Honeymoon dinner

Our honeymoon package with the resort also include a romantic candlelight dinner. I arranged to have it on the 2nd night. That afternoon, before going out, I had made arrangements with the staff as to my preference for the dinner location.

The beach of course.

Both of us assumed that they knew of our intention to be seated on the floor of the deck by the beach. Those seats directly faced the sea, seemed private enough and was indeed cosy-looking.

How was I to know that they had planned something else (apparently they did these dinners quite often)?? Ehm... refer to the pics later to see what I mean.

They had wanted to open a bottle of wine/champange specially for us but we quickly refused, saying that we don't drink. They seemed taken aback, considering that the expensive wine was on the house and yet we REFUSED it. Oh the folly!

I didn't figure out that they didn't know that we're Muslims. We later found out that they had thought us to be JAPANESE. Must be my hubby, la!

So they scrambled to pass us the mocktail/beverages menu.


Hubby's Lime Soda

He disliked it. Pfft!


Shirley Temple

My favourite mocktail of all time.

Appetizer

Dinner started with a plate of tempe chips with green chili and tomato salsa dips. It was dark there and seeing the sauces, I had assumed the chips to be the regular nachos.

I was surprised when I found them to be the humble tempe. It had tasted so good! There was a hint of the taste of kaffir lime leaves. Nicely spiced, actually.

Starter

It was later followed by a starter -a couple of baked tomatoes stuffed with cheese and shrimp.

This was a nightmare for someone who dislike tomatoes and even shrimps (my hubby). Thankfully, the taste of the baked cheese somewhat drove him to eat at least 1 of these.

Me...? I love it!

I spotted a large shrimp and sweetcorn kernels topped with cheese, olive oil and dill. And garnished with basil.

Eating the soup (check out the setting!)

Next is the Hungarian beef goulash soup. By this time, hubby was freaking out because he's not used to a full-blown fine-dining meal. Last experience he had, he hated it (in France, I think).

But I assured him that we should enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime moment.

recognise these tools?

And the best part...?

I saw some tools that alarmed me. They look like one might use to eat crabs.

... And hubby is ALLERGIC to crustaceans. -_-

So we asked the server, what the main course was. Hearing the reply, I could almost hear the groan from hubby.

I started freaking out. I thought of asking the server to change the item for him but my hubby actually refused. Geez!

Main course ~ Lobster Thermidor

I was worrying about how hubby was going to finish that.

Turns out, I shouldn't have worried. He gingerly took a bite and was hooked. Must be all that cheese.

Well, who the heck can resist a lobster dish - allergy or not?

And that dish was superb! I used the given tools eventually to pick out pieces of lobster meat from every nook and cranny.

And the roasted potatoes on the side was really, really deliciousss! I mean it!

Man, I'm drooling as I'm typing this....

Dessert

Honestly, I can't recall what this dessert is. Some pudding... Melba pudding..? Yeah, something to that extent.

Pretty nice and not too heavy for a dessert. Especially after all that food...

The pattern on the side was raspberry sauce outlined with chocolate.

Full, contented and (very) happy

Man, we're so stuffed!

That setting that's specially meant for honeymoooning couples was really attention-grabbing, man!

So much so that a Caucasian couple came by to congratulate us. *blush*

We were given much attention that night, especially since we decide to converse in Bahasa Indonesia with the staff. They were so relieved to not have to struggle to mentally translate every single word into English (I know that's how they do it).

So we engaged in a light-hearted conversation and one by one, each of them came by to interact with us. They hardly receive foreign guests who can converse in their language, you see. So their curiousity was very much piqued.

That was such a pleasant experience. Qunci Villas really accomodate to honeymooners. And I'm so so glad I chose this place.

lombok honeymoon day 5

I'm pretty tired of uploading my honeymoon pics here, flickr, multiply & facebook. Doesn't help that the pics have pretty high resolution to start with.. Pfft!

Ok, here goes... Last 2 days!

We didn't really do much, actually. Cos' the idea that the trip was coming to an end kinda' got to us so all we wanna do was stay in the room or swim, swim and swim.

We eventually ventured out for lunch because we're hungry and food in the resort is pretty expensive.

Did some shopping at the lone shopping mall and rushed back for our spa appointment (also part of package).

Hubby jumped back into the pool, post spa till we forgot about our plan to head to Malimbu, the sunset point of that area. By the time I realised, it was already 1800hrs and sunset will be in 20mins. I enquired with the reception and was told that the place will be another 1/2hr drive.

Geez, I was told that the place is 'nearby' our hotel. I should have learnt not to believe the locals with their judgment in terms of distance.. Pfft!

So I dragged hubby out of the pool to catch the sunset at Senggigi Beach right at the resort's doorstep. I told him, "This will be our last evening here. You must not miss the sunset!"

Turns out he did not regret it at all. In fact, he love it. See??! Men...! Hmmph!

On the last day, we also went out only for lunch. Lazy couple we are.

Sad, la. I know that we're sooo gonna miss the pool. And the big, comfy bed. Sigh....

And the great surroundings. And also the people. The service in this resort was sooo good, la. Since our flight was pretty late, they allow us to either stay in our room till 4pm or we'll move to another room if ours will be occupied.

I love this place so much that I wrote a review on tripadvisor. Haha.

So there. Enjoy!

The flower bath

We were told to take a dip in this warm bath after our Balinese massage at the spa.

Wahhh... syiok, man!

Sunset at Senggigi

Managed to drag hubby to the beach in time for sunset.

Sunset at Senggigi

Gosh, something tells me that the sunset this time will be better than the previous one.

Sunset at Senggigi

It sure seem like it....

Sunset at Senggigi

There's no denying it. This one here is gorgeous!

Replacement room

The was someone taking over our room after all, so we moved to a replacement room till it's time for us to set off for the airport later that evening.

I'm impressed. Not many resort/hotels offer such hospitable service. Maybe because it's low season and there are many rooms available.

The room here is sligtly smaller than ours but it's fine. We were told to just utilise it. Cool!

Replacement room

That room is the lower unit here.

Bumbu Restaurant

We got famished during lunchtime so we took a cab ride to Senggigi town to check out more souvenirs and grab some food.

So many restaurants in the almost deserted stretch (it's the hottest time of day and it's low tourist season) and we finally settled on Bumbu Restaurant over the many others.

Reason being it's unpretentious name, unlike other restaurants with name that obviously try to attract the Caucasian crowd. Another reason being that hubby want something local to eat and the name 'bumbu' kinda' assure us that they have something local in the menu. 'Bumbu' means, 'spice mix' in the Bahasa Indonesia.

Last pic...

...Of the great view at this resort. Man, I'm soo gonna miss this place.

Cake Surprise from SilkAir

We were wondering how is it that the ground crew at Selaparang Airport knows about us being on honeymoon.

We only figured out the day after, that my sis-in-law had done the online check-in and indicated that, thus the congratulatory cake.

The stewardress asked if we would like to have the cake in-flight. Goodness, are we to share with the other passengers..?

So there's my honeymoon peeks. Hope you like them.

And coming up will be everyone's pet topic... Food! From Lombok! Oh, the food there had been good! Watch this space.

lombok honeymoon day 3

We hired the same tour driver that the hotel hired for us the day before.

I had wanted to venture to a waterfall and explore other scenic beaches. Hubby meanwhile, agreed to the traditional village visit. Guess he's the culture-vulture amongst us...

Before setting off, we arranged with the resort to have our romantic candlelight dinner that evening. Yes, the one that's part of our honeymoon package...

So there. Enjoy!

breakfast at resort's restaurant

Hubby finally relented to having our breakfast at the restaurant instead. He always insist on room service bec. he can't seem to get out of the pool after jumping in prior to waking up.

That day, we arranged to start our tour at 9am so there ain't a chance for him to splash in. Heh.

And boy am I glad we came here. The view was superb from where we sat.

Paddy fields with Mt. Sembalun & Rinjani in the background

The 3726 m (12 224 ft) Mt. Rinjani is famous with hikers. There's a lake caled 'Segara Anak' (Child of the Sea) midway (2000m) that is famous for its abundance in fish.

Benang Stokel waterfall.

Located at Aik Berik, Central Lombok, Southwest of Mt Rinjani, it’s 30m high waterfall, 552m above sea level.

The left side is higher than the right and have bigger flow. It may come from one outlet and divided into two waterfall. The waterfall has quite clean water (drinkable!) and the man-made forest + rainforest in the area is well-managed and protected.

This is the 1st of the 2 waterfalls that we plan to head to.

Benang Kelambu waterfall.

It’s about 30 minutes walking (more like hiking!) distance from Benang Stokel. It will take an extra energy because its rather like trekking trail, very rugged and definitely more adventurous.

The problem is, the both of us weren't prepared for this. Hubby especially.

Despite my audible panting, I find myself easily moving along the trail to a point that I left hubby behind. Never mind that we're wet from the previous dip in the lower waterfall. I had a towel around my shoulder while hubby carried our bag.

It was no mean feat. Brings me back to my hikes at Bukit Timah and MacRitchie. And upon reaching the waterfall, I was glad to see that they've constructed a set of stairs. But each step was more than a foot high and it was tedious to encounter it. Especially the climbing part.

Of course we had local guides to assist us along.

But the gorgeous sight of the waterfall makes all that ardous process worth it. In the end, hubby had sore thighs while I'm still as fresh as a daisy. Many thanks to all that swimming I've done, I guess my muscles are well-stretched and toned by then. Love the pool!

That's the new international airport under construction.

The current Selaparang Airport at Mataram is merely 1/2hr drive from Sengigi - where most of the action is.

This new international airport will be bigger, so as to accommodate bigger flights and will be more than 1hr drive from Sengigi but only 1/2hr from Kuta.

THAT'S why, there are plans to develop Kuta.

My serene, idyllic Kuta. It might just transform to be another Bali! Oh, the horror! :O

Welcome to Tanjung Aan

This has got to be one of the most gorgeous views that's I've seen for myself!

Tanjung Aan

It's low tide but the scenery's splendid, nonetheless.

Tanjung Aan

Sooo picturesque!

And you know what, not only is the sand here white (unlike in Sengigi), they are also little round morsels that's similar to white pepper!

Kuta

Like Bali, Lombok also has an area called Kuta.

But the beach here is wayyy nicer.

Kuta Beach

Flanked by little green hills that somehow reminds me of Scotland...

Kuta Beach

And know what? There's only 1 high-class resort in this area currently and that's Novotel.

But not for long. Most lands in this area have been bought over by some Dubai developer. This area won't be the same in a few years.

Our romantic candlelight dinner by the beach

We had requested to have dinner close to the beach. By that, we had assumed that we'll be placed at the dining area where we'll be seated on the floor, facing the beach.

Little did we expect them to do up our dining area to look like that!

Those were strips of 'janur' (young coconut leaves). This kind of decor are usually done during weddings or any celebration of sorts in the Indonesian culture.

Naturally, this kinda' setting will definitely attract some attention and we had a couple of Caucasian guests coming over to congratulate us during our meal.

So paiseh.... -_-

Swimming by candlelight

Despite being totally stuffed post-dinner, it still doesn't stop hubby from jumping into the pool anyway... Pfft!

More peeks H.E.R.E

lombok honeymoon ~ day 1 & 2

My 5D4N trip from 120309-160309.

Silkair MI 128

We were greeted with a rainbow upon arriving at Selaparang Airport.

A good sign, perhaps?

Our Honeymoon Villa.

The resort, at night.

Our (very) own private pool.

The resort's main pool.

View from a hill.

Pura Meru.

The largest temple in Lombok built in 1720, under the patronage of Balinese Kingdom.

Sunset at Sengigi Beach.

Right at the resort's doorstep. Not only that, we also got a bonus, in the form of Bali's Mt. Agung right there.

It's what I'd call, 'strategic location'.

More pics H.E.R.E
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stayed at Qunci Pool Villas. I took the Honeymoon Package with the resort. Which includes a free city tour, romantic dinner and spa treatment. Got the 1 bedroom with Pool. Uhuh.. our own personal/private pool. Size around 8m x 3m. Makes for a decent lap pool, if you ask me.

Yee hah!

Morning after waking up, jump into pool. Afternoon before dinner jump into pool. Before sleep, jump into pool.

I swam until my hair got tangled up. I swam until I became tanned. I swam until all the henna patterns on my hands disappeared.

And yes, I'm missing the pool pretty badly now. Make that the both of us. Him especially.

Save for the scenery, Lombok is NOT like Bali. Cultural attraction here is almost zilch but the peace and serenity here is much appreciated, unlike bustling Bali.

And the thing I appreciate most is the ease at which I can get 'Halal' food since majority of the population here are Muslims. There's hardly any qualms about entering any retaurants and order pretty much anything.

Even though the resort we're in is owned by a European man and they do serve alcohol, they do make an effort to serve Halal meat as a form of respect to their Muslim staff. Bacon and ham are beef and sausages are made of chicken-meat.

The resort I reside at is at Sengigi, a mere 1/2hr drive from the current Selaparang Airport at Mataram. However, a bigger and much bigger international airport is already being constructed, so as to cater to (much) bigger planes.

And that airport is more than an hour drive from Mataram but a mere 1/2 hr from Kuta. And Kuta is so sooo idyllic, serene and gorgeous. With the new airport nearby, of course plans are underway to develop Kuta big-time and that to me, is going to be a massacre!

I had wished for that area remain untouched cos' I don't think I can find a place like that anywhere. Seriously. Imagine with the big planes flying in with more tourists.... Lombok might just be.... ANOTHER Bali. Eugh!

Oh, and the weather couldn't be better. Despite the heavy downpours reported to me from S'pore, the weather there was all randy-dandy. That rainbow must have been a good sign after all. . .