Hotel Tugu Lombok

Perched on a quiet Lombok shoreline and (almost) within swimming distance from the Gili Islands, sits the extraordinary Hotel Tugu Lombok. Owned by the Setjadibrata family, the theme of this hotel becomes immediately clear as soon as you enter the resort pemises. Check-in is a highly personalised and relaxing experience whilst you sip on a delicious welcome juice complete with lily stem straw, a sure sign of the unique experience we were going to enjoy for the next 3 days. The resort offers a broad range of accommodation options from large villas complete with private pools to traditional "Kampong" style bungalows with outdoor bathroom facilities. Each room is uniquely furnished and decorated in a traditional Indonesia style reflecting the cultural interests of the resort owners. This is a mature hotel with a stunning private beach and sprawling lawns including a large swimming pool tucked away in a more private and quiet area of the resort. This may be your pool of preference if you're seeking a more quiet and/or romantic experience. The other pool is relatively small and located immediately in front of the main dining area and where you will find familes with children. The gardens are lush and beautifully maintaned complete with in-house palm tree plantation where you will see their very able staff collect coconuts from high above. This makes for very interesting watching! Where this resort excels though is through it's staff. Nothing is ever too much and service is met with the world famous Indonesian smile. My birthday breakfast came as a surprise and included an impressive melange of local indonesian dishes complemented with a lovely instrumental singalong by at least 5 members of staff. Not exactly low profile but a lovely touch nevertheless! We were here end of March, early April which is a quieter period and probably the reason why the resort didn't open their second dining area set within a spectacular high ceiling building generously decorated with an impressive collection of antiques. Not the end of the world as their main dining room was impressive enough to enjoy any time of day. It's important to note the remote location of this resort with little to do in the area but a beach walk around the peninsula containing some friendly local villages and a beautiful golf course backed by views of Mount Rinjani, insane. To mix things up a little, we hired a private boat for a half-day island hopping experience which is highly recommended. They will stop wherever you want as we selected Gili Meno for an unforgettable snorkeling experience with wild turtles, followed by lunch and a cycling trip around Gili Trawangan where the only mode of transport is by bike or horse and carriage. If you're looking for a relaxing, luxurious, unique holiday experience with a traditional Indonesian touch, then a stay at the Hotel Tugu Lombok is a must.

Tugu will forever hold a special place in my heart as the location for my first healing wellness retreat. They have the best service I’ve encountered almost anywhere in the world - genuinely kind staff who seem to truly love their jobs and care about each guest. Photos of this place do not do it justice in the slightest. I think it has something to do with the size. The buildings, the grounds, the rooms - everything is huge and breathtaking! The antiques, the food, the pools, the special events they plan, the quick response of the staff to any request, the sustainable artistry they use when decorating with plants and flowers… it’s all exceptional. Yes, there are lots of bugs because you are basically in the jungle. They are constantly working to keep nature out, and succeed pretty admirably. I spent a week here with my guests and already miss it… and am already planning to come back. The value you get for money is incomparable to anywhere else I’ve been. There is simply no other place like it!

I am only giving the rooms a 4 because my wife couldn't handle the bugs in our first room. They moved us to another room, which was way better and an upgrade! The food was pretty good. I saw that because I really loved the dinners we had in the nearby village better... which is walking distance from the hotel. But, the service was great and the fruit and ice cubes are safe! Lastly, i did get eaten alive during our couples massage, so i had to take a point off for that.

We arrived at Hotel Tugu after a wonderful but exhausting trek to the summit of Mount Rinjani - and there could have been no better way to recover. The hotel itself is hidden away on the Siri peninsula amongst tropical gardens and sandy coral lined beaches. Our room was amazingly spacious, with an outdoor bathroom, private pool and separate bedroom and bathroom for our son. The ancient and local decor of the place makes you feel you've been transported away to a lost temple. The staff were amazingly helpful, knew everyone by name, and knew what your agenda was for the day - making you feel very well looked after. We thoroughly enjoyed the cooking class, half day snorkelling trip to swim with turtles in the Gili's, and the romantic dinner on the beach. Thank you Tugu, will will be back.