14-19 Jan 2013
Lombok, Indonesia
Had an awesome awesome holiday to kick start the new year and am still wishing I was back in Lombok, sitting by the beach and lounging in the pool reading my kindle. We flew by SilkAir - afternoon inbound flights 3 times a week, and reached our hotel after 8pm. Wasn't the most ideal time but oh well. I think we were both shocked when we entered the hotel lobby because it was a lot better that what we expected. I didn't want to spend the money on a nice hotel since we were going to transfer to the next one tmr. J was like "wow" and I was just pleasantly surprised.
The next day we picked up some snacks before heading to Qunci Villa Hotels for our holiday. Got an Ocean View room. The spacious balcony overlooks the sea and the sound of the waves was just so calming (I didn't like the sound of the waves at night though, kinda noisy).
Asmara Restaurant - #3 Restaurant in Senggigi, Lombok
Read up on TripAdvisor and chose Asmara. They offer free pick up and drop off from your hotel. Food was mediocre and disappointing. If you like spicy food, then try Ayam Taliwang - J says they serve their chicken with the "grandfather of all belachans".
Didn't have any bands playing that night. So we headed back and just sat by the beach enjoying the lovely breeze.
The awesome part about Qunci room rates is that it includes a very very hearty breakfast. You can choose to have breakfast in any of their 2 restaurant (sea facing), or in your own room. The eggs benedict is really really good! They serve mainly English breakfast, with a plate of fruits, freshly squeezed fruit juice and coffee/tea. I loved waking up in the morning and having our breakfast by the beach.
Taman Restaurant - #4 in Senggigi, Lombok
After booking our dive trip we settled on Lunch at Taman restaurant. The main area of Lombok is pretty small so you can mostly walk to all the restaurants once you get to that area. The food was quite ok, better than Asmara in my opinion. I had Mee Soto! Loved it :)
Too hot so we headed back to cool off in the infinity pool. J has been obsessed with his Kindle since I bought it for him for Christmas.
After an afternoon spent reading on our kindles, we headed out for dinner.
Square Restaurant - #1 Restaurant in Senggigi, Lombok
The offer free transport as well. Arrived just in time to catch the beautiful colours from the sunset.
Had the 5 course set dinner and it was really really good. It was definitely one of the better meals I've had in a long time. I would say ditch Asmara and just visit the Square. (So good we visited a 2nd time but the food was very very disappointing.)
Woke up early and spent our day at Gili Trawangan. The sea was so pristine and the water was so clear! Much much better than nearby Bali. Everything had this laid back vibe and a lot less touristy and commercialized. I hated that about Bali. For someone who doesn't like the sweltering sun much, I was really happy to be at the beach because it was just so pretty. The sky was so blue and there were clean white sandy beaches.
Took a stroll around the island while waiting for our afternoon dive.
The perfect lounging spot after a tiring day of diving. Took the floats out again and just nua-ed the evening away.
The sunset was really beautiful and we had a great view of it. Dinner was at Quali Restaurant at the hotel and the food did not disappoint at all. Really fresh seafood and great service.
Miss waking up to this already. We were so reluctant to leave behind all the relaxing we had the past week.
I miss Lombok so much! Had a really awesome stay at Qunci Villas Hotel. The service was impeccable and it made us feel so welcomed. The hotel grounds were really nicely maintained and a lot of thought was put into the design of the villas. We even met the guys from Living Asia Channel there! It really was a much needed break before we kick started the new year and I felt totally recharged after my holiday.
Definitely heading back again soon!
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