Region deep dive
Nusa Lembongan and Ceningan: Bali's little sister islands
Twelve kilometres off the coast, no real traffic, turquoise water and a completely different pace. Worth a proper stay, not a day trip.
Nusa Lembongan and tiny Nusa Ceningan sit about 12 kilometres off the southeast coast of Bali, joined by the famous Yellow Bridge. The crossing from Sanur takes 30 to 40 minutes by fast boat, and you step off into a place that runs at a completely different pace. No real traffic. Scooters are the main transport. The water is that specific turquoise that makes you think your camera is broken.
Lembongan has the infrastructure: restaurants, beach clubs, accommodation, surf schools. Ceningan, across the bridge, is smaller and more secluded, with dramatic clifftop views, the famous Blue Lagoon, and some of the best spots on either island. Sean has spent a lot of time on both, and they are two of his favourite places on earth.
These islands deserve a proper stay of two to three nights, not a day trip. Once you slow down and get off the day-tripper circuit, you find a place that has kept more of what Bali has been losing for the past decade.