Which one?? Menjangan (stay Lovina), Lombok (stay Senggigi) or Gili Air?
May 9th, 2013, 03:43 PM
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Which one?? Menjangan (stay Lovina), Lombok (stay Senggigi) or Gili Air?
Please help: should we go to Menjangan, Senggigi or the Gili Islands??
The details:
My husband and I are spending eight days in Bali after two weeks in Vietnam this July, and we need some help choosing locations! We plan to spend 3 or 4 days in Ubud for some culture, then we want to relax and unwind for the last 4 or 5 days before we head home. We want to do some diving, but neither of us are very advanced, so we don't need extremely challenging dives. We're also not into partying or nightlife, so we'd prefer to avoid the crowds. We do like good food, though, so it would be nice to have some options for dining beyond just where we're staying (though if it's really good, that would still be okay!). Our budget tops out at around $300/night, but we're of course happy to spend less for something simple yet lovely and relaxing.
Here are my thoughts on the three options so far, and I would love to get some feedback!
Menjangan:
I've heard it's great diving, but poor beaches and not very accessible. Most of the places in the Pemuteran area are booked out already (Mimpi and Santi Sari have rooms, but I've heard them described as more "jungle resorts" instead of beach resorts, as the mangroves that surround them leave very little beach at all). This means we'd likely stay in Lovina, which is an hour drive east of diving at Menjangan. Is there any diving/snorkelling to do right at Lovina, or would we have to go all the way Menjangan every time we wanted to dive?
There would be some fun side-trips available, such as the swimmable waterfalls nearby, and some interesting temples, etc.
Sengiggi (Mangsit):
Much better beaches than Menjangen, so I'm told (not as good as the beaches in south Lombok, but I hear they don't really have diving/snorkelling - beautiful above the surface, but not much below). We'd stay north of the strip in Mangsit to avoid the crowds, where I hear there is some nearby snorkelling available. Most diving trips would go visit the Gili Islands nearby for the spectacular sights, but that leaves us with a similar issue to staying in Lovina and diving in Menjangen. Like Menjangen, there are interesting side trips to be had (cultural stuff, waterfalls)
Gili Air:
We'd likely choose Gili Air if we stayed on the islands, because the backpacker party on Gili Trawangan isn't our scene. Diving and snorkelling right on site, but I've heard the reefs have really diminished in quality in recent years, so we may be better off just taking a boat from the mainland to the better spots anyway. Also, not much else to do there - no real culture or waterfalls to go see! More basic accommodations, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
So, that's basically our three main options - is there anything I've missed? Any recommendations you can offer based on these three? Thank you so much for your help!!
The details:
My husband and I are spending eight days in Bali after two weeks in Vietnam this July, and we need some help choosing locations! We plan to spend 3 or 4 days in Ubud for some culture, then we want to relax and unwind for the last 4 or 5 days before we head home. We want to do some diving, but neither of us are very advanced, so we don't need extremely challenging dives. We're also not into partying or nightlife, so we'd prefer to avoid the crowds. We do like good food, though, so it would be nice to have some options for dining beyond just where we're staying (though if it's really good, that would still be okay!). Our budget tops out at around $300/night, but we're of course happy to spend less for something simple yet lovely and relaxing.
Here are my thoughts on the three options so far, and I would love to get some feedback!
Menjangan:
I've heard it's great diving, but poor beaches and not very accessible. Most of the places in the Pemuteran area are booked out already (Mimpi and Santi Sari have rooms, but I've heard them described as more "jungle resorts" instead of beach resorts, as the mangroves that surround them leave very little beach at all). This means we'd likely stay in Lovina, which is an hour drive east of diving at Menjangan. Is there any diving/snorkelling to do right at Lovina, or would we have to go all the way Menjangan every time we wanted to dive?
There would be some fun side-trips available, such as the swimmable waterfalls nearby, and some interesting temples, etc.
Sengiggi (Mangsit):
Much better beaches than Menjangen, so I'm told (not as good as the beaches in south Lombok, but I hear they don't really have diving/snorkelling - beautiful above the surface, but not much below). We'd stay north of the strip in Mangsit to avoid the crowds, where I hear there is some nearby snorkelling available. Most diving trips would go visit the Gili Islands nearby for the spectacular sights, but that leaves us with a similar issue to staying in Lovina and diving in Menjangen. Like Menjangen, there are interesting side trips to be had (cultural stuff, waterfalls)
Gili Air:
We'd likely choose Gili Air if we stayed on the islands, because the backpacker party on Gili Trawangan isn't our scene. Diving and snorkelling right on site, but I've heard the reefs have really diminished in quality in recent years, so we may be better off just taking a boat from the mainland to the better spots anyway. Also, not much else to do there - no real culture or waterfalls to go see! More basic accommodations, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
So, that's basically our three main options - is there anything I've missed? Any recommendations you can offer based on these three? Thank you so much for your help!!
May 9th, 2013, 04:00 PM
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Well, I haven't been to Bali in a long time but Lovina is not a bad place to access the diving in Menjangen. We stayed at Damai which was a really nice boutique hotel. They can make all of your arrangements for you and it is really not that much of a hassle to get to Menjangen.
May 9th, 2013, 05:33 PM
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I wouldn't stay at Sengiggi. Take a look at Qunci Villas on Lombok (not terribly far from Sengiggi, but not on the crowded stretch of beach). The beach there is nice, and you can take a day trip to the Gilis.
There is a relatively new Tugu Hotel on Lombok. I've not stayed there, but we stayed at the Tugu in Malang and loved it.
There is a relatively new Tugu Hotel on Lombok. I've not stayed there, but we stayed at the Tugu in Malang and loved it.
May 9th, 2013, 11:20 PM
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Menjangan is and island so you have to take water transport to get there. Pemuteran is the closest beach community and I'd choose it over Lovina, though neither has much of a beach. The waterfall, mountain and lake areas of north-central Bali are about an hour away. Munduk, for example, is a nice destination for nature and culture.
In Pemuteran you should also try Villa Ganesha (pricey, but really lovely), Amertha Villas and Taman Sari.I believe you can snorkle off Pemuteran Beach, but I've never done it myself.
The northwest coast of Lombok (the Mangsit side of Senggigi) has a lot of upscale resorts like Lombok Lodge, Qunci, Jeeva Klui, Oberoi and Tugu. Excursions to any of the Gilis are easy to arrange and all of these resorts have good restaurants.
I haven't been to the Gilis for some time. Some of the newer resorts are more sophisticated, but restaurant choices are still fairly basic.
I would rate Bali higher than Lombok on the culture and nature scale, though the north coast is more arid and less culturally rich than central Bali. You could also look at the Amed/Tulemben area in east Bali. Again, not terrific beach (black sand) but some nice resorts, SCUBA and snorkling and access to the arts/crafts/culture of east Bali.
In Pemuteran you should also try Villa Ganesha (pricey, but really lovely), Amertha Villas and Taman Sari.I believe you can snorkle off Pemuteran Beach, but I've never done it myself.
The northwest coast of Lombok (the Mangsit side of Senggigi) has a lot of upscale resorts like Lombok Lodge, Qunci, Jeeva Klui, Oberoi and Tugu. Excursions to any of the Gilis are easy to arrange and all of these resorts have good restaurants.
I haven't been to the Gilis for some time. Some of the newer resorts are more sophisticated, but restaurant choices are still fairly basic.
I would rate Bali higher than Lombok on the culture and nature scale, though the north coast is more arid and less culturally rich than central Bali. You could also look at the Amed/Tulemben area in east Bali. Again, not terrific beach (black sand) but some nice resorts, SCUBA and snorkling and access to the arts/crafts/culture of east Bali.
May 10th, 2013, 04:22 AM
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We spent around 5 days diving at Menjangan island and stayed at the Taman Sari in Permuteran. We had arrived With a booking at another place which turned out to be not very nice so we moved along the road to TS who were able to accommodate us. We had to change rooms about three times but this was no hardship as we ended up staying in a fantastic villa. They had a very good restaurant their serving Thain and Balinese food. The Thai was authentic and amongst the best I had eaten outside of Thailand.
The diving at Menjanghan is not at all challenging and would be suitable for non advanced divers. Plenty of fish, some big, and some pretty good reefs. There is a dive school next to the hotel and transport to the dive sites takes around 45 mins by longtail ( although we did get stuck for an hour out in the bay one time as the engine broke down!) . The distance was ok but don't expect out of the hotel and be diving 10 mins later. There is an artificial reef just off the beach which is part of a conservation project in the area, I think you can snorkel there. The main problem with Permuteran is that it is such along way from everywhere else and transport can be expensive.
The diving at Menjanghan is not at all challenging and would be suitable for non advanced divers. Plenty of fish, some big, and some pretty good reefs. There is a dive school next to the hotel and transport to the dive sites takes around 45 mins by longtail ( although we did get stuck for an hour out in the bay one time as the engine broke down!) . The distance was ok but don't expect out of the hotel and be diving 10 mins later. There is an artificial reef just off the beach which is part of a conservation project in the area, I think you can snorkel there. The main problem with Permuteran is that it is such along way from everywhere else and transport can be expensive.
