Bali, Day 5: Scootering Around Lembongan

Today's weather: overcast morning, sunny and hot afternoon

Sam and I were both awake early today. I sat on the verandah and watched the light come over the beautiful island. The weather wasn't looking too promising today, but we didn't have much planned so I wasn't too concerned. I spent some time outside before returning to the room for a little bit more sleep. At about 9:00, we headed out for breakfast and by this time, the weather had cleared into a gloriously sunny morning. We trekked down the steps and got comfortable at The Deck. We had had lunch here yesterday and loved not only the food but the service and the view over Jungutbatu Bay. I ordered a potato rosti which is served with poached eggs, corn salsa and avocado, Sam ordered corn fritters which is served with bacon, spinach and balsamic glaze. The food came out promptly and boy was it yummy. We're planning on coming back again tomorrow for brekky.

Corn fritters

Potato Rosti

While we were eating, I was eyeing off the lady sitting next to us which her two daughters. Why, do you ask? Well I had recently been communicating, via Instagram, with The Lembongan Traveller- a Perth based lady who is somewhat of a Lembongan expert and helps people organise their stays with recommendations and bookings with hotels and villas on the island as well as reviewing numerous restaurants and things to do. Through her, I found out that the lady behind the family run online company Bali Buddies (which is along the same lines but Bali based) was staying below us in the Sanctuary Villas and was told to keep an eye out for her. And there she was, sitting at the table next to us. I had a little chat with her before she paid her bill and left. I was so excited to have met her.

We paid our bill and made our way back up the treacherous stairs (they're not that bad there's just lots of them) to return to our villa. We were planning on having a bit of a spa day today so once the spa we had in mind opened at 10:00, I gave them a call to book us in.

Just after 11:00, 2 girls on their scooters arrived to pick us up. Although Sam and I were not entirely comfortable being on our own scooters, we were pretty comfortable being on the back of someone else's that we knew was use to the road conditions and rules. We were off to Ulian Spa which was recommended by Janu, the villa manager. The spa is nothing much to look at but inside was a nice set up, with aircon and clean facilities. I was having a package which included a full body massage, scrub, flower bath and moisturise for 250,000 Rupiah. Sam was having a mani and pedi. My massage was underway. I was very relaxed as the girl massaged my back with just the right pressure. I noticed how sore my calf muscles were from all the steps so was cringing a bit as she massage my legs. I had chosen a coconut scrub and it was fantastic. Just what I needed after being out in the sun so much, getting a bit burnt and having my skin dry out. During this time, a European couple had come in wanting treatments. Despite it being obvious that the staff were busy with other people, they spoke very loudly. It's something I don't get. Don't the same rules that apply to being in a library also apply to being in a spa?? By the time our treatments were finished, they had come and gone. After my scrub, I was lead into a little room that had a single bathtub. The girl had filled it with warm water and flowers as well as lit a few candles. It was lovely. I lay back in the bath for a while before washing off what was left of the scrub and returning to the massage table where the girl proceeded to moisturise my skin. I was uber relaxed and felt very pampered. All that for just $25.

When I walked out, Sam was still getting her treatments, so I went for a bit of a walk along the beach to see what was around. With the mood I was in, I appreciated so much more the beautiful surroundings that is Lembongan island. I didn't walk too far before turning around and returning to the spa in the hope that Sam's treatments were done, but to no avail; she was still being pampered. I sat down in the reception area to chill out and message a guy about taking us snorkelling tomorrow. I was served ginger tea, which was delicious, and finally Sam's nails were done. We paid the bill, and the girls took us back to the villa on their scooters. Sam wasn't entirely happy with her treatments. Neither of us are the type to enjoy sitting down for hours to have treatments and Sam's just took too long for her liking and by the time we were back at the villa, they had already smudged.

When we got back, we were starving. I was dying to go over to Ceningan island to go to a place called Le Pirate Beach Club. It's a restaurant/hotel/beach club whose photos looked amazing. Of course we didn't actually know how to get to Ceningan, but there's only so many wrongs turns you can take on an island that only has so many roads. We jumped on the scooters and we were off. Once we saw the suspension bridge that goes between Lembongan and Ceningan, we knew we were on the right track. I had no problem going over the bridge but Sam wasn't too keen on it. In true Bali fashion, there's only enough room for one scooter (width wise) so if you see someone coming over, you have to wait for them to get to the end before you can go. After a little while of driving over Ceningan's bumpy and potholed roads, we made it to Le Pirate. What a gorgeous little place. It's got such a funky vibe to it, with its beach shacks, rustic infinity pool and cool deck chairs. We sat down for lunch, ordering a quesadilla to share and a burger each. Man, did it hit the spot. The burger was delicious. I downed mine in record time before we went to the pool. The pool is free to use, but towels are 30,000 Rupiah each so we got them to put a couple on our bill and into the pool we went. It was empty so we loved sitting there, floating around and enjoying the view. What a great spot this was.

It was about 4:30 when we were ready to go. We paid our bill of about $35 which included our lunch, couple of drinks each and a towel each, and were on our way. We found our way back to the villa with no problem at all and were very happy to see that our lounges had been moved back up onto the desk as we requested. We wanted to be able to enjoy the sun while overlooking the beautiful view and the way they were placed before just didn't allow for it.

Not being a person for sitting still, I left Sam to her relaxing while I went out for a walk. I wanted to check out a few menus for dinner options. I didn't mean to walk very far, but I did. Almost back to the spa we were at earlier, I decided to cut through to the beach. While I was walking, I bumped into Captain Coconut, who is the guy I've organised our snorkelling with. I confirmed times and places with him before continuing on my way.

When I got back to the villa, after once again facing the stairs to heaven, I was hot, so it was into the pool and back onto the sunlounges for me. At about 6:00, we retreated back in as the bugs began to come out. It was time to start thinking about dinner. We decided to head back downstairs, once again. Not wanting to walk far, we went to one of the closest restaurants called Lembongan Reef. It was a great spot, with a deck over the water and from there, we were able to catch a glimpse of the sunset in the west. The sky over Bali was coming alive with lightning and we were in a great place to watch it.

We ordered a few things, Lumpia and Bakmi Goreng for me, guacamole and a steak for Sam. I discovered that I wasn't actually very hungry and my Lumpia weren't that good, as was my Bakmi Goreng so I didn't end up eating much and took to feeding a few cats that came over to us. After a disappointing dinner, it was back to the villa for an early night, but not before stopping next door at The Deck for some ice cream. We were both pretty knackered and wanted to be feeling fresh for our snorkelling tomorrow.

 

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