Budget Bali and Lombok

 There is more to Indonesia than your favorite destination Jakarta.

BALI

Good Karma Bungalows

A long existence local legend on Bali’s north-east coast, Good Karma lies at the foot of the sacred volcano Gunung Agung, the island’s highest peak at 3,031 meters. The sand here is volcanic – in actual fact the beach in front of Good Karma is of smooth black pebble. The attraction is the snorkeling and even though it is one of the lowest priced places to visit in Amed, Good Karma brags its own private little cove, with a lovely reef right off the beach – big schools of bumphead parrotfish regularly feed here. If you’re fortunate, Balinese owner Baba will be present – he’s an ultra-Zen creature who likes to work out in the homemade gym he’s put together in a cave just behind the resort. Read reviews to see what others have to say. The airy beach huts are astonishingly cool as soon as the fans are buzzing, and hammocks summon reading marathons. Baba’s Japanese wife takes charge of the day-to-day consecutively of the place in addition to serving up a killer katsudon together with Balinese fare. Drive half an hour up the coast to Tulamben and you can scuba – or skin-dive the well-known Liberty shipwreck. Selang Amed Bunutan Karangasem, Amed. 

LOMBOK

Alam Gili Bungalows

Gili Trawangan is one of three tiny islands just off Lombok, Bali’s easterly neighbor. Swish villa resorts now push with the cheap beach cabanas that were formerly the norm here. However Gili T recalls a castaway vibe, thanks greatly to a restriction on motor vehicles and dogs as to its coconut palms and white sand beaches. Those in the know head away from the rush of the chief drag choosing as an alternative for the silent north coast and Alam Gili, a tranquil little oasis with six bungalows and a sumptuous suite for families. Vernacular Balinese architecture – volcanic stone covering, tortuously imprinted teak doorways and crafty decor – stretch the place a wealthy feel. And the Balinese food is outstanding; you can never have complaints about it – if you want a modification from the unbelievable pizzas helped just down the beach at Coral Beach II. Rent bikes for about £3 per day, or take a old-style cidomo horse and cart for a night on the town. There’s great snorkeling off the beach, with green turtles and sometimes white tip sharks traveling among the corals. 

Manta Dive Gili Air

If you need to actually kick back, take a beam through to tiny Gili Air. Minus the associated party vibe of Trawangan, Air is the flawless home to sink into a tropical torpor, continued by the holy trinity of cold beer, wood-fired pizza and snorkeling. Manta Dive allows you do this in comparative lavishness, with its coconut wood cabanas, created after old-fashioned lumbung rice barns and set behind the resort’s restaurant. The sumptuous cottage even comes with satellite TV. Manta’s Anglo-Indian owners set up in Trawangan in 2000 and improved establish the Gili Eco Trust, which runs environmental projects – from waste management to one of the world’s largest coral reef regeneration programs. Diving’s clearly the attraction – the whole thing from mantas to morays can be discovered close, and more a rich mix of hard and soft corals. However Manta Dive works just in addition for doing nothing at all. For more budget tips just visit Westhill Consulting Travel and Tours Asia Jakarta Bangkok Hong Kong.