It's impossible not to fall in love with the colourful, atmospheric island of Gili Air, off the coast of Lombok
Imagine an island that’s two hours from Singapore; where cars don’t exist, turtles bask in the lagoon and everyone, and we mean everyone, is in the best mood. Presenting the Gili Islands, off the coast of Lombok. Three small (but perfectly-formed) islands, ringed with sand and hemmed in by technicolour coral reefs. The Gilis are only a short flight, taxi zip and 10-minute boat ride away (more on that below) – and they simply must be visited before you leave Singapore.
The three islands that make up the Gilis are Meno, Trawangan and Air. Each are stunning, with their own house reefs and desert island vibes. But Meno is known as the romantic island, with empty sandy beaches and minimal development. Trawangan is the party island, with lots of clubs and hotels. Air, our personal favourite, is the perfect mix between the others – all about the beach, but there are some great hangouts too – with plenty of casual bars in the sand and some fab places for grub.
But what do you do when you get to the paradise that is Gili Air? We travelled there for a long weekend recently, and knocked together this guide to fab things to do (plus where to stay!). Read on for all you need to know….
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Snorkelling and scuba diving
Along with their pristine beaches and laid back-vibes, the Gili Islands are famous for their incredible coral reefs. There’s a surprising amount of live coral growing just off the beach (thanks to the islands’ conservation efforts), and it only takes a short paddle into the lagoon to reach amazing marine life. We’re talking turtles, moray eels, starfish, reef sharks and even sea snakes.
While you can see great action in the shallow bay, we’d really recommend trying diving off Gili Air – even if it’s your first time. With clear, warm water, huge amounts to see and affordable diving packages, it’s the perfect location for completing a PADI course or simply testing out a one-off dive. Manta Dive is the most popular diving school on the island, and are professionals at taking first-time divers out to the reef (they’re a really friendly bunch too). For just 40 SGD, you can enjoy a safety session in the pool, before hitting the water for 45 minutes of underwater bliss. If you love it, you can convert your dive into the first stage of a PADI course (but give yourself four days for this).
Stuff your face
Not only is the food on Gili Air top-notch, it’s ridiculously affordable. You can easily eat out for a few bucks (which is ideal, because there aren’t many self-catering options), and the array of dishes on offer is fab. Seafood BBQs are incredibly popular, with restaurants including Scallywags offering a huge selection of fresh fish, caught that day. We were a huge fan of Chill Out Bar, which served up casual Asian fusion dishes like crispy tempura, rendang and cracking pizzas. For French food, Le Cirque is a swish shout, and, surprisingly, we ate a lot of Mexican grub at The Mexican Kitchen. If you’re looking for brilliant coffee and tasty comfort food like sandwiches, pasta and English brekkie, head to Waterfront Cafe.
Catch a horse and cart
When it comes to transport on Gili, you’ve got three choices – walk, cycle or jump on a horse and cart. Environmentally-friendly, or what? We’re not talking just any horse and carts either – the cute (and strong!) ponies are brightly decorated in bells and ribbons, with their carts being painted rainbow-style. The island takes around 15-20 minutes to scoot all the way around on a horse and cart and costs a couple of dollars, at most. Grab one for a tour, or to simply give you a hand with your bags. Just watch out for those low-hanging branches!
Island hopping
While Gili Air is hands-down our favourite island, it’s still worth checking out Meno and Trawangan by hopping on a boat for a few hours. There are a half dozen boats that head out every day and zip you around the islands for ten dollars or so. All boast glass bottoms (but they’re effectively pointless with murky glass and too many bubbles), and have various selling points; some include a snorkeling tour or two, others include lunch on Meno, while some stop on Trawangan for drinks. If you love white beaches and a quiet vibe, take a boat that spends time on Meno. It’s known as the ‘romantic’ island, with less bars, hotels and activities than Gili Air. On the other end of the scale, however, is Gili Trawangan, which has a lot more in the way of shopping and partying. It’s the most popular spot for backpackers, which is why there’s plenty of nightlife and a lot of budget places to stay. While we wouldn’t personally rather stay there over Air, it’s worth heading over for a few beers and experiencing a different vibe.
Get your hippy on
While this may sound a little odd, you’ll understand what we’re saying about unleashing your inner hippy as soon as you get to the Gilis. Never before have we seen so many white dreadlocks and baggy yoga pants in one place – we’re not sure a tie has made it past Lombok’s shores in years. Even wearing shoes feels overdressed – all of the swishy dresses we packed for ‘nice dinners’ stayed firmly in the bag. But we’ve got to admit, it’s pretty liberating to scrub off the eyeliner, scrape back the hair and bung on a sarong for four days.
Stay in a cutesy bungalow
There’s no such thing as a posh chain hotel on Gili Air (which we kinda love) – instead, there’s a selection of small, independent B&Bs and boutique hotels lining the beach all the way around the island. Each place to stay has between six – twenty rooms, with many in the form of cute wooden bungalows. We stayed at Manta Dive on Gili Air, in one of their six Sesak Bungalows. The traditional Indonesian-style beach huts have huge beds, storage, safes, open verandas for chilling out on and stylish outdoor bathrooms. While they’re not huge, they’re more than you need during a holiday in Gili – this place is all about hitting the beach or sipping an iced latte in a snazzy deck chair. Speaking of coffee – Manta Dive’s beachside café Waterfront serves up the best blend on the island, plus their wifi is the strongest around (although we dare you to leave your phone in the room and enjoy some time as a true islander!).
How to get there
There are two ways to get to the Gili Islands – the first is from Lombok. This is the fastest way, with Silk Air running direct flights to Lombok for around 400 SGD. It takes around two and a half hours in the air, plus the drive across Lombok to the harbour takes an hour or so. It’s only a ten-minute boat from the harbour over to the Gilis (cost for a road and boat transfer from the airport via Manta Ray was around 40 SGD per person). The only thing to bear in mind is that Silk only run routes to Lombok two or three times a week, with the best timings being a Thursday afternoon departure from Singapore, and Monday early evening return.
The other way to get to the Gilis from Singapore is via Bali, with more affordable and frequent flights from Singapore into Denpasar for 100-200 SGD, and a two-hour fast boat from Benoa harbour (around 20 minutes from the airport) to the Gilis for around 130 SGD. Warning: We hear it’s choppy – so take tablets. Alternatively, if the timings to Lombok don’t work and you don’t fancy two hours on a boat, you can fly to Bali, hop on an internal flight to Lombok (around 50 SGD), and travel by road/boat.