Rooms

The Left House (sleeps 6-8)is the bigger of the two, with a vast 400 sq.m. of living space and 3 double bedrooms, each with their own ensuite bathroom. One of these has an outdoor sunken bathtub - grab that one for yourself! The open-plan living room comes with polished cement floors, a high sloping ceiling (with fans), and more window area than the Petronas Towers, making it super bright and airy. It easily swallows up the big sofas, chunky timber dining table and indoor palm tree. Sliding doors lead out onto the lovely raised desk, where you'll spend most of your time. There's a shaded sitout, outdoor dining and an extra terrace with day bed, hammock and swing to soak up the bird- and monkey song. A cinema screen and projector are on hand for evening entertainment.

The Right House (sleeps 4-6) is similar, just a little smaller at 350 sq.m. It has 2 double bedrooms (again, both with ensuite bathroom), and a vast open-plan glass-walled living space which leads out onto its own elevated deck with chilling spaces, private pool and even better sea views. To make up for the slightly smaller size, there's a Roland electric piano for budding musicians, and a home office with superfast 10Mbps fibre internet for work-cationers. And what a place this would be to have a working holiday or a creative break!

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Bathrobes
• Fan
• Hairdryer
• In-room treatments available
• Minibar
• Safe box
• Toiletries
• TV
• Washing machine
• WiFi

Eating

Both houses come with a fully equipped kitchen - hob, oven, fridge-freezer, coffee maker, blender - and dining tables both indoors and out, along with a BBQ. But it's not fully self-catering: you can opt to have breakfast (pastries, pancakes, fruit, juices) served by the lovely housekeeping staff. And you'll find a pre-stocked minibar and freezer which you can raid for beers, wines, soft drinks, ice creams and a small selection of frozen meals (skewers, burgers, buns, pastries). Plus there's a supplementary menu of lunch snacks which staff can prepare for you: think omelettes, stir-fries, noodle dishes, mango pudding and fruit salads. With no eateries nearby, these services are really useful, and fairly priced too.

For a special treat, the manager can book what they call a nomad chef to whip up a celebratory meal. This saves the considerable hassle of driving to and negotiating the market, as well as cooking and tidying. And the results - whether Asian haute cuisine, mega BBQ, lobster, vegan - are spectacular.

Otherwise, it's a 12-minute drive or scooter ride down to the bars and beachside eateries of Selong Belanak. There's also a smarter restaurant within a small resort, about 4 minutes' drive away.

Features include:

• Barbecue
• Chef on request
• Coffee maker
• Dinner by arrangement
• Food blender
• Fridge
• Full kitchen
• Hob or stove
• Lunch by arrangement
• Oven
• Toaster

Activities

• Head down to Selong Belanak bay (12 mins' drive) for swimming, snorkelling and a mile-long white-sand beach; in the afternoon you may see the water buffalo being herded through
  
• You can surf here too - it's the perfect spot to learn - but the best breaks for pros are at Mawi Beach (30 mins)
  
• Book a private yoga session on your terrace: a teacher comes up from Kuta, and mats are provided in the house
  
• Boat trips around the coast or to The Gilis can be arranged, with snorkelling or fishing equipment provided
  
• Ask owner Nicolas, or the house staff, about exploring Lombok with a car and driver, to waterfalls, fishing villages and world-class surf beaches (Tangjun Aan, Ekas and Pink Beach are favourites)

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Boat trips
• Cycling
• Fishing
• Snorkelling
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Wildlife
• Yoga

Kids

Both houses are suitable for kids, and we think they'd be great for an adventurous family - or two travelling together - who enjoy surfing or snorkelling, nature and jungle life, and exploring local cultures. Note that there are no cots, and the houses are not very toddler-proof.

Best for:

Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

The Left House has 3 double bedrooms (+ 2 single mattresses on request), so can comfortably sleep a family of 5-6, possibly more. The Right House has 2 double bedrooms (+ an extra double in the office), so can easily accommodate a family of 4. But note that all bedrooms are fitted with double beds (no twins).

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

The houses are set on a jungle-covered hillside overlooking Selong Belanak bay on the south coast of Lombok island. It's about 40 mins' drive from the airport, the same from the coastal mini-resort of Kuta.

By Air:
Lombok International Airport is served by a few international flights. But most Europeans come via Bali (or via Jakarta), and then take a connecting flight to Lombok.

By Ferry from Bali:
There is a regular ferry service from Padang Bai on Bali to Lembar on Lombok, which takes 5-6 hours (slow but authentic!). Lembar is about 1 hour's drive from the villas.

From the airport or port
The houses are not easy to find, and the last stretch of track is very bumpy. We recommend asking villa staff to pre-book either a car with driver for your stay, or airport transfers (and then you can book a car with driver for the days when you want to explore). It's also possible to hire scooters for local exploration, but due to the narrow, bumpy (and unlit) roads we can't honestly recommend this.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.