6:30 AM

Sunrise — open the door, and there’s the sea

You open the door. A damp breeze. The only footprints on the sand are yours.

Be the first to walk
a beach with no footprints.

Open the villa door and the sea is right in front of you. In the calm of early morning there are hardly any other guests on the beach. Swim, or just walk — it’s up to you.

US$ amounts are rough guides at US$1 ≈ Rp17,800 (September 2026) and change with the exchange rate. 1M = 1,000,000 rupiah.

Behind the door — stay in a villa

9:00 AM

Setting out — the sea decides where we go

The bow rises and falls. Twenty minutes to the first island. The water is clear right down to your feet.

Take a boat out, and the island is empty.

We look at the day’s wind and waves, then decide which of the South Gili islands to visit. Beaches with no shops and no other visitors. Snorkelling over coral. A bay where pearls are grown. None of it, most likely, is something you’ve seen in anyone’s photos.

VIDEOFive days around Sekotong and the Gili islands with tour guests

• PlaySouth Gili island hopping, snorkelling, boats, kayaks
• EatVillage meals, warungs, the market
• ExperiencePearl rafts, farms, Sasak weaving, a morning’s fishing
• NearbySouthern beaches, Pink Beach, Kuta

Beyond the door — four ways out

JUST AFTER NOON

Midday in the village — time to talk about money

Nasi campur from a market stall. Plate in hand, into the shade. About Rp20,000.

About Rp20,000 a plate:
everyday village prices.

Lunch is at a warung: fish caught that morning and warm rice. Tourist prices don’t exist here yet. So we talk honestly about money while it’s still broad daylight.

Full rates — the rates page VIDEOSEMELAR MARKET, built together by Japanese and Sasak people

3:00 PM

Back to the villa — time to do nothing

The hottest part of the day. A nap in the shade of the terrace. Just the fan and the sound of the waves.

An afternoon with no plans,
in a villa facing the sea.

A small number of private villas, set inside the village. Nap in the hammock or read on the terrace. Leaving the afternoon empty is the right way to do it here. If anything comes up, just ask the staff.

Stay — rooms, the stay program and how rates work

4:30 PM

Late afternoon in the village — when people come out into the lanes

Children spill into the lanes. By day two, they’re calling you by name.

By day two,
familiar faces.

In the late afternoon, people come out into the village lanes: children on their way home from school, fishermen washing their boats, neighbours chatting outside the shops. The villas are inside the village, so a walk takes you right past them. One greeting is enough: “Selamat sore” — good afternoon.

VIDEOThe day we held a tug-of-war with the villagers Things to do — pearl rafts, farms, Sasak weaving, a morning’s fishing

6:00 PM

Sunset — when the bay is at its quietest

Mount Agung to the west of the beach. Twenty minutes until the sun goes down. The beach club lights come on.

Watch the sun go down.

From the water or from the beach, the bay’s day closes quietly. Take a photo, or don’t. It’s a colour you won’t have seen in anyone’s photos anyway.

VIDEO · 3 MINOpening day at SAKURA BEACH CLUB: live music on the beach at sunset

7:00 PM

Arriving in the village — the last stretch is by road

An hour and ten minutes by car from the airport. See on the map how far you came today.

Being a little out of the way
is why prices here are what they are.

From Bali, the flight to Lombok takes about 40 minutes to an hour, with plenty of flights. From Jakarta it’s about two hours, with fewer flights. By sea, the public ferry runs from Padangbai in Bali to Lembar Port and takes several hours. From Lombok International Airport it’s about 1 hour 10 minutes by car; from Lembar Port, about 40 minutes. There’s almost no public transport, so we arrange your pickup. Coming via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur? The getting-here page covers the options.

Open in Google Maps Getting here — routes from Bali, Jakarta, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur

8:00 PM

Night in the village — what you see better with fewer lights

Dinner with the staff. We settle tomorrow’s boat time.

Stars, and people’s stories.

With little electric light, village nights are good for stars. The other thing you see clearly is people. Semelar Beach Village is run jointly by Japanese staff and the people of Sekotong village. Everyone who works here is Sasak, born and raised in this village. Everything on this site is written from prices and views we’ve seen for ourselves.

VIDEOEveryday life: one Japanese and the Sasak staff Our story — the team, the village and how we work

10:00 PM

A night of nothing but waves

The stars come out. Turn the clock and choose the month and time you’ll arrive.

This time tomorrow,
where will you be?

That was a day in Sekotong. Turn the clock and choose the time you’d like to arrive. You don’t need fixed dates — questions are welcome too.

Ask about arriving at 10:00 PM

Dates already set? Go to Book

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