The morning we left Gili Air those who were okay to swim did so after breakfast while the parents packed up. We walked back to the port following our bags on the horse and cart then jumped on our boat for the quick trip to Lombok. I felt a little teary leaving Gili Air, and at the end of our fabulous time with the Lewis family - it always feels like you leave a little bit of you behind somewhere you’ve really enjoyed. Or maybe you take a little piece of it with you in your memories.
Fortunately there was more holiday to console me! The Lewis family dropped us off at Qunci Villas, near Mangsit, where we bid them a very fond farewell and ventured inside. It felt strangely quiet for the first day or so without them.
Qunci has a beach, public pools and we even had a private pool for our room. Everywhere we’ve stayed (except the Alron) has been amazing, and this is no exception. It is our luxury stop of the trip and the expense means it is just the one night. So, we set about enjoying it. This meant swimming, reading and eating. Unfortunately Eleanor’s tummy still wasn’t right so she couldn’t appreciate the restaurant. It was a real shame as the food was fabulous - the chef is Italian. Even the kid’s ‘imagination pancakes’ breakfast, which came with lots of sweet toppings and a paintbrush, was lost on her.
The following morning we took the 1.5 hour trip to Selong Blanak. On the journey, the somewhat ghostly northern Lombok gave way to the bustling, largely undamaged south. Leo needed an urgent toilet stop, so the driver stopped and a kind man in a local shop let him into his house nearby. While Leo was busy, Adrian checked out his pottery. He particularly liked a vase with a jack o lantern face carved out of it. What a shame it wouldn’t travel well in our backpacks!
Arriving at Sempiak Villas, the very friendly man on reception showed us a map of the resort and took us straight to our villa. The way he spoke about the beach you could tell we were in for a wonderful treat! Most of the villas and the two pools are up on the hill, but ours ‘Kemiri’ was the only one near reception and thus very private and but a minute’s walk from the restaurant and beach. How handy!
We dropped our bags and explored the villa, which didn’t take long, then wandered off to find lunch. The restaurant is right on the stunning swimming and learners surf beach, a long stretch of perfect golden sand, beautiful blue water and breaking waves. A light sea breeze takes the edge off the heat providing a welcome relief!!
Other than a couple of little places offering tourist bungalows and a fishing village, this is the only accommodation on the beach so, while there were quite a few people around (they come in for the day too), it has a quiet feel. The man at the beach club told me that this time of year is usually busy and they have a big new year party on the beach, but this year tourists stayed away following the earthquake and there weren’t enough people for the party. Like Gili Air, they’re pleased to have anyone come and spend money as the financial impact on ordinary people has been significant and things are very tight. Some are struggling to feed their families.
We knew immediately that we’d spend a lot of time on the sand, and we did. That first afternoon we relaxed in the villa while it rained for an hour so. I decided to give the afternoon yoga class, in an open shala near the beach, a go while Adrian took the kids to the pool.
I was pleased to discover it was yin yoga, which I really enjoyed trying a couple of years ago when my friend, Anna Kale, was training to be an instructor. I went to one of the more energising morning classes on the platform up the hill with amazing views, but preferred yin in the afternoon, so went each day of our stay. Bliss!!! The instructor is incredible, so strong and flexible. She did some moves in the morning class that defied gravity and my sense of what the body can do. I didn’t try!
We spent much of the following day at the beach, in and out of the water. Eleanor and Leo had a great time in the waves (we all did!) - there’s a gentle slope to the deeper water and breakers that are big enough to be fun for kids, but not so big they worry their parents.
That afternoon we headed up to the pool with Fuyubi and Suraya, eight and six year-old girls our kids had befriended pretty much the moment we arrived, and their mother, Mouna. Mouna and her German husband had been living in her homeland of Tunisia until the Arab Spring left them feeling unsafe, so they moved to Singapore, where they’ve lived for the past eight years.
We really enjoyed chatting to Mouna on the side of the pool about Tunisia, their lives in Singapore and her job matching female entrepreneurs with investors. At least until the monkeys arrived, they were a distraction and a source of much entertainment and hilarity. One jumped from a roof onto a sun umbrella and was bounced into the trees below, much to our amusement. They are also a little intimidating so we mostly watched them from the safety of the pool.
This is another amazing sunset spot. The sun was setting around 6.45pm so we were treated to some lovely skies over dinner each evening. I imagine the sunsets are even more spectacular outside of the rainy season when there’s less cloud. Over all we’ve been incredibly lucky with the weather, some overcast days and some awesome rains but nothing that’s stopped us doing what we wanted. Admittedly, we take some stopping.
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