Global Praise as Marina Bay City Lombok Rebrands to Nesara Bay City and Embraces a Nature-First Vision

The transformation of Marina Bay City Lombok into Nesara Bay City has sparked a wave of positive feedback from investors, expats, digital nomads, and freedom-focused lifestyle seekers around the world. Since the new owners bought out their former partners in October 2025, they moved quickly not only to rebrand the project but to completely redesign its philosophy and future.

What was once positioned as a Dubai-style high-rise concrete city and “smart city” concept has now been replaced with a radically different vision: a low-rise, eco-integrated, wellness-focused and freedom-oriented city that blends into nature instead of overpowering it.

Rather than towering skyscrapers and artificial skylines, Nesara Bay City will consist of a series of eco-villages and eco-mini-cities, carefully designed to sit gently within Lombok’s natural landscape. The emphasis is on harmony with the environment, spacious living, privacy, wellness, and peaceful community life.

One of the most celebrated changes is the move away from heavy “smart city” ideology. Many supporters say they are relieved to see the project reject AI-dominated surveillance systems, intrusive CCTV networks, and track-and-trace living models that are increasingly normalised in Western cities.

Nesara Bay City is being described as a Freedom City – a place for people who value privacy, independence, nature, and the ability to live without constant digital monitoring.

Feedback across social platforms has been overwhelmingly positive:

“This is exactly what Lombok needs.”

“We never liked the Dubai-style concrete jungle concept.”

“Finally, a city that respects nature instead of destroying it.”

“This is how modern cities should be built.”

The project is also striking a chord with those seeking alternatives to life in the West. Australians, Europeans, Americans, and Canadians are increasingly looking for more affordable, peaceful, and lifestyle-driven destinations – whether for permanent relocation, a second home, or a strategic backup residence.

With digital nomad culture now firmly established, people can live and work from anywhere. A city located on a pristine white sand beach, with a protected bay and natural harbour behind it, is far more attractive than rising rents, congestion, and regulation in major Western cities.

Nesara Bay City’s location is another key advantage. It will be positioned just 45 minutes from Lombok International Airport, with multiple ferry routes already operating nearby. A new direct ferry service to Nesara Bay City is scheduled to open by the end of the year, along with VIP super-yacht access.

Travel times make it exceptionally accessible:

• Approximately 90 minutes from Bali by ferry or super-yacht

• Just 17 minutes by flight from Bali to Lombok

Many expats currently living in Bali have already expressed interest in relocating, citing Bali’s increasing overcrowding, rising costs, and infrastructure strain.

“Lombok today is what Bali used to be,” one expat commented. “Nesara Bay City feels like the future we were hoping for.”

What makes the response especially powerful is that even people who were once critical of the Marina Bay City concept are now fully supportive. The shift from a high-rise, concrete-heavy development to an eco-driven, wellness-based city has completely changed public perception.

Nesara Bay City represents more than a name change. It is a complete philosophical reset:

From concrete to nature.

From surveillance to freedom.

From congestion to space.

From control to harmony.

If the current momentum continues, Nesara Bay City is on track to become one of Southeast Asia’s most admired examples of how future cities can be built – not as monuments to density and technology, but as sanctuaries of beauty, wellness, privacy, and freedom.

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