Ceningan Resort — Hotel in Nusa Penida Subdistrict

Was recommended Ceningan Resort by PADI, so I knew their dive shop & dive masters had to be legit. The resort is small but mighty, and includes the best restaurant on the island. The rooms are lovely individual huts with cozy beds, electricity, great A/C, in-room safes & fun private open-air bathrooms. (We took a shower once while it was raining-- super fun.) There are two pools: one for relaxing and another super-deep one for scuba lessons. The scuba shop is right on the resort, and they have a nice open-air pavilion for the morning dive briefings. Nature is the star of the show-- you're in literal paradise with an ocean view and loads of mangrove trees along the water.

The restaurant has a menu with impressive variety-- ranging from fresh fish to Italian dishes, burgers to Ukrainian dumplings (try the dumplings!) and of course, tasty Indonesian dishes. We had daily breakfast, lunch & dinner and I'm still not sure we tried everything. The bar has mixed drinks, beer & wine, and many drinks are made with fresh juices. As part of their commitment to the environment, it's a plastic-free resort, which is refreshing. They also worked out a scooter rental for us so we could tour both Ceningan & Lembongan over the bridge.

The staff are all wonderfully helpful, kind, and attentive. They gave personal attention and we felt very taken care of. (They even hunted down a birthday cake and some Italian Tiramisu for my birthday! Above and beyond!) I was so impressed with the staff I wanted to thank everyone by name: Big thanks to the fun & friendly owners Dave & Lea, and their oh-so-wonderful staff Angga, Vita, Gusti, Ari, Agus, Iluh, Joe-- plus our boat captains Pak Desi & Putu. Divemaster-in-Training Hillary was wonderful too! :)

Getting there was made incredibly easy, as Lea at the resort took care of everything. Ferries, drivers, even private boat transfers were all worked out for us-- all we had to do was step out of the airport and look for our name. We even managed to miss the ferry upon arrival (flight ran a bit late) and Lea got us a lovely hotel room in Bali for the night, and moved all the drivers/transfers to the following day. We didn't have to think of anything (and after 20 hours of travel, I'm not sure we'd have been able to--haha)

And I just have to say once again: best Divemasters we have ever dove with: so much experience, joy, and natural ability. We had a blast and felt very safe. We really want Angga & Vita to teach our kiddo how to dive-- they're that awesome-- so...

This is an excellent resort for divers. I stayed here for 3 nights with a stay and learn package (Open Water course) and had a wonderful time. The diving was absolutely fantastic and the course instruction was superb, but in this review I want to focus on the resort itself.||The accommodation consists of small wooden bungalows. I think there are 8 in total, so even in high season it won't get super crowded! I visited in low season and it was lovely and peaceful. The beds are incredibly comfortable, and each bungalow has a hammock on the patio so you can just chill out and relax after diving. There's also a large room where you can go to play board games or read books in the evenings. There are two pools on-site: the training pool for confined water sessions, and the resort pool where you can go for a dip.||I've never used any kind of package deal while on holiday before, and I was a little nervous about the food. Well, I was wrong! All the meals I had here were delicious. The menu is varied - I would recommend the Indonesian dishes, especially the excellent fish, but there are also plenty of western options.||The environmentally-friendly details really make Ceningan Resort special. There's no single-use plastic anywhere in the resort, and all the toiletries are reef-safe. They have a collection box for a local dogs' charity at the bar. You can really tell that the resort is run by people who love and care for animals and the environment, which gets a big thumbs-up from me.||The staff are all warm and friendly, from the owners and divemasters to the waiters and bartenders. I'm a solo female traveller, and I felt totally comfortable with everyone at Ceningan Resort. In just a couple of days, the team here made me feel like a member of the family.||The surrounding area is very quiet and rural, without much tourism. In the mornings there were often chickens wandering through the resort. It's really nice if you're looking to get away from the mainland and go somewhere peaceful. There is one caveat: if you're not a diver, you may feel a bit left out. This is very much a divers' resort. People go diving in the morning and talk about diving in the afternoon! Like diving? Then you'll...

We were looking for somewhere to really take the time to unwind - and Ceningan Resort was the perfect place for us.

We stayed in a King Deluxe Bungalow which was simple but inviting. Our room had a very comfortable bed, with crisp white bedlinen,and a bathroom with a view to the stars. Perfect for the romantic at heart.

Housekeeping, was spot on. The bedroom & bathroom were clean & well maintained, and we were really happy to support the resorts ecotourism efforts with regards to the use of towels etc.

As we were diving most mornings, we usually had an early breakfast before heading out, & lunch when we got back, at the resort’s restaurant. Although it would have been easy to pop over to Lembongan for dinner, we were more than happy just to hang out at the bar/restaurant and have dinner there. So it’s safe to say we really liked the food! Although the menu was quite simple, there was a good variety of dishes which were well prepared.

The resort staff, who are very friendly and helpful, can all be very proud of themselves & the super service they provide.

During our nine day stay we met single travellers, families & and fellow divers and it was very clear to us that Ceningan Resort is the perfect place for people who enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

We highly recommend Ceningan Resort (& Ceningan Divers) and look forward to staying with them again. We will be bringing the family next time.

Well done & all the best - we look forward to seeing you all in...