An attractive, alternative destination<\/p>\n
Andrew Charles, Contributor, Canggu, Bali<\/p>\n
Bali is suffering from the effects of the latest bombing -- not
\nas badly as after the attacks in 2002 -- so I was curious as to
\nwhere people are going now.<\/p>\n
I recently visited Lombok, which is just a 25-minute flight
\neast of Bali, and stayed at the magnificent Oberoi Lombok Hotel.<\/p>\n
I cannot hope to give a full description of the Oberoi's
\nexcellent facilities in a short article but my partner and I
\nspent four days being pampered and served in a manner that almost
\ndefies belief.<\/p>\n
Our beach front luxury villa was very comfortable and we had
\nan amazing view of the local beach and of Gili Air, one of the
\nthree famous islands off Lombok's north-western coast.<\/p>\n
My partner went on a trip to Gili Trawangan and tried
\nsnorkeling for the first time, returning with some great stories
\nabout how enjoyable it was. The Oberoi's PADI-certified Beach
\nClub staff made this all possible and the packed lunch and expert
\nguides provided by the hotel enhanced the experience.<\/p>\n
We tried the Oberoi Spa by Banyan Tree and opted for facial
\ntreatments. It was just amazing; we both fell asleep during the
\ntreatment so this was an indication of how relaxing it must have
\nbeen.<\/p>\n
Island's tourism strengthening<\/p>\n
I was interested in finding out whether Lombok had increased
\nin popularity since the attacks on Bali so I asked a couple of
\nhotel general managers for their opinions.<\/p>\n
Sheraton Senggigi's Stephan Winkler said he found the
\nsituation very positive and the additional flights to Lombok,
\nsuch as Garuda's direct flights from Jakarta, Silk Air's flights
\nfrom Singapore, plus a direct flight with Lion Air from Jakarta,
\nhad all helped to put Lombok on the map.<\/p>\n
Stephan says that 2005 was an "anchor" year for Lombok, with
\nbusiness levels increasing by 10% over 2004. There is certainly
\ngreat confidence in the future of the island as both a national
\nand international destination.<\/p>\n
Holiday Resort in Lombok general manager Stefan Leu says that
\nbusiness in Lombok has improved; he feels it is not as a result
\nof what happened in Bali and suggested it might be more due to an
\nincreased awareness of Lombok.<\/p>\n
He says his hotel is receiving bookings from both the domestic
\nand Asian markets, from people who want to experience the
\nunspoiled nature, clean air and quietness that Lombok offers. He
\nalso agrees that easier access from major Indonesian cities has
\nbeen very helpful, adding that the Eastern European market has
\nbecome very significant.<\/p>\n
This was my first visit to Lombok in 10 years and I couldn't
\nbelieve how much the island has changed. Of course there are a
\nlot more hotels and the development on Gili Trawangan is amazing;
\nthere are now places to stay and good restaurants but the last
\ntime I was there, they did not even have electricity!<\/p>\n
Locals more tourist-oriented<\/p>\n
Another change I noticed throughout Lombok is that the local
\npeople seem a lot friendlier now than they were 10 years ago. We
\ntook a tour around the island and visited Kuta (the other one) in
\nthe south east, where the beach is just stunning and we also did
\nthe tours of the potteries and Songket weavers.<\/p>\n
We bought a lot of pottery and the housekeeping staff at The
\nOberoi did a great job of packing it for us so nothing was broken
\non the return trip to Bali.<\/p>\n
The choices of accommodation in Lombok are wide and prices
\nrange from very cheap to very expensive. A return flight from
\nBali to Lombok on GT Air will cost you only Rp 548,000 and I
\nwould recommend this rather than the Merpati flight, which costs
\nmore and uses older aircraft.<\/p>\n
The Oberoi Lombok is undoubtedly the most luxurious place to
\nstay on the island. With employees who really care about you,
\nrestaurants providing exceptionally good food and a location that
\nmust be the best on Lombok, what more could you want?<\/p>\n
Even checking out was an incredible experience; the hotel
\nstaff collected our luggage a few hours before we were due to
\nleave and took it to the airport; they also took our tickets and
\nchecked us in.<\/p>\n
When we arrived later, the Oberoi representative, Taufik,
\nhanded us our boarding passes and escorted us to the Oberoi
\nLounge where we were offered drinks and snacks while waiting to
\nboard the plane: No queuing, no hassle -- just perfect!<\/p>\n
The Oberoi Lombok is justifiably the proud winner of the 2005
\nBest in Asia & Pacific -- Commitment to Quality Award given by
\nthe organization Leading Hotels of the World, after a strenuous
\nand anonymous inspection of all its member hotels.<\/p>\n
As a resident of Bali, I sincerely hope that we will continue
\nto receive visitors here but Lombok is certainly a very
\ninteresting alternative and highly recommended.<\/p>\n
The Oberoi Lombok<\/p>\n
Medana Beach<\/p>\n
Tanjung<\/p>\n
PO Box 1096<\/p>\n
Mataram<\/p>\n
West Lombok<\/p>\n
Nusa Tenggara Barat<\/p>\n
tel. (0370) 638444<\/p>\n
fax. (0370) 632496<\/p>\n
e-mail: Reservations@theoberoilombok.com<\/p>\n
website: www.theoberoilombok.com<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/an-attractive-alternative-destination-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }