Lombok or Nusa Penida?

Lombok has far more beach to choose from. The three Gilis have pale sand and calm, shallow water where you can snorkel among turtles a few metres from the shore. On the south coast around Kuta, Selong Belanak and Mawun are sheltered enough for an easy swim, and the islets off Sekotong add very clear water with few people.

Nusa Penida's beaches are impressive, but mostly as views. Kelingking and Diamond Beach sit below high cliffs, reached by steep paths, and the surf on the south and east coasts often makes swimming risky. Crystal Bay and Atuh are the places that work, and they suit a swim between viewpoints rather than a week lying on the sand.

Lombok gives you a cuisine worth seeking out. Sasak cooking is properly hot: chicken grilled with chilli paste, water spinach under a fierce sambal, and sweet-spicy beef skewers from Rembiga. It tastes best at the warung and night markets of Mataram and Cakranegara, while the Gilis and Kuta serve a reliable travellers' menu of fish barbecues and pizza.

On Nusa Penida you eat simply. Family warungs serve nasi campur and plainly grilled fish, and the north coast has a short strip of smoothie-bowl cafés. Keen eaters do better to save their serious meals for mainland Bali.

Neither island is a reason to travel for history, but Lombok has more variety. Around Mataram you can see the Mayura water palace with its pavilion in a lotus pond, the terraced gardens of Narmada and the temple at Lingsar, which Hindu and Wetu Telu Muslim worshippers share. Further out, the Sasak villages of Sade and Ende and the thatched mosque at Bayan add a day of contrast.

Nusa Penida's interest is narrower but more spiritual. In Balinese belief it is the home of the demon-king Ratu Gede Mecaling, and pilgrims cross the strait to Pura Dalem Ped. Goa Giri Putri, a cave temple you enter through a narrow gap in the rock, is the other visit, and after that there is little more to see.

If you want to go out, it has to be Lombok, and in practice that means Gili Trawangan. Its east-side strip has beach bars, reggae shacks and party nights that move from venue to venue, with a young, barefoot crowd who walk or cycle home late. Kuta has a smaller surfers' bar scene, and Gili Air keeps to sunset drinks.

Nusa Penida has a beer at sunset and then dinner, and most visitors are in bed early for the morning boats and dives. Even Lembongan, across the channel, has nothing that runs late.

Both islands are outstanding outdoors, in different ways. Lombok has the mountain: Rinjani rises to 3,726m, and its crater lake makes a two- to four-day trek with nights on the rim. It also has the surf of Desert Point and the beginner-friendly bays around Gerupuk, plus turtles and reef sharks off the Gilis.

Nusa Penida's wildlife is underwater, and it is more distinctive. You can swim with reef mantas off the southwest coast all year, and in the cooler months divers come for the sunfish, on drift dives that need experience. On land the cliffs at Kelingking and Broken Beach are spectacular, but walking there means short descents rather than trails.

Both islands have a similar small set of outings. From Lombok, the obvious day is a boat to one of the Gilis, or out from Sekotong to Gili Nanggu and Gili Kedis. Inland you can combine Mataram's temples with the weaving at Sukarara and the potters of Banyumulek. Bali is about two hours away by fast boat, too far for an easy return in a day.

Nusa Penida sits right next to its neighbours. Lembongan and Ceningan, with their mangroves, seaweed farms and suspension bridge, are a short hop away, and Sanur is under an hour by boat. Ubud and the rice terraces are still a long day there and back.

Lombok is much easier with children, as long as you base yourselves on Gili Air or Gili Meno. There are no motor vehicles, the water is shallow and calm on the sheltered sides, and children can watch turtles just off the beach. Moving between bases by boat and on winding roads is tiring, though.

Nusa Penida is hard work for young families. The famous beaches need steep climbs, most coasts are too rough for small swimmers, and the drives between sights are long and bumpy. Confident older swimmers may love a manta trip, but families with small children usually stay on Lembongan and visit for the day.

Lombok's main roads are in reasonable shape, and the drive from the airport to Kuta is quick. There is no public transport for visitors, so you rely on hired drivers, scooters and agency shuttles, but the Gilis have no motor vehicles at all and you can walk or cycle across any of them in under an hour. The slow going is on the mountain roads to Senaru and Sembalun and the long run to the southwest.

Nusa Penida's roads are narrow, steep and often broken, and its main viewpoints lie far apart on opposite coasts, so most visitors hire a car and driver for the day. Rented scooters are common, but inexperienced riders often crash on the gradients and loose surfaces. On both islands the boats land on the beach and can be cancelled when the sea is up.

Lombok has a modest but real craft trail. Sukarara and Pringgasela weave songket and ikat, Banyumulek and Penujak make terracotta, and the workshops of Sekarbela in Mataram sell the island's cultured pearls. You can buy each of these where it is made.

Nusa Penida has one craft worth the effort: the handwoven ikat from looms in villages such as Tanglad. Beyond that there are sarong and hat stalls at the viewpoints, and anything else waits for Bali.

Both islands are cheap to stay on, but Lombok goes further on a small budget. Warung meals, simple bungalows and scooter hire cost little, especially on the south coast and in the Rinjani villages. Only the Gilis, where everything comes by boat, and the clifftop villas cost noticeably more.

Nusa Penida's guesthouses and warung meals are also cheap. The costs come from the things you cannot avoid: a private driver for each day of sightseeing, boat crossings, and the dive and snorkelling trips that most people come for.

Lombok has a little live performance you can plan around, which is more than Nusa Penida offers. Gendang beleq drum ensembles and peresean stick fights sometimes appear in Sade or at events in Mataram. The Bau Nyale sea-worm festival on the south coast brings music and dance each February or March, and the Gili and Kuta bars have acoustic and reggae bands.

On Nusa Penida, gamelan and dance belong to temple ceremonies, especially around Pura Dalem Ped, and you only see them if you happen to be there. For staged Balinese dance, plan an evening in Ubud.

Lombok is the more restful choice. Gili Air and Gili Meno have no engine noise, sandy lanes and hammocks over the water, and there are yoga classes and small retreats there and on the south coast. For proper spa treatments you need the larger resorts around Senggigi and the south coast.

Nusa Penida is peaceful once the day visitors leave, and there are simple massage places and a few yoga studios. But a typical stay involves rough drives and crowded viewpoints, so a restful visit means staying put on the north coast or using a resort spa on Lembongan.