Nusa Lembongan

Beach life shapes the day here, but the beaches are small coves rather than long strands. Mushroom Bay and Tamarind Bay on the west coast have the calmest water and white sand. Sandy Bay and Dream Beach in the south are prettier and wilder, but swell and currents often make swimming there risky. Across the yellow bridge on Nusa Ceningan, Secret Beach is a quiet cove that is good at high tide.

The sea is warm for most of the year, around 28°C. From July to October cooler upwellings can drop it to about 24°C. Along Jungutbatu on the north shore the tide drains far out over reef and seaweed beds, so swimming there depends on the tide table. Most visitors choose the west coast for easy swimming and treat the southern beaches as places to look at.

Eating here is easy and casual, but it is not a reason to come. Simple warungs serve nasi campur, satay and grilled fish. Along the Jungutbatu shore and the lanes behind Mushroom Bay there are relaxed cafés with smoothie bowls, wood-fired pizza and Western breakfasts, and cliff-top restaurants and beach clubs where people go for the sunset view more than the food. Fresh seafood is the strongest point. There is no market culture to speak of and no serious fine dining, so visitors who care about Balinese cooking eat their best meals on the mainland.

The island has village heritage rather than sights. Lembongan village has its Balinese temples, Pura Puseh and Pura Dalem, with carved gates that are worth a look, especially when a ceremony fills them with offerings. Nearby is the underground house, a maze of rooms hand-dug into the rock by a local man over many years. Seaweed farming on the Ceningan channel and around Jungutbatu is the most distinctive thing to see: the plots show at low tide, and the harvest is laid out to dry along the lanes. There are no museums, and an hour or two covers all of it.

Evenings here begin with sunset drinks at the cliff-top bars and beach clubs on the west and south coasts. After that, most people have dinner and go to bed, since the day starts early with dive boats and surf sessions. A few bars along Jungutbatu and around Mushroom Bay hold an occasional party or DJ night, but there are no clubs and nothing runs late as a matter of course. If you want a real night out, it is on the Bali mainland.

Nature here is mostly underwater. The channels between Lembongan, Ceningan and Nusa Penida are rich marine water. Manta rays gather all year at the cleaning stations off Penida, a short boat ride away, and snorkellers can swim with them. From about July to October, divers come hoping to see the oceanic sunfish, or mola mola, which rise into the cold upwellings. The reefs and drift dives are among the best in Bali.

On land, the island is low and scrubby. The highlights are the mangrove forest on the north-east coast, best seen by kayak or punted boat, and the blowholes and wave-battered rocks of Devil's Tear in the south-west. Surfers come for the reef breaks off Jungutbatu. For dramatic scenery, take a boat to Nusa Penida, where sheer limestone cliffs drop to the sea at Kelingking and along the east coast. The rough roads make the Penida cliffs a long day out.

Nusa Ceningan is connected by a footbridge and feels like part of the same stay. For a proper day out, the choice is short. Nusa Penida is a few minutes away by boat. Besides its coast it has the cave temple of Goa Giri Putri, reached through a narrow rock opening, and seaside temples and quiet villages, though its rough, slow roads mean a long day. The fast boat to Sanur takes around half an hour to the Bali mainland and its beachfront town. Ubud, the great temples and the rice terraces lie well beyond that, making for a long, tiring day out that most visitors save for a separate stay on Bali.

A family can have a simple, relaxed beach vacation here, but should not expect anything made for children. Mushroom Bay and Tamarind Bay are the calm, sandy places to base yourselves. Older children enjoy snorkelling trips and paddling a glass-bottom kayak or a stand-up board in the mangroves. Younger ones are harder work. Boats land on the beach, so everyone wades out, often with luggage. The roads are steep and potholed, and getting around means open-backed trucks or scooters. Currents make several beaches unsafe, and medical care is basic, with anything serious handled on Bali. The island is calm and friendly, and the Balinese warmth towards children is real.

The island is only a few kilometres across, but it is not easy to walk. Roads are narrow, steep in places and patchily paved, with no pavements. Most visitors hire a scooter, or rely on the open-backed trucks and drivers that hotels arrange. Some people cycle, though the hills and the heat make that hard work. Within Jungutbatu or around Mushroom Bay you can walk, and the bridge to Ceningan can be crossed on foot. Boats to Bali and Penida land on the beach, with no pier, so expect wet feet. The crossing can be rough when the swell is up.

There is little to buy beyond sarongs, beachwear, a few surf and dive shops and the basics from village minimarts. The island has no craft market or boutique street. Bring what you need, and do your shopping for Balinese crafts, textiles and design on the mainland.

The island is cheap to stay on if you choose simply. Family-run guesthouses in Jungutbatu and the village, meals at local warungs and scooter hire all cost little. Prices rise around Mushroom Bay and on the cliffs, where boutique villas and sunset restaurants are aimed at visitors from Bali's resort areas. Diving, manta trips and the return fast boat are the main extra costs. Food and drink cost a bit more than on the mainland because everything comes over by sea.

There is no theatre, concert hall or regular music venue. The only performances are traditional ones: gamelan and dance at village temple ceremonies, which a respectful visitor may come across by chance. For Balinese dance and music performed for audiences, go to the mainland, above all to Ubud.

Slowing down comes naturally here. There are no cars to speak of, the days follow the tides and the boats, and evenings are quiet. Balinese massage is everywhere, from simple open-air pavilions in Jungutbatu to spas at the cliff-top resorts above Mushroom Bay and Sandy Bay, and several yoga studios run regular classes. There is no hot spring or bathing tradition, and the spa scene is smaller than on the mainland. But as a place for a few unhurried days of massage, yoga and sea air, the island works very well.