Lombok and the Gili's for families ...
Lombok
Lombok
is a major island that is close to
Bali
. It is much less populated than Bali and has a more laidback feel. There are
three key tourist areas in the island currently –
Senggigi
Beach
, the Mt Rinjani/Sembalun area and
Kuta
Beach
.
Senggigi
Beach
This
is the main tourist area for Bali with a number of excellent hotels - Sheraton,
Senggigi Beach etc.... and some really good restaurants and rock bands that play
live music most nights of the week. The band that play at the Happy Cafe are
seriously fun to watch! Senggigi is a base for the Gili Islands and other dive
sites in Lombok, there are a number of dive businesses in town. There is also a
good left hand point break on the southern point.
To
book the better family hotels, please click below
Senggigi
Beach Hotel - The hotel is set in 12 hectares of tropical gardens, and
offers guests locally styled rooms and facilities, excellent restaurant and bars
and a peaceful, pristine beach. The charming Senggigi Beach Hotel has long been
a favorite in Lombok.
Mt
Rinjani/Sembalun
Mt
Rinjani is popular with trekkers . It is a real experience and you hire guides
and porters to help with your gear.
Kuta
beach
Photo - room at the Novotel
Kuta
Beach is in the South Of Lombok. It is a quiet although developing area that is
reminiscent of Bali in the 70's. The people are very friendly, the roads are
quiet and there are some most magnificent white sandy beaches. The town is made
up oif a number of small restaurants and places to stay, and a little out of
town is the magnificent Novotel Lombok hotel. In town there is a small
supermarket and also a few places where you can buy t-shirts and local weaved
sarongs and table cloths. The key reason most people come to this area of Lombok
is to surf! There are manu surf beaks from beginners to waves that the
professionals love, like Desert Point. For more information about surfing in
Lombok it is worthwhile to get a copy of Pete Neely's Indo
Surf and Lingo guide.
To
book the better family hotels, please click below
Novotel
Lombok Hotel This four-star Novotel offers the best in exciting activities
and facilities for families. Located on the southern shore of Lombok, under an
hour drive from the international airport, you’ll be playing on the white
sands of the hotels unspoiled private beach in no time. Boasting its very own
natural lagoon, four beautiful pools, two restaurants that overlook the ocean,
and a health and treatment spa. The Kids Club will leave quite an impression on
your children, with tons of fun activities and games.
Photo - on the way back from
a surf at Gerupuk
How
to get there
There
are a number of airlines that fly to Lombok from Bali and other places in
Indonesia
These
are as follows – links are provided to the airlines websites so you can access
the most up to date flight information.
Website
addresses for the airlines that fly to Lombok from
Bali
are as follows
- Merpati
– website : www.merpati.co.id
email : mataram@merpati.co.id
- Trans
Nusa Air – website : www.transnusa.com
-
Indonesia
Air
Transport – website : www.iad.co.id
-
Garuda – website : www.garuda-indonesia.com
Website
addresses for airlines that fly from
Jakarta
and other Indonesian cities to
Lombok
are as follows
- Garuda
– website : www.garuda-indonesia.com
- Merpati
– website www.merpati.co.id
- Lion
Air – website www.lionair.co.id
Website addresses for airlines that fly from
Singapore
to
Lombok
are as follows
- Silk
Air – www.silkair.com
You
can also get the public ferry or fast boats
From
the airport
There is a taxi stand on the right as
you exit the baggage collection area. Here you tell the staff where you are
going and pay, and they give you a voucher with the taxi number and you are
directed to your taxi. This is more expensive than getting a taxi on the street
outside the airport as it is a monopoly business. If you want to get a Bluebird
taxi (good news that Blue bird are in
Lombok
!). You can just walk out on to the street and hail one as they pass the airport
regularly.
The other alternatives are to arrange
a transfer through your hotel or book a car and driver.
If
you are by yourself or there are only two or three of you, then using a taxi is
the cheapest option ( to Kuta around 170,000 one way) if there is more than
three and you have extra luggage like surfboards, a car and driver may be more
competitive ( to Kuta it is around 200,000 to 250,000 one way)
The
Gili’s (off
Lombok
)
Picture
- local ferry to Gili Trawangan
The
word “Gili” stands for small island, and that is why this small group of
islands are known as the Gili’s. These islands have become very popular with
International tourists as a place to learn to scuba dive or simply to go diving.
The Gili’s actually are now popular with a wide range of tourists from
backpackers, honeymooning couples and of course with families!
The
Gili
Islands
are located just off the coast of
Lombok
, there are three islands – Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. The
atmosphere on all of these islands can be described as seriously laid back.
There are no cars or motorcycles, you can walk, cycle or
catch a horse drawn cart, known as a cidomo. There are stunning white sandy
beaches, warm clean water, great restaurants and bars. There is also a good
range of accommodation from cheap losmen style through to five star villas. You
may ask why would a family visit these islands for a holiday? Well if you want
to have a relaxing break with your family you can spend lazy days at the beach,
swimming and snorkelling. There are restaurants right on the beach so it is
never too far to a cold drink or some great food.
Pictures
- beach eating
Things
you need to know
The three islands have developed their own atmosphere with Gili Trawangan (GT)
the largest and busiest (it is all relative as GT is very laid back). GT has the
largest choice of restaurants, has telephone and internet access, has
restaurants and hotels that accept credit cards. This is less common on the
other islands, so bring cash from the mainland. You can find places to change
money but the rate will be lower than in Bali and
Lombok
.
Photo - main street of Gili Trawangan
Gili
Air is the closest of the three islands to the mainland. It is very quiet and
has some good snorkeling from the beach and plenty of dive businesses.
Gili
Meno is the middle island and is the smallest. It is also very quiet and had a
deserted feel about it, there is a number of basic small bungalows on the
island.
The
Gili’s are small coral islands, they have a hotter drier climate than the
mainland. This means a great climate for the beach and ocean activities. This
dry climate means that fresh water is at a premium and in many hotels you will
be showering in salt water. There are hotels with fresh water pools which are
great after a day at a beach and make a shower unnecessary.
We
have noticed that there are stone fish in the waters around the island, so if
you are walking on any of the close to shore reefs, please take care. A stone
fish sting is a very painful experience.
There
are no real health facilities so it is wise to bring your own basic first aid
kit.
How
to get to the Gili’s
There
are two ways to get to the Gilis, by boat or by plane and boat. The more
reliable option is to catch a ‘fast boat’ from
Bali
. There are a number of options, we recommend the Bluewater Express. This boat
leaves from the port at Tanjung Benoa. The boat is modern and the fare includes
pick up and drop off from your hotel. This is a real bonus as you basically can
arrive in Bali go to your hotel and relaxe knowing you will be picked up and
taken to the Islands. The only issue with this option is if you get seas sick
and there is a rough ocean for the crossing. The trip takes from one and a half
hours to two and a half hours. They staff provide water and sea sick pills if
you need them. You can book directly on the internet. The website address is
The second option is to fly to Lombok, and then get a taxi to the harbour and
catch a local boat for the short trip to the
Islands
, your hotel will offer to organize this for you. The great thing about this
option is you get to drive along the coast from Mataram to
Bangsal
Harbour
or Telok Kode if you are on a private boat. The scenery is spectacular! You
travel through forest and farmland. The other positive is if you get seasick it
is only a twenty minute trip across to the
Islands
across a protected bay.
The
downside with this option is that the airlines can be unreliable – they will
often cancel flights until they are full of passengers and you only find this
out when you get to the airport.When you get to
Bangsal
Harbour
, if you are planning to take the local Perama ferry(cheapest option), you will
find that you may have to get a horse drawn cart from a car park to the beach
area. Do not stop short of the beach, there are plenty of touts who will try to
convince you that there will be no boats available if you do not book through
them. Do not be sucked in, walk to the beach turn left and you will see the
ferry terminal building – go in and buy your ticket at the counter on the left
– it is cheap. If you have a surfboard they will charge you for an extra
person, no point arguing this is a standard charge.
You
will then be taken to the
Island
to which you are heading. If you have booked a hotel they will be there waiting
for you on the beach when you arrive.
When
you get to the Gili’s
If
you did not organize transfers, when you arrive you can grab a horse drawn cart
for around 20,000 Rph to the hotel you are heading to. If you plan to negotiate
when you get there make sure you are aware which hotels you are interested in as
in peak season August to November, accommodation can be in short supply.
Where
to stay?
The
pick of hotels for families on the
Islands
is the Beach House on Gili Trawangan. This property is owned and actively
managed by an Australian family. They have a range of accommodation including
two new two bedroom villas and a four bedroom villa. They also have cheaper
accommodation options. There is also a fresh water pool, wonderful as there is
limited fresh water on the island, so you can use the pool if you want to keep
the kids out of the sun for a day. The Beach House also has a great restaurant
and as one of the owners is a chef from
Sydney
, the food is healthy and delicious!
To
book the better family hotels, please click below
The
Beach House Resort - This is a fabulous resort for families with multiple
bedroom rooms, good facilities and a great pool for the kids to relax around.
This is a safe place to take your family just to relax and have fun!
Some
other accommodation options you may like to consider are –
Photo
- pool at the Beach house
What
is there to do?
Gili
Trawangan
The
options to for a snorkel or learn to dive have been discussed already. There are
a number of dive businesses on the island, the following are a couple of
examples.
The
food on Gili Trawangan is very good with a range of choice from basic local fare
to Western choices at the restaurants at and around the Beach House, such as ,
Scallywags
There
is the opportunity to have a horse ride, to go cycling around the island, to go
fishing during the day. At night there are choices of live music and DJ music.
There is always at least one bar where the parting goes all night
Gili
Meno and Gili Air
Are
just about relaxing……
Surf
In the wet season or when there is a large swell running there is surf on the
point past the Beach House on GT and off the end of the island on GA. The breaks
can be great fun but are not reliable so don’t head here if you are after a
full on surfing holiday