Nusa Lembongan is a small island about a 30-minute boat ride from the southeast coast of Bali’s mainland. It’s one of our favourite places in Bali, with beautiful beaches and natural sights. It gives you a completely different experience from other places in Bali. It’s also a great base to explore nearby Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan. So where to stay in Nusa Lembongan? In our accommodation guide, you will find the best places to stay including our favourite resorts, hotels, and villas, along with the best locations.
Contents
- Best Area To Stay
- Should I Stay In Nusa Lembongan Or Nusa Penida?
- Is It Worth Staying In Nusa Lembongan?
- How Many Days Do You Need?
- Booking Accommodation
- Accommodation Guide
Where To Stay In Nusa Lembongan? Area Guide
The main areas to stay in Nusa Lembongan include Jungut Batu Beach, Mushroom Bay, Sandy Bay, Dream Beach, Tamarind Beach and Coconut Beach.
But what is the best area to stay in Nusa Lembongan? I think this will really depend from person to person, but in our opinion, the two best areas to stay are Jungut Batu Beach and Mushroom Bay. They are also the main two areas where you may not need a scooter for your entire stay as there are nearby restaurants.
The main form of transport on the island is hiring a scooter, which you will most likely end up doing to really explore Nusa Lembongan at points throughout your stay, no matter where you decide to stay. Another option to get around Lembongan Island is hiring a golf buggy, which is great if you don’t feel confident on a scooter, or if you’re on a family trip.
Jungut Batu Beach
Jungut Batu Beach is the area where most speedboats will arrive in Nusa Lembongan. Even though most speedboat companies will provide bemo transport to your accommodation, staying in Jungut Batu means you are in a convenient spot.
Although there are many great places to stay and visit on the island, this is the busiest and main part of Nusa Lembongan.
Jungut Batu also has a fairly calm beach, as well as nearby surf breaks. It’s a great area to watch the sunset.
The main strip of Jungut Batu village is lined with many restaurants, so there are plenty of options to eat that don’t always require scooter transport. Jungut Batu is our pick for where to stay in Nusa Lembongan for a convenient location.
Mushroom Bay
Mushroom Bay is considered the best beach to stay in Nusa Lembongan for a swimmable beach. But even though it’s calm, there are a lot of boats, day trips and watersports here, so I think that takes away from swimming at Mushroom Bay Beach. Having said this, it is also one of the best beaches on Lembongan Island for kids and a great place to watch the sunset.
There are plenty of cafes and restaurants within walking distance, so it makes a good base. But it can also be fairly busy and feel a little more touristy.
Coconut Bay and Tamarind Beach
Walking along the waterfront from Jungut Batu towards Mushroom Bay will take you past Coconut Beach and then Tamarind Beach. Coconut Beach is another great beach for kids if you’re on a family trip.
Tamarind Beach has some great affordable options for accommodation. Although it is possible to walk to some restaurants from these locations, I would recommend a scooter for most days of your stay so you can conveniently get around.
If you’re staying in Tamarind Beach, you could also walk to Secret Beach, one of the best beaches in Lembongan.
Sandy Bay
Sandy Bay (also referred to as Sunset Beach) is the next beach after Mushroom Beach. This beach is right in front of Sandy Bay Beach Club. It can be pretty rough with strong waves so not the best for swimming, although it’s a beautiful area that we love and a perfect place to watch the sunset.
There aren’t as many restaurants around this area, so you will need a scooter for the entirety of your stay. Sandy Bay also has plenty of beautiful villa options too. Sandy Bay is our pick for where to stay in Nusa Lembongan for villas and to get away from the crowds.
Dream Beach
Dream Beach is further around again, past Devil’s Tear. It has a beautiful beach but again, the waves are super strong so it’s not great for swimming. It’s also become quite busy with tourists which takes a little away from this area.
Again, there are not many options for restaurants in this area so having a scooter is necessary if you stay here.
Should I Stay In Nusa Lembongan or Nusa Penida or Nusa Ceningan?
Nusa Lembongan is one of three islands grouped together; the other two being Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan. Although all three are very beautiful, they are also very different and will give you very different experiences. Although you can stay on all three islands, you can also day trip to Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan from Nusa Lembongan.
Nusa Lembongan
Nusa Lembongan is fairly easy to get around on a scooter, the roads are fairly good, and the Island is relatively small. There are some great restaurants, things to do and a relaxed feel. Nusa Lembongan is also really easy to reach with a 30-minute fast boat from Bali.
Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida is a lot bigger than Nusa Lembongan. It was the last of the three islands to really be developed, so it has this beautiful authentic, rugged feeling about it. Even though development is happening fast, there are still many places left untouched to explore. It’s also home to some incredible natural sights like Kelingking Beach and Angels Billabong.
If you do a day trip to Nusa Penida, then you will only be able to cover a beautiful but small amount of Nusa Penida. If you plan to explore lots of sights in Nusa Penida, then you will most likely need a few days, so staying in Nusa Penida would be a good option. Staying in Nusa Penida is a more adventurous experience.
The roads on Nusa Penida are quite rough, although they are improving these. It therefore makes it hard to get around on a scooter if you’re not competent (we saw a few accidents when we were there). This means that the best way to get around is by a private driver, but it’s still a super bumpy ride and it can really take it out of you. Nusa Penida also doesn’t have a lot of places to eat, and there may not be much around where you are staying.
For a first-time visit, I would choose to base myself in Nusa Lembongan and do a day trip from there to explore Nusa Penida. It only takes 10 minutes by boat to get from Nusa Lembongan to Nusa Penida. If I wanted to explore Nusa Penida over a few days, I would stay a couple of nights in Nusa Lembongan and a couple in Nusa Penida too.
Nusa Ceningan
Nusa Ceningan is easily reached by the yellow bridge from Nusa Lembongan. The island has some beautiful sights, like the beautiful blue lagoon. There are also some great places to eat, but nowhere near as many as in Nusa Lembongan. Although there are some great places to stay here, again, the options are more limited when compared to Nusa Lembongan.
We prefer staying in Nusa Lembongan for a greater choice of accommodation, restaurants and things to do, and then visiting Nusa Ceningan on a scooter whenever we want during our stay. However, if you’re looking for a quieter spot with fewer people, then Nusa Ceningan is a great option.
Gili Islands
The Gili Islands are another group of 3 islands that are part of Lombok. Often, you might be deciding if it’s best to stay in Nusa Lembongan or the Gili Islands.
Honestly, the two groups of islands couldn’t be more different. We absolutely love all of them, but you will get a very different experience on each. We’d recommend you take a look at our blog posts on Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida, and the Gili Islands to decide for yourself what kind of holiday you are after.
At the same time, if you haven’t been to Nusa Lembongan before, we would recommend visiting Lembongan over the Gili Islands simply because it is much easier and quicker to get to, and it’s a really unique and beautiful part of Bali. You can also combine them both by getting a fast boat from Nusa Lembongan to the Gili Islands if you wish.
Is it Worth Staying In Nusa Lembongan?
Nusa Lembongan is one of our absolute favourite places in Bali. In our opinion, it is absolutely worth staying here. Even if it’s your first time in Bali, a trip to Nusa Lembongan will add something different to your experience.
Stay here if you’re looking for a more remote feeling island, are happy to get around on scooters, or want to relax and see stunning natural sights.
If it is your first time in Bali and you have less than a week, although it’s still worthwhile, it’s dependent on specifically what you want to get out of the trip. Typically, for a short trip like this, we would probably recommend a combination of Seminyak and Ubud, just to get a taste of two different sides of Bali. But again, it really depends on you and what you’re interests are.
How Long To Stay In Nusa Lembongan?
Nusa Lembongan feels like a more relaxing place than many places on mainland Bali. For this reason, we think it’s a great place to take in slowly. Of course, you could stay for a couple of nights and see a lot of the island. But we think it’s better to spend 4 nights to one week here so you can explore slowly and relax. This will also give you time to explore the neighbouring islands of Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida.
So, we recommend staying on Nusa Lembongan for anywhere from 2 – 7 nights, the longer the better.
Booking Accommodation
Booking.com
We love using Booking.com, it’s one of our favourite ways to book Nusa Lembongan accommodation and they have a great range of options, from luxury hotels, boutique hotels, villas and homestays.
Nusa Lembongan Accommodation Guide
Our picks for the best places to stay in Nusa Lembongan below are based on our favourites that we have stayed in, knowledge of the best hotels and their specific locations, lots of research, reading reviews, hearing from you and putting this all together with our own experience.
So here are our favourite picks for where to stay in Nusa Lembongan…
Please note: Prices are per night in AUD and were accurate at the time of this post.
Splurge: Luxury Hotels In Nusa Lembongan
The Tamarind Resort Nusa Lembongan | $294| Check Prices
We loved our stay at The Tamarind Resort in the super central Jungutbatu beach. Highlights of this beautiful 5-star resort include the sea view from the stunning infinity pool and the delicious Indica restaurant on-site. We also loved the little touches like a daily forecast with activity suggestions and the lovely staff.
Staying here means you are only a short walk to the main area of Jungut Batu village, where you will find many restaurants. It’s also near the area where the speedboats drop you off in Nusa Lembongan.
Read More: Our Stay At The Tamarind Resort
Morin Resort | $280 | Check Prices
Ohana’s Beachfront Resort & Beach Club | $225 | Check Prices
Batu Karang Lembongan Resort & Day Spa | $289 | Check Prices
Nusa Lembongan Villas
Villa Voyage – An Elite Haven (5 Bedroom Villa) | $1600 | Check Prices
Villa Tanjung (5 Bedroom Villa) | $1100 | Check Prices
Casa Del Mar (3 Bedroom Villa) | $870 | Check Prices
Villa Santai at Sandy Bay (2 Bedroom Villa) | $359 | Check Prices
Tenang Villa (3 Bedroom Villa) | $275 | Check Prices
Aqua Nusa – Luxury Lembongan Villas (1,2 & 3 Bedroom Villas) | $433 | Check Prices
Villa Tranquilla (4 Bedroom Villa) | $622 | Check Prices
White Horse Resort (1 and 2 Bedroom Villas) | $443 | Check Prices
353 Degrees North (3 Bedroom Villa) | $554 | Check Prices
Luxury Hotels For Less
The Shacks At Sandy Bay | $192 | Check Prices
Lembongan Beach Club & Resort | $187| Check Prices
Indiana Kenanga Boutique Hotel & Spa | $194 | Check Prices
The Point Resort Lembongan | $153 | Check Prices
Dream Beach Huts | $144 | Check Prices
Castaway | $120 | Check Prices
Jenggala Hill | $112 | Check Prices
Water Blow Huts | $104 | Check Prices
Best Hotels For Under $100/night
Bay Shore Huts | $86 | Check Prices
Ombak Bay Lembongan | $81 | Check Prices
Stardust Villas | $78 | Check Prices
Lembongan Small Heaven Bungalow | $78 | Check Prices
Pondooks Joglo | $76 | Check Prices
Bukit Taman Cottages | $74 | Check Prices
Tigerlillys Boutique Hotel | $62 | Check Prices
Lembongan Seaview | $60 | Check Prices
The Niti Huts | $56 | Check Prices
TS Hut Lembongan | $54 | Check Prices
The Parnas | $53 | Check Prices
The Cubang Hut’s Lembongan | $52 | Check Prices
Best Hotels For Under $50/night
Koji Garden Huts | $47 | Check Prices
Cassava Bungalow | $50 | Check Prices
Royal Retreat Villas Lembongan | $43 | Check Prices
Harta Lembongan Villas | $34 | Check Prices
Ocean Paradise Cottage | $48 | Check Prices
Alam Nusa Bungalow Huts & Spa | $37 | Check Prices
Le Biu Garden View | $46 | Check Prices
Helly’s Secret Garden Cottage | $31 | Check Prices
Kakiang Guesthouse | $30 | Check Prices
Naturale Guest House | $25 | Check Prices
We will be continually updating this post with any new places we stay and love, to make sure we are recommending the best accommodation.
Read More Nusa Lembongan Guides:
The Best Places To Eat In Nusa Lembongan
Things To Do In Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan
How To Get To Nusa Lembongan From Bali Mainland
8 Reasons Why Nusa Lembongan Should Be On Your Bali Itinerary
Read All Nusa Lembongan Travel Guides
Read More Bali Accommodation Guides:
Where To Stay In Bali: Our Favourite Areas, Hotels & Tips
The Best Places To Stay In Ubud
Our Favourite Areas & Places To Stay In Canggu
What’s your pick for where to stay in Nusa Lembongan? Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below…
This article was first published on July 12th, 2018, and last updated in 2024.
I am reading your blog in 2022 and still very helpfull. Tks guys
That means a lot, thanks so much Gabriela :)