I was originally writing this blog post from a little cafe in Nusa Lembongan overlooking Jungutbatu beach, waiting for a lunchtime order of spicy, nutty satay to arrive. Then I experienced a technical hitch so here I am, writing it again in Changi Airport instead, waiting to board my next flight whilst a musak version of All about the Bass pips away in the background. But it’s part of the charm of Nusa Lembongan that these simple little moments of good food and a beautiful view of Mother Nature persist despite these irritations.

Since moving to Singapore in November 2015 I have made full use of its position as travel hub of Asia. In three consecutive weekends alone I visited Bali, Melbourne and Tokyo. We have the islands of Bintan and Batam on our doorstep for quick getaways and, let’s face it, whilst Singapore’s beaches aren’t the most pristine, at least the weather is more dependable than that of Blighty for a quick day trip to Sentosa.

I was however craving a trip to somewhere with crystal clear, blue waters  and white sand. A place more reminiscent of those I visited travelling around Thailand in 2010. Somewhere I could really show off to my friends about, basically. Only one catch though. Limited annual leave. Wherever I was heading for this picture-postcard view, it had to be feasible to get there, back, and have time to actually enjoy it, within around 48 hours.

I love Bali but with limited annual leave the Gilli Islands were out of my reach for a weekend away. Nusa Lembongan seemed the perfect fit. Not only was it off Bali, a mere 2.5 hours flight from Singapore, the ‘port’ (I use this word lightly – you’ll come to understand why) is just 30 minutes drive from the airport. The cherries on this quick getaway cake are that there are multiple boats to the island every day, and, on the fast speedboats, it only takes around 30 minutes to reach the island.

We set off Friday night reaching Bali’s Denpasar airport towards midnight. Most guesthouses and hotels can arrange a transfer for you; if not then there is an official taxi rank before you exit through duty free. Ask the transfer driver to meet you by the arrivals information desk if possible – there are a lot of Drivers with name cards and it can be a bit hard to find the right person!

As the last boat to Nusa is at around 5pm, we decided to stay in Sanur for the first night and get a head start for the next day. The drive to Sanur was a traffic-free 25-30 minutes and we bedded down for the night around 1am. Sanur is quite a sleepy location and, anyway, we had an early morning boat to catch!

The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast of juice and banana pancakes before getting our pick up for the boat trip. There are a lot of options for boats to the island,  from the cheaper, public boats to more expensive private ones which tend to be faster speedboats. In the end we went with Scoot – they were the most expensive but had good reviews and timings that suited us.

For all the boats, jumping on board involves wading into the sea (the ‘port’ is, essentially, the beach) so bear in mind if you’re unsteady on your feet at all. The crew are helpful though, taking your bags and giving you a steadying arm if you need it.

We had read tales of boats taking longer than the stated time to reach the island, but ours was pretty much bang on 30 minutes. This may have been down to time of year, or tide, though, so it’s worth leaving yourself some room to manoeuvre if you have a connection or trip the other side.

As we pulled into Nusa Lembongen, our eyes widened. Compared to the often murky waters around Seminyak, the waters were crystal clear and a stunning blue. The sand was bright white and the cove was surrounded by lush mangrove trees and what looked like beautiful villas. Let’s get off the boat already!

We had hired an Air Bnb for our one night and our contact met us on the beach to walk us up the hill. I couldn’t believe we were walking directly to those beautiful villas we had just admired. In fact it was one of the best villas I’ve ever stayed in. It was honeymoon-worthy, with a luxurious outside area comprising plunge pool, sofa and sun loungers and, of course, that view!

Not being on our honeymoon, my friend and I splashed around like kids in the pool to cool off, before getting ready to explore the island.

We set off to walk the island’s perimeter, thinking it might be a nice leisurely coastal expedition. Plus, there aren’t really any cars on the island anyway: a few trucks but mostly mopeds. About 30-45 minutes in, we gave up. We had indeed seen some nice coastline…. Plus a lot of dense bush, the odd wild animal, and lots of mozzies. So we did what any mother would hate: jumped on a passing moped. The drivers will, of course, up the price (especially if you look as desperate as we did!) so just be aware that most key moped journeys on the island only take around 10-15 min max  – sometimes they tell you it is very far! Having said that, if you’re comfortable with the price then just pay it – it doesn’t work out to be expensive by Western standards.

We took mopeds (one each) to Mushroom Bay (good for a sunbathe but we felt didn’t really live up to the guidebook hype) and then, at around 5pm, took one over further north on the island to the Sandy Bay beach club by Sunset Beach. We realised we had left most of our cash AND cards in the safe which was a shame as the place looked a lovely spot for a sunset dinner. As it happened we managed to scrape together enough loose change for a couple of sundowners.

There’s a reason the beach is named Sunset. As the sun dropped, the sky turned a multitude of different colours every time it took a further step down towards the sea. Indigos, lilacs, blues, as well as the more expected reds, oranges and yellows. To top it off, we saw a school of dolphins darting through the waves underneath. My friend and I ooh-d and aah-d, pleased that our 48 hour romantic trip had turned out so well.

My top 3 tips for a whirlwind weekend on Nusa Lembongan

1. Take enough cash to last you your stay. There are a few places on the island where you can pay by card but, as you’d expect on a tiny island, cash is King. There’s also only 1 reported ATM (I read about it but didn’t need to look for it), and I often experience ATM troubles in Indonesia. Best to get your cash whilst on Bali, and take a back up card if you can.
2. See those crystal clear waters? Well, GET IN THEM. Nusa Lembongan’s water boasts excellent diving conditions, and they also have a few renowned spots for surfing. Not being a massive fan of diving (AKA being a giant wuss), I opted for snorkelling instead and didn’t feel as though I’d missed out. The visibility was amazing and the sea life on display was spectacular: beautiful colours and strange-looking creatures. My favourites were the multi-coloured neon fish and some long stretched out fish that almost made me laugh out loud, underwater. Until…. we saw a starfish! Snorkelling goals, achieved. We rented a boat with New Bro Surfing who provided water and snorkelling equipment – it was pretty low key but worked just fine for us. The guys who run the place were really helpful and also flexible when we switched from surfing owing to timing.
3. Make sure you allow time for a sundowner at Sandy Bay Beach Club, overlooking Sunset Beach. The drinks were good but the sunset is what should draw you here – the stunning landscape and the chance of seeing dolphins makes for beautiful and dramatic evening viewing. As a plus, if you make a phone or email booking then the resident truck will come and pick you up, and also drop you home after your meal. If you’re not keen on a drink, you can also just grab a spot on the beach to watch the sun drop between the rocks enclosing this pretty little cove.

Where we ate:

• The Deck Cafe & Bar, Jungut Batu Beach, http://thedecklembongan.com,  +62 828 970 01771 – beautiful white washed deck with great views. Delicious breakfasts, lunches, dinners, juices, and a good spot for a nightcap. Right next to our Air Bnb so we popped here a couple of times. 
• The Beach Club at Sandy Bay, Sunset Beach  www.sandybaylembongan.com; tbc@sandybaylembongan.com; +62 828 9700 5656. Open 8am – 1opm

Snorkelling and surfing

• New Bro Surfing: newbrosurfing.com; info@newbrosurfing.com; +62 81 337 346 056