Tugu Lombok
This hotel is an extravagant Xanadu, a visionary playground for grown-ups on a flawless beach. The vihara, or tower, a replica of a 10th-century Hindu temple, dominates the view; next to it, a stately mansion is covered with large sculptures of blood-red tropical flowers and garlands of chillies that glow at night. If it sounds outré, it is; but at dusk, with a full moon rising, it just might be the most romantic place on earth. The seven Bhagavad Gita suites are thatched villas rising behind pool gardens set well back from the beach, with detached bath houses equipped with traditional bucket showers. The interiors are painted in intense, Wedgwood shades of olive and russet, with vast mirrors in ornate frames and mildly erotic panel paintings. Inland, behind the 100-year-old carved wooden house from Java that serves as the hotel's lobby, are the Aloon-Aloon, six colonial-style villas. The most basic accommodation is a strip of five comfortable rooms with hand-hewn furniture and oversized copper tubs in outdoor bathrooms. The spa occupies the Majapahit temple, but massages can also be had in huts on the beach or in the jungle, beside a waterfall cascading over volcanic rock.
ROOM TO BOOK If you splurge on a seaside villa, 107 is the most private. The villas are essentially the same; 205 has the biggest garden and a four-poster with massive Corinthian columns.
Address: Tugu Lombok, Sire Beach, Tanjung, West
Telephone: +62 370 6120111
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Qunci Pool Villas
Take a beautifully appointed luxury resort on a perfect beach, pare it down to the essentials, and you have the Qunci concept: comfort, chic and value. The name is a fanciful spelling of the Indonesian word meaning 'key', and is the resort's claim to be 'Your key to an idyllic Lombok' has a solid foundation in excellent service. The English-speaking staff really do speak English, and they will work wonders for you with smiles as warm as the tropical sun. The hotel's location on the relatively quiet Mangsit beach is just five minutes' drive from Senggigi, Lombok's principle tourist area, which has a wide choice of bars and restaurants. Standard rooms are compact, bright and contemporary, and are equipped with everything you need. Each room has a balcony with a view of the Lombok Strait and Gunung Agung, Bali's volcano, rising like a dream just beyond. Pool villas are generously sized and the 30-metre pool, running parallel to the beach, makes a romantic setting for dinner. Unusually for a resort catering to foreign guests, the Quail restaurant serves classic Indonesian cuisine with all the right spices and (if desired) authentic chilli fire.
ROOM TO BOOK Of the standard rooms, number 23, right at the ocean's edge, has the best view.
Address: Qunci Pool Villas, Jalan Raya Mangsit, Senggigi
Telephone: +62 370 693800
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The Oberoi, Lombok
Peter Muller, the Australian architect who invented the concept of the luxury private villa resort in Bali in the early 1970s, was lured out of early retirement to design The Oberoi, Lombok, and it is his masterpiece. Set on a placid bay on the island's north-west coast, The Oberoi, which opened in 1997, launched Lombok as the quiet, cool alternative to eternally popular Bali. The focus of the resort is the 40-metre infinity-edged swimming pool (a Muller innovation), which descents into the sea from the open-aired lobby in a series of lagoons that glisten like flooded paddy fields. The pool is ringed by secluded pavilions that serve as refuges from the sun by day and secluded venues for candlelit dinners in the evening. Twenty private thatched bungalows, with spacious private gardens, range in either direction along the shore; 30 standard rooms overlook the manicured lawns shaded by soaring palm trees. The bedrooms are furnished in loose-weave fabrics in natural colours, with tiny, shiny sea shells sewn into the seams, and antiques and hand-loomed carpets in striking colours on the polished teak floors. Bathrooms are big and beautiful, with sunken marble tubs facing walled fountain gardens. Service is superb.
ROOM TO BOOK Villa 109 sits on a gentle knoll with sea views in both directions. Standard rooms offer the same design and amenities as the villas, making it possible to experience one of the great resorts of Asia for the coast of a modest hotel in Bali or Thailand.
Address: The Oberoi Beach Resort, Medana Beach, Tanjung
Telephone: +62 370 6138 444
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Kila Senggigi Beach Hotel, Lombok
Few beach resorts in the world can have a more stunning location: more than a square kilometre of gardens shaded by immensely tall coconut palms on a gently curving spit of land that separates two bays. The hotel is thus embraced by two parallel beaches and a balmy sea breeze, no matter which way the wind blows. If you want a morning run on the beach, it's 2.5km from one end of the property to the other. When it opened in 1987, it was the first full-service hotel in Lombok, and the place has the pleasant ambience of an old-fashioned family resort. Activities for children allow parents downtime or a chance to play a few sets of tennis. The renovated standard rooms are snug yet comfortable, furnished in bamboo shabby-chic. The beach bungalows, finished in carved woods, are in the coconut grove between the two beaches. Three restaurants offer authentic Indonesian, grilled seafood and Italian cuisine; the cafés and bars of the Senggigi strip are an easy stroll away.
ROOM TO BOOK The standard rooms with the widest sea view are numbers 211 to 216. The beach bungalows offer the best deal, and numbers 107 to 120 are the most secluded.
Address: Jalan Pantai Senggigi, Senggigi, Lombok
Telephone: +62 370 693210
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Pool Villa Club, Lombok
Adjacent to the Senggigi Beach Hotel and operating under the same management, yet completely distinct in identity, this cluster of villas offers the most luxurious accommodation on Lombok's Senggigi beach. Sixteen duplex houses surround a lazy lagoon pool, which encloses a small island accessed by graceful bridges. The interiors are finished in cool, understated Indonesian style with filigree teak panels, mosaic tiles and comfortable Javanese furniture. Amenities are generous, including a Jacuzzi pavilion, Bose sound system and dedicated butler service. Sofabeds and two baths make the villa roomy enough for a family of four. Club guests have privileges at the Senggigi Beach Hotel, but not vice-versa.
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ROOM TO BOOK The villas are identical. For afternoon sun, book the lower numbers; higher for morning light.
Address: Pool Villa Club, Jalan Pantai Senggigi, Mataram, Lombok
Telephone: +62 370 693210
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By Jamie James: this story first featured in the February 2010 issue of Condé Nast Traveller
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