Tugu Lombok: intimacy, good humor, romance and a sense of history

Hotel Tugu Lombok

We stayed at Tugu Lombok for 5 nights in early June. This place breaks the mold: it is neither sleek nor classical. The resort has an artful quirkiness that sets it apart from any luxury hotel I have stayed in previously. Set in green rural isolation, you can see the Oberoi around the curve of the bay and hear Islamic prayers pre-dawn and at dusk. Service is consistently lovely, although English communication can be a challenge. The facilities are impressive for an 18 room hotel. The Tugu is a crossover of Lombok tradition, cheerful hospitality, a playful individuality and modern luxury. I will return.
Room
We stayed in a Bhagavat Gita Oceanfront suite. From the huge bedroom, French doors open to a small terrace and private pool set in a lawn leading directly to the beach. Privacy is protected by strategically-placed foliage. A small bale-day bed is adjacent to the pool - lime green mattress and a palm frond roof – Robinson Crusoe meets playhouse. Inside, the ceilings of the room are maybe 12 metres high, connecting to a dressing area, then an attached bathroom, which feels like a cubby house, with cute latched windows (looking onto your private front garden) that leads to an roofed, outdoor shower room and finally a large stone bath. Mini-bar does not include alcohol, although good cocktails are easily obtained. A big-screen TV is mounted on a wall and hidden behind an ‘antique’ painting, with a decent selection of TV channels and lots of 2008 DVDs available by phone. Lighting is low key - make-up compulsives will need to bring their own mirror (nb the vibe of this place means it’s unnecessary – you start to love your natural looks). There are no in-room tea/coffee making or ironing facilities (see previous note). Wifi is available in-room, but connectivity wavers, so stock up your itunes prior. Housekeeping is tactful, prompt and thorough.

Activities
Took the gorgeous Tugu boat out for a snorkeling trip to the nearby islands. You pay for the distance, not the time so the cost for half a day (plenty for us) is the same as for a full day (about $AUD 175 incl). We swam with sea turtles and many tropical fish, thanks to the hotel guide. For our second trip the hotel arranged a local boat, and this time, unguided, we spotted sea turtles and a fast moving shark in aquarium-like waters.

The hotel beach is not powdery, but a beautiful long golden arc – great for an early morning run, hurdling the anchor ropes of local fishing boats. For many hours of the day the sea is only hip-high for 400m, at which point snorkelling starts (although we never made it that far). Reception offers shoes to protect your feet from the coral flotsam, if you don’t bring your own. We saw no beach equipment (no kayaks, sail boards etc).

A gorgeous golf course is next to the hotel, which I used as an early morning jogging track, so tranquil and large that we got lost! Occasionally ran round placid cows and families of goats and chickens (I think I ate one later that night).

The hotel also has a small exercise room with decent equipment, including a treadmill – you may need to start up the A/C. The delightful spa is not five star, but offers excellent massages as well as other treatments ($AUD115 tax incl. for 60 minute couples massage).

Dining
The consistent, good quality food is important in this isolated location. Breakfast bought to our garden, eaten in dappled sunlight, served on the beach or in the beautiful restaurant. Service: friendly and can-do – freshly squeezed tomato and watermelon juices, banana pancakes, French toast, good scrambled eggs and tropical fruit, Balinese coffee not bad. We ate dinner at the stunning main restaurant often, one night we dined at the top of a temple and another on the beach. The food is flavoursome and varied: we tried delicious fish baked in a banana leaf with coconut milk and spices, grilled fresh prawns and Lombok baked baby chicken coated in a spicy marinade. A Shaw & Smith Chardonnay cost $AUD110 incl. For lunch we ate prawn and sweetcorn fritters, good cheeseburgers and a decent nicoise salad with quail eggs ($AUD10 incl. each). More-ish Caprioskas, lime daquiris and house cocktails ($AUD14 incl) in a bar that feels like a 1930s Shanghai Marlene Dietrich movie set. I am not an afternoon tea person, but here we would sit by the pool on ground level couches and be served a choice of exotic teas and daily Indonesian treats, which intrigued us with their diverse textures and flavours (proudly complimentary).