In Reply to: thank you posted by mutti on Friday, 21. October 2005 at 00:23 Bali Time:
The ferry to Lombok takes 4-5 hours. It seemed as safe as most forms of transport do in Indonesia. There used to be two other options - the Bounty, which was a fast ferry, and no longer runs the route, and the Perama Boat, which has sank due to being burned down by another company. we saw the mast sticking out of the water from Sengiggi.
The first ferry that we took was awful. It was packed out. All the other westerners headed to the outside deck and got boiled in the sun. we stayed downstairs with the locals and had to sit for five hours on hard plastic seats (still absolutley boiling) with people being sick around us. Absolutely all the muslim women on the boat wanted a photograph with us, which was the only fun part of the journey as it passed the time.
The second ferry that we took was much better. Much airier boat and there were long cushioned seats that you could lie down on. Much more comfortable, and the time flew.
The third ferry we took was the best. As we got on the boat we passed the VIP area. We asked how much it was to upgrade and they said '7000'. So we said, 'yes please!'. there was air conditioning, comfortable seats, music and movies, and areas to lie down and sleep. It made such a difference to the journey.
The other option is to fly. We did this a couple of times on my last trip, and I have to say that it beats the ferry hands down for comfort and speed. It is still cheap - around 300,000 to 350,000 one way, but when you are backpacking for a long time, this is expensive compared to the boat. You can fly with a couple of companies - we used GT Air and Merpati, and both were fine. Only takes 20 minutes in the air, and, on the way back, you land practically in Kuta, which beats a long bus ride from Padang Bai.
If price isn't an issue (and it is still quite cheap), fly!