Best Hotels near Snorkeling spot, Lombok

By now you’ve probably looked at reviews and all the stunning online photos—as we did. And you’re probably imagining a lush, beautiful, active lifestyle boutique resort with healthy Ayurvedic food, surf beaches lapping the shore and a yoga studio. This image couldn’t be more wrong. Picture instead a bus stop from the 1960’s on the side of a disused road. This is the feel of the entry restaurant that sits atop a largely arid hillside with none of the lovely plants pictured on the site. There were a couple of palm trees over dying grass, concrete and sand. The photos are so far from the reality that we thought the place was abandoned long ago—and perhaps taken over by squatters who thought they could make a fast buck. We were honestly frightened by what might happen next. While it does indeed seem to be a hotel, the photos and descriptions are so far from reality that we walked around in a stupor trying to sort out the cognitive dissonance. Could it be that the resort that constantly touts itself as a yoga surf resort might have neither yoga nor surf? Not even a real beach? No….couldn’t be. Right? The owner kept asking us what we expected to find and the truth was that the photos were so far from reality that it was hard to even know where to begin. We said we expected a private beach-so he pointed to a fabricated sandy area roughly the side of two kids sandboxes with a metal fence around it. We expected five surf beaches—instead there isn’t any sandy beach at all and the surf spots are accessed by boat for a few. We expected yoga—he assured us there is yoga (though it’s hard to see where he could be hiding it) and other reviewers say the yoga consists of a mat and a spot to practice on your own. We expected plants and trees and a hang out area by the pool. Instead the large pool was empty and the little ones were so full of algae that I wondered whether the “EcoResort” was gathering carbon credits off the green pool growth. It’s a very good thing that we didn’t pay in advance, since we were able to pay only a day’s rate and leave quickly. But the place is so remote that we literally lost five hours of vacation getting there, touring it and getting back to where we started. Not to mention enough money that we could have stayed at a luxury hotel on the island for the amount we tossed away in a rush to leave. The owner was kind enough to offer us tea and let us use his wifi to find another hotel—a kindness we very much appreciated—but our anger grew when we finally settled at a lovely hotel and compared our photos with the ones online. What an utter misrepresentation. We’re uploading the photos here—the one with sand under the shadow of a palm tree and a metal fence—THAT is the beach. We both nearly died laughing when he pointed it out, but the owner was clearly upset and we were just trying to get out without a massive conflict. Zoom in on the pool with water in it (as opposed to the one they were filling with a garden hose) and you might get a sens

This hotel is the best in Lombok. If you are looking for a nice place to stay by the beach, pls just book this hotel. I was served by Eric and he even remembered my name! I was there on Christmas day and there are so many guests. His act definitely made me remember this place positively. Will recommend to friends.

This hotel is beautiful.!! The rooms could be cleaned better but we had a great stay. The pool is nice and the rooms are spacious and private. We would return. The hotel isn’t in Kuta so be prepared to hire a motorbike if you want to leave for the day. There is also a kettle in the room and free water. As someone who is Gluten free there was food available but the staff couldn’t understand the concept.

Pros: friendly staff, quiet resort. Cons: old and run down. Kids club was a joke. Duplo pieces were dirty and dusty. Basically it was set up by the pool as they are redoing their old space so the only toys they had were dirty and broken. Nothing was really organized. Son was excited for water gun games and the water guns were all broken. Scavenger hunt entailed handing beige Easter eggs within the small surrounding by the pool. Very disappointed. Food was overpriced and bad. Drinks also overpriced. We learned this when we hired a car to a nice resort and beach 20 minutes away and discovered the food was delicious, price was 1/3 of this one and the sand and beach there was much better. It’s an old run down hotel. We say it’s quiet but really there wasn’t many people there. The staff were friendly and helpful.

We stopped by at tunak cottage to have a lunch and we were positively surprised about the quality and price of the food. in top of it we had a great view and extremely friendly staff who could speak very good English. We could have the opportunity to see the rooms and wehave decided to spend couple of days in this resort. we enjoyed every minute of our stay. The food was amazing. Whatever we ate was unbelievably tasty. In their menu they have lots of seafood and fish which was perfect for us. The kitchen in the restaurant and the rooms were very clean. The staff and the hotel manager were very friendly and hospitality is very important for them. The Tunak Cottage belongs to village people so only village people work there. Not the money but how the people feel at their stay is important for them and this is their biggest mission. One evening we could go with the hotel and manager and with the staff to the beach and could catch fish when there was low tide. This was one of the most amazing experience during our journey in lombok. They also organized for us octopus and prepared it perfectly to eat. Mili also took me to the village and I could meet her family. We just enjoyed our stay very much and the hotel manager and the great and friendly staff made our stay very special. We very much thank to Mila, Simi and the great hotel and manager and all the staff. I hope we can come back again and stay at Tunak Cottage longer and enjoy the great food there.

Hotel location is very good. Near Mataram Mall and eateries. Breakfast is also good. Room is big with fridge n good wifi connection.

Right from the first moment of stepping into this beautiful hotel until you leave, you are made to feel like royalty. The staff are professional and friendly ; the service is second to none. My partner and I stayed a week and made use of all the facilities - including the spa and the gym. We had to do some exercise to counterbalance the enormous breakfasts- served on the beautiful wooden terrace. The food was delicious (both breakfast and dinner). On three occasions we ate at the spectacular Kliff restaurant with views looking out onto the sea -the perfect place to watch the sunset whilst listening to the waves crashing against the shore below. Truly magical. Our room was beautiful over looking the sea - sumptuous pillows and bedding, great shower - everything you would expect from a top hotel. Also worth a mention is a visit to the Gillie isles (a short boat trip away) to go snorkelling and have lunch - this was arranged through the hotel. Having never snorkelled and not sure what to expect, the whole experience was seamless and personalised. The snorkels etc were ready for us, along with towels and mineral water provided by the hotel. We saw turtles, clown fish etc - a fabulous day. We will definitely be returning to this hotel!

Pearl of Trawangan was a luxurious, incredibly clean, and central hotel, whilst still being far enough away from the noise of the local bars (5 minute walk from bars). The pool was lovely with a very well kept pool bar, managed by very helpful and attentive staff who couldn’t have been nicer/more accommodating. There were bikes you could hire from 100,000 rupiah (approx £5) per day to make your way round the island as there are no cars on Gili T. The rooms were spacious with a lot of storage, good AC and a comfortable bed. The bathroom area is effectively outside, however there is a canopy and it is always kept spotless by the staff so was still very comfortable. The restaurant was also second to none. They feed you plenty at breakfast time offering complimentary pastries and fruit, and have plenty of options for your “main” breakfast. Our breakfast was included when booking our stay. We also had a lunch and a dinner here, both of which were superb. Having cycled round the whole island, I think we chose the best accommodation on the island. Some of the others, despite looking nice, had pools right by the main road which didn’t offer much privacy, whereas the pool here was set back, still benefitted from the sun shining on it all day, and offered plenty of sun loungers. They also had their own loungers on a designated part of the beach, which is literally 10 steps from the hotel reception, meaning you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Could not recommend enough. We stayed here mid-June 2023.

Santorini is located on the opposite side of the Gili T from the port. I walked through the center of the island to get there and it took me about 25-30 minutes. If you have big or roller luggage, I wouldn’t suggest this. I just didn’t feel like trying to reason with the horse drivers (no Grab on the island) cause it was my first time and I didn’t know how much it should cost. PS, horse drivers are a standard 100,000. Anywho, the resort is decent and I received a welcome juice. The room was a bit smaller than I imagine. My biggest disappointment was the pool didn’t work and I booked there for 3 nights. I had to use my friends pool every day which was near the port. Other downfall, is the resort is far from the night life which is closer to port if you plan to be out late. And getting back to the resort, you walk or bike down these very dark roads. I ended up leaving after day 2 because the pool still wasn’t working. Food wise, I only tried the Fried Ribs and it was ok. The people were kind and the service was nice I must say. They compensated me by giving me a free bike rental. My recommendation is if you plan to just stay in one place to relax, Santorini is ok for that if the pool is working cause the beach is just across from the resort. But if you plan to explore the island and possibly do night life, I would stay closer to the port.