Puri Mas Resort - Sengiggi, Lombok

Paradise found. We highly recommend Puri Mas to anyone considering a trip to Indonesia. This beautiful boutique resort is located along a beautiful quiet beach north of Sengiggi. The design is incredible - amazing landscaping, beautiful Balinese statues, tasteful bungalows, a classy restaurant, and an infinity pool overlooking the ocean and Bali's volcano.

We LOVED it! The staff learned our names and made us feel like family. A couple of expats (one aussie and a kiwi) live here in huge villas year round - they never want to leave this paradise. The aussie (who looks like a British rocker) is so removed from the world, he asked us if we heard there was an earthquake in China. You mean the one that occurred 3 months ago? Then, he said he kind of heard about a storm in Burma. This guy was a trip.

A group of Russians were also staying there and they were so pleased that we made it to the summit of Rinjani that they bought us a celebratory shot and gave us cake! We feel like we made friends with everyone there (guests and staff), it is so small and intimate. The people thought Brennan was a hollywood celebrity and wanted to take pictures with him :)

After such a tough hike, we treated ourselves to hot stone massages at the spa. The spa, about a 5 minute drive from the main resort, is an exotic retreat nestled in the mountains. Wild animals roam the grounds (huge peacocks, expensive tropical birds - even a toucan!, and creatures we had never seen before with shimmering feathers). I can't even describe it - it feels like you've been knocked on the head and woke up in a fantasy world with mystical creatures and incredible decor, incorporating nature everywhere. And, the massage hadn't even started yet! By the pool, we met another animal lovingly referred to as Osama - check out the pic of Lassie with sunglasses and a turban. He was one cool dog.

We stumbled upon Puri Mas when staying next door at a bungalow and ended up staying 4 nights. It was truly the highlight of our trip. We felt completely relaxed and fully restored after only a couple of days. We cannot recommend this enough (and its only 1/4 of what you would pay at home) - we would love to come back here one day. A truly amazing paradise.