In Reply to: lombok posted by baliandy on Saturday, 7. January 2006 at 09:24 Bali Time:
Lombok is beautiful. It is very different to Bali, and lots of people that always go to Bali do not like Lombok. Expect something different from the outset. It is Muslim for a start, and the people are different - but nevertheless, friendly. It is much quieter than Bali. Sengiggi is quite built up (nowhere near the same as Kuta in Bali, but still a lot of hotels etc) but really quite dead in terms of tourist numbers. I have heard it described as a ghost town. I would recommend Raja's Bungalows in Sengiggi if you are looking for somewhere reasonable but nice.
Kuta in Lombok is extremely quiet and extremely picturesque. The beach is long and white. Beware of the hawkers though - the most perisistant I have met in Indonesia.
An island tour is worth doing - we went to see some local stick fighting, which was certainly a spectacle.
I would strongly recommend staying for at least a couple of nights on the Gilis - three islands off Bangsal. Gili Trawangan is the busiest but still very relaxed. The Gilis are very laid back with lots of reasonable places to stay, nice cheap places to eat, long stretches of white sand and fantastic snorkelling and diving.