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LOVINA |
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LOVINA stretches along 8km of black-sand beach, the largest resort
in Bali outside the Kuta-Legian-Seminyak conurbation. Beginning 6km west
of Singaraja, the resort encompasses six villages: Pemaron, Anturan,
Tukad Mungga, Kalibukbuk, Kaliasem and Temukus. Kalibukbuk is generally
accepted as the centre of Lovina and it's here you'll find most tourist
facilities.
Many people consider the early-morning dolphin trips from Lovina to be
the highlight of their stay, but others find them grossly overrated.
Boats leave at 6am and cost Rp20,000 per person for the two-hour trip;
book directly with the skippers on the beach if you can. The reef off
Lovina used to stretch at least 5km along the coast, but anchors and
fish-bombs have caused severe damage. The skippers know the best spots
for snorkelling and will take you out for about Rp15,000 per person for
a one-and-a-half to two-hour trip. Situated between the main diving
areas on the north coast of Bali - Pulau Menjangan (Deer Island) to the
west , and Tulamben and Amed to the east #150; Lovina is a good place to
base yourself for diving. There are plenty of dive operators in the
resort, offering dive trips (US$40-50) and courses: Baruna, on the main
road in Kalibukbuk (tel 0362/41084) and at Puri Bagus Hotel (tel
0362/25542); Malibu Dive next to Malibu restaurant (tel 0362/41225) and
in Bina Ria Street (tel 0362/41061; 11am-3pm and 5-9pm); Permai, Hotel
Permai, Tukad Mungga (tel 0362/41471) with another counter in Bina Ria
Street (tel 0362/41017); and, probably the best known, Spice Dive, at
Kaliasem (tel 0362/41305) and on Bina Ria Street. Watersports are
curently in their infancy in Lovina, but Karisma Bahari (tel 0362/41969)
have a lovely beach location in Kaliasem offering parasailing (US$12 for
one run), as well as wakeboarding, kneeboarding and water-skiing (all
US$15 for 15min) and the highly recommended Café Spice from where you
can watch all the action.
One popular outing ftrom Lovina is to Bali's only Buddhist monastery,
the Brahma Vihara Ashrama , 10km southwest of Lovina, which can be
combined with a visit to the hot springs at Banjar. Catch any westbound
bemo to DENCARIK , where a sign points inland to the monastery, and ojek
wait to take you the last steep 5km. From the temple you can walk to the
hot springs (daily 8am-6pm; Rp1000). Head back downhill and take the
first major left turn. After a few hundred metres you'll reach a major
crossroads and marketplace at the village of BANJAR TEGA . Turn left and
a kulkul tower will now be on your right. After about 200m you'll see a
sign for the "Holy Hot Springs, Air Panas" (1km).
All inter-island buses from Java to Singaraja pass through Lovina, as do
Gilimanuk-Singaraja and Amlapura-Gilimanuk services and all buses from
the west of the island. From Denpasar and the east of Bali, you'll come
via Singaraja. As the accommodation is so spread out, it's worth knowing
where you want to be dropped off. Tourist shuttle buses also serve the
resort. Perama has three offices in the area, at Anturan (tel
0362/41161; 8am-9pm), on the main road in Kalibukbuk (tel 0362/41104;
8am-8pm) and on Ketapang (tel 0362/41161; 7am-10pm). Simpatik (tel
0362/41584) offers a daily air-con service to Kintamani (Rp19,000) and
Danau Bratan (Rp12,500) and twice daily services to Ubud, Sanu, the
airport and Kuta (all Rp25,000).
To get around the resort, you can pick up the frequent bemos (4am-9pm)
that zip through between Singaraja and Seririt. Vehicle rental is widely
available: prices start at around Rp70,000 a day. Insurance deals vary
and are only available with established companies. Motorbikes are also
available for rent (Rp25-35,000 per day), as are bicycles (Rp15000 per
day). Established companies include Koperasi Marga Sakti (tel
0362/41061), on Bina Ria Street, and Yuli Transport (tel 0362/410184),
opposite Rambutan on Ketapang.
Lovina's tourist office (Mon-Sat 8am-8pm) is on the main road at
Kalibukbuk and the police station is in the same building. The post
office is about 1km west of Kalibukbuk; get poste restante addressed to
you at Post Office, Jalan Raya Singaraja, Lovina, Banjar, Singaraja
81152, Bali, Indonesia. There are also several postal agents in
Kalibukbuk who sell stamps. Internet access is available at several
places for Rp300-500 a minute; try Outpost or Spice Dive in Bina Ria
Street or Planet Lovina at Arya's Café on the main road in Kalibukbuk.
There are wartels and moneychangers dotted throughout the resort. The
closest hospitals are in Singaraja , although for anything serious
you'll have to go to Denpasar .
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