Every traveller to a new place needs to know the essentials… the best places to stay, where to eat, where to go, what to do, etc. In this third chapter of “Lombok Essentials” we give you great places to party the night away with the best clubs on Lombok!
Marina Café is almost an institution, having operated successfully for over a decade in different premises in Senggigi. The present club is located on the main road at the southern entrance to town.
Part of Marina’s success is in the great layout of the building. Immediately at the entrance is open space, with a few tables for sitting outside in the fresh air and watching the crowds arrive. There is a large bar and serving area, where you can order everything from a three course meal to a wood-fired pizza. Stairs lead up the outside of the building to the second floor balcony, which shares the top bar and provides a bird’s eye view of the action on the street below.
Downstairs the bar runs along the left side, with a dance floor and the stage. Short steps lead up to an elevated seating level at the rear of the room and other stairs continue to the mezzanine area on the second floor. From the second floor, ample seating and standing room provides good views of the stage and dance floor below. At the back, there’s a separate area with a pool table and private seating.
Tasteful use of wood and local timbers, fast and efficient service and reasonable drinks prices all add to the success of Marina (as it’s known locally). The club has a live house band every night, playing top ten covers and popular rock, and special guest DJ’s and different live bands from Java every month.
Marina is equally popular with the local crowd in Lombok, expat residents and tourists. It’s a great place to rub shoulders with a wide selection of people and get a taste of the local nightclub scene. Saturday nights are usually packed, especially after 10pm.
Gosip Discotheque is located in the heart of Senggigi, upstairs in the Senggigi Square. The huge building has a true disco feel, with its collection of glittering mirror balls and a fantastic state-of-the-art sound system.
Once up the stairs, the room opens into different spacious areas, depending on what you want to do. There are comfortable couches and private seating nooks against the far wall, perfect for watching the action all around. There are even two private VIP lounge areas, for groups and private parties, tucked into a secluded section at the back of the room.
The bar runs along most of the length of the room and has ample seating on bar stools, or on groups of tables nearby. Drinks are reasonably priced and there’s also a selection of club cocktails available by the glass or pitcher.
In the centre are open areas for dancing and, at either end, raised daises on which the “sexy dancers” perform. The sexy dancers, a group of beautiful girls who dance and gyrate to the music every night, are a major attraction at the disco; drawing large crowds every night.
Gosip prides itself on quality music, playing the latest techno and disco through a sophisticated sound system with speakers mounted around the room. There is a resident DJ every night, and special guest DJ’s pack the dance floor after midnight.
Step into Sahara Club and its like being transported to Egypt! The popular nightclub, located in the Senggigi Plaza just off the main street, is entirely Egyptian themed, with walls created to look like the inside of a pyramid and ample use of traditional Egyptian colours, statues and wall murals.
Sahara Restaurant occupies the ground floor at street level, while upstairs are two main floors housing the Club. The first level divides into two areas at the top of the stairs, with the right side having limited space for watching the live bands and DJ’s up close. To the left, there is the main bar with tables and seating grouped nearby and then the large dance floor, necessary to accommodate the crowds who pack it nearly every night.
The Club has a wide selection of drinks, with popular spirits available by the glass or by the bottle. There’s also an incredible range of cocktails at reasonable prices, including some real crowd pleasers that the efficient bar staff enjoy setting flame to!
On the far side of the dance floor is a large raised level with comfortable seating, for groups watching the bands and dancers from the elevated tables. Upstairs is a mezzanine floor, running along two sides of the dance floor and overlooking the stage. This area is often packed with people watching the action on the floor below. There are also some booths at the back with large comfortable couches for escaping the crowd.
Sahara has gained incredible popularity over the past year or so, bringing some of the best live acts from around the nation to Lombok. Every month features a parade of popular DJ’s and live bands from Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung and surrounds. There are also regular theme nights and parties, most of which last until the early hours of the morning.
The Club’s DJ’s play mostly current dance music, with the bands playing R & B and top ten covers. Popular with trendsetters from the city, and expats and tourists who flock there after the bars close, Sahara is a great place to see some local action and check out some very talented DJ’s and local musicians from around Indonesia.
