Low-price: Herry Homestay – very well located. Right in the centre of Kuta Lombok, on a side street off the main road, with small bungalows. It’s really cheap, around €10 per night, but it doesn’t have air conditioning, just a small blower.
Low-price: Indonesia Backpacker Hostel (IBH) – the ideal hostel for solo travellers or couples/groups of people with an adventurous spirit, wanting to meet new people and do lots of different activities. It’s right on the main street of Kuta Lombok, full of restaurants, bars, cafés and shops, and costs around €5 per night (per person - 6 bed dorms). There are activities and parties everyday, it has a very young atmosphere and travellers from all over the world.
Low-price: Herry Homestay – very well located. Right in the centre of Kuta Lombok, on a side street off the main road, with small bungalows. It’s really cheap, around €10 per night, but it doesn’t have air conditioning, just a small blower.
Low-price: Indonesia Backpacker Hostel (IBH) – the ideal hostel for solo travellers or couples/groups of people with an adventurous spirit, wanting to meet new people and do lots of different activities. It’s right on the main street of Kuta Lombok, full of restaurants, bars, cafés and shops, and costs around €5 per night (per person - 6 bed dorms). There are activities and parties everyday, it has a very young atmosphere and travellers from all over the world.
I took the public boat from Gili Trawangan to Lombok and it was the most challenging of all trips. The journey takes about 30 minutes, the ticket is really cheap, around €3, but if the sea is rough, it can be a very bumpy journey. If this is something that makes you feel anxious or uncomfortable, opt for a private boat or a fast boat. It is much more expensive, from what I know around €15, but the journey is much more comfortable. As soon as you go to the ticket office in Gili Trawangan to buy your tickets, there are two options (public boat or fast boat), so it is a question of choosing whichever is more comfortable for you.
Once you arrive at the port of Lombok (Bangsal Port), you will be approached by a series of guides/drivers trying to sell you their services. From the port, it takes about 2 hours to get to Kuta Lombok (the center of Lombok and the most interesting part to stay in, in my opinion). Since you are carrying backpacks or suitcases, it is not possible to go by motorbike, so you will have to go with a driver. Take advantage of the moment when the drivers approach you to negotiate, or rather, tell them your price. They will always ask you for higher prices, but as soon as you tell them your price, they will end up accepting. I ended up paying 300,000 rupees (€18) for this trip, and initially they asked me for 600,000. The driver was amazing and that is why I ended up doing many more trips with him. I will leave you his contact in case you want to do the same – Riyanto: +62 823-4113-8755.
Gojeks and Grabs are not allowed in the Kuta Lombok area, so the only options are to rent a motorbike or call a driver.
Since it's a long trip, you shouldn't arrive at Kuta Lombok until the afternoon, so take your time to check in and stroll around the city center.
The city center is really cool, and has a lot to offer. In addition to great restaurants with a great vibe to spend the day, it also has lots of shops and street markets. There's a street with lots of different markets and several shops with really cool clothes: Jl Pariwisata Pantai Kuta (if you have Cantina Mexicana on your left, go straight ahead and turn left again at the corner of Kenza Café).
If you have time, walk a little further to the city center beach (Pantai Kuta Lombok) to watch the sunset.
Back on the main street, have dinner at Mama Pizza. A really cool place, great vibe (young people, lots of travelers) and great pizzas. A little more expensive than normal, but well worth it.
1. Tanjung Ann: without a doubt my favourite beach in Lombok. It is stunningly beautiful, with white sand, turquoise water, lots of beach bars with a great vibe, amazing coconut water (and super cheap) and several surf schools. If you feel like taking a surf lesson, save it for Selong Belanak Beach, which is not only better for beginners, but also cheaper.
If you are traveling by motorbike, you will pay 10,000 rupees for parking (€0.59).
Just relax in one of the bars, eat and drink a coconut water, meet people and even, if you are lucky, stay for a sunset party.
The sunset is a must-see on this beach, the scenery is even more incredible and it was probably one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen;
Important note: none of the places accept card. Make sure you have cash with you.
2. Dinner: Cantina Mexicana – right in the center of Kuta Lombok, a little further on than Mama Pizza, it is a completely open-air restaurant, always with loud music and people dancing. Once again, it has a very young vibe, it is great for meeting people and the food is amazing and very cheap. Don’t be fooled and order too much like I did, because the dishes are very well served.
1. Selong Belanak: with a long stretch of sand, a privileged view of the coves and full of surf schools, this beach has a young atmosphere, mostly frequented by surfers. For beginners, there is no better beach to start surf lessons. Prices are around €12 per lesson and I recommend that you take it at Black Fin Surf School.
Once again, if you are traveling by motorbike, you will have to pay 10,000 rupees for parking (€0.59) and no establishment accepts cards.
Wait until the end of the day, not only to watch the sunset, but also because most days, many buffalos cross the sand. It is a completely surreal scene;
2. Dinner: Mia Mia's Kitchen - a traditional Balinese restaurant, really cheap (around 35,000 rupees per dish (€2.08)). The Mie Goreng is very good;
3. Ice cream: Damonte “il gelato”, right next to Mama Pizza. The shop is really cute and the ice cream is great. Try the pistachio and lime combination and thank me later.
1. Mawun beach: a bay that forms a semicircle, with a large stretch of sand. It's not very crowded compared to the other beaches, at least on the day I went. It's beautiful, the color of the water is surreal and its tranquility gives a truly sense of peace. It's a great place to rest and relax. There are a few beach bars where you can eat and use the sun loungers or puffs.
If you're driving a motorbike, you'll have to pay 10,000 rupees for parking (€0.59) and none of the establishments accept card.
There are a lot of children trying to sell you things, especially bracelets. As soon as someone enters at the beach, they all run over and their speech is always the same: they ask you from what country you are, and as soon as you answer, they immediately say the capital of that country and then they try at all cost to sell you something. So far so good, but if you buy from one and not from the other 9, they won't let you go. But is just a question of a good management of the situation. If you start playing with them, they be really happy. They are very cute, but they can be a bit insistent, so if this is something that bothers you, avoid this beach.
2. Pink beach: this is the furthest away of all, known for its pink sand. I honestly don’t recommend you to go, I’m just referring it in case some of you really want to know it. The journey to get there is very long, the roads (especially when approaching the beach) are not in good conditions, the entrance fee is the highest of all and once you get there it can be a huge disappointment. The sand isn't really pink, you can only see it slightly (and very close) furthermore, the beach is precarious and poorly maintained.
There are a lot of monkeys, so be careful with your things. However, it also has positive points: the water is spectacularly clear and the beach is practically empty. If you go, take diving goggles as there are lots of corals and little fishes.
