We visited Lovina Beach twice. The first time was during lunch at Warung 3D, and the second was when we went to a hotel, hoping for a swim in the sea.

Warung 3D is located right on the beach, making it a perfect spot for lunch, especially at sunset. The food was delicious, and the prices were reasonable.

      Photo: Warung 3D on Lovina Beach

Next to the warung, there are local buildings, and on the beach, you can see many children and fishermen standing far out in the sea with their fishing rods.

Photo: Local buildings at Lovina Beach

However, the beach itself isn’t very clean and, in my opinion, isn’t ideal for sunbathing or swimming. There are also quite a few stray dogs that often growl at each other. The owner of the warung told me that there are no services responsible for cleaning the beach, so he sometimes pays to have a small section in front of his place tidied up. Still, I’m glad we came here because we were able to see how many locals spend their Sunday afternoons by the sea—children catching small crabs, mums with toddlers having picnics a bit further back, and many men fishing. After lunch and a short walk, we headed back home.

Photo: Lovina Beach

Photo: Lovina Beach

Our next beach visit was at a resort near Lovina. The beach here was clean, and we managed to have a swim. However, I ended up spending most of the time playing chess with the boys.

Photo: Swimming in the sea at Lovina Beach

Photo: Playing chess on Lovina Beach

Local vendors were present on the beach throughout our visit, offering clothes and souvenirs. They were very kind, so we promised we’d check out their goods before leaving. Marianna and her mum couldn’t wait, though, and were already browsing the clothes. The kids were fascinated by the souvenirs, especially the beautifully crafted wooden dolphins, Buddha statues, and pendants. It wasn’t the first time we got carried away like this! After a ‘quick browse’, we were left with no cash, but we did come back with new clothes and souvenirs.

Photo: Shopping at the resort near Lovina

On the day we visited the resort, there was a coconut-harvesting activity taking place. Here, it looked much more professional than in Candidasa—the men had safety equipment and ropes to lower entire bunches of coconuts safely. I think Western tourists would have a heart attack seeing people high up in palm trees without any safety gear, so the resort made sure to have additional safety measures in place.

Photo: Coconut harvesting at Lovina Beach

Photo: Drinking coconut water