What is Kuta Lombok like?

Kuta Lombok has nothing in common with Kuta Bali except the name. It is a village on the south coast that has grown into a low-rise travellers' town, surrounded by some of the best beaches in Indonesia.

The town

A grid of a few streets with cafes, guesthouses, surf shops, a night market and a growing number of good small hotels. It has developed quickly in the last five years and is still small enough to walk across in fifteen minutes.

The night market on the main street is the centre of the evening: grilled fish, satay, Sasak food, and very cheap.

The beaches within half an hour

Tanjung Aan. Ten minutes east. A horseshoe bay with two beaches of different sand, calm shallow water, and Bukit Merese hill at the eastern end for sunset, which is the best free view in Lombok.

Selong Belanak. Thirty minutes west. A long crescent of white sand with a gentle beginner surf break, board hire and warungs. The best place in Indonesia to stand up on a board for the first time.

Mawun. Twenty minutes west. A near-perfect deep horseshoe bay with almost nothing on it.

Mawi. A serious surf break and a beautiful bay, with a rough access road.

Are Guling, Torok, Semeti and Tampah. Small bays, mostly empty, each 20 to 40 minutes away.

Gerupuk. Fifteen minutes east, a bay with several reef breaks accessed by boat, working at different tides and suitable for a range of abilities.

Surfing

South Lombok is one of the best places in the world to learn and to improve.

Beginners: Selong Belanak for the gentle beach break, and the inside at Gerupuk.

Intermediate and up: Gerupuk's outside breaks, Mawi, Ekas across the bay, and Desert Point at the far western tip for experts only, which is one of the heaviest waves in Indonesia.

Lessons run 300,000 to 500,000 rupiah, board hire 70,000 to 150,000 a day, boat transfers at Gerupuk a small extra.

The Mandalika circuit

The MotoGP-standard circuit sits between Kuta and the airport. Race weekends fill the entire south coast: accommodation prices multiply, roads close and the area is full. Outside those weeks it has brought better roads, a larger airport and a wave of development.

Whether that development is good for the area is a live local argument, and land acquisition for the project has been controversial. Visitors will mostly notice better roads and more construction.

Practicalities

Getting there: 30 minutes from Lombok airport, which has flights from Bali, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

Getting around: scooter, at roughly 70,000 to 100,000 rupiah a day. Distances are short and the roads are decent on the main routes.

Cash: ATMs in Kuta and at the airport. Carry cash for the beaches.

Medical: a clinic in Kuta, a hospital in Mataram two hours away. Anything serious means Bali.

Alcohol: available in tourist places, less so elsewhere.

Dress: beachwear at the beach, cover up in the village and inland. It is a Muslim area and the courtesy is noticed.

How long to stay

Four to five nights. Enough for the beach circuit, a couple of surf sessions, sunset at Merese and a day trip east or inland. It is also the sort of place people book for three nights and stay for ten.

A four-day plan

Day one: settle in, sunset from Bukit Merese above Tanjung Aan, night market for dinner.

Day two: surf lesson at Selong Belanak in the morning, swim at Mawun in the afternoon.

Day three: boat out to the Gerupuk breaks at dawn, then a slow afternoon in town.

Day four: ride east to the emptier bays toward Ekas, or inland to a Sasak village and the Tetebatu rice terraces.

That covers the south coast without rushing and leaves the island's north for another trip.

Where to stay in and around Kuta

In town for walkability to the cafes and the night market, and the most choice at every price.

Mandalika and the resort strip for hotels with beach frontage.

Selong Belanak for a quiet beach base 30 minutes west, with a handful of small places and very little else.

Gerupuk for surfers who want to be on the water at dawn.

Prices are meaningfully below Bali for the same standard, and the good small hotels book out in July, August and on race weekends.