Footprints Backpacker

The nearby mosque is outside the owners’ control, but the prayers were very loud, starting at 4am and waking me even through earplugs. They happened several more times during the day and again around 10something pm. I’m a non-believer, so it’s not something I like hearing, though I know this is a Muslim country. Still, the price, staff, rooms, and location made it worthwhile. It’s a great place with a kind owner and staff, and the rooms are clean.

The view from the rooftop is lovely, with mountain hills and both sunrise and sunset to enjoy in the cool breeze. There are broad rice paddies out front, a smaller one beside the hostel, and plenty more nearby. I liked walking along the long road, taking in the scenery and watching local life. Guests have hot showers, lockers, drinking water, a kitchen, microwave, fridge, laundry-drying space, and a communal room with a TV, foosball, and a small pool table. Express laundry is available too. I got a good price through Agoda. The staff were friendly, attentive, and helpful. They offered to buy dinner for me, shared mangoes from their yard, and gave me a bike ride to the nearby Damri bus terminal. We’ve become friends. :) Fortunate coffee, a vegan restaurant, is about 400m away. Transmart Mataram is 1.4 km away, and the Damri bus terminal Mataram is 2 km away. You can take the bus to Sembalun for a Rinjani hike, the airport, the port to sumbawa, mandalika, and more, with tickets booked through Damri apps. There’s also a plant-based place about 5 km away and dapur sayur vegan/ rm kasih vegetarian about 2.7 km away. Across the street by the school, to the left of the front gate, local stalls sell Indonesian breakfast food and close before noon. I had a nice stay and would happily come back. 😊

The owners are respectable and very friendly. It’s a clean, respectable choice for budget travelers who want to avoid sleazy hotels. The Damri bus station for airport trips is within walking distance, as are convenience stores, TransMart, a hospital, banks, and shops. Even though it’s on the main street, I barely heard traffic at night. There are several room options: a family room with four comfortable single beds and an en-suite bathroom with a water heater, plus a VIP room with a king bed and en-suite bathroom. The second floor has two backpacker rooms with bunks and lockers, along with a living room with game tables, a reading corner, and a long wooden table for hanging out. There’s no lift. A mid-size meeting room can host a small or medium conference. The lawn has mango trees and a wooden gazebo like those at houses in Lombok. Sitting there in the evening under the moonlight and July’s cool breeze was lovely. They sell yummy chicken noodles each evening for only Rp13k. Though it’s rated just a 1 star hotel, it’s a convenient place to stay.

The hostel is spacious and really nice, and I’ll definitely come again. I booked quite late on a public holiday and turned out to be the only guest. Even so, the owners let me stay and helped me figure out how to reach my next destination the following morning. The owner drove me to the bus station.