Novotel Lombok – The Pearl of the South

Kuta is a village on the island of Lombok with its beautiful beaches. It is comparable with Bali 20 years ago. Tourism is less developed, which we found a great advantage. Like Bali, nature is beautiful and culture is still authentic. At the moment, this island is developing fast. Several large hotels are being built and they are starting a lot of fancy restaurants.

How to get there?

You can reach the island of Lombok by boat or by plane. We came from Nusa Lembongan and chose to go by boat. The boats arrive in the small harbor of Bangsal in the northwest of Lombok. Then it is about 2 hours drive (about 77 km) to Novotel Lombok. For those who arrive at Lombok International Airport, it is about 40 min drive (about 20 km).

 

The Pearl of the South, Novotel Lombok

Novotel has hotels all over the world. The qualities and standards of Novotel are definitely there. You notice this in the details, the decor of the villas, the good organization, the efficient operation and the friendly staff.

The first one

Novotel Lombok was the 1st hotel in this region and has been established for 20 years in Kuta, Lombok. Due to the good maintenance and use of quality materials, we would not say that this hotel is already 20 years old. We had the impression that there are often beautiful and chic hotels built in Indonesia, but maintenance is often a problem which causes many hotels to lose their charm.

The population of Novotel Lombok consists of 30% domestic tourists and to other 70% are mainly Australians and Europeans.

The private beach

As you already see in the picture, the hotel is located on a beautiful beach. Officially, this is not a private beach because this apparently is not allowed in Lombok. Except for some local people, you will not encounter many other tourists. Novotel organized a good initiative so the local people won’t bother the tourists. They have a small shop on the beach where they can sells their stuff like bracelets, scarfs,…

 

 

Private Villas

There are 8 different types of villas and rooms, namely the superior king / twin deluxe, deluxe terrace, superior family room, deluxe terrace family room, private sasak villa, garden pool villa, private pool villa and private pool family villa. We stayed in the Garden Pool Villa, where all comfort and privacy are provided. The villa is very spacious, modern and luxuriously furnished. You have a private garden with large swimming pool and a covered place, where you can eat outside.

You have a large, fully equipped marble bathroom with double sink and a walk in shower.

Daily activities

If you are staying in a villa of Novotel, you have some complimentary benefits for minimum stay of 2 nights. This package gives you free access to various activities like Breathtaking Breakfast on the Hill, daily breakfast, 75 min Hair Spa, 75 min Beach Yoga Class, Free Airport Transfer and paddle boarding. Novotel Lombok thinks it is very important to help their guests to get the most out of their vacation. That’s why they organise a lot of activities on a daily basis.

Something for everyone

There are various free activities like aqua aerobics, sunrise walk,, visits to the traditional market in kuta, mini football on the beach, coconut climb show, …. On the other hand, they also organise some paying activities like the Tanjung sunset tour, a visit to the traditional Sasak village, discovering the falls in Lombok, a snorkeling trip to Gili Nanggu, cooking classes and many more. Prices for the paying activities range from 3.21 euros/pp to 38 euros/pp.
You can always find an overview of the daily activities on the board at the reception. You will also receive a letter with an overview of the weather, the activities of that day, which theme buffet is organized and when it’s happy hour.

Aqua fitness, a local market and Sunset yoga

We chose to try the aqua fitness, visit the market in Kuta, and try the sunset yoga.

Aqua fitness

The aqua fitness was given by a local instructor and was accessible for everyone. It was an amusing experience, because the approach was totally different than in Belgium. The lessons are every day from 11 am to 12 am, the purpose is more to have fun than to perform best.

Local market

Every Wednesday and Sunday you can visit a traditional market in the center of Kuta. You will go to the market by taxi. You can walk around and be overwhelmed with the many flavors and colors of all herbs and products sold on the market. During the trip, you’ll be accompanied by someone from the hotel. You can ask him about the life in Lombok, the market, the products,… We like to see and experience the traditional way of living, to see how those people trade in everything, from chickens to tobacco .

Sunset yoga

At the end of the day, I participated in the sunset yoga class.. It’s given in a small group by an experienced yoga instructor. Because I had no experience with yoga, it was a pretty intensive lesson. Yoga has a lot of aspects, but in this lesson, flexibility and body control stood central. Very interesting and fun to participate, but I think you’ll get more out of the lessons if you have some experience.

What we found surprising, is that you can attend classes in order to get your Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).

Inbalance Spa

Inbalance spa is the wellness center of the hotel. Here you can recharge your energy and relax completely. There is a extensive package of various traditional massages to scrubs, manicures and pedicures, anti-age treatments and facial/ body treatments.
This spa was a very pleasant introduction to us. Upon arrival you will get a cool, aromatized towel and a refreshing drink. The spa is very nicely decorated and they work very professionally. We chose the Sasak massage, this traditional massage mainly works on the deeper tissues to reduce any stresses, to promote circulation and relaxation.

For those who prefer a little more action, you can always go to the hotel’s fitness!

 

Good food, good mood

Breakfast at Novotel took place in the restaurant “Spice Maket” with a very  of Western dishes, pastries / delicacies, fresh fruit, pancakes, eggs, yogurt, Indonesian food, cornflakes, and many more. Every morning we ate our belly well.

For those staying in a Novotel villa, can enjoy a complimentary ‘breakfast on the hill’. They will bring you to the mountain next to the hotel and you can enjoy your breakfast with a amazing view! Of course, everything from the ‘normal’ breakfast can not be brought to the mountain, so a selection is made. For us there was more than enough choice.

Time for dinner

Each evening there is another theme for dinner (buffet style), there is an Italian buffet, Indonesian buffet, Seafoot buffet, International buffet, … Choice enough!

Every day, happy hour is from 15h to 17h, which means that if you buy 2 cocktails you will get one for free. For these tasty cocktails and sea view snacks, you must be in the ‘Breeze bar’. You also have the ‘Wave bistro‘, which is a beach bar a few meters from the sea with a variety of drinks and refreshments. The largest restaurant is ‘Spice Market’ with an extensive international cuisine for both breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our dishes at Novotel’s Spice market restaurant were very tasty!

 

Summary

Hotel: Novotel hotels & resorts Lombok
Location: Kuta, Lombok
Accommodation: luxueus, villa’s, kindvriendelijk, vele activiteiten
Price: €€€

Contact

Mandalika Resort Pantai Putri Nyale, 83573 Pujut Lombok Tengah
Indonesia
Phone: +62 (0) 370 615 3333
Email: hotel@novotellombok.com
Website: http://www.novotellombok.com

We also visited the Gili islands, discover our experience here!