About Amazing Lombok Resort | The Story of Karin and Stef
Amazing Lombok Resort is owned and run by Karin Leysen and Stef Wouters, a Belgian couple who left Europe behind to build something quieter, greener, and more personal on the southern coast of Lombok.
How it started
Karin was a kindergarten teacher. Stef worked in construction. Neither of them planned to open a hotel in Indonesia.
It started with their eldest son, who took a job in Jakarta. Visiting him regularly, they began travelling around the archipelago and eventually found their way to Lombok. The island stayed with them in a way that other places did not. The beaches, the nature, the food, and, above all, the quietness. Lombok felt pure in a way that was already harder to find elsewhere in the region.
The decision to stay was not a dramatic one. It grew gradually, until one day it was simply the plan.
Building the resort
They found a dry rice field in Serangan, surrounded by hills on three sides and with the ocean a kilometre away in the fourth direction. Most people saw an empty field with a rough access track. Karin and Stef saw what it could be: peaceful, private, and at a reasonable position to the famous beach at Selong Belanak and the livelier scene in Kuta.
They built Amazing Lombok Resort from scratch. Boundary walls, two metres of fill to reach the right level, bore piles, then construction and finishing. All of it done properly, step by step, without rushing. They were fortunate with timing: the project ran during the Covid period, when it was easier to find a professional contractor who could start immediately. From first decision to opening the doors took less than two years.
Sustainability was always part of the plan. Being in the middle of beautiful nature, they wanted to respect it. Solar panels for electricity. A filtered well on the grounds for clean water. Ecological waste management. Eco-friendly toiletries in the rooms. And the pool: a saltwater pool, chemical-free and chlorine-free, a suggestion from their contractor that they have never once regretted. Better for skin, better for eyes, better for the environment. And, as Stef points out, blond hair stays blond.
How the resort runs
Karin manages the day-to-day life of the resort. She is the one doing the rounds at breakfast, asking guests how they slept, hearing about their plans for the day, finding out how things went when they come back in the evening. She looks after the staff and keeps them happy, which is reflected in the way guests describe the team in almost every review. Stef handles the numbers.
Between them and a small team they trust, the resort runs as a genuinely personal operation. Guests who want practical advice, like which beach to visit, which driver to trust, which road to take, get an answer from people who actually live here and know the answer. Guests who just want to be left in peace by the pool get that too.
The Amazing Lombok Restaurant reflects where Karin and Stef come from and where they ended up. Indonesian dishes sit alongside European ones. That means nasi goreng next to authentic Belgian fries, fresh local fish next to homemade cheese croquettes. The chocolate mousse is made in-house and has become something guests mention by name.
The guests
Visitors come from all over the world, with many Europeans among them. What they tend to have in common is that they are looking for something specific: affordable comfort, good food, genuine relaxation, and a base from which to explore the south of Lombok at their own pace. The resort suits most types of traveller well, with one honest exception. If you are looking for nightlife and evenings out, Kuta is 35 minutes away and better placed for that.
Over the years, certain guests have stayed with Karin and Stef longer than the checkout date. One family, who had lost a daughter in a hit-and-run accident, told them she would have loved the resort. They asked if they could leave something behind so she could be there too. She still is.
The road, and why it is there
The resort is 700 metres off the main road along an unpaved track. Guests occasionally ask about it before they arrive, and the answer is straightforward: that road is exactly why the resort is what it is. It keeps the traffic out. It means the only sounds at night are natural ones. It is not a compromise, it is the point. Karin and Stef invest in improving it every year, and they are clear-eyed about the trade: a slightly bumpy few hundred metres in exchange for genuine peace and quiet, every day of your stay.
Looking ahead
Lombok is developing quickly, which brings both opportunity and pressure on roads, infrastructure, and the character of the island. Karin and Stef watch it carefully. For the resort itself, there are no current plans to expand. The small scale is not a limitation, it is a deliberate choice, and one of the things that makes the place work.
If you are considering a stay and want to know something not covered in our travel guide, the best thing to do is ask. Karin or Stef will answer directly.