Nusa Lembongan’s laidback charm has been attracting tourists since the first surfer stepped off a jukung here in the early 1970s in search of the perfect wave. The industry has grown steadily from those days, when 150 visitors a month was seen as an influx. These days that’s fewer than a couple of boatloads arriving in a morning.

The surf breaks still bring the surfers, and a magnificent underwater world makes it a favourite diving and snorkelling destination too, but if lazing about on the sand is your idea of the perfect break, Nusa Lembongan is ideal for a bit of time out, too. Until very recently, seaweed farming was the mainstay of the inhabitants, but it’s been crushed by the tide of tourism. Now the island is rapidly developing into a more upmarket beach resort, but the friendly bunch of locals help to retain the quaint ... Travelfish members only (Full text is around 700 words.)