In Reply to: Tell us about the Gili Islands posted by madge on Thursday, 14. June 2012 at 15:44 Bali Time:
We went to the Gili Islands last January as it was our 14th trip to Bali and we also wanted to do something different. After 2 days in Bali we flew Lion Air (around $50 return) to Lombok and stayed there for a night. The next morning we actually hired a private charter to take us to Gili Trewagawan which is the biggest and the main island of the Gilis. (There are 3 islands). We only stayed there for one night before heading back to Bali. We actually found that one night was enough for us as there is really nothing to do there. We stayed at the Gili T resort and found this OK although it was a pretty budget motel and they charged around $60 a night. However they were exremely friendly and the food was good. They have a restaurant right on the beachfront. The lady that owns the resort was quite extraordinary however as she is known as the Purple lady given that she has only worn purple clothing, sunglasses, shoes etc for the past 23 years. Anyway that's another story. There are no motorbikes or cars on the island. You can only get around by walking, bicycle or horse and cart. It takes around 20 minutes to drive right around the island by horse and cart, so it's not that big. One road runs around the entire island with restaurants, cafes on the beachfront side of the road and the resorts on the opposite side. It is known as the party island and there is party every night commencing at 11pm and going until 5am. The different bars take turns at having the nightly party. As I said there is only minimal shopping and my husbanc and I found it quite boring and we were glad that we only stayed one night. The water is crystal clear but we didn't do any snorkelling while there. We thought it was lovely, and we have now seen it but will not return.