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Friday, February 08, 2008

LOMBOK ISLAND: Soothing Paradise on Earth






Sugary-sand beaches against lush forests… Sharp-vivid mornings and dramatic sunsets… And a looming active volcano right in the middle of it…it doesn’t get any better than this. Honeymooners… this is a great alternative to Bali.

Lombok is a paradise island just 30 mins away from Bali and an 1h55m away from Jakarta by flight. It has some of Indonesia’s most vivid and stunning landscape.

Others refer to it as Bali’s “baby sister”, well, maybe because it’s just nearby. Others call it as “the unspoiled Bali”, ha! And who says Bali is spoilt? Ha!

Although it looks almost exactly like Bali; the beaches, the sceneries, etc., etc., Lombok’s character is quite different. It’s quieter; more laid back, fewer tourists which add up to “less parties”. *good to some, not for me* This is mainly because Lombok has a predominant Muslim settlers as opposed to Bali’s Hindus – and this, again, adds up to “alcohol isn’t always available”. *Bugger!*

The most popular places here are:
Senggigi, an ultra-scenic and strikingly postcard-card-like beach area where coral reefs are just a few hundred meters from the shore. This is the most developed of all tourist areas in the island and most standard hotels are found. Kuta Beach (same name as the one in Bali) is known as one of Indonesia’s most scenic and picturesque beaches with surfing! Tanjung Aan is excellent for surfing beginners, it has strange colored sands! Batubolong Beach where you can bask in dramatic sunsets overlooking Mt. Agung in nearby Bali in the west.

Just like a proper paradise, Lombok is not just about beaches. There are lots of things to do here for the hardcore nature trippers. Trekking, hiking, mountain climbing, cycling, snorkeling, scuba diving… you can do it here as if you’re the only one in the island.

Lombok is home to the magnificent Rinjani Volcano (3,726m);Indonesia’s 2nd tallest volcano. The bad-ass Tambora Volcano can be seen in the east on Sumbawa.

Daily flights from Jakarta to Mataram (Lombok’s capital) and from Denpasar (Bali). Singapore’s SilkAir flies direct 3x weekly and Merpati Airlines from KL. Boat services from Bali are also available.

We suggest a fully-inclusive, all-arranged travel to Lombok Island to avoid inconveniences especially for first timers. Hotel suggestions? -- The Oberoi Hotel in Medan (US$300-1,000/night) for those who love themselves and/or Novotel Lombok in Mandalika (US$75-100) for those on a budget. Anything lower… head to the Gili Islands for backpackers hostels.


-- Pisanu in Lombok Island
07 Feb 2008

11 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Did you get to look for the coelecanth that GitaChan was talking about?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tips. I wlays wanted to go to Lombok. Maybe when I go to Bali in April. I'll check it out. Nice and informative post.

Anonymous said...

Any of those Culinary Gems this weekend? I wanna try something different. Another Indonesian recipe perhaps? :)

Pisanu for BISEAN said...

The people here in Lombok is called Sasak. they have their own language too!

@ Wanna...yup, maybe tomorrow. But not Indo recipe. =)

@ Carrie, thanks again for the nice comment.

@ Farah...Nope, time constraints. We'll see you next week after the Philippines.

Anonymous said...

Luuuks niceeeeee. Oh la la la la. No partay? I thought you went out partying last night?

GitaChan said...

Lombok is more private.

but it's getting more popular IMO

is another surfer paradise

so when are you going to post the best surfing places in Bali?

because you should def incluse G-Land and Mentawai! :)

Bali Hotel said...

Make your dream comes true when the paradise island Bali is your next holiday destination. There are a lot of things to see and to do while in Bali. The accommodation ranges from simple budget hotel to luxury private villas with private swimming pool. Find those information for Bali hotels discount and villas booking on www.bali-travelnet.com

Bram Adimas said...

just enlarge the capacity of selaparang airport and that's it. tourists will be flowing there.

Anonymous said...

bagas

for me, the gili islands are the best!
you should go there

Hijjaz said...

Why don't U try Sumbawa Island which lies east of Lombok,, U'll find uniqely islands bordering around

Jo in Lombok said...

It's a useful post.

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