Qunci Villas on Lombok is one of the rare hotels that we have made return visits to. It is beautiful and the price is very reasonable for what you get.
Compared to Bali, Lombok feels like quiet backwaters, and many say it is like Bali 30 years ago. I can’t tell, but today the villages on this predominantly Muslim island seem less prosperous than its neighbour and the popular Senggigi tourist township looks like it’s glory days are well over. When we last visited in the end of 2018, rebuilding had not yet started after the devastating earthquakes earlier in the year.
At the same time the new international airport and hectic building sites along the shore suggest that Lombok accommodation has increased dramatically over the past couple of years, and by the look of it the development is going to continue.
Qunci Villas Lombok is a short drive from Senggigi, and about 1.5 hours from the airport. You can fly directly to Lombok from KL on AirAsia, or you can catch a 30 minutes flight from Bali. Prices here start as low as 85USD, a great deal for this level of luxury!
Rooms at Qunci Villas
The majority of the rooms at Qunci Villas are in villas. The rooms are spacious, and have a day bed that is perfect for a child. They also have extra beds available. All rooms have a balcony or a terrace – some have lovely views, whereas some garden ones can be a bit dark due to the trees and other landscaping.
You can choose to have your breakfast brought to your room in the mornings, or you can go to the restaurant. We opted for the first one most mornings. The breakfast menu is super extensive with anything from continental to Mediterranean or Asian available. All options come with fresh fruit and juice. The kids’ breakfast is pancakes with lots of toppings and a paintbrush to spread the sauces on!
What to do at Qunci Villas
The hotel is set on a sweeping beach looking across the sea towards Bali. The two long swimming pools are right by the sea with ample sun loungers. There is also an adults-only swimming pool for the honeymooners. Qunci Villas is not a family resort as such: no kids’ club or slides here. Instead, there are surfer dudes happy to give a lesson on the beach just outside the hotel and you can always organise a trip to the nearby Gili islands.
The beach in front of the hotel is quite rocky, so bring along some reef shoes. The waves can get quite big, good for bodyboarding but not so for the tiny toddlers.
There is not that much to do in the resort itself. One day we booked a surf lesson for the whole family on Senggigi beach, a short taxi ride away. Trips are also available for those whose idea of a holiday consists of hiking volcanoes. If you are serious about snorkeling, you should reserve a day to venture to the South of the island, where the best marine life can be found. The car journey there is long though.
Food at Qunci Villas
The food is a gorgeous mix of local ingredients and international style and there are healthy options for kids. We have ventured to the restaurants in Senggigi but don’t think they compare with Qunci’s three restaurants, though hotel prices are obviously high for Indonesia.
Along the same beach there are a few cheap and cheerful warungs for those days when you just want a nasi goreng and a Bintang – and a smaller price tag. One particularly cosy one is called Nuf’Said and it is a great place to watch the sunset on the bean bags right on the beach.
Further along the beach there are other resorts if you want to check out more eating spots. We walked over to the Kliff at the Katamaran resort. The setting there was also nice, overlooking the beach, but we much preferred the quiet ambiance and more traditional esthetics at Qunci.
Local ladies sell (rather persistently) sarongs and massage on the beach, and there is some shopping in Senggigi (here I found the Buddha head heaven I thought I would find in Bali). We were more than happy to purchase extra sarongs and massages from the ladies having seen the state of homes on the island after the earthquake last year.
Lombok is home to some amazing craftsmen and women, and next time I will make sure I have time to venture out to the villages that specialise in different traditional crafts. It was nice to see that the security of Qunci Villas was lenient on the locals trying to earn a living by selling stuff and services on the beach, and who were more than happy to have a chat on island matters.
The praise for Qunci Villas on hotel review sites is well-founded. The grounds are beautiful, villas tastefully decorated and the sunsets (and 2 for 1 sundowners) are unbeatable. The service from all staff was truly 5-star, too. You can check the latest prices here.
If you are looking for something quite different on your Lombok holiday, check out our review of the Heaven on the Planet, a very cool hotel perfect for a surfing holiday in Lombok.
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