Posted by BaliJo on Thursday, 1. October 1998 at 19:06 Bali Time:
In Reply to: Gili Islands posted by Emma on Thursday, 1. October 1998 at 16:21 Bali Time:
This is the largest of the three Gilis (islands) a few miles north-east of Lombok. Going by horse cart around the whole island is about 5 miles and takes an hour or so. All hotels, home stays, restaurants, and shops are on the east coast facing nearby Gili Meno. Beaches look white but are covered with dead corals - walking without shoes is not recommended, even in the shallow water. Snorkeling, the main activity, is not very exciting.
The only "Hotel" is "Villa Ombak" with 24 rooms for US$45 and US$55 (air-con, TV with movie channels, refrigerator, room safe) plus 21%. All other losmen (guest houses) and home stays are very basic and go for US$1 to US$8 per day.
Villa Ombak arranges transfers by boat and car from or to the airport for 150,000 Rupiah for two persons, and to the ferry harbour for 200,000 Rupiah. The flight from or to Bali is 257,000 Rupiah, and a ticket for the Mabua Express (Benoa Harbour - Lombok in 2.5 hours) is US$35 for foreigners. Many visitors prefer to pay the higher prce for the ferry as they do not trust Merpati Airways.
Compared to Bali, everything is quite expensive. If you buy some sandals or hair shampoo, or you have dinner in one of the very simple restaurants, expect to be charged 2 to 5 times more than in Bali. The choice of food is very limited anyway - if you don't enjoy grilled seafood you'll have a problem.
And forget the night life. Many places show a movie between 19:00 and 21:00, and afterwards there is every day a "party" in one of the pubs/restaurants. However, the music is terrible, and only local boys and those foreigners which are totally stoned from alcohol or magic mushrooms (offered everywhere) seem to enjoy these events.
A trip to the Gilis will certainly make you appreciate Bali's beaches, food, culture, people, and night life much, much more!