This eco-friendly resort in Nusa Lembongan offers sweeping beach views and sustainable living. By Karen Donald.

Batu Karang has become a leading example of Eco-Tourism in Bali. Implementing a sustainable business model from which the Luxury Resort & Spa has been successfully operating since 2004.

Passionately brought to life by an Australian family, one of its founders and Director Troy Sinclair—an accomplished surfer, dynamic businessman, and entrepreneur—is proud his family has continued to be involved in the running and development of the business.

“Lembongan has always been a magical place for my family,” says ex-pat, Sinclair, who has lived and worked in Bali full-time since 2004. “Our family built the resort, and I have been entrenched in the tourism industry here for the last eighteen years, so its great to be able to work and live in a place that has so much meaning for us .”

Sustainability

The tropical island of Nusa Lembongan is a haven for nature lovers, the perfect place to recharge, and revive. Batu Karang oceanfront resort has 3 pools, a Gym & Day Spa onsite, plus The Deck Cafe & Bar, but it is also the sustainability leader on many levels, ecologically, culturally and educationally, all the while empowering locally.

From the gorgeous gardens to the high-quality accommodations, friendly service, and delicious and fresh local food, this place is the best choice if you are looking to support businesses that work in harmony with nature..

Environmental

The resort adheres closely to the sustainable practices Sinclair preaches. Wastewater management is installed in order to recycle all of the water produced by toilets, showers and the kitchen. Batu Karang also utilises waste segregation and works with a nearby rubbish tip where locals make a living from selling recyclables.

“We prioritize looking after the environment as best as we can”, says Sinclair. “ There is no infrastructure in place here other than Electricity so water supply and treatment of waste was always going to be an issue, so we installed a sewage treatment plant on site, with the output irrigating the gardens through an automated sprinkler system. We don’t use Plastic bottled water or buy glass bottles either, as everything has to come and go from the property, and that’s a cost to the business, instead we have our own bottling plant with our own bottles which we refill.”, Sinclair added.

Hydroponic Garden

The logistics and handling of fresh produce has always been a challenge for the island as all supply of fruit and vegetables come from the ‘mainland‘. In order to operate more sustainably and ensure the freshness of produce, Batu Karang has added its own in-house hydroponic garden. The garden produces its herbs, salads, micro greens and other veggies. These are harvested almost daily and delivered straight to the table in all of their F&B outlets. “The resort is big on, healthy local flavours, with vegan and gluten free options included”, says Sinclair and this helps us achieve that”.

“Our current horticulturist used to work at a hydroponic farm, we recruited him as a specialist, and he is now successfully growing onsite produce in our hydroponic garden, which saves resources and improves the quality of our F&B products.”, he explains.

Energy Management

The resort strives to be sustainable across as many areas of our business as possible. Energy is conserved by having all outdoor garden lights on timers. All cooking in the kitchen is conducted using gas instead of electricity. Throughout the resort, low-voltage LED lights are used. Pools filters are monitored and timers are used to reduce active times and match the seasons to ensure that the resort is minimising its electricity load.

“We are also now in the process of investigating and working through an investment plan to see how we can switch over to Solar Power where possible taking advantage of the north-facing position of the resort”, adds Sinclair. “We hope to achieve between 50%-60% of our power supply through Solar technology in the future.”

And that’s not all, in the near future, Batu Karang is planning to add an onsite Laundry where the water used can be fed back into their wastewater plant and then back into the gardens where it can eventually make its way back to the water table. This also reduces their carbon footprint as they will no longer need to rely on fossil fuel-driven logistics to send the laundry to Bali.

Village and Community Elements

Batu Karang seeks to provide exceptional and enriching experiences in a sustainable environment, for guests as well as staff, aiming to protect and revitalise both our natural surroundings and the community in which they operate.

“We provide an annual training program to help train the next generation of staff and the youth of the local communities, says Sinclair. “We train up to 30 student trainees each year, who usually come on board as full-time staff after they compete for their high school education.

“A monthly Donation Program paid directly to each Banjar (village council), helps support the Banjars through the supply of materials for projects within the village post-Covid, explains Sinclair. This is done both from the company and through an opt-in opportunity for guests to provide support when they check out.

Batu Karang also donates monthly to various environmental associations on the island including Lembongan Cleaning with their Zero Plastic initiative and works with the Lembongan Recycling Depo to collect recyclables from the Resort each week.

Getting There

With a shortened journey time of just 16 minutes, the resort utilises an eight-seater private speed boat ‘Kai Koa’ which comes complete with international standard safety equipment and procedures. It means fewer people to board and quicker offloading times so we get you here quicker. A case of ‘Hurry up and slow down….’

With plans for a new Sanur harbour, opening in January 2023, customers can get on board a ferry with dry feet from a jetty and then land directly on the beach right in front of Batu Karang, Kai Koa even charters infrared night trips for those late flight arrivals. Short stay visits, as well as supporting the future of eco-tourism, what more do you need?

Batu Karang Lembongan Resort & Spa and its team are advancing sustainable growth on an island well known for its superb surf breaks, snorkelling, and fishing in sparkling clear turquoise water. Positioned on a four-metre high cliff, just 200 metres stroll along a water front boardwalk to Coconut beach and, 100 m to Jungut Batu Beach, this peaceful island has it all. Witness magical sunrises and sunsets, there is simply no destination like Batu Karang Lembongan Resort & Spa.

Tel: +62 366 5596 377; +62 811 3977 316
IG: @batukaranglembongan
FB: Batu Karang
www.batukaranglembongan.com