Indonesia -

rahamin, our guide to the Lombok Straits, weaves coconut frond bracelets for extra money. He has a large, toothy grin and like many Indonesians goes by only one name.

"My children are nine and five years old," he explains as he steers his wooden boat through calm blue waters. "They need to go to school. My wife doesn't work so I am the only one earning. Now there are not so many tourists, but I hope it will pick up soon."

Fortunately perhaps for the few who do make it to Lombok, Brahamin's hope is unlikely to come true soon. While the Bali bombings should perhaps have increased the popularity of sleepy backwaters like Lombok, prejudice prevails over reason and tourism is suffering throughout the region. While Indonesia certainly does face ongoing security challenges, the archipelago's 17,000 islands present plenty of opportunities for amazing beach adventures and charming getaways that feel rather remote from any such danger.

Geographically close to Bali, Lombok seems a world away with its smattering of endearing villas, stunning vistas and beaches, great restaurants as well as 'cheap and cheerful' roadside eateries. Some say Lombok is the new Bali – but it would be more accurate to describe it as the old one.

Rini Raksadjaya, director of the Indonesian Centre for Tourism Studies, rates Lombok as one of the most unjustly overlooked destinations in Indonesia. "Lombok is something new," she said. "It is peaceful and the nature is beautiful, but we must be careful not to overbuild and overload the island."

For now, that is not a worry. According to the Bali Tourism Authority, over 1,247,867 tourists visited Bali from January to October 2005, while only 123,370 made it to West Nusa Tenggara, the province in which Lombok is situated, in the whole of 2004. Lombok's prices are cheaper than Bali's; there are less motorbikes, fewer tacky shops and just a fraction of the tourists in evidence. But don't worry, you're not too far off the beaten track. Places to stay range from cute boutique establishments to giants like the Oberoi, and you're never too far away from a mojito or slice of chocolate cake.

If you have just a few days to spare for Lombok, you'll have enough time to take in the island, paddle around the indigo Lombok Straits, and get into a good book. But once you've done all that, there's still more to discover.

Most of Lombok's beachfront hotels, as well as independent agents, can arrange snorkelling and boating tours to nearby Gili Islands for USD 25 per person. Brahamin took us out there on his outrigger boat, the Kura Kura. The islands feature wide-open sand beaches, colourful makeshift juice huts and plenty of shady palms offering respite from the sun. Horse-drawn carriage is the preferred mode of transportation across the Gilis.

Besides the Caribbean, these small islands are the only other location in the world known to feature rare blue coral. Gili Trawangan offers excellent opportunities for close-up observation of the coral reef and its inhabitants.

The next stop was Gili Meno, known for its giant sea turtles that swim with astounding ease through great depths of water. Brahamin snorkelled with us, grabbing our hands and pointing out the turtles with such emphatic gestures you might forget he had seen them a thousand times before.

Our lunch stop was a beach on the western shore of Gili Meno. It didn't take long to choose a place: there was only one. Good Heart Restaurant serves huge platters of fresh grilled fish and cold beers to patrons seated in cushioned beach bungalows. Platters of the day's king fish and squid were going for less than USD 10, leaving us enough for a bracelet of polished coconut buttons. After a judicious nap, we shoved off again to float, find more turtles and gape at the black-and-white zebra fish below.

Late in the day, Brahamin steered our boat around Lombok's jagged western coast. A few monkeys scampered over a rocky outcropping above the white sand beaches. The water grew bluer, more opalescent, as the sun began its hazy decline.

The Lombok Straits hold some of the deepest water in Indonesia, which accounts to some extent for the contrast between Bali's long rainy season and Lombok's drier weather. Lombok lies squarely along the Wallace Line (AR Wallace's well known flora and fauna divide that cuts through Asia). We settled in for a clear night under bright stars.

Simple breakfasts, both Western and Indonesian, are readily available across Lombok. A sampling of eggs, toast and coffee from Qunci Villas arrived the next morning on our balcony, but any number of the open-air cafes along Jalan Raya Senggigi offers much the same. Several simple beachfront operations post signs for Western breakfasts and fresh juice.

Also readily available across the island, though in no way crowding the two-lane roads, are motorbikes for rent. Most hotels charge USD 4-8 for the day, including helmets and fuel.

Speeding through rice paddies, past palm-lined beaches and thatch huts selling petrol and coconut juice, Lombok unfolded with rugged but majestic beauty. Roads wrapping the full circumference of the island afford grand views of the coral waters and palm-shaded beaches below. That afternoon we slept on the beach, ate 20-cent bowls of soto ayam (chicken soup) at a street stall, and snapped photos of everything in sight.

Many independent travellers to Lombok head north, taking in a trek up the 12,224 foot Mount Rinjani to see its many waterfalls, the nearly 300-year-old Hindu temple at Lingsar, and the countless rice fields and beaches in between. The north of the island affords natural, unobstructed views, while the south is more developed. Porters, guides and maps for a trek up the mountain can be acquired at the Trek Information Centre at its base.

After a full day of motoring, we wound our way back to Sire Beach. Sounds of prayer from the local mosque wafted over the waters before us and several visitors reclined in an open-air massage hut. With the sun in descent, the greenery turned to shadows and blackness. Bali was obscured by a bank of clouds with only the cone of Mount Agung cresting through the top.

Lombok is being developed. Its infrastructure is be upgraded through a series of new national investment projects worth USD 22 billion, which began in July 2005. There is speculation that several new resorts are drafting their plans for the island. "The community must be involved in all development and tourism discussions about Lombok," warns Raksadjaya of the Indonesian Centre for Tourism Studies, who is working in consultation with the government of Indonesia on Lombok's tourism plans. "It should not become a second Bali."

For now, the island retains its genteel dignity. While visiting the main town of Senggigi, passing by its dusty streetside cafes and eclectic art galleries, we chatted with a passing man who asked how long we would be staying on the island.

When he heard how soon we were leaving he said, "Oh, that's very bad news. Very bad news indeed."

We couldn't have agreed more.