Island State of Mind: Lembongan Through My Eyes

- FROM THE DESK OF CEO/DIRECTOR LIZ ROBERTS

There’s something about Bali that always pulls me back—but this time, it was the quieter, saltier edge of it.

Nusa Lembongan isn’t about excess. It’s about rhythm. Slower mornings, stronger sun, and that feeling like you’ve stepped just far enough off the grid.

Where We Stayed

We left from Sanur on the Kai Koa—the fastest boat in Bali—and within what felt like minutes, the chaos faded into open water. Wind in your hair, salt on your skin… that immediate shift into holiday mode.

We checked into Batu Karang Lembongan Resort & Day Spa—perched above the ocean with views that don’t feel real until you’ve had your first coffee staring at them. It’s one of those places that blends into the landscape: stone, water, sky.

Mornings were slow. Afternoons slower.

Our favourite spot was Coconut Beach—a perfect stretch of sand looking straight out over the iconic surf breaks Playgrounds and Shipwrecks.

It’s hypnotic watching the surfers carve through those lines all day. Time disappears there.

Island Uniform

The days settle into something simple.

Denim cut-offs. Swimwear. Bare feet. Salt in your hair.
An “island uniform” that doesn’t need styling — it just happens.

This is where One Teaspoon always makes the most sense to me. Not overthought. Not overworked. Just lived in.

Sun-faded, slightly undone, and better with every wear.

The Food (and the balance)

We found this gem called Dawn and Dusk—clean, fresh, elevated but still relaxed. It became our go-to.

But the real magic? The balance.

One minute you’re having something beautifully plated…
Next, you’re sitting barefoot at a local warung with a cold drink and the simplest, most perfect meal.

That contrast is everything.

Coconut Beach Mornings

Most mornings started barefoot at Dawn and Dusk near Coconut Beach.

Healthy smoothies, ocean air, and views straight across to the famous surf breaks at Playgrounds and Shipwrecks. The kind of place where breakfast turns into lunch because nobody’s watching the time.

There’s an ease to Lembongan that’s hard to explain until you’re there.
Swim. Coffee. Smoothie. Repeat.

And somehow everything tastes better when your hair is still salty from the ocean.

Ocean Days

Out on the water, we spent afternoons at the Lago pontoon—floating, watching surfers, diving into that impossibly clear ocean.

Cocktail in hand. No agenda.
Just sun, salt, repeat.

A Birthday to Remember

Every evening seemed to end at Bar Riva.

Striped umbrellas, endless Aperol bottles lining the bar, boats drifting across the horizon and sunsets that didn’t feel real. It has this effortless Amalfi-meets-island feel — polished without losing the relaxed energy that makes Lembongan special.

The best tables are the ones right on the edge overlooking the water, where sunset slowly turns everything gold and peach.

Cocktails become dinner. Dinner turns into another drink. Nobody’s in a hurry.

Inside, the space feels like an editorial set — warm orange tones, vintage Riviera references and ocean views from almost every angle.

It became one of those places we kept returning to, not just for the cocktails, but for the feeling of it. Relaxed, sun-faded, slightly nostalgic and impossibly beautiful at golden hour.

There’s something inspiring about places like this creatively too. Travel always shifts your eye a little — colour, texture, styling, attitude. The best ideas rarely arrive sitting at a desk.

Sometimes they arrive barefoot at sunset overlooking the ocean.

The Beauty of the Warungs

As much as we loved the beach clubs and sunset cocktails, some of the best moments happened at the tiny local warungs scattered around Coconut Beach.

Cold coconuts. Simple Indonesian food. Plastic chairs. Surfboards stacked in the background.
No styling needed.

There’s something about Bali that reminds you luxury isn’t always about perfection. Sometimes it’s just sitting barefoot after a swim, salty hair, sunburnt shoulders and an ice-cold drink watching island life move around you.

This became one of my favourite spots on the island — local, relaxed and completely authentic. The contrast between polished resorts and traditional beachside warungs is what makes Lembongan feel so special.

And honestly, this is the version of travel that inspires me most creatively.
Real texture. Faded paint. Vintage blues. Weathered timber. Sun-bleached denim.

The kind of places that don’t try too hard.

Reset Mode

And then, of course, a full reset at Spring Spa—set into the cliffs, overlooking the ocean.

Massage, stillness, that deep exhale you don’t realise you needed.

Perched above the ocean at Spring Spa, everything slows down.

Fresh ginger tea overlooking the water. Long massages. Salt air moving through open spaces.The kind of wellness that doesn’t feel performative — just deeply calming.

After days spent in the sun, surfing, swimming and moving between beach clubs and warungs, it became the perfect reset. Quiet, understated and completely connected to the island around it.

Lembongan has this way of making you exhale without even realising you’ve been holding your breath.

Watching the Surf

At Dawn and Dusk, we’d sit for hours watching the surf roll through Playgrounds and Shipwrecks.

Surfers drifting in and out of the lineup. Kids in the shallows. Boats anchored just beyond the break.

It’s the kind of place where nothing really changes — and that’s exactly the point.

Coconut Beach Afternoons

Everything seemed to lead back to Coconut Beach.

That stretch of sand, tucked between cliffs and greenery, where the water shifts from turquoise to deep blue and the days fall into their own rhythm.

There are quiet corners everywhere — shaded by old trees, worn timber benches, places to stop without needing a reason.

You don’t plan anything here. You just follow the day.

Why Lembongan Stays With You

Lembongan isn’t loud.
It doesn’t try too hard.

Lembongan isn’t about doing more.
It’s about needing less.

It’s barefoot luxury. It’s contrast. It’s salt on your skin and nowhere to be.

Less planning. Less noise. Less structure.
More ocean. More light. More space to just exist.

From mornings at Dawn and Dusk, to afternoons at Coconut Beach, to sunset drinks at Bar Riva — everything flows effortlessly.

And somewhere in between, without trying, you reset.

The One Teaspoon Way to Travel

For me, travel has always been about feeling something — not just seeing it.

The places that stay with you aren’t the most polished.
They’re the ones with texture. Contrast. Imperfection.

Salt in your hair. Sun on your skin. Denim that’s been worn all day and somehow looks better for it.

That’s Lembongan.

And that’s exactly the spirit of One Teaspoon.

 

I'm wearing select pieces from the newest season FUSED STATES, available now online at One Teaspoon.