We spent three weeks travelling around Bali and Lombok and got to know very different places, hotels and experiences along the way. All in all it was a beautiful trip with many highlights – and a few things we would do differently next time.
Seminyak – a perfect start at the W Bali
Our trip began with four nights at the W Bali – Seminyak. Looking back, it was the best hotel of the whole trip.
We were upgraded to a private villa and were especially impressed by the service. We have rarely experienced anything so attentive and warm. The whole resort is beautiful, and although the hotel sits in the middle of lively Seminyak, inside the resort it feels very calm and relaxed.
We liked Seminyak itself, too. It is very busy, but there is an incredible amount to discover, with lots of restaurants, bars and shops within walking distance. The beach right by the hotel is lovely as well. In the evening especially, it is wonderful to sit there, smoke a shisha and watch the sunset.
Our verdict: Seminyak is a very good base if you want to combine beach, restaurants, shopping and a bit of nightlife.
Ubud – our culinary highlight
Next we went to Ubud, where we stayed at The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud.
The resort lies a little outside town, fairly secluded on a hillside. The hotel itself was good and we lacked nothing. Compared with the other hotels on our trip, though, it was not a particular highlight for us.
We liked Ubud itself all the more. We were out and about a lot, and this is probably where we ate best on the whole trip. Two restaurants we especially enjoyed were Nusantara by Locavore and Spice by Blake.
If you like eating well, we would definitely recommend Ubud. The surroundings are beautiful, too, and there is a lot to discover.
Snorkelling on Bali – Blue Lagoon
One of our best snorkelling experiences was on Bali, at the Blue Lagoon.
There were only four of us on the boat, which made the whole trip much more relaxed and personal than later on the Gilis. We saw lots of different fish, including plenty of clownfish – "Nemos".
Our clear recommendation is Blue Lagoon Snorkeling (bluelagoonsnorkeling.com). We would book the pick-up and transfer along with it; it makes the whole trip very easy.
From Bali to Lombok
From Ubud we drove to Padang Bai, which took about an hour and a half. From there we continued to Lombok by fast boat.
For the crossings we can especially recommend two operators: Eka Jaya Fast Ferry and BlueWater Express.
One really important tip: book the boats early. The good connections sometimes sell out very quickly. We originally wanted to go with Eka Jaya but could not get seats any more, so we went with BlueWater Express.
Our first crossing, to Bangsal on Lombok, took about two and a half hours and was very calm and pleasant.
Lombok – The Sira
On Lombok we stayed at The Sira, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, only about ten minutes from Bangsal.
The hotel was truly exceptional and, for us, one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in. The grounds are beautiful, the service is outstanding, and we even had our own butler. If you simply want to relax for a few days and enjoy the resort, The Sira is fantastic.
The big drawback, though, is the location. There is almost nothing around the resort: hardly any restaurants, shops or chances to do something on the spur of the moment. The hotel itself offers plenty of activities, of course, but in a luxury resort they are priced accordingly.
If you mainly want to relax, the location is perfect. If you want to explore Lombok a little more, next time we would probably choose a different area. In hindsight we saw that Senggigi would probably have suited us better, with far more restaurants and more infrastructure in general. On a future trip we might also consider Gili Air.
A spa tip on Lombok
A real insider tip for us was KWANK Glow Retreat Spa & Beauty, close to our resort. It is a small local spa, and we liked it so much that we went twice. Compared with the spas of the big luxury resorts, you get a much more local experience and very good value for money.
Gili Trawangan – not a snorkelling highlight for us
From Lombok we took a snorkelling trip around Gili Trawangan. Unfortunately, it was one of the more disappointing experiences of our trip.
There were about 30 people on our boat, and there were an incredible number of people in the water at the snorkelling spots. At times you could hardly swim properly or enjoy the underwater world in peace.
The big highlight was that we really did see turtles. That was beautiful – but with so many people around, we could hardly enjoy the moment.
So if snorkelling is the main point, we would not really recommend a regular group snorkelling tour on the Gilis. A private tour on a small boat is probably much better. In direct comparison, we found the Blue Lagoon on Bali far better: we saw many more fish there, and many more clownfish.
Gili Trawangan itself was also too crowded and too party-focused for us. There are a lot of horse carts, too, so in places it can smell accordingly. Many people love Gili Trawangan – for us personally, it was not quite the right fit. Gili Air and Gili Meno seemed much quieter and would probably be more our taste.
Getting around Bali
On Bali we had very good experiences with Grab and Gojek. The motorbike taxis are especially practical, because Bali's traffic can be extreme. By car, relatively short distances can take surprisingly long.
So on Bali we would rather use Grab, Gojek or a private driver than rent a car ourselves. We would not necessarily rent our own scooter either: with Grab or Gojek motorbike taxis you get around very flexibly and usually much faster through the traffic.
Getting around Lombok
On Lombok things were a little different. At least in the north of the island, where we stayed, there was hardly any Grab or Gojek.
So we mainly used Bluebird taxis. They run on the meter, and that generally worked well for us. You can get around without problems there too – just don't expect to order Grab or Gojek everywhere as easily as on Bali.
The crossing back to Bali
From Lombok we headed back towards Bali with Eka Jaya. This crossing was completely different from our first one.
The sea was really rough and at times the boat rocked violently from side to side. The trip took about three and a half hours and was very unpleasant, especially for Flora. Some of the other passengers looked rather nervous, too.
I am more used to rough seas myself, but even for me it was clear that you should know what you are letting yourself in for on crossings like this. Conditions can vary a lot: one day the sea is completely calm, and the next it can be very rough. If you get seasick easily, take that into account.
And here too: book Eka Jaya and BlueWater Express as early as possible, as the popular connections can sell out fast.
Uluwatu – Renaissance Bali
After that we stayed at the Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa.
The resort is very beautiful, but really huge. There were also quite a few events during our stay, so there was a lot going on. Just getting from the lobby to our room sometimes took five to ten minutes on foot.
We would still recommend Uluwatu itself. There are lots of beautiful beaches and plenty to discover. We went to the well-known Padang Padang Beach, for example. The beach is really beautiful, but also very popular and correspondingly crowded. We did not swim there, but we would still recommend it.
Nusa Dua – the Ritz-Carlton to finish
To end our trip, we went to The Ritz-Carlton, Bali in Nusa Dua.
This resort is huge as well, with many different buildings and areas. But it is a Ritz-Carlton: the grounds are very beautiful and the service is as good as you would expect. For us it was a lovely end to the trip and, all in all, one of our favourite hotels.
Our hotel ranking
After the whole trip, we would rank the hotels roughly like this:
1. W Bali – Seminyak
2. The Ritz-Carlton, Bali – Nusa Dua
3. The Sira – Lombok
4. Renaissance Bali Uluwatu
5. The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud
Of course, the hotels have very different concepts. The Sira, for example, was probably one of the most luxurious and quietest hotels. But for us, the W Bali had the best overall package of location, service, atmosphere, beach and things to do outside the hotel.
Our most important tips after three weeks
Book fast boats early: Eka Jaya and BlueWater Express can sell out quickly.
For snorkelling, we recommend the Blue Lagoon: our experience there was far better than the group tour on the Gilis. Book the transfer along with it; it makes the trip very easy.
On the Gilis, snorkel privately: if you want to snorkel there, we would choose a private tour with only a few people.
Grab and Gojek are worth their weight in gold on Bali – especially the motorbike taxis when the traffic is at a standstill. On Lombok, they are not available everywhere; in the north we mainly used Bluebird taxis with a meter.
Expect rough seas: on fast boats between Bali and Lombok, the crossing can be very calm or very rough, depending on the weather.
Check the location of your hotel on Lombok carefully: a beautiful resort can be very remote. If you want to do a lot outside the hotel, choose an area with more infrastructure.
Spa recommendation on Lombok: KWANK Glow Retreat Spa & Beauty.
Our verdict after three weeks
All in all, we really loved Bali and Lombok. We saw an incredible amount, ate superbly and stayed in some of the most beautiful hotels we have experienced so far.
What you should know, though: Bali is very crowded these days. In popular areas especially, the traffic can be extreme, and by car relatively short distances can take a very long time. Well-known beaches and sights are often overrun, too.
Even so, we are very glad we got to know Bali properly. We would return to Seminyak for its mix of beach, restaurants, shopping and atmosphere, and to Ubud especially for the food and the surroundings. Uluwatu and Nusa Dua are ideal if you are looking for beautiful resorts and beaches. Lombok was much quieter and its landscape is beautiful – but next time we would probably choose a more central area such as Senggigi, or spend a few days on Gili Air.
We will definitely come back to Bali at some point – but probably not on our very next holiday.
In short: a beautiful trip with fantastic food, great hotels, wonderful people and many special moments. At the same time, you should know that Bali is very crowded in places, and that choosing the right area, hotel, transfers and trips makes a big difference.