Bali to Lombok - How??
 

Hi there
Can anyone recommend best way to get to the island of Lombok from Bali? Thinking of flying, but no idea if it's best to book the flight and accommodation before leaving Australia - you know, reliable Travel Agent, booking guarantees and all that. Or do we just "wing it" and book everything much cheaper from Bali and hope for the best?

try a bali travel agent....

i would book my hotel in advance however...

you can take a boat or you can fly....i do not suggest that you swim...

If you are choosy about where you want to stay in Lombok, do book ahead. Things are rather spread out on Lombok, so personally, I wouldn't want to waste my time being driven around the island to find a place to stay. You can fly from Bali to Lombok quite easily. You can book your air from Bali, perhaps at the airport when you arrive. The boat from Bali to Lombok takes several hours and teh seas are quite rough. Indeed, at some times of teh year it doesn't run at all.

There are several daily flights from Bali to Lombok (Denpasar to Mataram). You can arrange the flight upon arrival in Bali with your resort concierge or a travel agent.

I'm one who enjoys the Bali/Lombok ferry. There are, however, different types of boats with wildly different sailing times so it pays to ask a lot of questions and compare service.

Lombok is very quiet right now and accomodation should be available in any price range. Personally, I like to confirm before I go just because I like to have things settled, but if you're a "wing it" type person, Lombok should suit your needs.

Have you researched Lombok enough to determine you really want to go there vs. going to another place on Bali. We found it not very intersting except for a big interesting "wet market". We were told the snorkeling wuld be very good but we were disappointed after spending the air fare, guide and snorkel tour.

We spent 10 days on Lombok - we were looking for peace and quiet and an idyllic beach setting. It was perfect for us. We love Bali - Lombok is very different culturally, and the beaches are much less crowded and are nicer than any of the beaches I've been to in Bali. There are some interesting crafts on Lombok. I collect textiles, and we found some lovely double ikat there. Our first visit to Lombok quite a few years ago, we hired a guide to take us to some of the villages. That was very interesting.

We went to Lombok from Bali in September. We had our hotel book the flights for us which was pretty easy. One thing to consider is that although it is a short flight, I've heard that Indonesian airlines are notorious for delays and our experience confirmed it. We first had a 5 hour delay and then a 4 hour reroute. We enjoyed Lombok, particularly the great beaches and it's a great value but the travel troubles are something to consider if it's just a short trip.
Have fun!

Going to Bali next week, our second trip in 3 years. We have used Paul at Floressa Tours both times, and it has been terrific.
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His rates have been the best,.

I have done all available methods - flying was nice as the views from low altitude wr great. Big old ferries are nice - a sense of going places & dolphins & flyng fish along the way. The hgh speed boat at night ok, but a loss of any views. I think Lombok is great, but it is not Bali. Kathi is 100% on target. I just got back from 2 wks in Sumatra & Indon ferries amaze me. Despite all their sinkings, they still keep few life jackets - on one, I saw 1 life ring for the whole ship. On another, there were 38 of us on the uppr deck (that's few) & only 13 life jackets which looked more like toys. They really do not care.