After living for a while in the house somewhere in Bali, you are, after all, would feel grateful: gecko - a small and absolutely innocuous creature - had just decided to live in your house to protect you from mosquitos and the insects!
The sun is about to rise, and small Lovina starts to be filled with the screams of early cocks. Chicken fights is a popular activity all around the island and its one of the most favorite entertainment for locals: almost every family has one in the house.
With the sun appearance, lotuses start to blossom in the ponds near the house, after a long night sleep. People do a tribute to the home spirits- this everyday tradition involves every true Balinese person.
Bali is the island of an amazing variety, and Lovina with the statue of a merry Dolphin on the central square is the place like no other on the island: the beaches are not full of tourists, like they near the Denpasar, neither it reminds of the south the cliffs on the south of the island, nor about wild, deserted shores in the districts near the ferry to Java.
Lovina is not positioned as the Balinese resort: it is a fishermen village with long, almost empty beaches - though sometimes covered with corrals or black, volcanic sand.
Fishermen’s boats- trimarans with bamboo runners; cozy and tasty cafes and restaurants; a convenient road, which allows reaching any part of the Island; quite a cheap villa for rent- what else is needed for true leisure in a true place?
How to get to Lovina:
It is easy to get here by car individually or with a driver. The distance between Denpasar and Lovina is 78 km, but during the daytime the road would take not less than 3 hours due to traffic or mountain serpentines. The quality of the road is not bad, the flow of cars is calm (outside the Denpasar), sometimes even too calm.
Where to stay in Lovina:
There are a few hotels in a region, mainly 3* resorts; but the private sector is highly developed- both for backpackers willing to stay in a cheap guesthouse and for tourist, willing to rent a luxury villa with private pool.
Money matters:
- Prices fluctuate highly from 4 to 40 euros per person per lunch, but the quality doesn’t suffer in both cases.
- You can rent a trimaran with a driver for the whole day, which would include drinks and masks, and have a possibility to swim for as long as you would like, for 60 euros per day per boat.
- The cost of living: from 10 euros for guest-house to 150-160 per luxury villa with pool. The high-quality stay is available even for 50-100 euros a night.
Bali has an equatorial climate with an average temperature of 26°C- 32°ะก. The wettest period is from October till April.
What to see near Lovina:
Lovina is a very convenient place to look around little-known sightseeing of the North part of Bali:.
- At around 15 minutes drive, there are hot springs 'Air Panas'- a lovely place to have a natural SPA treatment or to experience a true Balinese massage at a very affordable price.
- The coastal road would lead you to the chocolate museum, where you can try various kinds of delicious chocolate drinks-museum is a must-visit for all chocoholics.
- An enormous souvenir shop ‘Krishna’ would allow you to buy souvenirs for 1,5-2 times cheaper price than at the airport.
- If you travel by car, try to always have petrol in reserve- there are a few fuel stations in the northern part, which work irregularly, same as for ATMs(cards were only accepted in 'Krishna').
- It is always easy to negotiate with locals about the budget trip to the coral reef. You will enjoy swimming with thousands of colourful fishes and sea-stars, which would cost you 10 times less than highly advertised visit to Pulau Menjangan.
- The sanctuary “Taman Nasional Bali Barat”, nevertheless I really love this kind of places, disappointed me: it is dry, hot and deserted.