Lovina’s black sand beaches are quite lovely and lend themselves well to exploration on foot at a leisurely pace. The sea is very calm here and is safe for swimming. The feeling on the beaches is one of laid-back tranquility with small, colourfully decorated traditional outriggers called perahu dotted along the shoreline. These are a reminder that you are in a traditional fishing community. There are a few hawkers, but nothing like as many as on the southern beaches, and this is as good a place as any in Bali to explore quiet beaches at your own pace. At the highest of tides the beaches can get a little difficult to traverse in places, so it is best to time your walks for a falling tide. Be aware that many of the 'black sand' beaches (particularly in the central area) are an unappealing dirty brown with significant amounts of plastic rubbish.
The small road that runs down to the beach-front from the main east-west coast route at Kalibukuk is called Jalan Bina Ria. Turn to the coast just past the only set of traffic lights on the north road. At the beach end of this road is a rather wonderful dolphin statue (complete with slightly horrific one-jawed rusting dolphins). Apart from being a notable piece of kitsch, this is a reminder of the reason for the initial drive beind tourist development at Lovina (dolphins, obviously). Mini wooden and stone replicas of this statue are for sale widely in the area.
About Lovina
Lovina is a relatively new name coined in the 1950s by the late king of Buleleng (Buleleng Regency) Anak Agung Panji Tisna, with a good eye for future tourism-based development. It started with small lodge built on his own land and named Lovina. After going through struggle of ups and downs, finally the community accepted the presence of Lovina. Nowadays the name Lovina is used for the stretch of seven traditional villages, which all slightly merge into one over ten kilometersof the main road which hugs the north coast to the west of Singaraja: Temukus, Kalibukbuk, Anturan, Pemaron, Tukad Mungga, Banyualit and Kaliasem. Kalibukuk is the main hub of this area and is often thought of "Lovina town centre".
If traveling along the main coast road from Singaraja, you turn towards the Lovina coast at the only set of traffic lights on the entire north road. Impressive Balinese gates frame the entrances to the two roads where most of the restaurants and hotels are. Western style minimarts and ATMs are located on the busy main road. Lovina offers very reasonably priced accommodation from no star home stays to about three star resorts with pools. Posh private villas are tucked away all along the coast too. Food is cheaper than Ubud or the south coast by about a third.
The whole stretch of coastline in the north is fringed by quite narrow black sand beaches, which are accessed by a multitude of small lanes which run perpendicular to the east-west coast road. The beaches are generally safe for swimming, and the waters of Bali's north coast, in direct contrast to the crashing surf of the south, are relatively calm. From a distance, the water does not look too clean due to the colour of the sand but it is in fact almost always crystal clear. The locals do make an attempt to clear away plastic flotsam too.
Diving, snorkelling fishing dolphin watching, diving on coral reefs are the main activities, but perhaps above all else, this is an area in which to relax and take in a very slow, traditional pace of life. Lovina is ideal for family groups with young children or older adventurers who want to kick back and quickly become part of the community. It can get a little crowded in July and August, but outside that peak season, this is a quiet part of the island.
Lovina also has a large number of tourist stalls which are limited to the area of beach between the dolphin statue and the main restaurant road. The stall holders are not as aggresive as those in other parts of Bali. Open air bars often provide loud, live music in which patrons can participate and it's not unusual to see foreigners jamming with locals. Many foreigners have made this locality home and the place gets busy at sundown when both locals and foreigners come down to the beach for 'happy hour' and a good meal. There is a nightly game of beach volleyball happening in the car park in front of the main bars too.