In Reply to: Denpasar to Lovina at night posted by haniban on Sunday, 4. December 2005 at 09:12 Bali Time:
to stay in the Southern beach area overnight - apart from the fact that it will be so late when you leave the airport - you would also miss out on the wonderful scenic drive up North to Lovina.
I suppose it depends how much time you have in Bali & if you have been through this area of Bali before - but many people don't sleep well the night before because of excitement or last minute packing so you can often be a bit tired after the flight - depending on what time you left & from where in Australia you are travelling.You didn't mention if you have kids with you but I think it sure would be better in the day to travel if you do.It's also worthwhile to stop at the markets & have a good look - the strawberries are just yummy!
We have travelled to Lovina many times & usually enjoy the drive up (except if one of us gets car sick with all the twists & turns)there is so much to see on the way & so many places you are tempted to stop & look at,shop or just enjoy the views.We always make sure we take bottles of cold water to drink in the car - even though we can & often do make drink stops.
Pacung Indah that is owned by David & Moira do a nice lunch & it's defintely worth to stop by there & enjoy the magnificent views of Pacung.You also have Crackers bar & grill as well as their infamous new western toliet block at the Candi Kuning markets ( we think Bedugal is the best place to buy tropical fruits).The area around Lake Bratan is also very pretty.A bit further North there is Gitgit water falls.Driving slowly through Singaraja is also recommended even if just to observe the Dutch influence re the architecture.Almost forgot to mention to look out your windows for the monkeys on the side of the road as you are driving North.The markets on the way are worthwhile to stop at & the strawberries are yummy !
If you do stop at these places the drive will take longer but it is really worthwhile seeing the area properly.Just make sure you use a driver you will feel comfortable with - there are plenty of recommendations on the foruum but be aware that many drivers do post here themselves - try to make sure it IS a forumite's recommendation & not someone self promoting.
If you have not yet got accomodation in Lovina I would highly recommend Rambutan Cottages that is owned by Richard - an Aussie & Tini,his lovely Balinese wife.It is centrally located right in Kalibukbuk,Lovina & close to everything.They have various rooms categories from Budget through to Villas,everything is spotlessly clean,their 2 pools are lovely & the staff are wonderful.You can book direct through their web site - sent an email & tell Richard you are from BTF.We always stay in the deluxe rooms they are huge & have air con,fridge & TV.If you do a search in the archives you will find a lot of info on Rambutan as many forumites stay there.
In case you haven't gathered we love the North of Bali !!! Btw - the actual journey to Lovina takes about 3 1/2 hours non-stop & is about 95 kms BUT it is so much more fun to take our time getting there.