Lovina, a better Bali

Bali is doubtlessly touristic in its entirety. Even in the relatively untouched western part of the island, no one will be surprised to see a foreigner - there are a few surf camps, plus day tours and visitors shuttling to and from Java. However, most vacation activities are concentrated around Denpasar, in the south, which happens to be the only coast of Bali where it is almost impossible to swim in the sea. Do not look for logic. Better beaches can be found in other parts of the island, but most of them have limited infrastructure. There is one exception - Lovina, a growing resort area in North Bali, where both luxury and backpacker-level amenities are plentiful, plus there are dolphin-watching tours, sacred hot springs, and a placid ocean for swimming.

Beaches 

One giant advantage of Lovina over the popular resorts in Kuta, Sanur and Canggu (where over 90 percent of tourists end up) is the calm sea. In the south, once you step into the ocean, there is no more land until Antarctica. Waves have a lot of room to gain momentum, rendering the northern shoreline useless for anyone except surfers. Here in the north, the large islands of Sulawesi and Kalimantan frame the mass of shifting water, calming the waves. In the resort town of Lovina, hotels and beach cafes follow a string of black sand gradually disappearing under a gentle tide. If you prefer relative solitude, midrange and budget guesthouses pop up here and there along the coast in both directions. One old favorite of savvy backpackers is the fishing village of Anturan. It offers about a dozen simple lodges, fishnets drying on racks, fresh catch available for sale, and friendly Balinese villagers often ready to invite a foreigner for a meal of grilled fish and bram (local booze).

Anturan, Buleleng, Bali

Anturan, Buleleng, Buleleng Regency, Bali, Indonesia

Dolphin-watching trips

Aside from blissful idleness and the occasional beach party, the main attraction of Lovina is dolphin watching. Early in the morning, tourist boats depart into the sea to encounter groups of those curious marine mammals. The dolphins are probably fed by the locals, although this is not advertised to avoid the possible controversy with animal rights activists. The trips seem to be good fun for both species - humans enjoy snorkeling with the dolphins, or simply observing them from the trimaran's deck, while the cetaceans follow the boats and leap out of the water, possibly hoping for a snack. The boat captains engage in an unspoken competition: who can invent a new trick for tourists. Some attach harnesses or ropes to the outriggers for snorkelers to hold on to; some hang hammocks right over the water, so the passengers could sit and get their butts wet. All this is, of course, touristy and childish, but quite amusing.

Banjar hot springs

Another popular attraction near Lovina, the hot spring in Banjar, is an alternative to the sea. Some would say it is even better. The pools here have presumably been built by the Japanese during WWII, but there is no military austerity in them. A couple of big ones are as good for swimming as for soaking, and a shallower one is designed to imitate a Balinese tirta - a sacred spring for ablutions - even though it is never used this way. Showering under a naga (dragon) head spouting hot sulfurous water is quite an experience - the only way to beat it would be a proper hot waterfall, which could be found on the neighboring island of Java. The natural sauna is supposed to remedy skin diseases and reduce pain for arthritis patients. 

Banjar hot spring, Buleleng, Bali

Jalan Banjar, Banjar, Kec. Banjar, Kabupaten Buleleng, Bali 81152, Indonesia