Escape to the Gili Islands
Some travellers will tell you that their favourite place in Bali is, in fact, in Lombok. The Gili Islands are an escape from an escape from an escape: three tropical dots that drift just off Lombok, which in turn floats just east of Bali.
Think of the Gilis as "Bali unplugged", a haven of calm compared to the hullabaloo of southern Bali.
The three islands - Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan - off Lombok's north-west corner are still an escapologist's daydream. The first time I visited them, about 12 years ago, a simple room with bed and mozzie net cost $10 a night, including breakfast. Bliss at a bargain price, even if the room's single, 25-watt light was so dim that I had to replace it with the 75-watt bulb that I carried for such occasions.
This time we sample the decidedly more up-market Vila Ombak on Gili Trawangan. At 10 times the price I paid in 1996, it also offers 10 times the facilities - pool, bar, honeymoon suites, air-conditioning and an absolute beachfront restaurant. In the latter, needless to say, the menu has come a long way from those typical 90s offerings of gado-gado, jaffles and mango smoothies.
Beyond fresh seafood and deep cocktails, the Gili Islands promise sandy beaches, plenty of snorkelling and good scuba diving. Beyond that, reading and sleeping, dining and dreaming are high on the agenda.
Gili simply means "small island" in Sasak, the language of Lombok. Trawangan's 340ha make it the "big island" and the most visited. Gilis Air and Meno are quieter and less party prone.
In two hours you can walk right around the she-oak and coral- strewn shoreline of Trawangan. When walking, time your arrival on the western side to coincide with sunset across Lombok Strait, then sink a well-earned beer as the sun is swallowed by Bali's sacred volcano, Gunung Agung. With the sky burning to amber and the lights of fishing prahus picking out the horizon, it's a sight to see more than once.
There are no private cars or motorbikes on the islands, most visitor transport being by cidomo horse carts, pushbike or shanks' pony.
There is no airport in the Gilis, however, there are multiple daily flights from Bali to Mataram on Lombok, after which it's still a long taxi ride, then short local ferry transfer.
The easiest way to the Gilis is to catch the fast, one-hour Gilicat boat from Padang Bai, eastern Bali, or from Benoa harbour to Gili Trawangan.
Year-round snorkelling and diving are major drawcards here, with numerous dive shops and reputable certification courses catering to the market. Gili Meno probably has the best beaches, although none of the islands has the broad, spectacular shores of Bali or Lombok. Nevertheless, everyone heads for the sands on most days, so keep in mind a few tips. Swim and snorkel with caution as there are fairly strong currents, even if little surf. And women do not sunbathe topless here - this is part of conservative Muslim Lombok, not hedonist Bali.
Trawangan is the Gilis' major party island and (so far) has the only ATM. There is mobile phone reception in most places, as well as slow-speed internet. Accommodation in small hotels and guesthouses is plentiful, and you're never far from a bar, pizzeria or satay snack.
FACT FILE
For more information, see www.gili-hotels.com , www.gili-paradise.com and www.gili-fastboat.com.
MORE BALI LINKS
