Wandering Fel

Lombok offers a beautiful escapade to both islands and mountain. The islands have been known as cheaper and yet equally beautiful alternative to Bali. In general, Lombok is quieter than Bali except for some of its popular spots such as the Gili Islands and Senggigi Beach. If you prefer mountain escapade, various hiking trails to Mount Rinjani are pretty popular (and yet challenging too) amongst local and overseas visitors. Personally speaking, 4 days is enough to cover Lombok if you do not include diving/ hiking activity in the itinerary. My itinerary below is more suitable for family with kids because it's rather laid-back in nature and does really involve physical activities (because my uncle and aunts are already in their 60s).

MORNING - MANDALIKA BEACH

For the last two nights of the Lombok trip, my family and I stayed at one of the resorts which are situated at the central part of Lombok, Novotel Resort Lombok. While the room rate per night may be somewhat expensive (USD 132 per night), the resort has direct access to its own private beach. There are a lot of local kids selling out handmade jewelleries made from the beautiful seashells. While we were chatting up with these kids, they suggested for us to got to Mandalika Beach which is located just a few steps away from the resort's private beach. Mandalika area used to be more crowded with tourists before areas like Gili Trawangan and Senggigi Beach were developed. The name "Mandalika" came from the name of a princess who has become folklore of Sasak tribe in Lombok. Tales said that there were two princes from two strong countries who fell in love with Princess Mandalika up to the point that their love rivalry about to turn into a huge war. To save her own kingdom from war, the princess took her own life by throwing herself into the sea.