Aneka Lovina Villas and Spa

The villas could really use renovations. They feel outdated and unclean, with lots of bugs and mosquitoes. The locks are old, I found the in-room safe confusing, and the bed was less comfortable than at other hotels we stayed in. Still, I loved Lovina and the hotel’s setting and amenities. The location is fantastic, with sunsets, cute local boats, and dolphin watching in the morning. The pool is great, with a swim-up bar, warm water, and hours until 8 pm. It’s also easy to walk along the beach to restaurants offering a range of food and drinks at decent prices for a touristy area. Staff service was great. The location is the highlight, but the place needs a lot of updating.

The spa and restaurant staff were great, and the resort is right on the beach with a nice spa and restaurant area. The rooms were okay for the price, but there were cobwebs on the walls and a lot of unused space. Drink prices were extremely high, and I wouldn’t book a dolphin excursion through the resort. As a solo traveler, I had to pay for two people, with no guarantee of seeing dolphins. That meant getting up before 6 am for a long boat ride, seeing no ocean animals, and coming back. The next day I booked with a neighboring company, paid for one person, and when we didn’t see dolphins they took us snorkeling. If you have a problem, reception won’t help and will say it was a miscommunication. Honestly, this was the worst place I stayed on my Bali trip.

We had breakfast included. If you’re after a familiar American or continental breakfast, you’ll probably be fine. For an Indonesian breakfast, I’d pick something from one of the many stalls along the road to Singaraja. The place is set back enough from the main road to be quiet. Rooms and cottages line the path to the beach, with the restaurant, pool, and spa at the end.

The pool area is amazing, and the cabin itself was clean, spacious, and cute, with a great bathroom, which is rare in Bali. We were taken there by golf cart, and the servers were very sweet. The resort is quite large and has direct beach access, nice for watching the sunset. We had only one night in North Bali and really enjoyed the resort. It’s a bit in the middle of nowhere, with no proper restaurants nearby, and the resort restaurant disappointed us. I’d definitely recommend staying here, though I’d try somewhere else for food.