Senggigi

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Senggigi is a town in Lombok, Indonesia.

	senggigi Travel Guide : 1 Understand 2 Get in 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Buy 7 Eat 7.1 Mid-range 7.2 Splurge 8 Drink 9 Sleep 9.1 Mid-range 9.2 Splurge 10 Get out

Understand

Senggigi is the main tourist strip of Lombok, stretched out along nearly 10 kilometers of beachfront just to the north of the capital Mataram.

Senggigi can be broadly divided into three parts: northern Mangsit Beach, central Senggigi and the southern stretch near Batu Bolong, with headlands separating the three. Mangsit has quiet resorts and very little other development, while nightlife and other restaurants are concentrated in Senggigi and the Batu Bolong area.

That said, Lombok's post-2000 misfortunes hit Senggigi hardest of all, with many developments halted and a few closed and barred up. Especially during the day the area resembles a ghost town, with many if not most shops closed, restaurants empty and hawkers and touts pestering the (few) passersby. Things are slowly starting to improve again, with a few new villas going up, but for time being the overall feeling is a little depressing and most visitors either stay in the manicured grounds of their resorts, or head directly onward to the Gili Islands.

Get in

Senggigi is about 15-20 minutes north of Mataram and its airport. Taxis charge around Rp 30,000 for the trip, while bemos will cover the distance for under Rp 5,000.

Get around

Taxis are common and even the ones waiting around for customers are usually happy to use the meter. Bemos also zip through Senggigi on their way north and south and are happy to pick up passengers; pricing is a little random, but a couple of thousand rupiah will suffice for most trips.

See

• Pura Batu Bolong, 2 km south of Senggigi. Small Hindu temple located in a scenic spot at a cape overlooking Senggigi beach, named after a rock (batu) with a hole (bolong). At the tip is an empty chair representing Brahma, the god of creation. Free entry, but you'll have to loan a sash (Rp5,000 a throw) from one of the urchins if you don't have one already. Sunsets seen from here can be very impressive.

• Senggigi Beach. A spit of sand stretching out from central Senggigi, this is Senggigi's raison d'etre but, by Indonesian standards, it's not all that spectacular. The beach is a little dirty, the hawkers are a nuisance and the Senggigi Beach Resort has grabbed most of the land. Some local surfers brave the smallish waves.

Do

Buy

• Senggigi Square.

• Senggigi Plaza.

Eat

There are plenty of eating options in Senggigi.

Mid-range

• Bale Tajuk, Jl. Senggigi Raya. Small but popular eatery offering a range of local and Western dishes, including a fairly decent Lombok-style ayam taliwang (Rp20,000).

Splurge

• Ye Jeon, Senggigi Square 2F. Surprisingly authentic Korean restaurant, especially given that it's probably the only one in all Lombok. Single dishes are reasonable (try the bibimbap, Rp35,000) but sets with a full spread of banchan appetizers are pricier at Rp80,000 and up, with 21% service/tax slapped on top.

Drink

Senggigi's nightlife suffers from far more supply than demand, with punters thinly spread and bars desperate for custom.

Sleep

Mid-range

• Puri Mas Beach Resort, Mangsit, tel. +62-370-693831, 1 (http://www.boutiquevilla.com/). Built in 1988 by a ballroom-dancing Dutchman, this small beachside resort has 17 cottages set in a lush Balinese garden packed with statues. Each thatched-roof cottage has air-con, mosquito nets and funky hot-water showers. Beautifully located beachfront restaurant and bar, although the food is mediocre. Published rates from US$50 but off-season discounts go as low as US$32 with transfers and breakfast, great value even by Indonesian standards.

Splurge

• Sheraton Senggigi, Jl. Raya Senggigi Km.8, tel. +62-370-693333, 2 (http://www.sheraton.com/senggigi). Senggigi's swankiest resort. Rates from US$100.

Get out