Lombok Hotel Reviews
Lombok looks like it has seen better days. Many buildings in the Senggigi area look vacant and are a bit run down and there seems to be a growing problem with the amount of trash scattered around. Having said that, Lombok is a big island and once you get away from the "touristy" areas, you will find beautiful beaches and lovely scenery. We stayed at a great little hotel, Qunci Villas. If you are looking for white sand and a beautiful beach, this is not the place for you as the beach is small in front of the hotel, has darker lava sand, and has been overtaken by some fairly aggressive beach hawkers. But if you enjoy sipping two-for-one priced happy hour drinks at the pool while watching the sun set behind Bali''s Mount Agung, you might want to reconsider! Good trade-off would be to stay there and then take some day trips to more secluded beaches and islands. A visit to snorkel around the Gilis is a must, and we heard from other travelers that mountain biking the island''s interior was a great experience.
Try scuba diving at the Gilli islands for another great experience - the people at Blue Marlin diving were really good.
I can recommend the island land tour for an insight into Lombok and it''s culture. The Gilis islands and in particular Gili Nanggu are a tropical paradise.
Restaurants recommended outside hotel: Taman - wonderful Indian food; Asmara - international standard cuisine. Taxis are cheap on Senggiggi so getting around is no problem.
We went diving and snorkeling with Dream Divers. Very enjoyable. Good restaurants include Cafe Alberto, Asmara, Taman and Tropicana.
The Basilico restaurant is very nice with a great location on the beach. I spent 1 night on Gili Trawangen (island) and had a very nice relaxing time.
We would recommend Lombok over Bali as it is quieter and somewhat untouched. We travelled around in a rented 4X4 and motorbike; remember your helmet! The Sengiggi strip restaurants are very basic and it seems the fine dining is in the hotels.
OK, first Lombok is not the new Bali. Lombok has a charm all of it''s own. Lombok is for those looking to relax and unwind and do nothing too exhausting. Don''t expect streets lined with bars and night clubs or huge shopping centres. Tours are available to the watersfalls (2hr drive from Senggigi), the Monkey Forest (1hr drive from Senggigi) and other areas, but we spent most of our time at our fantastic hotel, sitting on our balcony, swimming in or lying around the pool, or lying on the balcony day bed sleeping. We also went to Mataram (the main city) using the local public transport, but unless you speak Bahasa Indonesian (we do), we recommend that you get taxis. A trip from Senggigi to Mataram costs about 25,000rp and they are clean and safe. Just make sure they use the meter. Mataram has the only Shopping Mall in Lombok and it is rather small. We will be back!
There is not much to do on Lombok, hence removing the need to charged around and do anything at all! This makes the island laid back and relaxing. However check the transfers from Bali to Lombok carefully. I ended up on the night ferry (or nightmare ferry), which takes and incredible 5 hours to journey 35km! To be avoided!
We also stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort in Senggigi and would recommend that hotel as well: lovely garden, nice pool, excellent food, free tennis court, convenient apartments for larger families. <BR><BR> We visited the Sasak Village not far from Novotel Coralia: not to be missed!
Took a day trip with a tour guide, nice fellow. Vendors unreasonable and irritating.
Lombok was fairly empty of tourists. It''s sad to see how the region has changed since October. It''s safe, but no one is there.
Hawkers are the main problem with Sengiggi - on the beach and down the main street. They are not aggressive or unduly persistent, unlike e.g. some African countries, but as soon as one goes another appears!! <BR><BR> Good choice and variety of restaurants in Sengiggi - ludicrously cheap in many, with drinks often costing more than food!! The absence of the 21% GST tax, which luxury hotels charge, make this a good option. <BR><BR> The place was very quiet when we were there, but this was just after Bali. Lombok is very undeveloped - almost "primitive" - certainly outside of Sengiggi. Well worth hiring a jeep or car for 3/5 days to see the island. Car hire is cheap, but rental agreements seem rather vague on insurance etc!! Roads are pretty good and traffic light, other than around Mataram. The drive up North from Sengiggi is spectacular. We were not impressed with Kuta in the south. <BR><BR> People are very friendly - crime doesn''t seem to be a problem. A great place to relax.
Lombok is a very quiet and lovely island. Very good to escape from all busy life. You can go out and dinner on the mainstreet for very few money
Mount Rinjani climb was good fun. The north East of the Island the roads are very steep and very scary on a motor bike. Best meal I had was at the Intan Lombok Village ( I tried several nearby restaraunts which were cheaper but not nearly as good).
So far from airport 90min., you must to book a car. no way by the taxi, expensive.
Lombok is very interesting. We made a day trip to Gili Trawangan, one of three small islands off Lombok. It was an excellent day of swimming and relaxing. There is also a large new mall in downtown Mataram which has some excellent deals at better prices than in Bali.