Going to Lombok, we took Garuda Airlines for the very first time. Unlike Air Asia there was a free meal on the plane and I liked that the bathroom is clean and actually smells good. =P More details on our experience traveling to Lombok via Garuda.
I knew Lombok is a beach destination however since I was tagging along with my husband on a business trip, I wanted to dress appropriately but comfortably and also ensure that I wouldn’t feel to warm in the tropical heat. I decided on dark denim shorts, long-sleeved shirt with over-sized collar, gold flats, my perfect beach bag, gold aviator shades and a silver bib necklace from Thailand. I firmly believe that with some thought one can dress comfortably yet in an elegant manner. Comfortable DOES NOT need to be frumpy, don’t you agree?
This “international” airport is quite small so the “carousel” is not really one. It’s short and goes in a straigtht line. If you don’t grab your bag it will fall. It doesn’t matter how many “FRAGILE” stickers you put on it. So be on your toes when retrieving fragile items.
The only negative part of this flight to Lombok was that when we got our luggage we discovered that they had removed/destroyed the locks from our luggage. These were Victorinox locks which I loved because they are light but sturdy – which is important if you are always flying with overweight luggage like me. =P I couldn’t believe that after going through the security check and check in some airport people had destroyed the locks of our bag. They could have asked us to open it when we went through the security check. It just felt like such a violation of our privacy to have people pry our locks open and check our things without our knowlege. Good thing nothing got lost but it definitely marred my first experience flying Garuda. This has never happened to me with PAL, Cebu Pacific and Air Asia and I have been travelling loads the past 2 years. Garuda is NOT a budget airline so I am really surprised by this.
We had a car pick us up. However I noticed that there was a taxi rank outside. Convenient.
Stay tuned for more posts on Lombok Island:
- Oberoi Hotel
- Santosa Hotel
- Sheraton Hotel
- Warung Menega grilled seafood restaurant
- Square Restaurant and Lounge
You went to Lombok!! How fun! I’m also surprised to hear that your luggage lock was removed and destroyed by Garuda! Garuda does have one of the higher fares. Wings? I have never heard of the airline company. I’ll look into it when we ever have a chance to go visit Lombok. It’s one of the places I dream to go visit. The carousel looks a bit too narrow. It’s crazy to see the boxes with fragile stickers could just fall off the carousel. A bit comical scene, but of course it’s not funny if something inside gets broken.
It’s not just narrow sweety it’s super short. Seriously if you don’t get your luggage it will end up on the floor. I recommend going to Lombok if you are going to proceed to the Gili islands. I don’t recommend staying in Santosa unless you are going to get a villa. Oberoi and Sheraton are nice but the prices are “nice” as well hehe! Oh and the best thing about Lombok is Warung Menega for the best seafood I’ve ever had in Indonesia!
Hi! I’ve been following your blog for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman Texas! Just wanted to mention keep up the fantastic work!
Hi Eleanora, awww… thanks so much for giving me a shout out! I always appreciate hearing from readers… it keeps me going! Hope to hear more from you. =)