About Lovina, North Bali

About Lovina / North Bali

INTRODUCTION

Lovina, or rather Lovina Beach, consists of a stretch of beaches (ca. 9 km long) located directly west of the old colonial capital of Bali, the market town Singaraja. These beaches belong to the coastal villages of Pemaron, Tukadmungga, Anturan, Banyualit, Kalibukbuk, Kaliasem and Temukus. The beaches are known for their dark colored sand which is of volcanic origin and the undeep, lagune like child friendly sea which guarantees for safe and unconcerned swimming and snorkelling.

Located in district of Buleleng in the North of Bali, the area of Lovina still breathes a peaceful, rural atmosphere without the presence of any of the commercial, touristic rush, hustle and bustle one encounters in the South of Bali. Lovina has a slow pace of life in which time doesn't seem to exist and the low costs of living in the North are indeed considerably lower than in the busy South of Bali.

GETTING HERE

Located app. 90 kilometres from the airport of Bali in the south of the island, it will take around two and a half hours to get to Lovina. Once out of the busy streets of Kuta/Denpasar the roads are good and open, single carriageway, running north through a series of rural villages and small towns, lined with rice paddies and coconut groves. On your way you will pass Bedugul with its busy and extensive fruit and vegetable market (a regular tourist stop) and the fresh water lake of Beratan. After a climb up into the mountains through the rainforest with monkeys and some great stop off points with stunning views over the twin lakes Buyan and Tambligan, at Wanigiri the road drops down again and you'll have your first glimpse of the lowlands, Lovina, Singaraja the surrounding area and of course the ocean. From Singaraja, the main road to Lovina runs parallel with ocean and rice paddies. On the other side of the road are more rice paddies, coconut and banana trees with the low hills and the mountains as a backdrop.

LIVING HERE

The principal activities of the Lovina area are agriculture, fishing and tourism. Lovina serves the local community with a number of small hotels, guesthouses and restaurants with national and international dishes on the menu. In the backland of Lovina are small local villages primarily involved in agriculture. Further up into the cooler hillside and rain forest areas, amidst a beautiful nature complete with waterfalls, more isolated communities live, mountain farmers growing coffee, tobacco, spices, fruit and vegetables.

Lovina has a relatively large expatriate community consisting mainly of Europeans from Holland, Germany, Belgium, England and France who either live here permanently or during six months of the year, to escape the cold European winter. And all agree, life in Lovina is peaceful, relaxing, quiet, green, and the costs of living in North Bali are low, to say the least.

SHOPPING

Besides the many small shops that aim at tourists visiting the area, Lovina has several small supermarkets - among others 'Angsoka' in central Lovina - which carry the majority of items that meets basis needs. Furthermore there is a German owned quality Bakery in Lovina where you can buy all kinds of bread, cakes, dairy products, meat products, and even liquors and other imported provisions, priced accordingly.

There are several local morning markets that have fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, chicken and household items.

Singaraja has more shops, larger supermarkets, and a large night/morning market with a greater variety of products. There are some shops in Singaraja (among others ABD) that cater for foreigners with a range of imported items, priced accordingly.