I stayed at Sengigi and Gili Trawagan, a small island off Lombok. The food and accomodations were a much better value than on Bali. The donkey cart taxis were an interesting change of pace.
Favourite spots:
Gili Trawagan, a nice backpackers island with a lively social scene, fair snorkeling just off the coast, and good places to stay with savory food. The main drawback for me was they had only salt water showers there.
What's really great:
A tour on a motorcycle of western Lombok including Purakalasa water palace, Mayura water palace, Lingus Temple, and a cold water mineral spring.
Sights:
The glass bottom boat tour in Gili Trawagan was great. Swam down to large clams which I could make open and close by waving the water in area, and also 4 large sea turtles. The trip took most of the day and did not include lunch for $3 in 2001.
Accommodations:
I stayed at Nusa Tiga on Gili Trawagan. It is away from noise of the town and sits right on a beach. In Sengigi, I stayed at Coconut which is north of town on a a hill with a panoramic view of the coastline. It was run by a Swedish woman and seems to be patronized by mainly middle-aged Swedish (or Northern European) women with young Indonesian boyfriends, at least when I was there. A refreshing change though from the vice versa in most of SEA. The hotel swimming pool is great, but the restuarant is a overpriced to say the least. The Nusa Tiga was $2.00, and Coconut $3.50 per night in 2001.
Hangouts:
There are many video bars and bars with small live bands in Gili Trawangan. Sengigi attracts more affluent tourists with expensive dance shows and overpriced nightclubs.
Restaurants:
I ate at a variety of places. The most impressive meal I had was a fish barbecue on the beach done by my Hotel the Nusa Tiga. I split a huge fish with a friend and still far too much. Most restuarants in Sengigi were overpriced by Indonesian standards.
Other recommendations:
There was also a beautiful Balinese rock temple near Sengigi which is on a peninsula jutting out into the sea.
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