The Oberoi, Lombok is a luxury family-friendly hotel in Lombok, Indonesia. This secluded and relaxing resort is set within 24 acres of beautifully presented tropical gardens and boasts a stunning selection of luxury pavilions and villas, many with ocean views.
The centerpiece of this family-friendly Lombok hotel is the gorgeous infinity pool, surrounded by palm trees and cascading down to a ruggedly beautiful beach.
A unique feature of this luxury resort in Lombok is its private pier, from where it is just a short 10-minute boat ride to the Gili Islands for fabulous snorkeling opportunities, and you can also organize fishing trips and dive trips from here.
There is the Sunbird Café for breakfast overlooking the ocean, Lumbung restaurant for dinner under the stars and the Tekok Bar for mojitos at sunset.
Then there’s the gorgeous open-air spa for when all that relaxing gets all too much to handle.
The only downside to The Oberoi, Lombok is that you can’t stay here forever!
Table of Contents
Bedtime at the Oberoi
Accommodation at The Oberoi, Lombok is divided between thatched villas, and pavilions, with either garden or ocean views. We tried out two different rooms during our stay at this luxury Lombok hotel.
Our first two nights were in a Luxury Pavilion with a garden view. This was located within a ‘terrace’ of other pavilions, all overlooking the landscaped tropical gardens, giving the kids ample space to run around amongst the coconut tress within full view of our balcony.
The room was hugely spacious, with a King-size two-poster teak bed, and the walls adorned with traditional art and artefacts. The rattan furniture and thatched roof gave it a relaxed tropical feel, while the terrace set-up and sliding balcony doors meant no noise from outside, meaning a restful night’s sleep.
The bathroom was equally spacious, and featured a sunken bath overlooking a private outdoor courtyard, glass walled shower, and plenty of wardrobe and drawer space for all the family’s clothes.
For our final night at The Oberoi, Lombok, we moved to an Ocean Villa with Private Pool – and we thought our Luxury Pavilion was luxurious! This was on another level.
A sizeable private pool was enclosed by pink limestone walls, giving us complete privacy, and was overlooked by a private dining pavilion.
The bedroom was similar to the Luxury Pavilion, although slightly more luxurious, with a canopied four-poster bed and larger bathroom.
In addition to sun loungers by our private pool, there was also a balcony overlooking the garden (most villas have an ocean view) with additional loungers – so plenty of room to escape the kids for five minutes to read your book in peace!
Of course all rooms at this family friendly hotel in Lombok feature all the mod-cons you would expect, such as LCD TVs, iPod docks, WiFi, DVD and CD players, electronic safe, and fully stocked mini bars.
One very noticeable difference between the Luxury Pavilion and the Ocean Villa was the level of noise you experience at nighttime.
In the protected cocoon of the terrace, the Luxury Pavilion was completely silent like any other hotel room, while in the Ocean Villa we really felt like we were staying in the tropical jungle, with the vibrant sounds of frogs and crickets echoing through the thatched roof throughout the night.
(This is in no way a complaint; we love the sounds of the tropics!)
Playtime at the Oberoi
The Oberoi, Lombok is set within 24 acres of fabulously landscaped tropical gardens. There are coconut trees everywhere, together with blooming frangipani trees, bougainvillea bushes and helconia plants, and acres of space for the kids to run around.
The secluded beach overlooking the Gili Islands is ruggedly beautiful, although it all but disappears during high tide. It is however fun for seashell collecting and sandcastle making during low tide.
The centerpiece and highlight of this family friendly Lombok hotel is the swimming pool. This 33-metre infinity pool joins with the fishponds and reflection pools to cascade down the centre of the resort towards the ocean, reminiscent of Lombok’s rice paddy fields.
During most of our stay we had the pool to ourselves and the kids spent hours playing in here.
Around the pool we found plenty of sunloungers, but separated into small clusters so we never felt like we were on top of other guests. We particularly loved the private cabanas with their comfy cushions and shaded canopies.
In true five-star style, as soon as we had chosen where we wanted to sit, a member of staff appeared with towels for our loungers and a ‘service box’ – containing cold towels, sunscreen, drinks and snacks menus and bottles of cold water.
Not surprisingly, many of the activities at this luxury hotel in Lombok revolve around watersports. The Beach Club boasts its own private pier from where it is just a 10-minute boat ride to the Gili Islands.
At the Beach Club you can also hire kayaks to explore the coastline around the hotel, arrange fishing trips, coral planting outings and sunset cruises. They also run PADI dive courses.
We joined a morning snorkeling trip (there are two per day) to Gili Meno, where we took the kids snorkeling and saw sea turtles for the first time – fabulous! After snorkeling, we were dropped at Gili Air for a relaxing few hours on the beach.
Truth be told though – when you stay at The Oberoi, Lombok, you are so spoiled by the beautiful surroundings, that even the Gili Islands pale in comparison – we were surprised by how crowded the beaches were on Gili Air and were pleased to get back to the tranquility of the hotel!
For those looking to keep up their fitness regime, there is a fully equipped fitness centre, and a tennis court. If you can negotiate yourself some time away from the children, then the spa is the place to be.
The open-air thatched therapy rooms boast private walled gardens and are furnished with two massage beds for couples’ relaxation time, bathtub, shower, steam room and relaxation area. Bliss.
Within the hotel complex there is also plenty to keep kids entertained (if you can get them out of the pool of course).
Although there is no kids club, there are plenty of child-friendly activities. There is croquet by the Tokek Bar, wood carving in the lobby, Indonesian art classes by the pool, fish feeding off the jetty, and lantern lighting during the full moon.
Dinnertime at the Oberoi
The Sunbird Café with its outdoor seating overlooking the ocean was the perfect place to enjoy breakfast every morning. Really, you can’t beat a slow wake-up under the palm trees looking out to sea!
Breakfast was served a la carte, with a wide selection of Western and Asian options, including fabulous fresh fruit platters, pastry baskets, eggs and local favourites such as nasi goreng.
We enjoyed dinner every evening in the Lumbung restaurant. You can choose to sit under the thatched roof of this breezy open-air restaurant, but we opted to dine under the stars on the terrace, where tables had been dotted around the fishponds.
One evening we even treated to a performance of traditional Indonesian music in the ‘ampitheatre’ during dinner.
For a special occasion, guests can also choose to dine in one of the secluded pavilions that surround the swimming pool, or opt for a candlelit tent on the beach or among the palm trees in the grounds.
For drinks and snacks throughout the day – there is the Tokek Bar. We were surprised how this bar was never busy, but perhaps this is because the view from the ocean-facing sunloungers is so fabulous, particularly at sunset, and so people ordered drinks from there.
Note there is no happy hour, which we were surprised to learn, but they do serve up a mean mojito!
Service at all the outlets was exceptional throughout our stay. Staff remembered all our names, what drinks we liked and they even surprised us with remembering tiny details.
For example, one evening my daughter asked for a spoon with her dinner, and the following evening when they brought her meal – they brought her an extra spoon without being asked. We were continually surprised by their initiative and warmth of hospitality.
In the ‘hood
There is plenty of exploring to do on Lombok. The Gili Islands are just a 10-minute boat ride away for snorkeling, diving or kicking back on the beach and exploring the islands by horse and cart.
The Oberoi Lombok can arrange private boat hire for you, or you can join their twice-daily snorkeling excursions (see above).
On Lombok Island itself, you can visit Mount Rinjani, Indonesia’s largest volcano; go swimming at Sendanggile Waterfall; or take a horse and cart tour around some local villages, including Masbagik Village – famous for its traditional earthenware.
Note however that Lombok is a large island, and most of these excursions are around a two hour drive away from the hotel, meaning you need to set aside a full day for most activities and be prepared to spend much of it in the car.
Sengiggi Beach is just a 30-minute drive away, and is fun to spend a day scouring the handicraft stalls and art market and hanging out in the beachside restaurants.
Conclusion
My lasting impression of The Oberoi, Lombok is one of being in beautiful tropical luxury, with the most exceptional service ever.
The Oberoi Group put great emphasis on providing “exceptionally attentive personalized and warm service”, and this was apparent throughout our stay at The Oberoi, Lombok. We were absolutely treated like royalty.
The staff were also amazing with the kids – from the bar staff showing them how to play croquet, to the Beach Club staff looking after them while we went snorkeling, and letting them ‘drive’ the boat.
The grounds are incredible, our rooms (especially that gorgeous pool villa) were luxurious and comfortable, the views out to sea are sensational and the relaxed vibe is what holidays are made of.
But without a doubt what sets this hotel apart from other similar luxury resorts is the service. I am planning my return already!
One thing to note is that The Oberoi, Lombok is a 1.5 – 2 hour drive from the airport. The advantage of this location is that it means you are closer for trips to the Gili Islands, but the distance from the airport is worth noting if you are hoping to pop here for a quick weekend break.
Click here to check availability and prices for the Oberoi Lombok.
Visit The Oberoi, Lombok website here.
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Note: Mum on the Move received a media rate for our stay at The Oberoi, Lombok for the purposes of writing this review. This is no way affected my review of the hotel, and all opinions are honest, and my own.
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This sounds like a wonderful place to get away from it all. I love the sound of the Ocean Villa and the nighttime noises. To find somewhere with excellent service as well is a real treat. Great review!
Thanks Claire! Yes we loved the Ocean Villa too – and the service really was exceptional. I really hope I can go back one day 🙂
You have helped me make a decision! I was choosing between the Oberoi and the Tugu Hotel and have now decided on the Oberoi.for our trip to Lombok in early September.this year.
One question I have is about the trip to the Gill Islands from the hotel. I have heard lots of horror stories about the crossing from Bali to Lombok and on to the Gill Islands on the Fast Boat. What is the crossing like to the Gill islands from the hotel Oberoi?
Thanks again for making my Decision easy!
Pauline
Hi Pauline, I’m glad it helped you make a decision. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed, we LOVED the Oberoi. The Gili Islands are super close to the Oberoi so it is really easy and quick. The hotel runs regular trips over there, or I think there is a public pier just close by too. Have a great time!