On that theme, Dr Kerry Black of Heaven on the Planet has accepted an Honorary Assoc. Professorship at the University of Melbourne to participate in a snapper study. The study is funded by the Australian Research Council  (Linkage Grant) to figure out why snapper juveniles sometimes grow up to be parents, while others fail in some spawning years.  Food, phytoplankton, seasonal changes, global climate  all have an influence.  Dr Black is supporting a world-class team of biologists and oceanographers including Prof Greg Jenkins, Assoc Prof Steve Swearer, Dr Paul Hamer and Dr Randall Lee.

Dr Black is responsible for advancing the computing using the latest GPU (graphic processor unit) technology. A massive, top level GPU with over 400 computer processors working simultaneously will greatly speed up the computer modelling and allow much more accurate and comprehensive models to be developed. For the first time, the study based in Port Phillip Bay Melbourne will be able to unravel some of the complex interactions between river inputs of nutrients, phytoplankton and snapper growth. Hopefully, a few fish will end up on plates in Melbourne … everyone loves snapper there also! And we now have whole snapper free for package guests in Heaven.

• “chef” proficient in bread making, healthy foods and western dishes
• “sports activities”  proficient in some or all of the following: diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing, mountain biking, sailing, yoga plus some tennis and golf. The person would help with guest activities and should be able to participate in each sport and sometimes give lessons.  Some skills can be learned at Heaven.
• “all-round helpers”, let us know what skills you have.]
• “village developers” proficient in helping local villagers with english, library, health

Internships last a minimum of 6 months (from March to September). We provide free food, free rent and help with expenses. Best to come with some savings in the bank, as you may like to travel a bit while here and visas have to be renewed every 2 months. Couples or singles are welcome. We’ll do everything we can to look after you.  Contact Moira on m.healey@y7mail.com

Ekas Bay has an amazing broad bombie that is perfectly lined up with the wind. After breaking the waves go back into deep water making it an exceptional place for the wave riding windsurfers. For the flat water speed riders, the Bay is broad and there are many great destinations.

Windsurfing seems to be running second to kites at the moment globally. Maybe that’s because there aren’t many sites as good as Ekas Bay.

Club bookings are available, and we would be happy to purchase more equipment if needed.

In the last few years, we have become the biggest employer and tax payer in south-east Lombok. Our tax bill is a very large large percent of our total turn-over,  even in western terms. So HOTPlanet lobbies for improvements in the district. Let us know if you have any ideas or want any help.

On the contrary, the land-based surfers actually help the locals. HOTPlanet employs some 40 local people (25 full time and 15 casuals and tradesmen), and about 80% are from the local village.  These people rely on guests coming to south-east Lombok in order to keep their jobs. We also fund village development projects while nurturing and sponsoring environmental improvement.

A classic example is west Sumbawa. We take land tours there and put our guests in the local Sumbawa hotels. But all too often, 3 or 4 boats come into the break and our guests want to go home to “Heaven”. The west Sumbawa locals lose the hotel business and all other income. This totally disrupts  surfing-based economic development in the outer islands. Those poor people really need the income for food, schooling of their kids and improvements in village health and lifestyle. It’s no wonder the Scar Reef locals attacked a surfing boat with machetes a little while ago.

We don’t get too many boats in Ekas Bay, but the Bali crews steal the coral from our reefs and take it back to Bali for extra income. One boat had 18 surfers on board.  Of course, there are exceptions. In places with no hotels or roads (like much of the Mentawai Islands) boats are an essential means of transport. And probably many of us, including our team, have enjoyed the pleasure of moving between several breaks on a boat. But they certainly don’t help the locals.

Maybe, the best time to escape from the cold northern hemisphere is from December to April. At this time, tropical Heaven on the Planet is green and fresh. Often there’s no wind and so the quality waves are at their best. There’s more breaks to surf, as the southern reefs are also working.  Rain at Ekas is rare and often restricted to the afternoons and evenings. It’s quiet and serene at Heaven when nature is blossoming and so we love it.  The diving is also best in the “green season”.

August 2007

Just a brief note to say how impressed we were with our stay at Heaven on the Planet. We recently stayed for 10 days in July and had one of the best holidays we have had…and with two of us around 50 YO, we have probably had more than we care to remember

We stayed at Jati which is extremely impressive: the views north to Mount Rinjani, west to the sunset and south to the surf. Just spectacular. The large open room and deck…topped it off from sleeping, relaxing to watching videos. And also running a business, net and mobile phone access was something that I was sure we’d need to travel to Kuta to access but was locally available, and reliable. But I guess what really impressed us most were the people as they (and the surf and facilities) are what leave the lasting impression. The restaurant team were extraordinarily helpful and welcoming with ‘Supa’ doing a great job in the morning co-ordinating it all. The food was also something we really didn’t expect both in terms of quality and quantity and the kitchen staff were always laughing and having fun. The place really has a great feel.  Thanks again

From Brad Griffin, IT Manager, Sinclair Wilson
August 2007

Hi Moira

Well we got back home safe and sound after another great trip to HOT Planet.

Just a quick email to say thanks and to say that we had a great time. The 2 girls had a ball, especially having there own “place”. The staff where fantastic, and it is always a pleasure to return and to be remembered. I know they had to deal with a few issues from unhappy clients, but from our point of view they where great. It was a real highlight on the Monday night of Katies birthday when Sard (the Chef, excuse the spelling) produced a choclate birthday cake and lead a chorus of Happy Birthday.

Hopefully we will be back soon, this time with the only member of the family who hasnt made the trip to HOT Planet. Both Kate and myself are sure that Denise would have just as an enjoyable time there as we have had.

Regards
Brad Griffin

Comments from Peter Coleman, Principal, Bulli Public School
August 2007

Moira
My partner Darrelle and I were at Heaven on the Planet the same time as Nigel who you have listed on your feedback page. We actually took him for a rather adventurous walk out to the outside beaches early in our stay.
We both had a great time and even though Darrelle is a non surfer she found plenty of relaxing things to do while she was there.
We stayed in Jati the big house and were constantly enthralled by the view from the verandah especially on the morning that Mount Rinjani appeared from behind the clouds. Just spectacular.
While i only managed to score two days of swell while we were there my highlight was surfing for about an hour and a half by myself in perfect 3-4 foot surf. It is a highlight i will always remember and what other surf trip will allow you to surf a great break on your own.
For us though it was the people who made the holiday. All the boys and girls that worked at the resort who always made you feel welcome and unlike Bali were never trying to sell you anything. We were also really lucky to have other guests who were friendly and we loved meal times where we were able to mix with the different guests. Since we all knew each other it made for a great vibe in the water and sometimes made it hard to leave the resaurant. The food was good and plentiful we could have come home kilos heavier if we had not been careful.
Please convey our thanks to Greg who was there while we were and Niam, Narn and Anto for making our stay enjoyable. My son would like to come next time and we might take up the boys advice and give the wet season a go.

Peter Coleman

From Nigel Marsden of Golden Bay Kayaks in New Zealand
June 2007

Moira,

Well firstly let me say what a great place it is! I really enjoyed my time there and the resort and staff exceeded my expectations. The surf was mostly great except for a couple of flat days.

I found the food excellent- lots of variety and very tasty- if I had stayed much longer I’m sure I would have put on weight. The menu was well presented and the food always came witha smile and very quick too. The pizzas are huge and I could only eat half of mine so perhaps you could downsize them or put a warning on the menu of how big they are.

The accommodation was very nice – lovely to have privacy and simply gorgeous views. The first night I had lots of ants in my bed but the staff sprayed the room the next day and no problems after that.

I found the staff to be possibly your best asset. They are very friendly and wonderful people and very helpfull. It was a bonus to sometimes have them in the surf in the afternnoons.

So overall I would be very happy to return and also I have already started recommending it to friends.

So thanks for a great time and a very well run resort. I definitley plan to return one day.

Regards
Nigel Marsden

From Anne Rozen Rozenauers
12 Apr 2007

Moira,

I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that we had an absolutely fabulous time at Heaven. The surfing, snorkelling, scenery etc were all fantastic but I think the highlight of the holiday was the local people at Heaven. Nan , Anto and Liasi took such good care of us and were just gorgeous with my two boys.
Nan miraculously appeared everytime we left the Jati house and was great at amusing the kids. He also deserves a patience award for the number of waves that he pushed my 8-year old Nick onto at the beach break! In fact Nick didn’t want to return home with me but wanted to move in with Nan instead!

Liasi babysat very well and sat through a number of episodes of Pink Panther and Mr bean cartoons and Anto was an absolute delight in the restaurant. Apparently my kids now hold a record for the number of Mixed Juices consumed in a week (and Mum didn’t too bad with the Bintangs either!)

I was also very pleased to see Naim at Mataram airport when we arrived. With two kids, two surfboards and luggage in tow he was like a knight in shining armour standing there and the flashy 4WD with cold cokes in an esky were well received too. From the moment we arrived to the moment we left everything was superb.

Thanks for all you help with the arrangements and for answering my endless questions!

Regards
Anne

From: Salman Saufi

Dear Naim And Ram,
I attended Mr Danny Obrien’s lecture today and he talked about Heaven on the planet. Mr Danny is the lecture of Griffith University Gold Coast Queensland for strategic management and he has been to your place
in Ekas sometimes ago. He discussed about how you manage this beautiful place and make the approach to local people. To be honest, his lecture, especially his story about your place, is very inspiring for me as a native people of Lombok Island. I hope i could do something about Lombok when i get back this year. i am really interested in such sustaiable tourism,
particularly how tourism improve living standard of people in Lombok as well as make the generation of this island better educated
.
I hope to see you in Lombok soon,

Regards,
Saufi

Tuesday 12/9/06

From: MIS Phillipps, Barrister

Hi Moira

Fantastic trip and great surf. Thanks. Hugo and I loved it. No mosquitos whatsoever!

My overall impression was that the staff were very polite, likeable and
professional and did a great job. They were always anxious to organize
everything to our satisfaction regarding food/boat trips etc. They were
careful to keep accurate records of all purchases. You are lucky to
have such kind and dedicated staff.

I thought may be they could clean the bathroom sink in our room every
day and the floor in toilet was always left with water on it – not sure
why. I would also suggest that a small shelf be placed above the sink
because there was nothing to put toiletries on. Please note that these
things did not affect my enjoyment in any way. I only make these
comments to try and help the staff – not to criticize. The beds were
very nicely made every day and it was generally well tidied. We were
picked up promptly from the airport and dropped off on time, the staff
making sure we were all packed and loaded up in good time.

I was unsure of whether I should “tip” the staff at the end and now
regret not giving them a little bit more but I was unsure if there was
some protocol about this.

Please do pass on Hugo and my regards and appreciation to the staff. I
am planning to come back next year – this time with a few other mates
who were all keen to hear how it went.

Regards

MIS Phillipps, Barrister
From: Joscha

Sent: Monday, 22 May 2006 6:01 a.m.
To: Moira Healey
Subject: Re: Initials for clients & detail flight

Hello moira,

now we are back from the heaven, and it was great!

what a wonderfull place. also the accomodation was really nice, very
big, and the best is the terasse with the nicest view. also the people who work the was nice, friendly an funny. saack (the cook?)was the best what a good guy. also the nature and the good atmosphere was amazing.

i also wrote a good critic at tripadvisor, which i will send you, when
they put it online. i defintely want to come back one day to the nice place you discovered there!

somebody told us, that it is possible to buy some land with a bungalow
there, maybe you can send me some informations?

also one think which i wanted to let you know was, that we had to pay
there 10 perecent government tax on our bill, which we dindt know, and
it was also not written on the homepage.

is that correct?

thanks a lot,

best regards

joscha

From: Ross and Kye Middleton.
Geraldton W.A.

We’d like to re-iterate Rod’s comments on our recent Ocean Heaven stay. Absolutley top spot, great surf, great food and great staff. Special thanks for the use of the bikes, got to see the locals
and the countryside. Would definitely revisit and recommend to friends.

Thanks for all your help getting us there.
All the best in th future,

Ross and Kye Middleton.
Geraldton W.A.