Quick trip to Lombok - Sudamala Resort Review


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Asia » Indonesia » Lombok
March 2nd 2014
Published: March 13th 2014
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We took a weeks break in Lombok March 2 - 9. Primary purpose for trip was to relax in a very good hotel.

Flights - Perth/Lombok/Perth with Jetstar. Direct flights 3hrs 40 mins

Cost - $322 pp

Accommodation - Sudamala Sengiggi

http://www.sudamalaresorts.com/senggigi

Sudamala was truly fantastic. We booked all 7 nights here and after day 1 we were wishing it were for longer.

Communication- We booked Sudamala directly by email and the communications pre-departure were excellent- clear and timely. We opted for a package- pool villa, breakfasts, 1 dinner, 2 massages and return airport transfers and negotiated a good price (price we got was a lot better than the published offer on their website). We paid 50%!d(MISSING)eposit via credit card pre departure.

Arrival- Our driver, Zul, collected us. He is a great ambassador for the hotel, very friendly and happy. Nice vehicle and a cold towel and lunch box! Great unexpected touch- we were starving. The trip was about 90 minutes through some scenic countryside and the old city. Fascinating actually- the mosques, the rice fields, the water buffalo, the Chinese cemeteries, the old Dutch buildings in the town, Sengiggi, then the hotel. Check in was smooth, complete with more cold towels and a drink.

Villa - We had villa 115 and were very happy. The pool and outdoor area were nicely shaded with sunny pockets- we like shade, if you like sun it might be best to request a sunny pool area. The pool was great- cool but not cold, refreshing and clean. The area around it a good size with 2 sunbeds, a table and 2 chairs. The bedroom is a good size, with sliding doors leading into the wardrobe/bathroom area and another set of sliding doors to the outdoor bathroom- deep bath, toilet and shower. You had access to the pool from this area too. Nice toiletries- Crabtree and Evelyn and lots of towels/bathrobes, etc.

The bed was huge!, Really, really comfortable, really nice linen, great pillows. There was a couch and a desk/chair so lots of places to sit. Coffee maker was a bonus with Illy coffee pods and we had an electric jug for tea. The little fridge is actually a cool box so if you needed something properly chilled it wouldn't be cold enough. However, the staff were very happy to provide ice cubes and small jugs of milk for the coffee. If you want a big cup/mug just ask- the cups in the room are espresso size. TV with lots of channels in room.

We had the opportunity to look at all the rooms and really, they are all great- really clean, spacious and nicely decorated, I guess it depends on your price point. When we go back I'd go for a pool villa again (if the price was right), my second choice would be a 2nd floor sunset view, 3rd choice; a 2nd floor ocean view (which is actually pool view).

Public Areas- nicely kept grounds, spacious but intimate. The main reason for choosing Sudamala was size (35 rooms)- although it felt smaller (which is a good thing!)! The restaurant was really nice, the way the tables are angled facing the pool is smart- maximum view and a feeling of privacy. The pool was lovely, lots of sunbeds, lots of towels, super clean. The deck on the beach is fantastic- there are tables and chairs but also lounges with coffee tables that really maximised the view over the ocean- super comfortable, AMAZING outlook- AMAZING sunsets!! The lounges were set up on beach sand next to the decking- really good set up.

Spa- Had 2 massages at the spa included in our rate. The set up is very nice- a good tranquil space with all the professional touches. There were daily offers on a blackboard at the pool in addition to the spa menu.

Food/Beverage- Enjoyed many meals in the Olah Olah Restaurant. We were offered a Lombok meal on the last night which was standout (Little things like asking if we had any allergies/requests was impressive too). The menu is quite broad, we pretty much stuck to local style dishes but you could have pasta/steak, etc if you wanted. We had room service a couple of times for lunch and a dinner which was also good. We were also offered a special chef menu one night which sounded incredible- unfortunately we'd had a big lunch so had to decline. Our included dinner was a choice of a Euro or Asian menu with 3 courses- delicious. Breakfasts were seriously impressive- both in quality and and quantity- we reduced our amount of dishes after a couple of days. Great yoghurt!! Great juices- orange/carrot/ginger was seriously good! Got to mention the cocktails- happy hour 2 for 1 was great- we never usually bother with cocktails but we really enjoyed it at Sudamala. My tips- the rujak martini (spicy) and the espresso martini!

Staff- It has been a long time since we stayed in a place where all of the staff were so happy and friendly and engaged. I think the training here has been very throrough- they are all really good. It was nice that they would always ask if you needed anything else, were you happy, did you enjoy the meal, etc, etc. It was also nice that they were happy to have a chat if you wanted. Full marks Sudamala! The staff here are a major asset to the hotel.

Overall- Brilliant location- close to Sengiggi if you want to go eat out, great beach to walk on, nice little cliff to climb up to. Brilliant staff. Brilliant hotel. Brilliant, brilliant special occasion stay!



What we did- mostly walked a lot, read a bit, swam a lot, took some trips.

Trip 1- I did the Mt Rinjani crater rim trek 2D/1N

Trip 2- G did a day trip out to the waterfall at Senaru and a birdwatching sojourn

Trip 3 - Day trip to Gili Nanggu/Sudak and Kedis


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Mangsit beachMangsit beach
Mangsit beach

amazing sunsets


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