In Reply to: Lombok/Gilis Questions posted by Cracker and Rae on Tuesday, 31. July 2001 at 21:25 Bali Time:
To start with, cheap travel is available on the "local" ferry to & from Lombok. It's my understanding that it's approx. $1/us/ one way. No A/C & standing room only. Very crowded. It takes approx. 5 hrs too! We flew from Bali to Lombok for $23/each/one way & it only took 25 min. Well worth it considering the time factor. There's also the "fast" ferrys that run to & from Bali & they're even more expensive than flying! Approx. $30/US/one way & takes 2.5 hrs. They do have A/C as well as seats. All in all, flying was our preference.
As far as the "party scene" on Trawangan goes it's definately a driving force on the island! Nothing like downtown Balis party scene from what I understand. Quite a bit toned down compared to Kuta/Legian/Denpasar but nonetheless still a party. There's plenty of budget places to choose from on Trawangan but when I say budget I MEAN BUDGET! I highly recommend staying at the Villa Ombok. It's the nicest place on the island & while we were there it was $50/US/night. Excellent food & service & pool & dive center. Definatly make a reservation in advance if it's the high season. If there's one person to know on Trawangan it's our dear freind Adis (Ahhdeece). He's a bartender at one of the restaurants on Trawangan & he speaks good english. Just ask around & someone will point you to him. He will be able to meet & surpass any & every need you may have for your time on the Gili's & Lombok. He knows lots of people & places & can arrange EVERYTHING for you at a very resonable cost. He just got married too so congratulate him & tell him Josh & Dina say hello!
Hope this was what you were looking for & if not then feel free to email me directly for any more info you may want! Give C 1-5 big hugs & kisses for us! Peace & Love, joshua
As far as budget accommodation goes on Lombok, we headed down to Kuta Lombok (southern Lombok) & stayed at a place called the Matahari Inn. $40/us/night for their "honeymoon" suite down from $60. They did have a bit of construction going on but nothing major like you'ld see at a resort/hotel in Bali. Matahari food, service & accommodation were all wonderful. Plus they'll rent you a motor bike (much safer than trying to navigate the suicidal roads of Bali) to scoot around on for $4/us/day. Beautiful lagoons & ocean vistas within a 10 min ride from the Matahari too!