The Gili islands are just off the west coast of Lombok, a speedboat ride away from Bali and all are supposed to have a different vibe. Gili Trawangan (Gili T), where we were heading is the known backpacker haunt, bit of a party vibe but cheap, Gili Air Was supposed to be beautiful, quieter but a bit more expensive and Gili Meno the quietest and most known for the true local culture and honeymoon vibes. Although it is likely Gili Air or Meno were likely to be more our scene, due to not being big party people we still decided to check out Gili T as it was the cheaper option in terms of accommodation and lots of options for food. Thankfully we had a bit of money come through from my parents for our engagement which we used to enjoy our time properly on the island meaning we could have drinks in some of the bars and meals out at various places as island prices are always a bit more expensive than mainland.
In order to get to Gili T we had booked transport that included a transfer to the port and then a boat to the island (600 000 Wahana for open return). We were picked up at 7.30am and went in a small, very full, bus with fellow travellers to Padang Bai arriving at 8.30am. We checked in at the office and got our sticker showing which island/boat we were on. The boat was due to leave at 9 but that of course didn’t happen. Each few minutes there were buses and buses more of people being dropped off on the coast front, and by the time the boat arrived the coastline was absolutely packed! It was also incredibly hot. When the boats arrived we moved with the hoards and piled onto the right boat, a fast speedboat taking about 1 hr and a half and being a relatively comfortable journey. Arriving at Gili T around 12pm we pulled in to glistening, gorgeous turquoise seas and white sands, with hundreds of people piling onto it. Be warned you have to get off in the sea so depends on the waves/ where the boat is parked to how high you get water up all your clothes and then you need to find your bags, luckily the guys from the boat off load main luggage. After letting the crowds dissipate a bit we found our luggage and then walked into the main maze of streets in the middle of the island following maps.me to our air bnb for the week.
We stayed at a place called Rumah Damai a small private room with its own bathroom and a shared outdoor kitchen, so we could cook some of our own meals. It was at the end of a street so nice and quiet but in a central location and only a few streets in land from the beach and main strip. Gili T is a relatively small island circular island, with a path around the outside along the coast do able walking in a few hours. Walking is your best bet of getting around, you can hire bicyles however may get into some difficulty if trying to go around the top of the island as the path just turns into sand at points. There are no cars/scooters allowed on the island but you can also travel via horse and cart if you really cba. The main side of the island with the most bars, restaurants and accommodation options is just down from where the boats drop off. The top and bottom of the island have some quieter and more expensive resorts and around the other side of the island there is a more hippy vibe going on in some of the bars/ accommodation options. It has lots of snorkelling trips, diving shops and party boat trips. We didn’t end up doing any of these whilst we were there, just having a very laid back and chilled out time.
First point after checking in was food as we were starving, We found a place very busy with people called Petit Gili and treated ourselves to some burgers, which were very good even if a bit pricey for us (50 000). Gili T has a range of restaurants however they are mainly western focused restaurants. We strolled along the beach front admiring the stunning turquoise waters and the beaches. We checked out the range of restaurants and shops promoting various tours and looked at the turtle hatchery they have. It had a relatively relaxed vibe too it, with having everything you could need from a holiday destination. Due to it being so incredibly hot we cooled off with an ice cream and relaxed back at our air bnb for a while. In the late afternoon we stumbled our way through the lanes and found the track that went across the middle of the island to the sunset beach. We timed this a bit poorly so caught the end of the sunset and then walked along the main track along the bottom of the island pasted the fancier restaurants/resorts. We came across Cookies and Cones, which had a patisserie/ desert counter where the tarts looked so delicious it would have been a crime not to try them. We had a chocolate and caramel tart (30 000) and a salted caramel doughnut (15 000). The doughnut was good but the tart was outstanding and may of accidentally become a bit of a staple treat whilst we were there. Great cakes over activities any day! Due to blowing our budget on cake we headed back around the the main strip to find the night market where we got 5 for 20 000 on vegetarian option foods and 25 000 bintangs.
The following day we found a small shop which was the local green grosers to get some veggies for cooking up in our kitchen before heading to the sea for a swim. There was quite a strong current in the water but the water was gorgeous. After enjoying it for a while we headed back to our airbnb to make some cheap lunch in out kitchen and get out of the sun for the hottest part of the day, as I was dying in the heat. In the afternoon we went out snorkelling by Pearl Beach Lounge. It was quite shallow but there was a few blue fish, small triggers fish and even as eel. The current was quite strong though and there were quite a few boats coming in and out so probably not the best spot to go. In the afternoon we walked around to the other side of the island to Casa Vintage for some beers (2 large bintangs for 40 000) and to watch the beautiful sunset over the sea. The place had a very chilled vibe with quiet music and pretty white wooden furniture. On the way back we had grabbed some Nasi Goreng (25 000) from Ocean Sea 2 on the beach and had a sneaky tart back at our apartment whilst catching up on Game of Thrones.
The next day we had a very relaxed lazy morning before heading to the beach at midday to chill out on the sand with a good book. When we got hungry we found one of the local street vendors selling rice parcels wrapped in banana leaves (15000) which we chowed down on at the beach. After food we went for a caffine fix, grabbing some cappuccinos (30 000), a brownie and dulche de leche cake (25 000) at Kayu Café. After cooling off a bit we headed back to the beach to chill in the sun. We made some dinner back at the airbnb before heading out for drinks. We walked along the main strip but couldn’t find anywhere we fancied trying, mainly due to it not being happy hour time. Instead we grabbed some beers from the shop and enjoyed a cheaper evening.
Our forth day on Gili T we explored more of the streets inside the islands, looking at the shops and getting some interesting pictures. We grabbed an amazingly creamy espresso ice cream (25 000) from cookies and cones before chilling out and making lunch at our apartment during the main heat of the day. We headed out in the afternoon to one of the resorts on the northern end of the main strip with happy hour cocktails in order to make use of their beachfront swimming pool and loungers, which felt like absolute luxury. Mojitos and underwater swimming we made the most of the BOGOF and facilities. In the evening we headed to Regina’s Pizza, a very busy and highly recommended pizza restaurant. We split a couple of pizzas, Margarita (55k) and Salami (78k) which were delicious and the restaurant had a very cosy atmosphere.
We spent the morning of the following day actually walking around the outside of the island, seeing the different areas and beaches and getting to take pictures in some of the swings in the sea, which are fun even if they are very cliché. Great for the gram though! We had a casual stop for a tart at Cookies and Cones as we had earned it by that point. After doing some research/blogs back at our apartment we went out for coffee at Banyan tree, flat white (55k), cappuccino (30k) and used it as the perfect excuse to think about wedding numbers and start excitedly looking at venues. Whilst sat on the upstairs terrace we saw a parade of locals go back dressed in traditional attire for their independence day. In the evening we had beers at Sama Sama Reggae place (35 000). For dinner we grabbed some kebabs from a local food vendor (25 000) and then shared a peanut butter crepe (30 000).
After another lazy morning, because its island time, we wandered the shops and I bought the comfiest and airiest playsuit, perfect for the beach. After getting another tart/ice cream from Cookies and Cones we chilled out at the air bnb looking into our next destinations and planning routes/accommodation in Japan. Outside of Sama Sama Regaee we saw some traditional fighting being demonstrated- which looked brutal, with people just whipping each other with sticks. We grabbed another coffee from Banyan coffee and then in the evening shared a pizza from Regina’s.
Due to have a few days of being very lazy we thought we would take advantage of where we were and try to go snorkelling again. This time we headed up to the northern part of the island, which is known for being able to see turtles. Unfortunately on the beach just before getting into the water I felt a really sharp stabbing pain in my foot where a rusty nail had pieced my flip flop and also my foot. Blood everywhere I found a seat to sit on and Dave managed to pull it out. Sand and dirt roads aren’t the best when you have a hole in your foot, so after trying to rinse it a bit with water and putting some ice on it I managed to hobble back to town. Due to the nail not being clean and their being a bad puncture wound initially I wanted to get it cleaned properly and looked at at one of the health centres. Annoyingly by the time I got back and actually got checked out the bleeding had stopped and they said they could hardly seen where it had got in. Annoyingly this had kind of killed the idea of going snorkelling. Due to spending 150 000 on the health centre we went for a cheap lunch of rice/noodles (15 000). But after this we decided to try to make the most of the day so headed back to the resort with the pool for sun, loungers, swimming and sangaria (BOGOF). We headed over to the otherside of the island for one last gorgeous sunset before heading out for dinner.
As it was our last night we splashed out on a fancier meal at Scallywags. We headed to one of the restaurants where they have a selection of food line up on ice for you to choose from and it is cooked up for you. We choose our main food (beef kebab 110 000, chorizo 80 000, fish 140 00) and then there was an unlimited salad bar and chips. We had a fantastic table right on the beach with candles, beers, live music and a really friendly young waiter. Fantastic evening to finish our time in Gili T.
In the morning we checked out, got a coffee at Banyan and then grabbed lunch from Le Petit before checking in for our boat at the Wahana office. We left our big bags there and then grabbed one last lot of tarts from Cookies and Cones, because we just had too. We were eventually loaded onto a very local boat with a lot of people to head to Lombok, which was very hot and a bit sketchy on choppy waters. At Lombok we got off on the peer and then ended up waiting there in the heat and open sun for over an hour and a half before the speedboat back to Bali turned up. After this the journey on this was also awful, their felt like there was no air on the boat, it was really choppy seas which made us both feel very sick and like we were going to pass out. We didn’t end up getting into the dock until 7.30pm where we then had to get on the free transfer shuttles to our hotel in Sanur- The Alley City.
Gili T is a bit busy and a bit westernised but still has places where the vibe is chilled, the sea is gorgeous and the sunsets are amazing. There is loads of options for food and drinks. I am glad we had a bit of extra money to enjoy it properly and for us this is mainly great food, drinks, coffees and tarts in a stunning location!
Alex
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