Falling Head Over Heels In Love with Kuta, Lombok

Despite the fact that I’d visited Bali five times in the past five years and lived in Jakarta I’d somehow never traveled to mainland Lombok before. I’d tinkered with the idea of visiting Kuta, Lombok (not to be mistaken for the party town of Kuta, Bali), once or twice but I always figured it was solely a destination for surfers. I honestly didn’t think there’d be anything for me, a non-surfer, to do there.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Visiting Bali has kind of become an annual tradition for Aaron and I. Not only do we love that little island but we consider it our second home. However, because we’ve so thoroughly explored Bali we wanted to mix things up this time around. So instead of booking tickets to Bali this summer, we flew into the neighboring island of Lombok instead.

The goal was to base ourselves in the tourist hub of Kuta and spend a week exploring the surrounding beaches and towns. Our final week would be spent chilling out on and working from the little slices of paradise known as the Gili Islands in northwestern Lombok.

To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations for Kuta. That’s mainly because I didn’t do all that much research before my trip, but I’d also heard very mixed reviews about Kuta from other travelers.

The good news is that my week-long visit just left me wanting more. The beaches, the food, the culture all just blew my mind.

Visiting Kuta Lombok During Idul Fitri

You know how I mentioned that I didn’t do much research before my trip? Well, one thing I didn’t realize was that we were landing in Lombok – a predominately Muslim island – during Idul Fitri, a major Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. We had zero idea what was in store for us, but visiting Lombok during Idul Fitri was such a unique and memorable experience. It was definitely a happy accident.

As our plane was landing, the sun had just set and the sky was full of fireworks exploding over the island as everyone celebrated the official end of Ramadan and break fast (the breaking of the fast). When we walked out of the airport we found ourselves smack in the middle of a mob made up of Indonesian families who were presumably waiting for their loved ones to arrive for the long holiday weekend. As we soon found out, Idul Fitri is a big deal and it’s a super family-oriented holiday.

Typically when you walk out of an Indonesian airport you’re singled out by all sorts of touts who want to take you to your hotel at an exorbitant rate. It’s always a bit stressful. But when we walked out of the airport there were no touts. In fact, there were no taxis in sight. We literally stood around for 10 minutes looking around quizzically and wondering how we were going to get to Kuta, a 30-minute drive from the airport.

Finally, we were approached by a Hindu guy who offered to take us into town. During what was one of the most sketch drives I’ve ever experienced in Southeast Asia (and I’ve had my fair share), the guy gunned it down the dark, twisty roads as he casually explained to us that the reason there were no taxis is because all the Muslim drivers were celebrating. It was tough to fully listen to him considering we almost hit multiple children, motorbikes, and cars during the drive…but at least we got to our hotel quickly?

Once we arrived at our hotel we threw our bags down and went on a mission to find food on the main drag of Kuta. Instead we found ourselves in the middle of some pretty amazing parades and ceremonies. The call to prayer was floating through the air, girls and boys dressed in traditional clothes walked through the streets carrying candles and torches, men perched themselves on mosque-themed floats, and onlookers set off fireworks willy-nilly. It was crazy…in the best way possible.

The day following the end of Ramadan is traditionally spent feasting at home with family. Thankfully, one of the guys who worked at our hotel told us that we should definitely take the opportunity to visit Tanjung Aan – one of the most popular beaches near Kuta – because it would be empty that day. So that’s exactly what we did.

Again, I had no idea what to expect when it came to Lombok’s beaches but Tanjung Aan is literally one of the prettiest I’ve ever laid eyes on. And aside from a few other tourists, we had the place all to ourselves. We lucked out because when we visited a few days later the place was packed with Indonesian families.

Not that I’m complaining: We had a blast watching all the kids splashing in the water, teenagers taking selfies and tourists chatting it up with locals. Aaron and I grabbed beach chairs and coconuts and just sat back and watched. Everyone just looked so joyful and happy. It was a really beautiful experience.

The rest of our time in Kuta was spent zipping around South Lombok on our motorbike – careening along the mountain roads, glimpsing small villages and emerald-hued rice paddies, and seeking out hidden beaches.

I’m honestly astounded at how naturally gorgeous southern Lombok is. Bali’s beaches can be hit or miss but southern Lombok is just chock full of swimmable, postcard-perfect beaches. I’ll be writing a full beach guide soon, so stay tuned.

I may have gone into my trip with low expectations but I absolutely loved Kuta, Lombok. The town itself is a bit dusty and small and the main beach is becoming more built up and commercialized. But it’s what’s around Kuta that makes it so special.

I realize that Kuta’s probably not for everyone. I’ve always heard mixed reviews about it. It’s definitely the type of place where you need a sense of adventure and renting a motorbike helps a lot.

During my trip, I met a group of travelers who had the exact opposite experience that I did. They were disappointed by the holiday crowds at the beaches, put off by having to pay someone to drive them to all the surrounding attractions because they weren’t comfortable on motorbikes, and couldn’t believe that the town of Kuta was so undeveloped and boring.

And I get it. Everyone travels for different reasons and our experiences are all unique. Just because I like Kuta doesn’t mean that everyone will. Give me a motorbike and put me in a place with pretty beaches and beautiful scenery and I’m pretty much always going to be happy as a clam. So, I guess it’s not really a huge surprise that Kuta, Lombok, managed to win me over!

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Have you ever traveled to Kuta, Lombok? What did you think?