Lombok or not Lombok
 

For our May 2008 trip to Bali, the evil Needhamite, Bob, is attempting to trick the prince and princess of Cambridge into a three day side trip to Lombok. I'd be interested in your thoughts as to whether it would be worth it. We're going for 14 days on the ground and will be at a beach, Ubud and Singapore. Normally, I would be adverse to adding a fourth destination because of the transit. Is Lombok (with Bob) worth the additional trouble?

Thanks.

Depends on why you're going. It seemed to be much less developed than Bali and Java, but I enjoyed the scenery. No real "sights" unless you count the villages. I wound up in some pretty primitive accommodations, so be careful where you stay. If you're after beaches I'd go on to one of the Gili islands - though again, not sure what you'll find in the way of accommodations.

Andy, we very much enjoyed Lombok. The Qunci Villas were very nice and the beach was much nicer than any beach I've ever seen on Bali. That said, I remembr a recent report where a couple had one problem after another with their air connections between Bai and Lombok. You certainly don't want to waste time with that.

So, consider this: You can fly from Singapore to Lombok non-stop on Silk Air. Spend three nights in Lombok, then take the hydrofoil from Lombok to Bali. This will cut down on your travel time (vs. getting to and from Lombok from Bali).

We did not find Lombbok to have much interest relative to Bali or Java. If you have not been to Bangkok it is an experience and worth 3 days visiting temples and shopping if you are in to that. Lombok had 1 very interesting wet market, limited snorkeling and since you are already going to a beach you don't need another beach destination.
Singapore in our opinion is worth 2 full days but Ubad and driver/guide to rice fields, monket preserve, art and craft galleries in Ubad and good restaurants is worth 3-4 days.

Andy, we spent 5 days in Ubud and felt it was just about right. Whether you go for a fourth destination really depends on how much beach time you feel you need - we spent a couple of days (3 nights) at a southern beach location in Bali but spent all of that time touring the coastal sites instead of lounging. Consider visiting northern Bali as there is much to see on the way there and back plus snorkeling/SCUBA at Menjangan Island and dolphins at Lovina.

Regardless of what you decide to do, I am sure you already know that you should allow plenty of time for those famous Balinese massages...

The Balinese massages will be had. Many Balinese will have the "opportunity" to paw the Panda.

Normally, we would leave the internal aspects of this trip until after we return from BKK in December, but "planning" with Bob will mean that we will not do this. What does one call a resident of Lombok? A Lomboker? A Lombokite? A Lombokvillian? Inquiring Pandas want to know.

Can't help with the vocab question. To maybe help with the trip decision, I've posted my Lombok photos here: kwilhelm.smugmug.com/gallery/3125092 This is raw footage - no deletes, no edits, no captions. The last few photos are of a temple in Bali, the beach before that is one of the Gili islands.

Agree with avoiding inter-island flights - I believe ours to Bali was moved a day earlier. The ferry was fine.

Hi Andy- my brother lived in Lomboc for a coupple years (2000-01 ish)and highly recommended it for us when we were considering a trip to Bali. The quincy Villas are supposed to be very nice.

He did say the ferries and flights from Bali tend to be, well, on Indonesian rules. The silk from Singapore sounds much better!

We went to Lombok several times then came to the conclusion that it was okay but not worth the extra effort. The beaches are nicer than Bali but not to the degree that justifies the travel time.

Lombok is on the other side of the Wallis line and unlike Bali is dry and arid. It's an economically depressed area, conservative Muslim and limited in artistic development.

I agree -- the flights are unreliable. The ferries are acceptable, but somewhat ill maintained and the transit time is for reasons that I've never understood variable.

Qunci came along after my Lombok days but it's well liked among Western expats here. We enjoyed the Oberoi -- lovely site, nice beach, good food and service.

I REALLY disliked the Gilis -- scruffy beach, dispirited people, rundown accommodations, bleached coral. Admittedly this was several years back, but I'm skeptical that the area's much improved. I'd check this out more carefully.

thurs.....for your pictures alone we will be going there....they are fantastic....i think it is bali 30 years ago before tourism cleaned it up....

bob

i might even swim across...

kathie---i have not seen a hydrofoil mentioned anyplace?? how did you find it??

Nice photos, thursday. I'm a sucker for markets too.

The people of Lombok are called Sasaks. Gili means island in Sasak and thus the locals are always amused when we ask about the "island islands". :)

marmot - thanks for the info! And I just can't resist markets...

bob - glad the photos helped. It was REALLY quiet in the interior. But no Bali-style temples.

Andy, I think you and Beth have perused our Lombok photos. If not, www.marlandc.com The photo that is the link to the Lombok photos was taken on the beach at the Qunci Villas. There are several photos of the Qunci Villas.

By the way, I believe there are also photos of our day trip to Lombok from Bali back before the turn of the century. Those photos will give you a sense of rural Lombok. I found the visits to the villages quite interesting, expecially since few tourists bother to visit.

PS You might also want to Read "Kathie's report on Lombok" from 2005

kathie---it's a secret but he is unable to read himself....beth has to read everything to him...

Well, Bob, perhaps he can look at the pictures if he can't read the report.

he is tooooo vain to put his coke bottle glasses on.....

Of course, I read every word of Kathie's exquisite prose. My query was intended to elicit opinions on a specific issue. I'm not from Needham and therefore my opinions have NOT all been formed at birth. I thanks almost all who have responded.

I found Lombok to be the least interesting part of my trip to Indonesia which included Java. Bali, South Sulawesi and Sumatra. You can easily spend two weeks in Bali but if you want to spend three days outside of it I would opt for Jojakarta.