Lembongan Beach Club & Resort

Bali is proving to be a land of many talents — with so many nooks and crannies to explore! While we're in Ubud most of the time, we're taking each weekend to explore a new part of Bali and get a feel for the island (and surrounding smaller islands!) bit by bit. Last week, thanks to Lembongan Beach Club & Resort, we got to check out Nusa Lembongan — one of the three smaller islands off the Southeastern coast of Bali. To say I was impressed would be an understatement! I'll be posting more photos on Thursday of our time in paradise, but today I'll share all about the Lembongan Beach Club & Resort (and why you should absolutely definitely ASAP go stay there!).

After being picked up in Ubud and driven down to the harbor, we took a quick and easy ferry across the channel to Nusa Lembongan. Arriving at the island I immediately knew we'd have a great time — the water is gorgeous, you can see views of Bali with the volcanoes rising in the background, and the vibe is most certainly: ISLAND. You guys know I'm all about tropical island relaxation, so this was perfect!

Lembongan Beach Club & Resort was a few short steps away from where the ferry dropped us off, so we walked down the beach and up to the resort from the beach side! I doubt many guests enter any other way, since we all have to arrive by boat! I loved it! My first impression of the resort was that is is perfect for lounging. The massive swimming pool is surrounded by large daybeds, some big enough for a whole family! In addition to the daybeds there were plenty of beanbags, chairs, and of course the lounging end of the pool — shallow enough to enjoy the water without actually having to swim! The blue and white decorations, throughout the entire resort, only emphasized that we were most certainly at the beach.

We were greeted with a welcome drink (a Shirley Temple, I believe! Yum!), which we enjoyed from the dining room — where we spent a lot of time. More on that later! Let's get to the room! I'm always so excited to see THE BED! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm a sucker for big, white, fluffy beds! Especially with romantic draped fabric! This bed absolutely made the cut (and the pillows were TO-DIE-FOR!).

Our villa was a one-bedroom pool villa — meaning we had our own pool in the privacy of our little yard! Even though we loved the big pool, and spent time out there, we also really enjoyed being able to hop in our own pool whenever we wanted a quick dip (night-swimming, anyone?)! With two lounge chairs, a cute little fruit platter, and a private pool: we honestly didn't really need to leave our villa. It's a good thing there is so much to do on the island, otherwise we really might not have left! That would have been okay, too!

As for the actually room, it was perfect. First, and perhaps most importantly to many of us, the air-conditioner worked fabulously. I was in heaven. A very cool, un-sweaty, deliciously frosty heaven. The villa is mostly gorgeous dark wood, which is such a beautiful Balinese tradition, with creamy white upholstery on the furniture. The desk was perfect for getting a little bit of work done — easier said than done in such a distracting paradise — and the builtin sitting area was a perfect reading nook! That is, if I could pry myself out of bed. I'll admit, that was a challenge!

We had an incredibly spacious bathroom, made from smooth dark stone and open to the outside air. I LOVE a good outdoor bathroom, and this one was a great blend of in/out. Also: robes + slippers. Duh!

One thing I was not expecting, but oh-so-glad to discover, was the food! The chef, Mike, was so friendly and we were blown away by the quality of all of our meals. The menu is really diverse — from pasta & pizza to authentic Indonesian dishes — and they totally rocked it! Derek got some satay for lunch one day, and it came out on it's own mini barbecue! How cute is that? We were loving it! I enjoyed some incredible Indonesian food, as well as a great pizza and NACHOS! Yes, that might be sacrilege to eat nachos in Bali... but you KNOW I love my nachos! I couldn't help it!

Breakfast deserves a mention by itself: so. many. options! Everything from a variety of "American" options, to Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, French, etc. I almost just wanted to have breakfast for every meal! I loved the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon — really, truly, delicious. Besides the wonderful food, the dining room is charming in and of itself. With the open vista of the beach and ocean, the whitewashed tables again add to the beachside feeling of the entire resort. It all fit in so perfectly — clearly thought was given to decor, and for that I am grateful. It made our stay so relaxing!

If you're all lounged-out for the day, the resort offers numerous activities around the island to keep you busy. We took the mangrove tour, which Derek is obsessed with, and the land tour. While it was awesome to see the mangroves and be quietly paddled through their channels, I was a fan of the land tour. We went all around the island to see Devil's Tear, where water crashes into shore pretty spectacularly, the seaweed farmers (the main industry on Nusa Lembongan), the bridge to neighboring island Ceningan, and various other noteworthy points on the island. It was a great way to get a feel for the island our first day there, and then we could go exploring on our own with a bit more confidence! We also met a couple who said the snorkeling trip was amazing — really diverse wildlife, and a great trip all around. We chose to spend our time surfing instead, but had we more time we would love to check out what's under the waves!

After we'd explored and surfed our way around the island, we finished our stay with a fabulous massage at the Lembongan Beach Club Spa. OMG. Absolutely perfect. We had Balinese massages, which are pretty much a head-to-toe massage with varying techniques, using the most delicious-smelling oil. I think I should get one every day, if for no other reason than the incredible moisturizing from the oil! After all that sun, I needed it! I didn't snap many pictures of the spa, because I was in a bliss-coma, so you'll have to check it out yourself! They gave us ginger tea after our treatment, and were so welcoming and accommodating — I really recommend the spa to ANYONE staying at the resort (or not staying there! stop on by!).

While every little detail of our physical experience was perfect, we were most blown away by the staff at Lembongan Beach Club & Resort. They were so polite and attentive, and even took the time to learn our names and greet us when we'd see them. I was impressed! The housekeepers, dining staff, chef, front office staff, spa staff — all of them were incredible, and most of them are native to Nusa Lembongan. I was really happy to experience a few days in such a welcoming, happy, loving environment. The paradise around us was just a bonus!

If you want to connect with the Lembongan Beach Club & Resort, you can check out their website, or find them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Google+. They are part of Tjendana Resorts, which have more resorts on mainland Bali, which I can only assume deliver the same incredible service and experience — go check them out!

Lembongan Beach Club & Resort generously hosted our stay at their resort, but all opinions are my own.