What’s new in Bali and Lombok

In this excerpt from our latest Bali & Lombok guidebook, we have hunted down the fresh, the revamped, the transformed, the hot and the happening. Here are a few of our favourites:

1. Kerobokan, Bali’s food hot spot
The foodiverse on Bali has shifted to Kerobokan. Superb new restaurants include Biku, an artful, casual cafe; and Sardine, a fantasy of seafood.

2. Fast boats to the Gilis
It seems there are as many fast boats between Bali and the Gilis as there are dolphins in the ocean on the way. New connections to these three island paradises include Nusa Lembongan and Amed.

Mandalika Festival Bau Nyale

Every year, five days after the full moon on the 20th day of the 10th month on the traditional Sasak Calendar, the Sasak people celebrate the traditional ceremony of Bau Nyale. This year, the dates fall on 22 to 23 February 2011.

The Sasak are the dominant ethnic group inhabiting the island of Lombok, in West Nusatenggara, adjacent to Bali.   Bau in the Lombok language means “to-catch” and Nyale is a type of sea worm that surfaces only around this time of the year. Therefore, Bau Nyale is the festive ceremony when large crowds catch the Nyale along a number of Lombok’s finest beaches. This year the event will take place  the Kaliantan Beach, at the Pemongkong village, in the Jerowaru district, in East Lombok.

Jeeva Klui Lombok

Located in North Lombok, Jeeva Klui features an infinity pool, outdoor restaurant and spa. Rooms offer a private terrace, flat screen cable TV and an outdoor day bed.

Spacious rooms are equipped with air conditioning, private bathroom and a minibar.

Guests can have meals at Jeeva Klui’s Waroeng, an open-air restaurant or Wallace, a lounge which offers free Wi-Fi and a library. Day trips can be arranged at Jeeva Klui Resort.

Mount Rinjani National Park

Gunung Rinjani rises 12,224 feet above the island of Lombok and regularly reminds those that are adventurous enough to trek in the Mount Rinjani National Park of just how active it still is.

Luckily, a new cone has formed inside the caldera lake which covers around 20 square miles; the lake catches hot lava in a spectacular display of steam, preventing the lava from threatening nearby villages.

Lombok Villas

If you are looking for an exclusive holiday retreat, we welcome you to browse our PRIVATE LUXURY VILLAS option, which offers exceptional alternatives to World Class Hotel holidays, in private settings that are set in styles as individual as you are.

Lombok, Sumbawa eying 1 million tourists by 2012

Lombok and Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara have set a target of wooing one million tourists to visit the islands by 2012, says an official.

“We are confident of reaching the target,” West Nusa Tenggara culture and tourism agency head Gita Ariadi said Tuesday as quoted by Antara state news agency.

West Lombok

West Lombok has both the lushness of Bali and the starkness of outback Australia. The 3,726m Rinjani volcano dominates the northwest of the island, while the southwest is arid and covered by savannas.
Famous for its basket ware, pottery and ikat hand woven textiles, Lombok has exceptional charm and is relatively undiscovered, except for Sengiggi and the Gili islands that have become popular tourism areas. We visit traditional villages and a local market in search for rare pieces of handicraft.

With the three 'big cities', the airport and the biggest concentration of hotels, West-Lombok is the best place to stay for the visitor. Here are the popular Gili Islands, as well as the most important Balinese temples, the center of Wetu Telu and mount Rinjani. The first route takes the tourist north, from Ampenan to Senggigi beach, Gili's, Wetu Telu center Bayan and surrounding, and eventually to the foothills of Moutn Rinjani. The second route goes south to quiet beaches and surfing locations of the southern peninsula.

Geographically
West Lombok is stay at 115°4´- 116° East Longitude and 8°12´ - 8°55´ South Latitudes with its boundaries is:
East Side: Central Lombok Regency and East Lombok Regency
West Side: Java Sea
South Side: Indonesia Ocean