Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cons you could need, and pebble-floored
open-air bathrooms.
Sama Sama Bungalows
(
%
0812 3763 650; r with
fan/air-con 250,000/350,000Rp;
a
)
Combining natu-
ral materials - logwood bed frames, timber
flooring and coconut wood - with mod cons
including TV/DVD players, these rooms
make a comfortable base. It's set back a little
from the beach.
Manta
(
%
643649; www.manta-dive.com; r 380,000Rp;
as
)
Eight delightful modern
lumbung
-style
bungalows, each with twin or king-sized beds,
polished timber floorboards, a fridge, security
box, and wonderful screened outdoor bath-
rooms with volcanic stone floor tiles. Prices
are flexible during low season and there are
discounts for Manta Dive school customers.
Dream Village
(
%
0818 546 591; www.dreamvillage
trawangan.com; bungalows 400,000-500,000Rp;
a
)
A
wonderful new place offering a contempo-
rary take on
lumbung
-style chic, each cottage
is well finished with teak floors and rattan
chairs, fridge, TV, security box and gorgeous
freshwater outdoor bathrooms. An Italian
restaurant, spa and small pool are planned.
Villa Almarik
(
%
638520; www.almarik-lombok
.com; r US$70-75;
as
)
Huge, light and airy,
high-ceilinged bungalows with dining/living-
room area and modern bathroom, TV and
minibar. The swimming pool is modestly
sized though.
Desa Dunia Beda
(
%
641575; www.desaduniabeda.com;
bungalows US$110 plus 21% tax;
as
)
Out on their
own in the north of the island, these absolutely
astonishing Javanese Joglo bungalows com-
mand the biggest wow factor on the island. Each
has been decorated with classy furniture and
boasts a four-poster bed, writing desk, sofas and
back-to-nature open-air bathrooms. Smallish
pool though, and it is isolated up here.
Kelapa Villas
(
%
632424; www.kelapavillas.com; villas
US$150-410 plus 21% tax;
as
)
Between the coasts,
surrounded by coconut groves, these beauti-
fully finished luxury villas boast full catering
facilities, private pools and all the comforts
of home including TV/DVD and fresh-water
bathrooms.
Eating
It's easy to munch your way around the world
in Trawangan, which belies its size and offers
everything from sushi to Irish stew. In the
evenings several places display fresh fish and
seafood on the main strip.
Anna's
(dishes 5000-8000Rp)
Tiny, friendly warung
with a very short menu. It serves up a mean
nasi campur
and
soto ayam
(chicken soup).
Kayangan
(dishes 7500-15,000Rp)
It may look a
bit grubby, but the inexpensive Chinese and
Indonesian dishes here are executed well.
Café Wayan
(dishes 17,000-35,000Rp)
Hygiene stand-
ards are high, so it's a great venue for salads (try
the papaya and chicken) as well as pasta, Thai
and Indo faves like prawns
a la ketut
(served
with cashews). Leave room for cake, including
death-by-chocolate and carrot.
Beach House
(
%
642352; dishes 17,000-50,000Rp)
Boasts a great beachside terrace and a menu
that takes in everything from tasty baguettes
through the usual Indonesian suspects to
chargrilled sirloin steaks. It sells wine and
there's also a fine choice of juices - try the
pineapple, guava and mint.
Ryoshi
(
%
639463; dishes 17,000-48,000Rp, set menus
from 37,000Rp)
Authentic, superfresh sushi, teri-
yaki chicken and other Japanese treats at mod-
erate prices served on Nippon-style low tables
(though you can also eat your Eastern treats
next door in the Irish bar, Tir na Nog, too).
Tir na Nog
(
%
639463; dishes 21,000-37,000Rp)
Ideal
for enormous portions of comfort food such
as Irish stew and fish 'n' chips, and puds like
contemporary seating including luxe scarlet
lounges, sculptured white 'escape pods' and
lots of hip design details. The extensive, eclec-
tic menu fuses pan-Asian and mod-European
food, with bar snacks like hot 'n' spicy que-
sadillas to munch on, mains including salt-
and-pepper squid with lime and lemon dip
to savour, and desserts to die for. The bizarre
looking white globe with a chimney by the en-
trance is actually a wood-fired pizza oven (not
a mosque for cats as one local mused). Home-
sick Brits should check out the 7pm Sunday
roast, with all the trimmings of course.
Other recommendations:
Blue Marlin
(mains 9000-35,000Rp) Offering mainly
Western food, this place serves up some of the finest fish
and seafood on Trawangan - choose yours from the iced
streetside display.
Reccy Living Room
(dishes 12,000-23,000Rp) Friendly
place with
beruga
overlooking the beach that offers decent
Western food including lasagne. Order the house special
'rice table' a day in advance.
offers a radically different take on drinking cul-
ture compared with the usual drinking dens on
Trawangan. Primarily an alfresco chillout zone,
but with terrific food (see left), the cocktails
are the best in Trawangan (try the raspberry
margarita or Long Island ice tea). Also serves
espresso and cappuccino.
Rudy's
Pub
(
h
8am-4am Fri, 8am-11pm Sat-Thu)
Run
by the inimitable Joko, the friendliest and
most entertaining barman in town, this place
hosts a terrific Friday-night party.
NORTH & CENTRAL
LOMBOK
%
0370
The sparsely populated northern part of Lom-
bok is remarkably beautiful, with a variety of
landscapes, few tourists and even fewer facili-
ties. Public transport is not frequent though,
nor does it detour from the main road. With
a set of wheels, however, you can explore
the shore, waterfalls and inland villages. The
main coastal road is narrow but paved and in
good condition.
Towering Gunung Rinjani is unquestion-
ably the region's main attraction. But even if
you don't attempt the cone itself, its southern
slopes are well watered and lush, and offer
scenic walks through rice fields and jungle.
Most villages in central Lombok are tradi-
tional Sasak settlements, and several of them
are known for their local handicrafts.
BANGSAL TO BAYAN
The port of Bangsal is run down and a hassle,
see the boxed text, p299. Heading north of
Bangsal, public transport isn't that frequent.
Several minibuses a day go from Mandalika
terminal in Bertais (Mataram) to Bayan, but
you may have to get connections in Pemenang
and/or Anyar. This area is best explored with
your own wheels.
Sira
This peninsula has a glorious sweeping white-
sand
beach
, some snorkelling offshore and
Lombok's most luxurious hotel, the
Oberoi
Lombok
(
%
638444; www.oberoihotels.com; r from US$240,
Drinking & Entertainment
Despite its diminutive size, Trawangan
punches way above its weight in the party
stakes. Its rotating parties fire up around
11pm and go on until 4am or so (except dur-
ing Ramadan when the action is completely
curtailed out of respect for local culture).
At the time of research the party schedule
shifted between Dive Indonesia (Saturday),
Blue Marlin (Monday), Tir na Nog (Tuesday),
Horizontal (Thursday) and Rudy's (Friday).
Imported DJs from Bali and beyond mix
techno, trance and House music while Rudy's
has a more eclectic musical policy.
Blue Marlin
(
h
8am-midnight Tue-Sun, 8am-3am Mon)
Of all the party bars, this upper-level venue
has the largest dance floor and the meanest
sound system - which pumps out trance and
tribal sounds on Monday. There's also a great
outdoor terrace with views across the ocean
to Lombok.
Tir na Nog
(
h
7am-2am Wed-Mon, 7am-4am Tue)
Known to one and all as the 'Irish bar', it com-
bines a sociable barnlike main room, where
you can catch live sports on a big screen
and play table soccer, and a superb beach-
side terrace. You can also watch films here,
choosing a title from the extensive selection
TOP END
Hotel Vila Ombak
(
%
642336; www.hotelombak.com;
r US$75-135 plus 21% tax;
as
)
Just south of the
main drag, this highly attractive resort oc-
cupies a leafy garden plot partly shaded by
yuccas and palms. The faux-traditional two-
storey A-frame bungalows are not that large
for the price, but do have real character. The
stunning superior rooms are more minimalist
in design. Has a great pool, spa, diving acad-
emy, restaurant and beach bar too.
H Rooms
(
%
639248; somersguy@yahoo.com;
villas US$100;
a
)
Redefining the mod-Asian look
that is so prevalent in Bali, these remarkable
modernist villas to the rear of the Horizontal
bar can sleep four comfortably, with divid-
ing walls separating sleek interiors replete
with Japanese-style tatami matting, distressed
coconut-wood walls and decked floors. Home
