Meet Your Neighbors Mawi Valley – Part 2: The Story of Fabian and Maike
In Part One, we met Domenic and Sonny and got a glimpse of the values shaping life at Mawi Valley. In Part Two, we introduce Fabian and his family, who are helping bring Mawi to life while adding their own unique perspective. Together, they share a common intention: to create a healthy, grounded place for families – where community comes first, and everyday life feels easy, connected, and natural.
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Can you tell us a little about your family and life before Mawi Valley?
Before Mawi Valley, we were also self-employed, but in reality our days often looked very much like classic 50+-hour weeks, often spent indoors, accompanied by the famously “beautiful” German weather. Work schedules were tight, time felt limited, and balancing family life wasn’t always easy. Here, in this beautiful island environment, we can organize our days much more freely, spend more quality time together as a family, and shape our work around our life, not the other way around.
What made you choose Lombok as a place to build your family life?
We chose Lombok because of its incredible natural beauty, the warm climate, and the calm, grounded way of life. The weather allows us to spend most of our time outdoors, close to nature, which feels especially valuable as a family. Lombok offers a rare balance of simplicity, space, and inspiration, a place where life feels slower, yet deeply fulfilling.
What inspired you to create Mawi Valley, and why was building a family-friendly community important to you?
The idea for Mawi Valley started very organically. About five years ago, Fabian’s brother, Domenic, was on holiday in Lombok and called him saying, “Come on, let’s buy land here.” That spontaneous moment planted the first seed.
From the very beginning, it was clear to us that we didn’t just want to build houses, but a place where families truly feel at home. Creating a family-friendly community was important because we were building this life for ourselves and our children first — a safe, open environment where kids can grow up close to nature, and adults can enjoy a sense of connection, balance, and freedom.
What does a typical day here look like for you and the kids?
Our days usually start by bringing the kids to school, followed by a bit of sport or a surf if the conditions are good. After that, we work until pick-up time, with shared meals in between. The afternoons are mostly reserved for the kids, we often spend them at the beach, letting the day wind down together by the ocean. It’s a simple rhythm, but one that feels very balanced and full.
What has surprised you most about raising a family in Lombok?
What has surprised us most is how quickly the children settled in. The locals genuinely love kids, and wherever we go, people are warm, curious, and kind. We’re often stopped for friendly chats — especially with our very Nordic-looking, blonde children — which has made raising a family here feel incredibly welcoming and easy from the start.
What do you hope your children experience — or take with them — from growing up at Mawi Valley?
We hope our children grow up with a deep connection to nature, a strong sense of freedom, and confidence in themselves. Living at Mawi Valley, we want them to experience a childhood that feels grounded yet open to the world, where curiosity is encouraged, community matters, and time is not constantly rushed. We also hope they understand how privileged they are to live and grow up in a place like this, and carry that sense of gratitude and awareness with them throughout their lives.
For families thinking about moving here, what would you love them to know?
We’d love families to know that life here isn’t always “easy” when compared to European standards — and that’s okay. You quickly realize you don’t actually need as much as you thought.
Especially in the beginning, there are little challenges. As a mother, I definitely struggled with getting around at first — scooters are just not my thing. And not every car is made for the current road conditions either. Add my very German safety standards to the mix, and suddenly finding proper child seats for the car became a small mission. You can get nearly everything in Mataram, but the south is still a little bit behind. It’s constantly developing, infrastructure is improving, and step by step, things are getting easier and better.
What stays is the feeling that life becomes lighter here: fewer expectations, more presence, more laughter — and a lot of perspective on what truly matters.
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Mawi Valley is built around real people and real daily life — families who live here, raise their kids here, and care about the kind of place it becomes over time. Getting to know the founders as neighbours offers a clearer picture of what life in the valley actually looks like, beyond the architecture and landscaping. To talk to our team and find out more, please reach out here.
