Lombok does have world class hotels such as Oberoi, and Tugu in the west, Sheraton, the Senggigi Beach and the recently renovated Sentosa in Senggigi, and Novotel in the southwest. There are also a number of excellent private villa complexes for those seeking privacy: Qunci Villas, The Anadita and Verve Villas.

Modern Lombok tourism was spearheaded by the construction of Hotel Senggigi Beach in the early 1980’sby Aerowisata, the hotel arm of Garuda Airways . From that initial beachhead the resultant development radiated out in both directions .

The most beautiful of Lombok hotels are further west from Senggigi, opposite the Gili Islands. The Oberoi Hotel built in the ‘90’s, was designed by Australian architect Peter Muller, the man we thank for the tropical grandeur of Oberoi Bali and the Amandari. It is the most beautiful hotel on the island, and perhaps the most secluded. The nearby Hotel Tugu is surely the most eclectic with its glorious antiques and the ambiance of a by-gone and fading traditional culture.

The government is championing tourism in South Lombok at Kuta Beach. The Novotel there is very comfortable, as one would expect from a French hospitality group. The new international airport nearby is scheduled for completion in 2010, but the heralded touriesm development has been delayed by the global financial crisis.

Yet, when all is said and done, the Gilis remain the premier destination in Lombok for tourism