During our time in Bali, we really focused on supporting the Bali ecotourism industry as much as we could. So when we had a chance to stay at a Bali eco stay in the village of Padang Bai, we couldn’t pass up on the opportunity!

After our CNN trip of a lifetime feature back in April, I was contacted by someone who owned a villa at Bloo Lagoon Eco Village in Padang Bai. He and his wife had done a similar around the world trip with their kids when decades ago, and now he wanted to pay it forward. He offered my family and me a complimentary stay at his villa for five days. It was so incredibly sweet!

Almost immediately, we fell in love with Bloo Lagoon! After a hectic month in Ubud, it was nice to take a break and reconnect with the family again. And doing that reconnection at a stunning Bali eco lodge like Bloo Lagoon was icing on the cake!

This post was updated on September 28, 2021.

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Why do a Bali eco stay?

The island of Bali sees more than 5 million tourists each year. The resorts that cater to these tourists use up valuable resources from the island, like water, electricity, and land. And often, the resources aren’t used in a sustainable way.

As a full time traveling family, we’ve been thinking a lot lately about the impact we make when we travel. Where is our money going? How does our presence affect the local environment? These questions about sustainable and responsible tourism all influence our decisions to do a Bali eco stay.

Unlike most resorts, a Bali eco stay focuses on sustainability first. This means guests can feel better about the impact they are making from their travels. For our family, that means another step towards minimizing the impact of our travels.

Read more posts about how families can travel more sustainably during their travels.

A unique Bali eco lodge

About an hour and a half east of Denpasar, on a cliff overlooking the village of Padang Bai, sits Bloo Lagoon Eco Village. It’s a Bali eco lodge designed by architect, Tony Sutherland Gwilliam. 

The eco village consists of 25 uniquely designed villas. They have an open layout, and are created by locally sourced materials. None of the villas have AC, but the design of the villas allow for ample airflow. So it’s energy-efficient, yet still comfortable.

The grounds of this Bali eco lodge are beautiful as well, with a centrally located pool. Bloo Lagoon also has an organic garden that provides much of the produce for the eco village’s restaurant. There’s also a huge yoga space overlooking the ocean, with free daily morning yoga for guests. This Bali eco stay is the perfect place for a retreat!

Getting to and from Padang Bai

The village of Padang Bai, where the Bloo Lagoon Bali eco stay is located, is on the eastern side of the island of Bali. It serves as the port for boats going to Lombok and the Gili Islands. The main thing to do in Padang Bai is snorkeling.

But if you're looking for more things to do in and around Padang Bai, buy a copy of the Bali, Lombok, and Nusa Tenggara Lonely Planet guide book for some helpful tips.

Getting to Padang Bai from Ubud will costs about Rp. 400,000 for a private driver. From Kuta or Denpasar, it may cost around Rp. 400,000-500,000.

To get to Padang Bai from Lombok or the Gili Islands, it will cost about Rp. 150,000-175,000 per person for the fastboat. The ride takes about two hours.

You can prebook a fastboat to Padang Bai from Lombok through Blue Water Express.

Alternatively, you can take the public ferry, which costs Rp. 46,000 per person for adults, and Rp. 23,000 per person for kids. The ride takes around five hours, and the facilities are VERY basic and run down. But one thing to note, the boat ride feels a lot smoother with the larger public ferry, compared to the smaller fastboat.

What families will love about Bloo Lagoon Eco Village

No matter the method of getting to and from Padang Bai, families will enjoy their Bali eco stay with Bloo Lagoon. We stayed at Bloo Lagoon for five days, and our time there was truly a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

Some of the things we loved about Bloo Lagoon Eco Village were the uniquely designed villas and the stunning views. We also loved how much nature surrounded us at the villa, and the property's commitment to being green. But most important, it truly felt like a retreat for us.

1. Uniquely designed villas

One of the things I love about this Bali eco stay are the designs of the villas. Each villa is actually individually owned, but Bloo Lagoon manages the bookings of the villas. What this means is that they all have their own individual feel to them. We had a chance to peek at some of the other villas, and they’re just as gorgeous as ours!

The villas are designed in an eco-friendly way, minimizing reliance on energy and utilizing locally sourced natural products. But they also have a kitchen, so we could cook meals if we wanted. And the layout of the villas really made them feel like comfortable homes.

2. Stunning views

Another thing I loved about our Bali eco stay was the view! Bloo Lagoon Eco Village is built on a cliff that overlooks Padang Bai on one side, and the actual Blue Lagoon on the other side.

From our villa, we could look out and see Mount Agung, Bali’s highest volcano. And we also saw the boats coming in and out of the harbor at Padang Bai. It was such a beautiful part of our stay.

3. Nature walk

Companies that focus on Bali ecotourism really put an emphasis on sustainability. And Bloo Lagoon is no exception. Part of the grounds of this Bali eco lodge is an organic garden, which provides produce for the resort’s restaurant.

Guests are welcome to walk through the garden and see the plants that are grown there. I loved walking through the garden in the late afternoon, when the ocean breeze blows through the garden and the sun shines golden sun bursts through the leaves. The garden also gave a chance for our kids to learn through nature!

4. Commitment to being green

The organic garden is only a small part of Bloo Lagoon’s commitment to being green. The resort also collects rainwater to be used for the garden, and conserves energy through the use of LED lights.

Another aspect of Bali ecotourism is in the design of the buildings. All throughout Bloo Lagoon are examples of how the resort tries to be energy efficient and sustainable. The roof of their restaurant, for instance, is designed in a way to catch rain water!

In the organic garden, the architect of Bloo Lagoon has a unique looking house which he built to be energy efficient and easy to construct. We had a chance to have a peek at this concept house during our nature walk.

5. Relaxing Bali eco stay experience

Overall, our stay at Bloo Lagoon was a truly relaxing retreat! We loved resting in our villa or swimming at the pool, just outside of the villa.

A perk of our Bali eco stay at Bloo Lagoon was the free daily yoga that is offered every morning. The yoga room is an open space overlooking the ocean. So it was the perfect setting to begin the day with intention and mindfulness! The resort also offers massages.

Want to know what to pack for your Bali eco stay? Take a look at our favorite eco friendly travel products.

Supporting Bali ecotourism

Spending time in Bali for as long as we did (two months) really opened our eyes to some of the issues facing this small island, mainly in the form of overtourism and pollution.

I loved our stay at Bloo Lagoon because it really fit with our family’s goals of supporting more Bali ecotourism companies. Bloo Lagoon is truly a resort where you can relax AND feel good about the impact you’re having on the environment.

Have you experienced a Bali eco stay? What was it like for you? Share your experience in the comments.

Visiting Bali as part of a bigger family travel adventure? Use my ebook, Hey Kids, Let’s Go Travel! as a resource for tools, advice, and action steps for planning your trip.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. We received a complimentary stay at Bloo Lagoon Eco Village. However, the opinions expressed in this blog post are completely my own.

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