Lombok

Gili Islands

One of my highlights during my travels to Bali were my trips to the Gili Islands. The Gilis don't actually belong to Bali, but to Lombok. There are even several Gili Islands, but the best known are the three Gilis in the northwest of Lombok: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. By the way: The other Gili Islands (in the southwest of the island) are also known as the “Secret Gilis”, as the tourist boom has not yet arrived here.

The islands are all car-free. You can therefore get around on bicycles and horse-drawn carts. There are now only a few electric scooters on the islands. The lack of cars made the islands so quiet - perfect for relaxing! In general, I had real Maldives vibes there (at least the way I imagine the Maldives to be, as I haven't been there yet haha). But the white sandy beaches with their large palm trees and the bright blue water, where you can explore beautiful coral reefs alongside turtles, awakened this feeling in me. The islands are also sparsely populated, with only tiny villages, if any.

You can only reach the Gili Islands by boat. That's why food and drinks are a bit more expensive here, because everything has to be imported from the mainland and the garbage has to be taken there for disposal. From Bali, you can take the speedboat from Sanur, Padang Bai, Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan to Gili Meno. Caution: I had read the incorrect information that there are also boats from Amed. However, these are now banned and tours from here are illegal! I started once from Padang Bai (2h, 780K IDR per person incl. return) and once from Nusa Penida (2 1/2h, 550 IDR per person incl. return to Sanur). You can book the ferry tickets easily and at the best prices on 12goasia.com (affiliate link).

Gili Meno

Gili Meno is the least developed and quietest of the three Gilis. It is also the smallest of the three islands. You can walk around it in less than an hour. The island is therefore the destination for absolute relaxation and for a honeymoon! Yet, I came here with two friends (girls). Maxi really wanted to go to Gili Meno because of the turtles and I wanted to see the famous underwater statues. But the salt lake in the west of the island is also worth seeing.

Gili Meno is known for Turtle Heaven, where you can see many turtles in the wild and swim with them. All you need to do is put on your diving goggles with snorkel and jump into the water. After a short time, you'll come across a turtle floating leisurely through the water. I found it incredibly relaxing to watch the turtles swimming, somehow they radiated a certain calmness.

By the way: in summer, you even have the opportunity to see turtles hatch. Between May and August, the females lay their eggs in holes up to 30 cm deep. Around 6-8 weeks later, the babies hatch and make their way into the sea.

Snorkeling, we went straight on to the underwater statues (“Bask Nest" by artist Jason deCaires Taylor) at Gili Meno. Only about 50 meters from the beach, in the west of the island, there are several human statues arranged in a circle in the water. More and more coral is now accumulating on them. I found it incredibly exciting to look at. Although boat tours to the statues are offered from all three islands, there are often lots of people in the water at the same time. That's why we thought it was cooler to just jump into the water on Gili Meno and look for the statues ourselves.

By the way: you can dive well at Gili Meno. The Gili Meno Wall is a popular diving spot. The wall starts at 5m and drops down to 30m. There are corals hanging on the wall. But you will also see lionfish and clownfish, lobsters, moray eels, scorpion fish and crabs.

GILI TRAWANGAN

Gili Trawangan (Gili T) is the largest of the three islands. Although you can also relax there, Gili T is better known for its wild party nights. Especially on the east beach you will be able to party without end. There you will find everything a good party needs, from beer buckets to beer pong.

Of course you can also relax on Gili T or go snorkeling and diving. Clara and I booked a boat tour with Lucky Trips from Gili T, where we snorkeled with turtles and stopped (again) at the Bask Nest. Check out the different offers. I think we paid 150K IDR for the tour with a glass bottom boat, which was the cheapest deal we could find.

For a small sports program, you can also climb the 72m high Bukit Trawangan and enjoy a wonderful view from the top. And there is a special attraction for diving enthusiasts: an underwater motorcycle in the sea off Gili T. Or you can try something really unusual and attend a silversmithing course at Yin Jewelry for the Soul.

With its reputation as a party island, it is not surprising that Gili T has a night market (Pasar Seni). But it's anything but a party and you'll mainly meet locals here. A visit to the night market is simply part of a stay on Gili T. There you can fill your belly with delicious, traditional dishes before, during or after the party.

However, my highlight on Gili T was the open-air cinema on the beach. Here we lay in cozy sandbags on the beach with our popcorn in our hands and watched Bohemian Rapsody in a relaxed atmosphere. It was so cool! The movie theater is part of the Aston Sunset Beach Resort. The movie itself is free, but of course you have to pay for drinks and food. In front of the resort you will find a board with all the movie showings of the week.

By the way: Gili T is also home to the Gili Eco Trust organization. They plant artificial coral reefs to preserve the reefs of the Gili Islands.

GILI AIR

The last of the three islands - Gili Air - is known as an island for families. You won't find a party here, but you will find restaurants with live music. Despite the lack of a party, Gili Air is livelier than Gili Meno, as the island is more densely populated. There are therefore more options to go out and more entertainment programs for children.

As on all Gili islands, you can snorkel well on Gili Air and will come across one or two turtles. Then it's off to the beach to sunbathe! The best beach is in the east of the island, near the Scallywags Beach Club.

Where to eat & drink

I had the best meal on the Gili Islands on Gili T. At Jali Kitchen. But word gets around that the food there is good. So it's always best to make a reservation in advance. Just write Jali Kitchen a message on Instagram. Otherwise, you should eat at least once at the Trawangan Night Market on Gili T!

On Gili Meno we had good food, too. Here we went to Le Pirate and Mahamaya Restaurant & Bar. Always the waiters were very nice.

Anyone who knows me is aware of my love for good cafés. Fortunately, there are quite a few of them. Especially on Gili T you have a good selection. I can recommend The Banyan Tree, Hellocapitano Lifestyle Café and Kayu Cafe and Restaurant. We also had delicious pastries at Coffee & Thyme Gili Trawangan. On Gili Meno, we went to Bubbles Bar & Restaurant, where the staff even created a smoothie bowl for us at our request. It wasn't on the menu.

If you want to go out in the evening, Gili T is the right island for you. There are endless bars here. A good address (with good prices) is The Junction Bar & Grill on the west beach. However, the party tends to take place on the east beach. Beerpong tournaments are also offered in some of the bars there.

Where to sleep

I've been to the Gili Islands twice. On my first visit, we stayed overnight on Gili Meno at the Pravasa Gili Resort by KajaNe. We liked it very much. The rooms were in small houses surrounded by ponds and accessible via a bridge. We had a large terrace with an outdoor kitchen, a beautiful bedroom and a well-equipped bathroom. In addition, the communal pool was beautifully integrated into the overall landscape and you could lie there and relax. The Pravasa team also offered activities in the garden such as a zip line ride. However, I particularly liked the service. All the staff were very friendly and courteous. When we asked for another (delicious) pancake at breakfast, we were quickly served one at no extra charge. Alternatively, you can also find Le Pirate Gili Meno on Gili Meno. We only went here for dinner, but it also looked very cool! If you are looking for a hostel, then the Rabbit Tree Hostel is the right place for you. Friends of mine stayed here and were happy.

On my second visit to the Gili Islands, we stayed at Gili T. There we stayed at Lost Paradise. The accommodation was one of the best we had in Bali and we got a great deal. We paid €19 per person for two nights including a (delicious!) breakfast. The accommodation is a little away from the hustle and bustle towards the west beach. We were able to relax here, especially by the pool. The staff were also extremely friendly. We would therefore definitely come back!

I have put together a list of all the places on Google Maps.

You can find the list here.

Laundry day

Laundry is very convenient in Bali: you take your laundry to the launderette for around €2 and get it back washed and ironed. Only washing white laundry in Bali can sometimes be a problem. This is because white laundry often comes back dirty. You should therefore always find out exactly where you wash your laundry and check the reviews on Google Maps to see if others have also washed white laundry there before you.

Fortunately, I can give you a good tip for a laundromat: We did all our laundry at Let's Go Laundry on Gili Tawangan. Not only did the laundry smell nice, it was also clean - even the whites! The woman at the laundromat was also extremely friendly, so we were happy to give her a tip for her work!

Please don't do this!

On the Gili Islands, you can either get around by bike, electric scooter or horse-drawn carriage. However, I would strongly advise against the latter! The horses are not treated well here, which is why you shouldn't support the business.

We definitely didn't want to travel by horse-drawn carriage. However, when we left Gili T, our hotel didn't want us to walk the long way to the harbor with all our luggage. They therefore offered to take our luggage on an electric scooter. Unfortunately, our suitcases just didn't fit on it. By now we were running out of time. Afraid of missing the ferry, we ended up taking a carriage. And then the worst-case scenario happened: about halfway along the route, the horse had to pull us over a very bumpy stretch. The carriage with us and our luggage suddenly tipped over and fell onto the horse. It was bleeding in several places. It was immediately clear to us that we would not be going any further. However, the coach driver simply hitched the horse back to the front of the carriage and asked us to get in. We took our luggage and left - without paying. We still felt guilty days later. So please avoid such situations at all costs!