If you’re looking for an unspoiled alternative to Bali, the island of Lombok, just east of Bali, is an untouched sanctuary where you can still find pristine beaches and crystal-clear water.

Bill Helmers, President of PT Galeri Property Development, describes Lombok’s appeal. “Having been going to Lombok for the last five years, and having been a Bali traveler for 12 years, what’s always fascinated me about Lombok is that it’s what Bali was 30 years ago. It has fishing villages, small communities, very little development, stunning white-sand beaches, and the water is crystal clear.”

Cemara Beach is the site of The Galeri, a luxury, five-star resort community that will enjoy access to ten kilometres of unspoilt beachfront. It's a one-and-a-half hour drive from Lombok airport. 

Bill explains how he found the site: “I walked virtually every single metre of the coastline in the last three or four years before settling on buying this particular piece of land. When I drove to the site and walked up to the crest of the hill and saw the Indian Ocean and the beach and the landscape, it was jaw-droppingly beautiful. There was a real wow factor.”

“The second thing,” said Bill of the location, “is the wonderful trade-wind breeze that comes off the Indian Ocean. The site doesn’t have the hot, humid climate you get on the north side of Lombok. It has a more Mediterranean feel in terms of the geology, the landscape, the botany, the climate. So it’s just incredibly comfortable in body and spirit.”

“It’s a spectacular setting, but it’s also a unique offering within Lombok,” explained Bill. “Most other offerings are budget hotels, backpacker hotels. Galeri is top quality by every measure. This is truly a luxury property – the design, the fitout, the quality of the execution, the programming of the resort. It’s truly a paradise within a paradise.”

Galeri Property Development is the developer of the Lombok resort, and has built resort, hospitality, and residential projects around the world. Penjor Bali Mandiri, a leading architecture and construction-project-management company based in Bali, is the builder. The interiors will be by Ara Asia Design.

The development will consist of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom Resort Villas, and eight exclusive three- and four-bedroom Residences. 

Galeri will offer a fitness centre, tennis courts, off-road bicycles, an aquatic centre, scuba-diving and snorkeling, surfing, fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding, kite surfing, kids club, and a business centre. 

“We’ve programmed the resort to cater to two kinds of tastes,” said Bill. “You’ll be able to kick back, relax, and just completely indulge yourself and do nothing. Or the resort offers a whole range of activities.

“And Lombok, as an island, offers all sorts of incredible things to do. There are waterfalls, you can climb Mt Rinjani, which can be a three-day event. And it takes no more than a day to go to Komodo. The island is surrounded by incredible scuba diving. I’m an avid scuba diver, and this is in the top five per cent in terms of marine life and the crystal-clear water.”

Terje Nilsen, the principal of Paradise Property Group who is marketing the project, said completion of the new international airport in Praya and extensive government investment in roads, utilities and telecommunications, mean Lombok is poised to become one of South East Asia’s hot spots. In many locations in South Lombok, land prices have more than doubled over the last year.

The Galeri has been designed to offer investors a superbly managed asset with superior capital appreciation and attractive returns. 

“If you look at the prices in Bali for similar product” explained Bill, “It’s less than half the price.”

Those who opt for full ownership of a villa have 28 annual ownership-use days in the Resort Collection, and 42 annual-ownership use days in the Residence Collection.

Shared ownership is also available for those whose lifestyle or investment portfolios are not suited to whole ownership.

“We’ve spent a lot of time and effort creating a product range and price point that appeals to a wide variety of investor styles, budgets, and tastes,” said Bill. “Within the resort community we have eight very high-end residences. These are extremely exclusive.

“But we’re also offering fractional ownership,” said Bill. “Imagine you’re a 30-year-old, you’ve got a bit of money together, but you can’t afford to buy into this lifestyle because most resorts are asking a million dollars for a one-bedroom villa. We’re offering an opportunity where you have all the rights and benefits of home ownership, but it allows people with a smaller budget to still enjoy the lifestyle.

“We’re finding a really great response from the younger crowd.”

HGB Titles (corporate tenure) are available to Indonesian citizens and to foreigners via PMA company structures who wish to procure whole ownership in the resort and luxury residence collections. The Galeri Beach Resort & Residence management team will assist investors who wish to pursue HGB titles.

Construction is expected to be completed in mid-2018.

Read more about the Galeri project here.