Gili Islands, Lombok
By the Gili Islands, I mean the mainstream ones. Gili Trawangan (T), Gili Meno and Gili Air. We visited them all, staying 3 days on each of Gili T and Gili Air and visited Gili Meno for a day. As I finish writing this I am back on Gili T for another 3 nights staying in luxury at Gili Teak.
If you have have only only just come across Wip Around the World you can catch up on all my adventures by following this publication.
Getting Around The Islands
There are no motorbikes or cars on any of the islands. Heaven compared to Ubud. Instead, you can walk, it’s not taboo like it seems to be in Bali. There are also bikes which I recommend renting on Gili T and Gili Air. A relaxing bike around an island takes ~ 40 minutes. On Meno, there is no point because it’s too sandy. The bicycles lend a rather Dutch feel to the islands. Just watch out for the odd inexperienced biker wobbling around. Like Kathy at the start.
When renting, never pay more than 50,000rp for a day. That’s the going rate on the island although some will try charge you more. We managed to pay 35,000rp down a dodgy back alley. The bikes weren’t the best but they don’t need to be. As long as they don’t break down.
Lazing By the Beach
The Gili’s was probably our first real stint of just relaxing all day by the beach. Kathy could get her tan on, I got my read on. Finished my first book in fact. A slightly heavy, but very interesting, book about meth in Nazi Germany and how Hitler was more than likely a raging drug addict. Certainly not what they teach you in school. It’s called Blitzed, worth a read if your interested in that kind of thing.
Gili Air and Meno were best for the beach chill I feel. Both being a lot cleaner than Gili T and also a lot quieter. Gili Meno has a deserted feel to it, you can walk around the island and simply pick your own private section. They all have lovely stretches of beach though so it depends on how quiet you like it.
Snorkelling
Snorkelling is a must on the Gili’s. The water is clear, there are plenty of fish and there’s a great chance you will spot a sea turtle. You definitely want to see one of these. They are impressive creatures that glide gracefully through the water despite their size. We only spotted one, about 2m from the shore, but it is possible to see quite a lot. Gili Meno is the best island for turtle spotting.
You have two options snorkelling, you can either rent a mask (30000rp) and swim out on your own. The cheap option. Or you can go on a snorkelling boat (100000rp) visiting all the best spots around the three Gili’s. We took the cheap option but I would recommend going on the trip. They know the best spots, the snorkels are guaranteed to be good quality and it’s not even that much.
Food
I have a couple of places to recommend for food on the Gili’s. One is Casa Vintage Beach Bar, I bang on about this later so I won’t say much but it serves delightful Jamaican style food right on the beach. Proper tasty.
The other place is an Italian run pizza place on Gili Air called Classico Italiano. It’s only recently opened and you might have to book in advance but this place served up the best pizza I have had in a while. As well as a tiramisu, possibly my favourite desert. It’s a winner.
Also, if you’re looking to save you money for boozing, check out the night market on Gili T. It serves up cheap local food that will fill you up without denting out the wallet. The Green Cafe at the back of the market also serves remarkably good cakes.
Nightlife
Me and Kathy weren’t the biggest fans of the nightlife on Gili T, the ‘party island’ of the three. Preferring instead the more relaxed vibes of Gili Air. Gili Meno, I can’t speak for in terms of nightlife but I doubt there is much going on.
Gili T had almost a Magaluf type atmosphere where it feels like people party because they feel as if they should not because they want to. The majority of the clubs cater towards a certain crowd. Australians in tank tops, playing beer pong and listening to chart music. Not for me.
There were a few exceptions to this, the standout one for me was Ombak Bar. A quiet bar with a few hardcore ravers and plenty of space to boogie. Tunes were on point too. It clearly had it’s own style of music, playing tunes like Patrick Topping — Forget instead of sticking to the mainstream trash like most of the bars. There was a reggae bar too, so not all bad.
Gili Air has a friendlier, more chilled out, party atmosphere. It has a nice selection of bars and every few days has a beach party. Pumping tunes, fire dancers, the works. Just look out for the posters around town. These are more natural and more enjoyable, at least I thought so, than on Gili T. I imagine Gili T used to be similar before it hit the big time.
Sunsets
Sunsets are special on all three of these islands, but we feel that they were best on Gili T. If you go to the right place that is. Our first sunset experience on Gili T was pretty awful. Pandawa sunset bar. A very commercial sunset watching spot that I wouldn’t recommend. The music here ruined the sunset completely. They played every dubstep remix under the sun of Closer — The Chainsmokers x Halsley. It was terrible, I doubt there was a single person enjoying it.
Our second sunset was a different story. We were further round the island watching it from a quiet bar called Laba Laba, playing mellow tunes, with a stretch of beach to ourselves. We tried a local magic shake (delicious) and relaxed on the bars bean bags taking in the view for a good hour or two. There was really nowhere else better to be. Even after the sun set, there was a kaleidoscope of different colours bouncing off the clouds for a least thirty minutes. It was quite the show. Being a muppet I didn’t bring my camera which was a shame. Here is a picture of the sunset I got on my phone, although it really doesn’t do it justice.
Casa Vintage Beach Bar
This little beauty gets a section of its own. A true gem, hidden on the sunset side of Gili T. Away from the tacky clubs and blaring Justin Beiber. When I talk about Casa Vintage Beach Bar I am really talking about both Casa Vintage and Gili Teak, a boutique hotel. They share a section of beach and together they create a truly charming atmosphere. Each adding something special and different to the area. We stopped at Gili Teak’s beach bar first after our sunset spectacular. It was quiet, comfortable (well if you found the right bean bag, Kathy settled for a pretty poor one for a while) and the juice we had was incredible. Apologies for not bringing my camera I would have had some quality shots of Kathy blissfully happy sprawled out over her new beanbag. This phone picture will have to do.
Afterwards, we headed to Casa Vintage for food. A bar that grew out of a vintage shop elsewhere on the island. The owner travels the world looking for vintage to stock in her shop. Sounds right up your street Barney. But for me, the bar was far better. Vintage decor, amazing food and relaxing tunes. Read The Tune Catcher: Casa Vintage Vibes for a taste of the music.
The atmosphere and the decor (or perhaps there was something in the shake) of both Casa Vintage and Gili Teak really reminded me of The Tangled Roots or The Hidden Woods stages at Boomtown. It was a world away from the strip of Gili T. Me and Kathy loved it so much we booked a three-night stay at Gili Teak as a treat towards the end of Kathy’s trip. It’s been amazing!
Extra Bits
Most importantly, I found a proper sun hat!
Kathy had a realisation about the moon over here.
And we met a funny pair of Dutch travellers that seemed to be on a mission to climb as many mountains as they could find while in Indonesia. Probably down to the fact they barely have a hill in the Netherlands.
Also if your going to the Gili’s, or anywhere other than Bali, remember to check when Ramadan is. We didn’t and were on the Gili T for the Ramamdam celebration which, while being interesting, meant the island was a lot quieter than usual.
Finally, I just want to big up my Reef flip flops. They are class, so comfy and even have a bottle opener on the sole. Do yourself a favour and buy a pair in time for your next holiday.
That’s all I’ve got for the Gili’s. Next stop Lombok, where I gained some serious XP on a scooter.
Thanks for reading :)
