Bali (Lombok)

Touching down in Lombok and taking a private car down to The Oberoi Beach Resort on Medana Bay (roughly 7,500,000 IDR per night), the contrasts with neighboring Bali were immediate and thrilling. Where Bali is bustling and kinetic, Lombok is raw, expansive, and deeply peaceful. Set amidst 24 acres of manicured tropical gardens filled with bougainvillea, infinity pools, and thatched villas overlooking the sea, it felt like an undiscovered Eden.

My adventures began in South Lombok around Kuta and Tanjung Aan. The beaches here boast powdery white sands shaped like tiny peppercorns, rolling into crystalline turquoise bays framed by dramatic emerald headlands. I hiked up Merese Hill at golden hour (10,000 IDR parking), watching the sunset ignite the curved coastlines in fiery orange while surfers carved graceful arcs across the world-class reef breaks below.

One morning, I chartered a private wooden outrigger boat (1,200,000 IDR) to the Gili Islands—Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. Gliding across turquoise shallows with no cars or motorbikes allowed on the islands (only bicycles and horse carts), I dove into the warm water off Gili Meno. Floating just inches above the famous underwater 'Nest' sculptures created by Jason deCaires Taylor, green sea turtles grazed peacefully on seagrass beneath me, unbothered by human presence.

In the evenings, I explored Sasak culinary traditions, savoring Ayam Taliwang (grilled free-range chicken smothered in fiery chili, garlic, and shrimp paste sambal, 65,000 IDR) with plecing kangkung (water spinach tossed with spicy tomato sambal and toasted peanuts). Dining under the stars at The Oberoi with the silhouette of Mount Rinjani rising in the distance, Lombok felt like paradise perfected.