Post-corona: a beach holiday and learning to surf in this surfing paradise on Lombok

Goals: learning to surf on Lombok after the corona crisis, during a wonderful beach holiday. If there is one place where you can learn to surf in complete calm, it is here: Selong Belanak.

A post-corona beach holiday

What will be the finest sun destinations once we are living post-corona and the lockdowns are lifted? We answer that question in a fresh batch of blog articles.

Selong Belanak Beach

Today we turn to Selong Belanak Beach, a wonderful place to relax. Yes, that one belongs at the top of your list. Sunbathing and learning to surf with no sense of time at all. Here the sun seems to shine always.

There is a vast white sandy beach with fantastic blue water. For the rest the place breathes calm and peace. There are tourists here and there, but nowhere does it approach the crowds of a tourist centre.

Which is hardly surprising. There are perhaps a handful of hotels nearby. And finding one ‘real’ restaurant counts as an achievement.

The crowds have not discovered this atmospheric little surfing paradise yet. Which leaves you all the room you need to do your own thing at your own pace. Learning to surf, for instance.

Learning to surf on Lombok

Selong Belanak beach has a row of beach huts and small surf schools. Prices vary, but private lessons here are cheaper than at the typical tourist magnets in any case.

The surf instructors there have plenty of experience and radiate enthusiasm. The locals take their time with you, so you can learn to surf in a relaxed way. And the sandy bottom feels pleasant underfoot and deepens gradually.

The sun-drenched beach, the tropical surf huts and the cattle wandering past: this is a lovely setting. And towards evening you take in the sunset. Shades of pink and red on your retina.

When we were there, before corona, we alternated surfing days with spontaneous scooter safaris. While nature offered splendour at every turn, the beach always felt like coming home.

Local people’s income

• Sometimes the few tourists complain that the locals are pushy.
• Anyone visiting the beach quickly meets surfers pushing their schools keenly.
• You are also pointed to the paid sun loungers, the treats on the menu, and so on.

First, this is largely how local people make a living. Second, it is a phenomenon you find everywhere. We are used to a bit of it, and the exchanges stayed remarkably relaxed.

Plus: we wanted to learn to surf. And afterwards a sun lounger is rather nice. Finally, a polite ‘no’ is simply an answer. We certainly did not take up the first offer that came along. Look around at your leisure, or walk away from the huts; the beach is big enough.

Food and drink at Selong Belanak

We have already let slip that Selong Belanak is not exactly a culinary paradise. During the day you can get food and drink at those same surf schools. They often have several dishes on the menu, including ‘familiar’ chips.

You may wonder who chooses chips on a trip through Indonesia. Well, we did. Disclaimer: after weeks of rice dishes on the menu. In the evening there is a restaurant open nearby.

• The few hotels there are, as it happens, usually serve excellent breakfasts.
• All in all you can spend a good while there. The wildness of this area is entirely worth it.
• In short, Selong Belanak is a little paradise if you want to learn to surf on Lombok.