Nicest Beach in Lombok withough having to be so far South?

Ive seen many photos of Senggigi Beach and it has black sand and looks crowded, not the paradise i am looking for. Are there beaches that are of a better quality without spending hours in a car to get there? I suppose I would still like access to the main area for dinner etc but would like to spend my days on a nicer beach.
Has anyone heard of Jeeva Klui a few kms north of Senggigi? Is beach nicer and would access be easy late at night to get home from the main area?
The new Hotel looks great but there arent many pictures of the beach...when i google the beach it looks like black sand also...basically i dont want to book 4kms out of Senggigi if the beach is no better
Pls help, I would love to have someone to correspond with, I leave in 1 month:)
Also I am spending 6 nts on Gili T, is this a good idea or should i split it with Meno? also does it really matter where you stay on the gili's as everywhere is very close?
Thanks in advance
Rowena

Hi Rowena
Lombok is essentially a small island with a very big volcano. Anywhere near an active volcano will have beaches affected by it, and so you will get black or grey sand. The sand on the beach in Kelui is the same as Senggigi, if anything being slightly closer to Rinjani, it is darker.

That being said, it is not dark because it is dirty. The sand is as clean as a white sand beach. It is not muddy and the water is clear.

If you want white sand you have to go a long way from the volcano, which means southern Lombok. The sand on the beaches is white, and the water very clear due to the sea grass beds there. Alternatively, most of the gilis (being coral attols) have white sand beaches.

What Kelui has going for it is that it is quieter and you will be left alone more on the beach there. Jeeva Kelui is having a soft opening soon - this is a revamp of a hotel that has been closed for years, and it is great to see that property open again. They are offering some good opening specials, so it would be a good opportunity to get a nice room for a price a lot less than what you will pay next year. Kelui is a bit out of Senggigi. Even some of the local bemos don't go out that far, so you will mostly need to use taxis to get into Senggigi.

If you haven't booked, you are running out of options anyway as August is very busy and many places are already fully booked.

Re the gilis, Gili T has more entertainment, restaurants etc. Meno is the place to go if you like it quiet. My personal preference is always not to move around too much - I prefer to get somewhere and unpack and stay a few nights rather than constantly packing and unpacking, checking in and out, and losing a day of holiday moving from one place to the next. So my advice is always pick a place and do trips from there. If you stay on any of the 3 gilis it is easy to get a boat over to one of the other islands.

Thanks ust before I book the Good heart bungalows on Gili T, do you know anything about this accom? They have availability and your right alot of options are sold out. I will also just stay on Gili T for 7 nights rather than move around. Any other suggestions? I have contacted quite alot already and they are booked, i really wanted Manta Dive but full.
Thanks again:)

Good Heart Bungalows are nice. Was built a few yrs back. Almost on the beach just a small road inbetween.
Don't know if they still use the old rooms as well. Make sure you book the new bungalows.