No crowds or chaos: These three Bali escapes are a step back in time

Like summer barbecues and budgie smugglers, Bali feels like a part of Australia’s holiday culture. So it’s disheartening to see the forces of overdevelopment commercialising the island’s south-west coast.

Canggu is in a Kuta-pre-COVID era, while Uluwatu is experiencing a considerable spike in tourism. But Bali’s tiny outer islands are a step back to more mellow times, and there are a handful of boutique luxe hotels that offer that laid-back island way of life without the crowds and chaos. Here are three of the best small island resorts in Bali.

Batu Karang, Nusa Lembongan

A reprieve from Bali’s buzzing beaches … Batu Karang, Nusa Lembongan.

Eighties yacht rock blares from the speakers as we fang across the Badung Strait towards Nusa Lembongan.

This is a journey I have come to loathe. The passage is reliably rough but it’s the only way to get to these islands off Bali’s south-east coast. But today, I’m on Kai Koa. Rocketing over the waves at 32 knots, the eight-seater speedboat (apparently the fastest in Bali) has suspension seats and is not without its thrills. But it feels much safer.

“It’s my kids’ school bus,” says Troy Sinclair, the Australian co-owner of Lembongan’s Batu Karang Resort and Spa, when we meet the next day. I’m just hitching a ride.

Originally from Noosa Heads, Troy and his wife have lived on the island for more than 20 years. He had Kai Koa built to safely ferry his kids to school on the main island and anyone can book a seat for IDR520,000 ($52) each way.

A one-bedroom villa with private balcony at Batu Karang.

Staggered up the hillside in Jungutbatu Bay, where Mount Agung volcano blooms in the distance from a pool of hypnotic blues, this resort is the ultimate reprieve from Bali’s buzzing beaches.

The intimate 37-room oasis is deceiving in size, with three pools, two cliffside bars and restaurants, and a spa. Its neighbours, Lago Cafe (complete with pontoon bar anchored overlooking the playgrounds surf break) and Spring Spa, share the same astonishing vistas. Despite these recent additions, Lembongan remains humble.

“We could see Bali becoming too metropolitan, a little bit too cool, 20 years ago,” says Sinclair. “I think Batu Karang is more what people are expecting when they come to Bali but the boat ride makes getting here more difficult, not only for a stay, but also logistics and supply. It creates barriers for investment.”

It’s also why the resort is so self-sufficient. It treats and bottles its own drinking water from seawater, has its own sewage treatment plant and grows vegetables in a hydroponic garden. These limits make its achievements, such as the quality of the food, seem much more outstanding.

The Menjangan, West Bali National Park

The Menjangan, West Bali National Park.

I can tell what time it is in West Bali National Park by the rhythm of its native residents. Every morning at low tide, a family of monkeys fossicks on the exposed reef of this remote beach in north-west Bali. The national park’s Menjangan deer move in at lunchtime to cool their bellies off in the turquoise shallows before retreating to the shade beneath shrubs. This pocket of Bali is like none I’ve seen before.

Set on the crystal clear shores of the island’s only protected nature reserve, Indonesian-owned eco-forward nature retreat The Menjangan occupies 154 hectares of land and is one of just three stays within the national park.

While not officially on a small island, it’s the launchpad to Menjangan Island, a protected, uninhabited marine paradise 40 minutes by boat. The park is fringed by coral reefs and mangroves, and home to native wildlife including macaques, wild boar and more than 160 species of birds. On a clear day, you can make out the volcanic peaks on nearby Java.

It’s not easy getting here, with the up-to-five-hour drive from the south of Bali deterring most, but it’s worth it for the rewards.

The Menjangan’s sprawling beach villas.

“North-west Bali is simply magic,” says managing director Jose Luis Carlos. “It really brings memories of what Bali used to be many, many years ago.” And it’s true. My sprawling beach villa is just one of seven on the shoreline (24 more rooms are tucked deeper in the park), and I notice the solitude and serenity immediately.

The park is dry when I visit, perfect conditions for spotting the endangered Bali starling. My passionate 20-something local guide, Alit, and I set off birding at dawn, sighting all sorts of species, as well as numerous starling; all-white and sporting a fluffy mohawk and blue eye-mask.

But it’s a morning spent in the waters off Menjangan Island that surprises me most. Having explored some of Indonesia’s best marine areas, including Raja Ampat, the Banda Islands and Komodo, my expectations are low. But I almost have to eat my snorkel because the reef is pristine, erupting with coral and colour; we sight seven sea turtles and an eagle ray. This is by far Bali’s most underrated region.

Bask, Gili Meno

Bask, Gili Meno ... a Maldives experience for less.

Gili islands off Bali and Lombok are kryptonite for backpackers. So much so that locals refer to Gili T (Gili Trawangan) as “boom-boom island” due its party vibe.

Officially part of neighbouring island Lombok, these isles are fixtures on the Bali tourist circuit. However, the smallest and quietest of the trio, Gili Meno, has long been overlooked. Sandwiched between Gili Air and Gili T, this sandy white speck in the ocean has a luxurious new stay putting it on the map.

“This is the Maldives, but with more to do and at a fraction of the cost,” says Greg Meyer, a South Australian tech investor and owner of Bask on Gili Meno.

The low-rise resort has 45 villas across various room categories, with more being added in phases. Made of glass, wood and concrete, the pods are ultra-modern and some feature beachfront pools and landscaped gardens.

Underwater art sculpture Nest by Jason deCaires Taylor.Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The island, which has no motorbikes or cars, might be tiny but Bask has grand ambitions. The cellar boasts more than 160 labels and the on-site kitchen features a 1700-kilogram lava-stone wood-fired oven, dry ageing fridge and pastry room. Set underground, the hotel’s speakeasy Rosalee looks into the infinity pool as revellers float about.

It’s lively when I visit on a Saturday, with DJs pumping out tunes poolside at the beach club from Friday to Sunday until 6pm, but the vibe is peaceful throughout the week.

There’s just the right amount to do, too, with the Instagram-famous underwater art sculpture Nest by British sculptor and underwater photographer Jason deCaires Taylor directly out front. Take a walk around the island to see its makeshift turtle sanctuary, which is run by unofficial guardian Mr Bolong. He collects the eggs (“locals steal the eggs and eat them,” he tells me) and raises them in tanks until they’re released into the sea at eight months old. Let’s hope they find Nemo.

The details

Fly
Jetstar operates daily flights between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Bali. See jetstar.com.au

Stay
Rooms at Batu Karang from $298 a night. See batukaranglembongan.com
Beach villas at The Menjangang from $350 a night. See themenjangan.com
One-bedroom suites at Bask from $686 a night. See baskgilimeno.com

More
See indonesia.travel

The writer travelled as a guest of Batu Karang and The Menjangan.