Lombok, Indonesia
It’s been exactly 10 years since our last complete family holiday. During Christmas, I proposed to redo it again and go together to Indonesia since it’s my all-time favourite and I can guide them. Everyone was excited about that idea, so I started planning a great family holiday this year. If I can do something after 6 years of travelling, it’s booking things and planning trips. I arranged an itinerary and hotel/apartment bookings for the full family and prepared everything. It was a mix of relaxed and adventurous holidays—the type of holiday I like, and also my parents. My brother is more relaxed, but after he found excitement in surfing during his last holiday, he was also happy to be able to do that.
We flew via Singapore to Lombok, Indonesia. When we arrived, my father hadn’t received his luggage. It was already a great start, but there was nothing that couldn’t be solved (he got everything three days later).
I have already spent over a month in Lombok and feel very comfortable with the island. My brother and I went from the airport to the main city to rent two scooters. We needed those to be able to explore during the day easily. I was also interested in my brother’s reaction to Indonesian traffic. To my surprise, he was pretty cool with that and had no fear of driving the bike. He’s a better motorbike driver than I am. After renting the bikes we went South to the touristy hotspot called Kuta, where our parents were already waiting with a welcome drink in front of our accommodation. We had a nap since we had a night flight behind us, which is normally not that restful and also a 6-hour time difference.
Then, before sunset, we headed to a nearby viewpoint on the coast. Our scooters were perfect for reaching those locations. Two people on each motorbike, and off we go. A local friend from Lombok also joined us for sunset and dinner afterwards. I love Indonesian food, so we wanted something local, which we did. To my brother’s surprise, it was very cheap after we got the bill – welcome to Asia. We spend around 30$ for a dinner of 5 people in a touristy area.
The day after, we headed to a more luxurious resort with a beautiful beach. There, we spent a couple of nights resting and enjoying the peace. We spent our time at the beach, by the pool, and enjoying great local food. That’s how holidays should look, at least for the relaxing part.
Gili Islands, Indonesia
After exploring the Southern part of Lombok with its beautiful beaches, we went northwest to the famous Gili Islands, where we spent another two nights. Once more, we chilled and snorkelled with turtles. The islands are car/motorbike-free, so the vibe is very different. Everyone goes by horse taxi, on foot or by bicycle. This gives the island a very relaxing and calm atmosphere. I got a bit sick and was happy to have a few relaxed days in the resort. We got two nice bungalows with a private pool to enjoy.
Sembalun, Indonesia
Now, the adventure part of our holiday is coming. After some restful days by the beach, we head into the mountains. Our guide picked us up at the port. Then we drove up to the mountain village called Sembalun, which is around 1000 meters above sea level. We then went to see a viewpoint, conducted a quick health check, and checked into our accommodation.
The next day, we began hiking Mount Rinjani, the second-highest volcano in Indonesia, at 3’726 meters above sea level. It isn’t an easy hike, but it is stunning. The day’s goal was to reach the base camp, where we had tents. We walked for around 7 hours to get it, and I felt unwell. I still have not fully recovered after my sick days. The others were also quite tired and happy for a rest on the campsite. The weather wasn’t good at first, the clouds covered the view, but just before sunset, the clouds went away and we had a beautiful view over the crater. Our guides prepared dinner for us, and we could enjoy it with that amazing view.
We went to bed quickly since we had to get up very early the next morning to reach the summit for sunrise. I wasn’t sure if I could go because of my well-being, but I set the alarm anyway. In the morning, I felt better and tried. The path was difficult. No fixed surfaces, mostly a lot of shingle, which means two steps up and 1 step back down. Psychologically, it’s not really supportive, and it takes endless effort. We walked for around 3 hours like that. A cold wind and in the dark above 3000 meters. At some point, I had to stop. I didn’t feel good or focused, so it got dangerous. I stayed just below the last steep increase before the summit. My brother and father continued for one more hour until they reached the peak. My mother stayed back at the base camp.
Luckily, the view was nice everywhere. The higher, the better for sure, but the morning atmosphere was nice everywhere. After some resting, warming up and enjoying the view, I returned slowly to the base camp. I enjoyed the walk downhill, making many stops to enjoy the view and taking pictures. The path down felt like walking on clouds with these stones, very soft and sometimes sliding down for fun. Compared to walking up, going down was fun and fast. Just before I reached the first tent of the base camp, my brother and father had already approached me from behind. They were exhausted and happy to rest at the base camp and get breakfast.
From the base camp down to the village, we were way faster. We did it in around 3 hours, but walked pretty fast. Up in 7 hours, down in 3. The full hike takes approximately 10 hours up and 5 hours down. Quite some time walking for all of us. No wonder we were exhausted. Even our guide was pretty quiet on the way down.
Bali, Indonesia
After the exhausting hike up to Rinjani, we needed some rest again. I booked one night at a nice resort with great food options before we boarded the speedboat to Bali. In Bali, we went right into the busy area called Canggu. There, I found a big villa on two floors with a private pool, which we enjoyed, especially the bed. Instead of going out to a bar, we brought beer to the accommodation, and everybody went to bed at 8 or 9 p.m.
The following day, we got a card delivered to our place. We’re going on a road trip to Bali’s northern and less crowded parts. I knew about some hidden gems I wanted to introduce to my family. But before we left, we went to one of those famous breakfast places around Canggu and enjoyed a healthy breakfast. Then we drove North and visited a temple and a waterfall.
Jatiluwih, Indonesia
In the evening, I booked a cottage in a place I stayed before on a motorbike road trip with my Swiss friend. When we stayed there last time, I noted that place to recommend to my parents if they’re ever in Bali, and here we are now—back with the full family. It’s a small resort with a local-style cottage in the middle of some rice fields. It’s a very nice style and so much in nature. In the evening and morning, you hear the frogs quack.
Next, we visited my favourite rice field in Bali: the Jatiluwih rice field. They’re big and less overcrowded than the Tegalalang rice fields, which I don’t like.
Ubud, Indonesia
After walking around some paths in the fields, we continued in our car to Ubud. There we again had a huge villa. The good part is that if you travel with a couple of people, you can get way bigger places for a very reasonable price per person. I was very unfamiliar with this since I usually travel alone or at most with one other person. Now we could opt for the private villa almost always, which was even cheaper than getting 2-3 single rooms. The villa again had a private pool, which we used quite often. It was next to the rice fields in the Northern Ubud. But also very close to the main road. So we went for a nice dinner place for the evening and continued to a bar afterwards.
Sanur, Indonesia
It was already my father’s last day, since he had to leave earlier. My brother and mother could have 3 weeks of holiday instead of just 2. So we had to send my father back alone. The next day, we headed back South to Sanur. There we had a hotel for one night. After checking in, we walked by the beach and headed to the airport. We also returned the car to the airport and headed for a fancy dinner in Sanur. This time, just the three of us. My mother, brother and I who continued another week in Indonesia.
Lombok, Indonesia
For the last week in Indonesia, we had a chill schedule again. Luckily, I had to be back at work as my father, but I could work remotely. My brother and mother could still enjoy and relax. We rented an apartment in Kuta, Lombok, so we returned from Bali to Lombok again for a week. I went to a co-working during the day, my brother surfing, and my mother reading a book at the beach. Sometimes I came over to the beach restaurant for lunch break and joined them for food or had a coconut. Good times in paradise. So happy I can work remotely.
