Beat the Beach Crunch: Go to Lombok, Indonesia

Indonesia is an oft-overlooked gem for travel in Southeast Asia. Offering everything from cultural treasures and handicrafts, to stunning mountains and gorgeous beaches, it remains one of the few places anywhere you can go to and beat the crowds. Indeed, if you time it right, you might arrive at your destination to discover you are the only traveler(s) there.

A perfect example is Lombok, an island just to the east of its more famous cousin, Bali. Development of Lombok stemmed from the explosive growth of tourism in Bali. When the tourist industry in Bali went into prolonged recession following the pair of terrorist bombings there, the nascent offshoot in Lombok crashed. It therefore is a great place for beach lovers to go to beat the crush.

Getting There and Getting Around
Lombok's airport is in Mataram, the local capital. Most flights are domestic, coming from Denpasar in Bali, or Jakarta or Surabaya on Java. There are international flights from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Singapore, with Visa on Arrival available. If you are flying from Kuala Lumpur and plan an extended stay in Indonesia, you will want to arrange your visa at the Indonesian Embassy there, as they have the most cooperative reputation of any Indonesian Embassy in the region.

If you are on a budget and do not want to pay for a flight, cheap ferries are available from Padangbai on Bali. The ferry ride is 4 to 5 hours, with the more expensive fast ferry run lasting 2 hours. If you take the slow ferry, bring a book: you may not get as lucky as I was, and have to stop and rescue the crew of a sinking fishing boat. All ferries stop in the town of Lenbar.