With less than four weeks until Christmas, Lombok is preparing for another busy holiday season. The best hotels on Lombok and the popular Gili Islands are already reporting heavy bookings and, with special packages and celebrations for Christmas, many are sure to be fully booked over the coming weeks.
HOW TO GET FROM THE NEW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO SENGGIGI
As with any new airport, procedures at the new Lombok International Airport are still taking shape. Each week, services such as airport taxis and travel agencies are becoming better organised, but it can still be confusing for a first-time traveller landing in Lombok.
Gilibookings.com is a new service that makes booking accommodation and fast boats easy! The one-stop service offers good rates on hotels and villas in Bali, Gili Trawangan and Lombok, as well as fast boat tickets between Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands… all available online, with immediate confirmation and e-ticketing.
Something magical is happening on the hillside overlooking magnificent Mentigi Bay on Lombok’s northwest coast. The face of the hill is being terraced to make way for a new way of living, using earth-friendly dome constructions.
There is nothing new about dome constructions, but they are making a come-back as architects and builders re-think modern home construction in consideration of environmental impact, extreme weather changes, natural disasters, and the need for energy efficiency in the 21st century.
During his recent visit to Bali, US President Barack Obama happily presided over a contract signing ceremony between Indonesia’s Lion Air and Boeing Corporation for the purchase of 230 aircraft worth US $21.7 billion.
Sweetening the deal, Lion Air has also taken an option on the purchase of an additional 150 planes worth a further US $14 billion. The purchase of the initial 230 planes will be funded by a 12 year bank loan from US Ex-Im Bank.
ASEAN leaders at the recent Summit meeting in Bali have jointly signed the “Bali Concord III”, committing to take an active role in facing a variety of global challenges.
The State News Agency, Antara, reports that the “Bali Concord III,” also known as the “Bali Declaration,” was signed at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center on Thursday, 17 November 2011.
With 13 stunningly beautiful islands just off the coast, there's never enough time to explore all the amazing Southwest Gilis! Using Gili Asahan as our base, we visit just a few...
QUESTION: I have recently bought a small villa in a quiet area of Senggigi on the beautiful holiday island of Lombok. My budget was quite modest so I have chosen to buy something which requires some renovation. Can you recommend a selection of essential tools I will need to get the job done?
MR FIXER: You only need three tools in life.WD-40, duct tape and a hammer. Ifit doesn’t move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn’t move and does, use the duct tape. If you can’t fix it with a hammer, you have an electrical problem.
In the most recent edition of the Lonely Planet guide for Bali and Lombok, the Gili Islands are very well covered. Whoever came to visit these lovely islands clearly had an excellent time here!
The two biggest things that struck me from what they had written were how fast the Gili Islands were changing and how many people miss out on the delights of Gili Air because reviews constantly tell the world that Gili T is where the parties happen.
