looking forward to laying in the sun and enjoying the beautiful view. In their place is now a single chair, 2 footstools and a table. Not so practical for a 1 bedroom villa that sleeps up to 3 people. In my opinion, they should have just gotten another set of lounges. I understand some people may not like laying there, but where the lounges are now just isn't as nice. We're planning on asking to have them moved back up for our stay. We got settled in and then into the pool we went. The pool, although small, is quite deep which stops it from getting warm. It was actually the perfect temperature.

We were soon ready to head to lunch. We went down the steps as far as we could (it was a lot of steps) and turned left to get to The Deck. This had been recommended to me by a few people and it was in the perfect spot with a lovely view. We each ordered a refreshing juice, I had fish and chips and Sam ordered a burger. Everything arrived promptly and it was great. My fish and chips were some of the best I've had and Sam loved her burger. We ordered a couple of coconuts to wash it all down.

Lunch came to about $40. We took a wander along the path that took us to Coconut Bay. It was a nice little beach, the water was lovely had quite a bit of seaweed and rubbish floating around. We wandered the other way, stopping in a shop for water before trekking it back up the steps to the villas. Going up is always harder than going down. It was time for another swim when we got back up, especially after those stairs. We chilled out for a bit, talking about possibilities for the next few days that we're here. We had already agreed that we were wanting to hire scooters to give us the freedom to explore the island some more, so we called Janu, and he organised them for us. Not long after, one of the staff members was at out door to tell us the scooters were here. Talk about service! It was time for a test drive.

Once we got use to them, the scooters were easy to ride. We went slowly keeping a careful eye on the roads which were full if bumps and potholes. We had no idea where we were going but after a few turns, we found ourselves at Mushroom Bay. It's a gorgeous little beach and if it weren't for the boats around, it would be perfect for swimming. We walked along a little ways before turning back and stopping in at a cafe for drink before braving the scooters again. The only area we had any problems was along the road leading to the villas; they're in terrible shape.

We were ready for some down time back at the villa, so it was in and out of the pool and napping on the lounges and days beds before we started talking about dinner. Janu was wandering around so I asked him where a good spot to go was and he suggested Jibaku, which offers a pick up service (most restaurants do) so I gave them a call and somehow, even with the language barrier and being completely unsure if the lady on the other end of the phone understood me, I managed to organise for them to pick us up.

We sure felt like we were in the wilderness on the way there, driving along in a roofless truck down completely unlit roads. We both had big smiles on our faces. The restaurant is only a short drive away and when we arrived, it was completely dead. Only one other table was occupied. We sat at our table with our feet in the sand enjoying the view. Or what we could see of it. We ordered dinne; chicken "Gordon Blue" for Sam and a seafood platter for me. We chatted and watched the little crabs scuttling around on the sand while we waited. The food was nothing special, as was the service but it was a nice spot to sit back and relax. Our meal came to about $30.

The driver was available to take us back again, through the dark and winding roads. Now what to do tomorrow?

 

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