Newbie here! Need logistics advice!

I've posted a similar message on another travel forum but just came across this forum today so will post my questions about Lombok here

-Planning to fly Jogyakarta to Mataram on May 7. Flight I'm looking at has us arriving into Mataram @ 11AM
-Would like to move on to Gili Air on May 9 (afternoon if possible to get there in PM by boat)
-Was recommended (I think by Freogirl on another forum ) to stay in either Mangsit or Batu Bolong. Santai Beach Inn in Mangsit looks good and is within our budget so leaning towards that one.
-May 7: fly to Mataram, relax in Mangsit
-May 8: day tour with driver
-May 9: relax in AM, change over to Gili Air in PM

Areas of interest on Lombok: (I'm open to other ideas too though these are the ones I've come across so far)
Senaru village, Sendang gila waterfalls
Sembalun Lawang
Segenter traditional village
Tetebatu, paddies, waterfalls, swimming pools

-Considering our limited time and the time it takes to get around Lombok, which locations are most practical to include in a full day trip?
-How do we go about arranging for a driver for a full day (ie. 10 hours)?

OR, is PLAN B more suitable:

-If we arrive on May 7 could we get a driver to pick us up at airport and head north immediately?
-Then spend one night in the area north of Rinjani and then drive a full day the next day, returning to Mangsit at night (May ?
-We could then leave for Gili Air the following day. Planning on then spending a full three days on Gili Air (not including the "travel day") alotted to get from Lombok to Gili Air.
-Would it be customary for us to pay for driver's lodging for the night and all meals along the way?

With Plan B, we could possibly also arrive at airport on May 7, get picked up, spend two nights in north/east Lombok, and get the driver to drop us off to catch a boat to Gili Air in the late AM or afternoon of May 9?

I know we have limited time on Lombok but we'd really rather use our time to do a day trip instead of relaxing on the beach (which we will do on Gili Air).

Can anyone advise on the above itinerary options? Are there other day trip routes I should consider that would be less rushed? We are open to spending a night in north Lombok but not sure how this works with a car and driver.

Thanks!

Also forgot to ask: If we stay at Mangsit, is it possible to hire a boat directly from Mangsit to take us to Gili Air? How much would the boat cost us?

I heard from Freo recently that Santai has been leased and is not accepting bookings at the momemnt but Freo will I am sure confirm this.

Personally I would go for option B. It would be normal to pay for food and accomodation for your driver. However they wouldnt expect to eat with you in tourist restaurants and would probably be happier having nasi campur from a warung. So you could give him some money to feed himself.

Many places have a range of rooms so you could choose a simple room for your driver. Some even have rooms for drivers. Not sure where in Senaru though. I have stayed in Pondok Senaru and another place that's name escapes me. I would stay in Pondok Senaru again as it has great views.

You should be able to get a boat direct form Magsit. Freo should be able to recommend someone and gve you an idea of the price.

Hi, posted a rather long post on TT to your duplicate post there.
Santai is not accepting bookings after 1 September 2010, so you should be ok there.
I am not up with the current price of a boat from Mangsit - yes you can definately go from there. You can arrange it on the beach with one of the touts, but you will have to make eye contact first

Thanks again FreoGirl. I did read your post at TT and replied back.

Do you have any suggestions on good websites that summarize the different areas on Lombok? I have been doing all the trip planning by myself so I want to find a good source that will explain what Senaru, Sebalun, Tetebatu, Kuta are so that I can show my fiancee. This way he can decide what it is exactly he would prefer to see (ie. waterfalls, beach, villages) and we can pick our day trip accordingly. I am leaning towards a north Lombok loop but if he's not interested then I'll have to plan a south loop instead Most of the sites I"ve come across are travel agencies and most of their websites seem to be a re-hash of another's website. I could have sworn I bookmarked a good Lombok resource but now can't find it

Thanks! Good to know about Santai...I have sent them an email but haven't heard back yet so I'll hang in there.

explain what Senaru, Sebalun, Tetebatu, Kuta are

Senaru is at the northern base of Rinjani. Its cooler there than further south and is a nice spot to see Rinjani if it is clear. There are some waterfall treks that you can do in the area.

Tetebatu is nice, you can do rice paddy treks here but if it was a choice between Tetebatu & Senaru I would opt for Senaru better views and more to do.

I havent been to Sebalun.

Kuta has fantatstic beaches. Mawun, Mawi, Tanjung Aan, Segare. Rent a bike and get around to see them all. Within 5kms are two traditional sasak villages of Sade & Rembitan where you can see traditional houses, have a guide explain life in a traditional village. There are many old leadies selling goods in there doorways so it has turned into a bit of a market but it is still very interesting.

About 10km from Kuta - you could visit as you arrive or leave Kuta is the pottery village of Penujak.
You can take a walk up through the village (up a dirt road of the main road - rather than just out the back of one of the shops) I will give you more detailed directions if that is something you want to do. You can see the whole process of trhe pottery making here and pick up a little piece for next to nothing.

Hope that gives you some idea to start with :-)

Hi.
You must enter the vally from the south. First through small villages, then dence jungle and at last threeless mountains. At the top you have a fantastic view into the valley. It is very steep so you need a good driver and a good car.
Sembalun Area
Sembalun is divided into two villages, namely Sembalun Lawang village and Sembalun Bumbung village which are 2 km apart. The two villages are well known traditional villages have a lot of history about the Sasak people. The area looks like a dry lake, transformed into a fertile land.
 Lawang is set in an ancient and fertile caldera to the east of Mt. Rinjani, the preferred access route for summiteers. The rich soil produces high quality market garden crops, including the famous garlic and rice, staple of local farmers. Seismic activity is monitored daily at the government Rinjani Volcanology Centre.
The beautiful valley of Sembalun is also known for its hill walks, recently restored traditional village, active cultural performers and local weavers.
Some home stay (losmen) accommodation is available and trek services are based at the Park’s Rinjani Information Centre. Also enquire about the local walks: the Sembalun Lawang Village Walk, to experience the scenic beauty of the village or/and the Sembalun Wildflowers Walk, a two day one night hike to see the wildflowers at Propok in Gunung Rinjani National Park.

hfraast

Hi amz

The only site I can think of that gives you a reasonable rundown would be this one: http://www.thelombokguide.com/places_to_visit.html

the same site also publishes the Lombok Guide electronic news sheet for Lombok, which is always an interesting read. Some of the information there is not complete - e.g. they only seem to mention fast boats and airlines that pay for advertising in the 'getting there' section. But other than that, it might be the site you thought you bookmarked.

If it isn't, and you do come across the other one, I would really appreciate it if you could post a link back here.

If you do find you have two full days to explore Lombok before going to Gili Air, I would recommend that one trip be to the Senaru waterfalls and Rinjani base (up to Sembulan) and the other to south Lombok to take in Kuta and beaches (e.g. Mawun), traditional weaving village, coffee at Ashtari coffee house on the hill (a must).

Cheers
Freo

Thanks for the additional advice.

I looked at my itinerary again and it seems I"ll only have time for one day trip on Lombok. Otherwise, I'd have to peel a day off of either Gili Air or Padangbai. Looks like we are leaning towards the north Rinjani trip and will have to forego the Kuta day trip

I think that is a good choice seeing as part of the attraction for the Kuta trip is the beaches, which you will get on Gili Air. The downside is missing the cultural aspect of a tour to the South gives you, visiting the weaving village and traditional Sasak village, which are well worth visiting.

Ah well, you will just have to come back for a 2nd trip!