We've done cheap and we've done pricey on Nusa Lembongan; but often you do want something a bit better than average that won't have you whipping out plastic. Seaweed Lounge, next to the Beach Club (the former Scallywags) is a new kid on the block, and though this shows a little for now, this unassuming but pretty little spot has potential.

This way, to shabby chic beachside restaurant.

For starters, they offer a pickup and drop-off service, which is crucial if you're going to lure in the crowds to their relatively out of the way spot. While you can easily cycle or ride the journey up to the Warung Bambu area for a sunset view of Agung, it takes considerably more effort to get to Sandy Bay.

The shabby chic restaurant.

While we came just at sunset for dinner, the sandy-floored restaurant boasting a boat for a bar in its centre under an alang alang roof is a pleasant location to while away a day, with a few deckchairs at the front an invitation to hang about between the pandan trees. Think whitewashed woods, kerosene lanterns, and no-fuss lime-y cocktails.

The shabby chic meal?

For a light supper, we had the nachos, which were a little thin on the sauce -- which was actually just a sprinkle of minced meat (I guess that put the shabby in the chic?). But they did come with salsa, sour cream and guacamole, and went well with drinks. The fresh edamame were a hit with the kids, while the quesadillas were pretty substantial. The waitstaff still seemed yet to find their groove when it came to taking orders with confidence, but we hope they get there as this has the makings of a nice little getaway from the rest of Nusa Lembongan.

If you were wondering whether Nusa Lembongan is a part of Bali ... well, what do you think now?

Do come for the beautiful sunset; a wedding party were having their photos taken in the surf when we arrived, so this is definitely an in-the-know location for those wanting a special backdrop to an evening.

Expect to pay around 200,000 rupiah for two for an evening meal at Seaweed Lounge, including a drink or two, and give them a little notice so they can tell you when they're ready to drop you back to your hotel.

Seaweed Lounge
Next to the Beach Club, Sandy Bay, Nusa Lembongan
T: (0828) 9700 6027

Having had a splurge dinner on Nusa Lembongan, what better way to follow up than a splurge spa visit? Batu Karang Lembongan Resort and Day Spa is one of the island's higher-end spots to stay or to go for a massage, so expectations for a visit here were high. I called in advance and couldn't get in the same day; a good sign, I thought, as I booked for the following day instead.

The discreet entrance.

"Do you have a booking?" the woman behind the resort's reception desk asked sharply when I told her I was looking for the day spa. Hello to you too!

"Where are you staying?" she interrogated. Call me sensitive, but I'd rather someone asked my name in order to identify me, but hey, maybe it is much simpler than spelling out the more complicated foreign names.

A much friendlier staff member escorted me to the golf buggy that whisks guests around at the 23-room resort clinging to a steep hillface. The views of Mount Agung and the east coast of Bali from around the resort are breathtaking. I couldn't see a room as they were full due to a wedding being held nearby.

In I scooted to the spa, an oasis of green velour, incense and hushed silence. The "welcome drink" advertised in the brochures and described as a "cleansing tea" in the main menu at the spa turned out to be "chilled water". And the "soothing foot bath" involved putting my feet into a "too-small-for-Western-feet tub filled with cold water" for a quick dip. Hmmm. So far, not so good.

My friendly-enough therapist directed me to the change-room, told me to pop my bag into the locker, put on disposable knickers and sarong, and meet her outside. The quality of the facilities here are solid: small but spotlessly clean toilet and rainfall shower with shampoo, conditioner and soap in Krisbow dispensers (when will spas learn to get the brand labels off stuff?), brushes and combs, hair dryer and lotion for later.

Spa bathroom, with frangipani frills.

And ditto for the massage room: a good massage table had a soft head rest to use while facing down, peering down into a bowl festooned with frangipani, tiny red flowers and green leaves. Downlighting set the mood pleasantly, and the piped music was a mix of gamelan, sitar and spa-hippy-dippy stuff. Unfortunately though, once inside the room you wouldn't know where in the world you were, let alone the fact that a fantastic view is right outside. (Perhaps the spa just looks directly onto guest rooms, in which case: what bad design!) The curtains -- pretty organza-like things that they were -- block out any view at all.

As I eased onto the table, the therapist explained I'd have a massage for an hour, then my Balinese lulur scrub. And the treatment would begin and end with a "gong", a kind of small xylophone that she whacked a couple of times in a, shall we say, less than spiritual way.

The massage was far better than a beach massage, but nowhere near as lovely as a Jari Menari one. It was a touch pokey, a touch desultory -- the therapist just wasn't really into it. Having said that, I did get lulled into such a relaxed state I drifted off pleasantly. Massage over, the therapist asked whether everything was okay. The room temperature had actually dropped to sub-arctic, so I asked for the temperature to be turned up. Then the therapist slapped on the scrub cream, which had of course frozen to the temperature of the room. Ah, the sweet revenge of bored therapists.

The cream was left to dry before being sloughed off. No demure towel was laid over breast when I rolled onto my back, though the therapist did check whether I wanted my stomach done. So don't be shy!

Still only semi-defrosted, I looked forward, kind of desperately, to the piping hot shower to come. Alas, scrubbed, sloughed, smoothed and finally sent back to the bathroom, the shower could only generously be described as lukewarm. It's one way of getting the punters out of there quicksmart, I suppose.

"How was that hot water?" the therapist asked as I got back onto the table, ready for the final moisturising treatment. "Um, well, it wasn't hot. It was a bit cold, actually," I told her. "Yes!" she giggled and agreed.

As the treatment drew to a close, the therapist whacked the xylophone perfunctorily again then informed me it was over. She asked me, a little impatiently, whether I wanted tea. Why not just bring it? Why make me feel like I'm imposing? I said no, anyway. "Will you pay cash or credit?" Jeez Louise, I wasn't even off the massage bed.

Back at the spa reception I was handed a bill and told to pay down at the main reception -- a golf buggy would come to collect me. I glanced at the bill, which had a big space for TIP, though the full menu explicitly asks you to not tip your therapist (there's a 21% tax and service charge, plus another surcharge tacked on for paying by credit). The grand total: 598,000 rupiah (listed price, 480,000 rupiah). Still cheap, certainly, by international standards and compared to flash hotels on Bali. Just by comparison: Jari Menari doesn't offer a scrub, but their thoughtful massages are 300,000 for 75 minutes.

So in summary: if you're not on a tight budget and not expecting five-star polish but want something better than a beach massage, you might enjoy a treatment here. If you're watching your money however and hoping for something special, I'd suggest perhaps passing here and waiting till you are back in Bali for a splurge elsewhere. (And if you can't afford that splurge meal either -- just as fantastic in its own way is Warung Bamboo.)

Batu Karang Lembongan Resort and Day Spa
T: (0366) 559 6376
www.batukaranglembongan.com

Tags: scrub

Nusa Lembongan is a beautiful little patch of an island just off the east coast of southern Bali. It's famous for its surfing, sunsets and snorkelling, and is growing in popularity among those looking for a less crowded, unadulterated flavour of Bali. But the big question: how to get there?

We say: Scoot across with Scoot!

It's an island, there's no bridge and not an airport in sight, so unless you've got access to a helicopter and a landing pad, it's boats all the way. There are fast boats and slow boats, shiny boats and rusty boats, expensive boats and cheap boats. All this for a short jaunt across the water!

Bali to Lembongan 101
Sanur, the south coast sleepy resort town, is the main gateway to Nusa Lembongan (and neighbouring Nusa Penida for that matter) so regardless of where you're actually leaving from, chances are you'll actually wade onto the boat at Sanur.

Boats arrive at Jungkut Batu, one of the two main villages on Nusa Lembongan. Jungkut Batu is home to the vast bulk of the accommodation, restaurants and other tourist paraphernalia on the island.

Pretty at sunset, ugly at sea.

The Badung strait swings between near glassy smooth waters and a boisterous torrent of swirling eddies and waves in the middle of nowhere. If the weather is foul ashore, rest assured the waters will be doubly so.

What are the options
Four main options are worth considering, each probably appealling to a specific segment of the market. Broadly speaking, there's the "local" local boat, the Perama local boat (basically a local boat aimed at non-locals), speedboat services (many of these to choose from, though most opt for one of two main operators) and the daytripper cruise ships.

Lifejackets optional.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, it is worth pointing out that excepting the daytripping services, none of these boats use a pier -- you will need to wade (generally up to about knee-depth, but sometimes more) up to the back of the boat and climb the steps into the boat. If you are mobility-impaired or not comfortable getting onto a boat in this manner, someone will need to carry you. In rough seas getting on can be a bit of a circus and injuries do happen, so do take care. If you're not comfortable getting on the boat, don't get on the boat.

The local local boat
This leaves Sanur at 08:00 and Nusa Lembongan at 08:00, and costs 60,000 to 100,000 rupiah (depending on what they feel like telling you) and takes about an hour to 90 minutes. Like many local boat services in Indonesia, this boat is invariably overloaded and basically meets few of the safety regulations in your home country (unless you're from say Indonesia or the Philippines). We saw no life jackets. In poor weather, or when travelling with children, we would not use this service.

The Perama local boat
This leaves Sanur at 10:30 and Nusa Lembongan at 08:30, and costs 150,000 rupiah. It takes about an hour to 90 minutes. There are few differences between the Perama boat and the local local boat, other than you're likely to be sharing a bench with a German backpacker rather than a bag of rice and you won't be as crowded. Other boats, not all run by Perama, run this route in a somewhat informal fashion. We didn't see life jackets in any of the ones we looked into and watched a boatman on Nusa Lembongan tell a potential passenger that life jackets were not needed because it is a short, safe trip. In our opinion, this is not true.

Ducks in a row: Penida and Lembongan fastboats.

The fast boats
There are two main fast boat services between Bali and Nusa Lembongan: Scoot and Rocky Fast Cruises. The former is the more established of the two and runs boats not only to Nusa Lembongan, but also to the Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok. Both companies ostensibly offer pickup and drop-off services (to a set range of destinations) but we've found Scoot's to be far superior and despite them being cheaper, we'd not use Rocky again solely due to their utterly inept approach to drop offs in Bali.

The actual boat services are close to identical, though Scoot has a larger boat if you end up on the boat that presses onwards to the Gilis after stopping at Lembongan. Both services have new-looking life jackets stowed under the seat, or overhead (though we didn't actually eyeball the overhead ones). Luggage is tagged and porters carry bags on and off the boat for you.

Scoot charges 300,000 rupiah one way and Rocky 250,000 rupiah (both include pick-up and drop-off services). A return ticket is slightly cheaper.

Seatbelts? The Kusamba boat arriving at Nusa Penida.

Aside from Scoot and Rocky, a bunch of other operators offer a fast boat service for as little as 150,000 rupiah one way. Ask around at either beach for a "cheaper boat" and you'll get what you want. Personally, we feel Scoot is worth the extra money.

The daytrippers
Bounty and Bali Hai are among the companies that run day-trip cruises to Nusa Lembongan. They leave from Benoa port on Bali and moor at especially unsightly pontoons near Playgrounds surf break on Nusa Lembongan. Once on the pontoon you're able to be ferried to the mainland to mix it up with the natives -- or in the case of Bali Hai, take a trip in their semi-submergeable coral-viewing submarine.

These services are essentially a pleasure cruise with an island tacked on and, unless you are especially rushed, not really worth considering -- the boat services from Sanur are better value. Bounty offers a one way ticket for US$35, a day cruise with Bali Hai $95 -- but there are a few options available.

Butt ugly.

Which boat service to use?
If it doesn't break your budget, or if you're travelling with kids, use Scoot. If you're on a tight budget, use Perama. Given the other options available, we wouldn't use the local boat service.

In bad weather we wouldn't use either the local service or the Perama boat. Boats have sunk, and will continue to sink on the Bali to Lembongan/Penida route -- the waters can be treacherous.

Are the fares set?
No, sort-of, maybe -- well, it depends really! There is a local rate to Nusa Penida for starters. If you have a KITAS and speak Indonesian, you should be able to make an effort at getting the local fare, but at the end of the day, you're most likely not really local, so don't risk an aneurism over $7.

Tourist fares, especially onwards to the Gili Islands, are absolutely negotiable. Note though, you will need to show up in person to haggle (neither the phone centre, nor the website will haggle, in our experience!).

Final thoughts
By Indonesian standards, the Bali to Nusa Lembongan route is one of the most organised and with the best safety standards you're likely to encounter in Indonesia. That doesn't mean it operates at international standards.

Nusa Lembongan is worth the effort to reach.

If you're new to how boats typically run in Southeast Asia (unsafely and overloaded, but generally speaking, without incident), then you may find it a little confronting. If weather is bad, the boat overloaded and you've got a bad feeling, then don't get on. The boats run daily, multiple times a day -- there is always another boat.

Looking for more reassurance? Read our boating in Indonesia story.

Have fun and be sure to head up to mangrove beach one sunset!

Bali Hai Cruises
T: (0361) 720 331
http://www.balihaicruises.com/content/reef-cruise

Bounty Cruises
T: (0361) 726 666
http://www.balibountycruises.com/html/nusa.htm

Perama
T: (0361) 750 808
http://www.peramatour.com/Daily-Bali-Lombok-Shuttle-Bus-Boat.html

Rocky Fast Cruises
T: (0361) 801 2324
http://www.rockyfastcruise.com/

Scoot Fast Cruises
T: (0361) 285 522
http://www.scootcruise.com/

I'll be honest: I'm a sucker for expensive cocktails, even when I know cheaper places are nearby. So on Nusa Lembongan, after a visit to the spa at Batu Karang, I couldn't go past a stop at The Deck, its attached gleaming panini and cocktail place. Located right next to the path running along the headland of Jungkut Batu, it makes for a good spot of people-watching.
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Tags: cocktails

You can certainly eat well on a tight budget on Nusa Lembongan, but you can also successfully indulge in haute cuisine -- you know, fancy food -- at prices that are very good value by Western standards. The top spot to head on the island, we heard, is Ylang Ylang at Indiana Kenanga, which boasts chef/owner Clement Fouquere, a Frenchman who has worked at a string of Parisian fancypants restaurants. How does he scrub up beachside? I decided to undertake a hardship assignment to find out.
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Tags: Indiana Kenanga, Jungkut Batu, splurge, Ylang Ylang