Les Rizieres: onze favorite place to stay in Tetebatu
When we embarked on a beautiful 3-month journey through Indonesia in 2017, Tetebatu was one of our favorite places of the trip. Besides being incredibly beautiful, Tetebatu, also known as the green heart of Lombok, was made even more special by the accommodation Les Rizieres. Therefore, we decided to return to this small-scale hotel at the foot of Rinjani this year, and we are so happy with this choice!
Go to Les Rizieres website or book directly via Booking.com.
The Rooms at Les Rizieres
Upon entering, you immediately feel a warm welcome. Owners Katie and Thomas have created such a warm and homely place here in Tetebatu. The hotel is essentially a beautiful large authentic house (or I could call it a villa) where different rooms have been built. Although the garden still has the same great vibe as 7 years ago, almost all the rooms have had a major upgrade. The rooms are incredibly spacious, with beautiful authentic details yet modern and equipped with a lot of convenience. You step in here and it immediately feels right.
For a few years now, 2 rooms have also been built in an adjacent building, with the upper room offering a splendid view of the rice fields and Rinjani.
Relaxing in the Garden
Les Rizieres is located at the foot of Rinjani. Because the house is slightly lower, Katie and Thomas have built a high terrace with bean bags and other nice lounge areas where you can overlook the rice fields of Tetebatu and of course Rinjani, one of the largest volcanoes in Lombok. The garden of Les Rizieres is a green oasis of peace, a very nice place to relax after your trek.
Let’s talk FOOD
Every day, a different delightful dish is on the menu. From local specialties to a good pasta. There is also always a vegetarian option available. After a long day, it was secretly very nice that we didn’t have to go anywhere and could just sit down at our own place. The fact that the food was also fantastic is, of course, an extra big bonus.
The breakfast was also truly delicious. Thanks to the French owners, crepes were on the menu, and believe me, you want to taste them!
Book that hike through the rice fields
I can’t say it enough: book that hike through the rice fields of Tetebatu! This part of Lombok is incredibly beautiful. Unlike Bali where the rice fields have been transformed into insta-hotspots, here you still get a glimpse of local life in Lombok. From your accommodation, you walk into the rice fields with your guide. If you’re lucky, the 2 dogs of the accommodation, Mini and Loulou, will walk with you.
The walk takes about 6 hours in total. It’s all quite flat, so it’s doable for everyone. At the beginning, you mainly walk through the rice fields. Our fantastic guide Yen told us everything about the process and all the plants we encountered along the way. From durian, gigantic avocado trees, fresh mangoes to the real Lombok pepper. It all grows here like crazy! All thanks to the Rinjani volcano, which makes the soil in Tetebatu incredibly fertile.
After a short stop for Lombok coffee at a spice shop, we head to the Secret Waterfall of Tetebatu. Through the water, we arrive at a beautiful small but oh so green waterfall. We take a refreshing dip before continuing our hike.
We walk to Monkey Forest where you can spot the black macaque. This type of monkey is only found in a few places in the world, including Tetebatu. Although macaques are not known as the friendliest members of the forest, black macaques are shy, calm, and stay high in the trees. After a while, we encounter a large group.
After a very good lunch at Warung Monkey Forest, we walk back to the accommodation, but not before having one last coffee. And not just any coffee! No, one that we have to make ourselves the Lombok way.
Our guide Yen also shows us his house and tells us so much about local life and the surroundings of Tetebatu along the way. It’s nice that this place still feels so nice and warm after 7 years.
