Nusa Lembongan – Jungut Batu: First Night On Nusa Lembongan

Like Mushroom Bay Beach, there are moored boats at the southern end of the beach where the boats come and go, hence this stretch may not be the best place to swim. Continue walking up north and you may be able to find a small stretch to take a dip. The beach faces Bali and offers stunning views across to Mount Agung on a clear day.  Being on the west coast of Nusa Lembongan, the beach also offers one of the best sunsets view.

The entire beachside is filled up with hotels, guesthouses, bar, restaurants and cafes which are bordered by a cement seawall. Heading south of the walkway will bring you to a hill, where more upmarket hotels are available, with plunge pools and fancy cliff-side restaurants and bar. This area is great to enjoy sunset dinner and drinks with Mount Agung as backdrop.

It was almost 6pm when we arrived at Jungut Batu beach, and after checking in to our hotel and had a nice refreshing dip in their on-site swimming pool, the sun had already set. As the sky slowly turned dark, we walked over to the hillside for our dinner.

The Deck Café & Bar

The Deck is possibly the most famous bar and restaurant in Nusa Lembongan. This small but white-painted bar which sits snugly against the cliff, is part of Batu Karang resort. Known for its promising view, we walked over and were turned off by the menu. Not only that the food is expensive with additional 21% tax, they have little choices for mains (I guess the highlight here is their cocktails). Though ambience is the real selling price of the place, we figured we could enjoyed ourselves more somewhere else since we had no luck catching sunset here anyway. However, if you are here before sunsets, this is one best you should consider heading to for a romantic dinner with your babe.

Ware Ware Surf Bungalow

We ended up having dinner at Ware Ware Restaurant which is owned by Ware Ware Surf Bungalow, another upmarket resort in this area.


We were attracted to the spacious seat (which were much more spacious than that of The Deck) although the food here isn’t what I would say “cheap”.


They do also charge 16% tax on top of the menu price, but I decided to dine here as they have more extensive menu as compared to The Deck. Our total bill for the mixed seafood and fried rice was RP 244,000 ( RM68.73 / SGD 23.24). Not cheap at all. 

We ended the night with a stroll back to our hotel, before we called it a day.

How to get there

Jungut Batu Beach is 30 minutes away from Sanur via speed boat. From Jungut Batu, it is only 15 minutes away to Dream Beach and Devil's Tear, and 10 minutes away to Mushroom Bay Beach. For a panoramic view of Jungut Batu Beach, head over to Panorama Point which is only 5 minutes away.

If you’re travelling over from Bali, you’ll most likely arrive at Mushroom Beach ferry port in Nusa Lembongan. From here you can grab a scooter for around RP 70,000 per day. Otherwise, you can barter with local motor taxi (or ojek as the Balinese called it) to take you around the island. Coming in a big group? You can also hire a driver to drive you around for about RP 500,000 to RP 600,000. Staying in Bali but still want to do a day trip to Nusa Lembongan? Fret not, as there are also tour package available which includes return speedboat to Lembongan, driver and guide as well as hotel pick up and drop off. This can be easily arranged through your hotel in Bali.

As everywhere on Nusa Lembongan is reachable within a 30-minute drive, exploring the island with a scooter would be the most recommended option.

Click HERE for The Complete Guide of Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida.

Best Time to Visit

Best time to hit a beach is obviously anytime of the day, right? But with the beaches on the Nusa Island, that doesn’t really seem to be the case. As restaurants and hotels are built along the narrow strip of beach, the water level would cover the entire beach during high tide leaving us with only the cement seawall to stroll on. This would happen in both early morning and after sunset, when the tide flows. To enjoy a stroll on the beach, try timing your visit in the afternoon when ebbing tide reveals beautiful white sand beach. I’d recommend coming here in the late afternoon and after a swim, head over to one of the hillside bar for a beer or cocktail, accompanied by sunset and finally end your day there with seafood dinner.

Epilogue

There isn't much happening in Jungut Batu beach at night despite it being the main beach of Nusa Lembongan. On the night that we were there, the bar was quiet and though I like the quietness, this may not appeal to everyone. If you are looking for somewhere more happening, perhaps Mushroom Beach is a better choice to base yourself at.

It's a matter of personal preference

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