To Bali with baby: part III (Lovina)

The third installment of our trip to Bali . . .

LOVINA

For a genuinely relaxed holiday in Bali with little to do other than bask in the sun and eat good food, Lovina in the north west is the place to go.

To get there from Ubud we took a 3-hour taxi ride (IDR600,000) north, through lush tropical terrain and winding mountain roads.

By lunchtime we arrived at Villa Agung Beach Inn – a true gem of a place with good-old fashioned hospitality, provided by friendly staff and a charming owner. We knew it’d be the kind of place we’d miss before we’d even left.

Our sea-view family room was two steps from the bright blue pool, and three steps from the open air restaurant, which meant that FINALLY there was no time lost ferrying the baby back and forth between her twice daily naps.

We started to tag-team on most activities, and this meant I could even read a WHOLE BOOK by the pool while Hope slept.

Upon waking she couldn’t get enough of the lamb sausages for breakfast, the homemade mini-burgers for dinner, and the impromptu tours around the hotel kitchen with her new friends.

The rooms were squeaky clean and the Inn in general was really well-maintained, so Hope could cruise and crawl for HOURS around the common areas without fear of being hurt.

Beyond the restaurant was a slither of beach and then the ocean. Ah, that ocean . . . We extended Hope’s curfew beyond 6pm each night so she could catch the stunning sunsets – though obviously she was more interested in clambering over the top of the sun loungers and trying to swipe Mummy’s Bintang bottle, than pondering the horizon.

In four days we barely left the Inn, other than a hop to the convenience store, and afternoon walks along the sleepy, black-sand bay, dodging chickens and fishing boat ropes as we went.

On Indonesian Independence Day we headed out to explore the Lovina beach area, about 10 minutes west of the Inn. The owner, Gus, was kind enough to drop us off in his 30 year old Toyota at a huge mall, “Krista”, where we picked up souvenirs for our nieces and nephews. Everything here was clearly priced so no time was wasted on haggling!

On a small road leading to the beach we found Apple Warung where, as usual, the staff scooped up Hope and paraded her around the open kitchen, and the pavement outside.

There’s not much more to say about our Lovina experience other than that the Villa Agung is simply PERFECT for young families, and we hold out hope that we can go back someday.