In Reply to: Bali and Lombok posted by GaryD on Tuesday, 13. October 2009 at 12:09 Bali Time:
the budget places were all full the entire time I was there, including during Ramadan. I stayed at Santai Beach Inn in Mangsit, Lombok (near Senggigi) which is on the beach and traditional thatched roof, no a/c type bungalows. It was booked out the entire 3 weeks we were there. A friend who has a small homestay off the beaten track in Kurandungan also was full. I'm glad I thought to book ahead otherwise I would have had to stay in more expensive places here and there for a few nights around existing guest bookings, which would have severely blown the budget and interupted my hammock time.
For the past 2-3 years I have never booked, and was often the only guest at homestays, but looks like things are back to how it was pre-2002. The owner of Santai mentioned that this year is the first year she has put all staff back on full-time since 2002.
Bottom line - you may be able to find somewhere for a night but will struggle if you want to stay longer, especially June which is peak season. Definately book ahead for Lombok and the Gilis. Bali has more competition so maybe not so important there in the busy tourist areas.