Renting a Car in Lombok, Indonesia
Lombok is an Indonesian island east of Bali and west of Sumbawa, part of the Lesser Sunda Island chain. It’s known for beaches and surfing spots, particularly at Kuta and Banko Banko (in south Lombok).
Lombok is famous for its beautiful beaches and Mount Rinjani. You will have activities of what to do in Lombok if you vacation on this island. This small island has many attractions and off the beaten path destinations that you can visit. Lombok is a beautiful island in Indonesia, still relatively unknown to tourists. We spent 10 days in lombok and it is best to explore it with a car (or a scooter if you do not have three kids to tag along). The traffic is non existing if you are outside the towns.
I found couple of car rental agencies online and contacted them via Whatsapp. Originally we chose to do business with another company but upon delivering the car to the harbor, we discovered that there was a miscommunication and they delivered something that we did not order. We decided to not take their offer because the car also was all beat up and dirty inside and out. Then I contacted another person that according to the reviews was excellent and I have to tell that after 10 days, I have to say that the reviews were right.
We rented a 7 passenger Toyota Avanza. The car was delivered to our hotel up in the north side of the Island for an additional charge (but it was so small that it was worth it). the car was delivered as promised the same day.
The person that delivered the car picked up the money – gave us the car keys and that was that. only cash accepted. Total paid for 13 days: 4.500.000 IDR (300$ US)- about 23$ US per day. I am sure if renting for longer period it would be additional discount. This car rental agency did not require any deposit as well.
The car was in excellent condition.
The person delivering the car did not require us to show passport or driver’s license – but That is maybe due to Ramadan taking place as Lombok is predominantly a muslim island.
Anyways, we had a great experience and will do this again with the same company (or person?). Here are the location and phone number: RICO MANDALIKA LOMBOK CAR RENTAL. The return was easy- they picked up the car from the harbor that we agreed on.
In comparison: other car rental agencies have cars for rent starting at 550.000 IDR per day (around 34$ US) and mainly these agencies cater to tourists and are located near the Lombok airport.
If you are ever in Lombok, I greatly recommend Rico Mandalika lombok Car rental. They are located in Kuta, lombok, but will bring the car if you need to where ever on the island (it may cost a bit extra but it is well worth it). The rental agency will also pick it up the car from where you need it. I believe, the price is very budget friendly especially for a bigger SUV that we got.
It was like a seamless transaction overall- easy, painless and quick.