Lovely Lombok

     I began hearing about Lombok while I was planning for my stint teaching English in Indonesia. Comments came peppered with glowing superlatives, from trustworthy sources who shunned corporate resort hype and cruise line adverts in travel magazines. Lombok’s first devotees were front-line tourists --- divers, trekkers, back-packers, and sun-seekers.  They found nearby Bali a bit overly-touristed, or maybe tainted in the aftermath of bombings in 2002 and 2005. In any case, it has been only seven or eight years since this part of the island province called Nusa Tenggara has truly come into its own. And friends, that’s a major part of the charm. Lombok still offers a very authentic experience. With very little effort, a visitor can experience an original and unspoiled sense of place on this 1800 square mile island. Above all else, Lombok feels “real.”

 And it is incredibly beautiful. The Gillis ---- an archipelago of three small satellite islands just off the northwest coast, are like the quintessential tropical islands of your dreams. They offer simple bungalows on fabulous beaches at bargain prices (as little as $40/night), lots of live coral for primo diving and snorkeling, surf and even some nightlife if you want it (on Gilli Trawangan, the largest and most populated of the group). Transportation to the Gillis by public or private means is readily available and inexpensive.

Back on the main island of Lombok, the impossibly blue-green waters roll up to miles of superb white sand beaches, and I can report that in March there were few people on them. The northern interior of Lombok boasts the majestic Rinjani volcano, Indonesia’s second highest peak. It is protected by its own national park, and there are 2-3 day treks for the willing organized through outfitters, hotels or the Rinjani Information Center in the park. Lombok also offers beautiful waterfalls, coffee and rice terraces, a monkey forest, a crater lake, Balinese Hindu temples, superb seafood, pearls and textile weaving, and the warm hospitality of the Sasak Muslims who call the island home. Best of all, because this is Indonesia, paradise comes at a price that can work for almost any budget, with as much added luxury as you want to pay for.

Some highlights and recommendations follow:

Tugu Hotel Lombok ----- Tugu Hotel in Lombok http://www.tuguhotels.com/lombok/?menu=1# certainly has location going for it. Lonely Planet calls Sira Beach “insanely gorgeous” and it’s hard to argue with that description. Dramatic views of Rinjari, expansive white sands, great swimming and snorkeling, and swaying coconut palms set the scene. 

Spectacular Sira Beach and Tugu from the water.

The Hotel has only 19 accomodations, set on beautiful grounds filled with enormous antique Hindu and Javan statuary and two buildings that were faithfully reconstructed from 200-year-old originals. The service is exceptional --- friendly and attentive without overdoing it. Examples: at the bar one night, the staff brought out a cake decorated with “Thank you for staying with us” in chocolate; the spa prepared ice and fresh aloe upon hearing about my sunburn; grounds workers carved up a coconut and presented to me it with straws and a spoon because I happened to be sitting near the palm they were harvesting. The rooms are very large, well-appointed and comfortable. Mine had its own front yard with table. Some may not love the semi-enclosed (but completely private) outdoor bathroom. I did one tour and a day of snorkeling in the Gillis --- both arranged by the hotel --- and the service was terrific. The Tugu also offers a daily “high tea” service with complimentary sweet and savory snacks, bicycles, a free half hour massage, and daily tropical fruit in your room. Full breakfast, included in my $258. per night room price (all tax included), was sumptuous. And you can take meals in any number of places on the property, including the beach.

Al fresco and fantastic. Note greeting on leaf.

There is a downside to staying at a resort like Tugu Lombok. One disadvantage is that by booking activities through the hotel you are paying quite a bit more than if you booked them yourself, using outside providers. The second disadvantage is related to the first: the location of the property is a bit isolated, and leaving it is not made easy. Personally, I can live with the downside. On vacation, convenience is king, and door to door (or shore to shore) service has value worth paying for. The hotel vets providers, answers for any problems and assures a better quality experience. To the second point, I am not a guy who needs to be on vacation with everyone else. I am content being a bit isolated if the location makes for a good trade-off, and in this case it does, no doubt.

Snorkeling in the Gillis ----- Maybe 20 minutes by boat from Sira, these islands have become a vacation and diving hotspot, especially the largest of the three, Trawangan. On the mid-sized Gilli Meno I spent about an hour “on island” wandering past the shoreline cottages, visiting a turtle sanctuary and having a coffee with two local guys, one of whom lent me a guitar to play. Very mellow. Motor vehicles are not allowed on the islands, but there are traditional horse-drawn carriages called cidomos.

It’s so much fun feeling like you’re swimming in a giant aquarium, and this is the experience of snorkeling around the coral reefs of the Gillis. The fish are varied, with all the psychedelic colors you love in tropical fish. Pencil fish, small barracuda, angel fish, and parrot fish, schools of them. The biggest thrill for me was seeing an old sea turtle, maybe 3 feet long. He swam to the surface, put his head above water, and then descended into the depths.

Pura Lingsar ----- The largest and holiest temple compound in Lombok is a stone’s throw from its capital town of Mataram. Built in 1714 and sitting amid deep green rice fields, Pura Lingsar is multi-denominational, although its architecture is Balinese, and both Hindu and Muslim priests live on the grounds. There is an enclosed holy pond dedicated to Vishnu and at the small opening to the pond you may feed hard-boiled eggs to the Holy Eels. It is supposedly lucky to see the eels, and my local guide said that a tour bus from Jakarta we saw departing was a bit miffed at seeing none. I saw two, a monster and one that was mid-sized. Vishnu, if you are listening, I would like to share one eel’s worth of luck with those sad folks from Jakarta.

The holy eel seeks his hard-boiled egg snack. Lucky for me.

The Best Fish I Ever Tasted ----- This award is no small thing to someone who loves seafood as much as I do. And all bragging aside, I have eaten some ridiculously good seafood --- in Maine, Costa Rica, New York City and Nice, France, among other places. But my favorite so far is Warung Manega in the tourist town of Senggigi. Super-fresh fish is grilled over smoky coconut husks and then served with four different sauces --- a spicy chili condiment called sambal, garlic, sweet soy and chili-lime-vinegar. We chose red snapper, but I bet the grouper and king prawns are rockin,’ too. With greens, white rice and limeade, about $12 per person. Simple but so delicious, I wanted to hire a cab and drive the hour to return for dinner the next night. I should have. For those who like to dine al fresco, you can eat on tables set up in the sand.

The Best Fish Ever. No lie.

Spring is a “shoulder season” in Lombok, when visiting means less expense and fewer people.  There can be an occasional shower, but I did not see one. In fact, now could be the ideal time for a visit.

      But please don’t wait too long. One can detect the first whiff of corporate leisure development and infrastructure in the wind. Small condominiums are being built on the Gillis, and beautiful Kuta Beach on Lombok’s south shore has apparently been slated for a multi-million dollar development project. Before the digging begins, I would suggest everyone check out Lovely Lombok without delay.