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Holidays

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Original poster

What airline for island hopping in Indonesia?

12 replies

iwanttolearn · 21/05/2009 11:42

I'm thinking of taking the kids this summer for a few weeks. How can I travel around with them.....safely? I've only flown with Lion Air and I was a bit scared. It was a very old plane and the airline doesn't have a particlarly good safety record. I've heard similar stories about Adam Air.

Is it better to take a boat?

OP posts:

alibubbles · 21/05/2009 11:48

We decided to hang the cost and use Singapore airlines, I read bout the safety record of some of the budget airlines and shudddered. My father is an Air Traffic Controller and my DH is a private pilot........

muggglewump · 21/05/2009 11:55

Merpayi is the only one I know of. I'm going back a few years but I've flown with them from Bali to Lombok a few times.
They don't have a great safety record but then neither do Garuda and I've flown with them from here to Bali and Bali to Oz a few times because it was the cheapest. They are not allowed to operate from here anymore though.

I also flew with another airline once, Airmark I think it was called, again from Bali to Lombok.

I don't think the boats have a great safety record either but again I've used them from Bali Lombok and Lombok Sumbawa which were big car ferries and also speedboats to Lombok and then the small boats from Lombok to the Gillis. A tad scary once or twice but OK.

I think you take a risk when you travel in such places really, not that it stopped me.

muggglewump · 21/05/2009 11:56

Sorry, that should read Merpati

My last time there was in 2002 and the first in 1999 so I have no experience since then.

Original poster

iwanttolearn · 21/05/2009 12:08

Do Singapore airlines fly within Indonesia though? Or do you have to fly directly from Singapore? I think I'd rather fly with them. My flight with Lion Air was an experience I'd rather not repeat

Have either of you been there with dcs? Where are the easiest places to go with them? I'll be taking dd2 and dd3, who are 10 and 6.

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muggglewump · 21/05/2009 12:18

I took DD when she was 13 months. We went to Bali (Kuta, Ubud and Lovina), Lombok (Senggigi and Kuta plus in and out of Mataram and Ampenan shopping) and all three Gillis, staying on Gilli Trawangan, we went up there a few times from Senggigi as we were away for ten weeks. We didn't do much really, it was mainly for relaxing and just getting away for a while after I'd had a bad year.

I think the problem with older kids may be the travelling. It is hot and uncomfortable on buses and boats, it depends how good they are with that. I think DD who is now 7 wouldn't be too good with it and I'd fly.

The other thing is keeping them entertained. While I am happy just wandering or even sitting and watching the world go by, DD not so much!

Your kids may be fine with it though.

Singapore may fly within Indo, I'm not sure but if they do I'd have thought it would be the main routes, Jakrta, Bali, perhaps Lombok and Sumatra. I doubt they will do the smaller islands though. Saying that there's plenty to see in the bigger places, I've never been to Java or Sumatra and would love to. I'd also like to go right off the beaten track but it's all just a dream for now.

I'm very envious of you.

Original poster

iwanttolearn · 21/05/2009 12:26

I'm thinking of flying for that reason! DD3 doesn't do well with "long, boring and hot".
I'll probably bring a dvd player for her if we go on buses. DD2 is much better and doesn't get bored so easily.

The heat too can be quite bad. I've already taken them to Thailand and we had to do things either very early in the morning or later in the afternoon. I took them in April, Thailand's hottest time of year....

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muggglewump · 21/05/2009 12:28

Actually now I come to think of it. There was a boat trip from Lombok to Flores, 4 days three nights I think it is (or was) which stops off at other islands including Komodo and Rinca. Lots of snorkelling and of ccourse the dragons. If you did that you could fly back to Bali or Lombok from Labuanbajo and only have to take one sllightly (perhaps) iffy flight. If you took the fast boast from Bali to Lombok (2 hours I think that was) it would mean not too much travel time and that would be great. I got as far as Sape (on Sumbawa) and met a nice man and his nicer big knife so never did quite make it to Komodo!

That was 10 years ago now, pre DD.
I just remember being pissed off that I'd sat on a bus with sub zero air con that had a leaky roof for 24 hours and never did get to see a dragon.

muggglewump · 21/05/2009 12:36

Last time I was there which was with DD we did venture out early in the morning and then late afternoon and all evening, till midnight usually. She was easily entertained then though, being a baby crawling on the floor was fine for her, plus she was whisked away constatly as everyone wanted to play with her so it gave me plenty of time to relax.
We were also invited into lots of homes to meet their children so got to see a lot of local culture and eat some great food (and some not so great, the garden weeds with the world's hottest chilli will haunt me forever!)

It was a great trip but wouldn't work the same way now.
I'd have to have a decentish hotel with a pool for DD and things to keep her interested more.

Not that I wouldn't go again tomorrow, I would but it would have to be different to last time.

Perhaps your kids would like a few days in Kuta for the waterpark at least, I think there's a bird park too and of course McDonalds and Pizza hut which always helps fed up kids, well it does mine anyway!

Original poster

iwanttolearn · 21/05/2009 12:39

That's a wonderful idea, and I'm sure DDs would want to see the dragons

Buses are awful aren't they? We had to take a few in Thailand and this was with DCs. Not pleasant. And I didn't really enjoy watching the cement mixers/other buses, etc who flew at us from the opposite direction!

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Original poster

iwanttolearn · 21/05/2009 12:44

Garden weeds wouldn't appeal to either of the dds. It wouldn't really appeal to me either, especially not with hot chilli.

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muggglewump · 21/05/2009 12:49

Ah Asian busses. You've gotta love em! I read somewhere that the big ones have two temps on the air con. Sub Zero and suspended animation. They weren't wrong. I'm suprised I didn't have frostbite after one such bus trip from the Thai border to Singapore, and then there's the small ones. I had the dubious honour of sitting at the front next to the driver for a 4 hour trip once. I felt horribly compelled to watch as he was going round blind corners on the wrong side of the road.
I can laugh now and actually thionk it's part of the fun but at the time I learned swearwords and prayed to Gods I did not know existed

rosbif · 22/05/2009 05:48

Do Air Asia operate on any of the routes? They are great for a low cost and have fab, new airplanes. If not Merpati was okay in my experience. Java is apparently wonderful but haven't been there personally. Have a great time!

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