Flying to Lombok from Bali

Can anyone please let me know the best airline to fly with %26amp; should I book before we leave Australia or wait on our arrival in Bali. We%26#39;re going for 2 weeks in March 09 %26amp; have heard ferry trip can be quite rough. Thanking you

Flying to Lombok from Bali

There is good info about transport to Lombok if you google ';lombok guide';. If you mean the public ferry it takes a whole day out of your holiday unless you want the cheap, cheerful and hassle full experience that will take all day but will provide conversation for years to come. There are fast boats from Padangbai and Benoa but often more expensive than flying. The only way it seems you can book flights before leaving home is through Perama Tours in Bali, they have a website or when arriving in Bali ask your hotel to contact a travel agent to do the running around for you to get tickets. As for the airline, well there are only about two really, six of one half a dozen of the other but Merpati is part of Garuda for what it is worth. It is only a 20 minute flight.

Flying to Lombok from Bali

if u r going to lombok to visit the mainland, the plane is probably a good idea. if u r going to the gilis or going to lombok via the gilis i would do the fast boat. we have done the fast boat from padangbai a number of times. it takes less than 2 hours. it can get rough for about 45 minutes in the deeper part of the strait between the islands. i get seasick but i still think it is the best way to go. but it is easy to organise and in a short time u are in the the beautiful gilis and a short calm boat ride to mainland lombok.

if interested let me know for more details. we r catching the boat this april.

i haven%26#39;t heard many good reports from people who have actually caught the plane - standard of plane, overall time it took, flight delays.

Hi Ali,

We have done both and agree the ferry is terrible. I did it when i was 6 months pregnant and it was not good.

We fly merpati when we go over to check on our resort.

Hope that helps.

Mei-Lin

Imaj Private Villas

Hi,

We have just returned from our trip to Bali and Lombok. We reserved our flight to Lombok through Perama Tours who booked a flight with Trigana. As we didn%26#39;t know how long we were to stay at Gili T, we booked our flight back to Bali the day before and there was no problem with getting seats. There are ticket desks at Denpasar so it would probably be okay to wait until you arrive in bali. Both flights were great and on time. You only need to check in one hour before the flight which I think is the same for the fast boats. We booked our transfer to Gili T with the Beach House who we were staying with and I have heard that a few hotels and dive shops offer a transfer service from Lombok. Overall, i thought it was great way to get to Gili T as Lombok is very scenic and I believe the cost for the flight and transfer was slightly cheaper than the fast boat.

Let me know if you need any more information or the contact email for Perama. Hope this helps.

Smully,

I%26#39;m also going to Gili T next August and was wondering if it%26#39;s risky to wait until we are in Bali to buy the flight tickets to/from Lombok.As August is high Season and we plan to leave Gili on 27th as have to be in Singapore on 28th , for our flight back home, I suppose it is much better to book in advance, so I have filled the form at Perama Tours website.

Did you pay same price for your flight booked by Perama as the price you payed once there for you return flight?

Do you think it%26#39;s a bad idea that we wait until we arrive at Bali to get the tickets?

I have also read you stayed at Beach House. I have contacted them and Pool Bungalows are fully booked, and they are offering me Deluxe Bungalow? Do you think is it worth the price?

How is the beach in front of the hotel? Is it suitable for swimming?

And last question... Is there noisy there? I don%26#39;t want to be near a bar with loud music and people shouting until late

Thank you and sorry for so many questions.

The Beachhouse is great place to stay on Gili T....They will organise all your transport from Bali to Lombok and the Gili T...hassle free!! I hate the Boats it can become very rough and unpleasent. The flight iisnt as bad as past people have said. The plane trip takes 15-20mins from Bali for around $35 aust one way as to the fast boat aprrox $95aust...I have done both trips many times, it takes approx the same amount of time no matter which way you go (2hrs) door to door!! Again contact The Beachhouse they are very very helpful with great accomidation.

I just came back from Trawangan.

I took the flight with IAT from Bali to Lombok Mataram and back for about 450,000 rupiah and about 20mins, you will then need to take a taxi and drive to the right bit of Lombok (Bangsal Harbor) and take the public boat (20mins) or you can charter a speed boat. You can also take the Gili Cat which is a 2 hour boat ride from Bali to the Gilli Islands. As its an island you can%26#39;t really avoid some kind of boat ride.

The public boat ride was super smooth - but just before I turned up it was a bit rougher and no boats were going. Be warned there is no boat timetable,it just goes when it is full, or you can charter a boat (around 200,000 rupiah), if there are others there you can split the cost.

Some nice places to stay are Persona Resort (ask for Alex), 5 bungalows on the beach, hot water, indian restaurant and bar, or more budget I know the owners (Hari) of Puri Hondje (mid range, outdoor bathroom, air con, no hot water) and Desi Bungalows (budget, fan, no hot water).

As it is low season there are loads of bungalows in the more budget range, you just need to wander about and people will talk to you about them.

Gili Trawangan is lovely - have a great time

Hi Moon5, you can fly direct from mataram to singapore with silk air, I%26#39;m not sure if they have flights on the 28th or if they suit but it%26#39;s worth a look if you haven%26#39;t booked the return from the gilis yet

cheers

Hi!

I just noticed your replies.

We have finally decided to take the flight from Denpasar to Lombok.Not booked yet, but I think I will book it in advance through Merpati website or through Perama Tours as they offer me similar prices.

We will definitely stay at Alam Gili.We prefer to stay in a quieter area of the island.

Thank you all for your comments!