Amed > Gili T (1 hour 15 mins by boat on the way there, 2.5 hours on the way back)
The Gili Islands came highly recommended, however I was still completely blown away when we finally arrived at the magicial Gili Trawangan. Gili T is one of the three Gili Islands, best known for its nightlife. Gili Air tends to attract backpackers, travellers wishing to meet other fellow travellers and those keen to dive. Gili Meno is known as the couples island (and would make a beautiful honeymoon destination, but that's a topic for another day)
We initial planned to stay on Gili T for one night, however the boat ride over was slightly traumatic and the island was utter paradise so we extended our stay. Our friends had a great journey over, sitting on the top deck sunbathing and drinking Bintang. Sadly we did not, our boat was tiny and you could only sit beneath top deck (with no bintang!) It was a rough, choppy journey and left plenty of people unwell. Next time I visit, I'll go with Blue Water Express (they have boats coming in every 20-30 minutes or so, with plenty more space and representatives on the beach at all times)
For accommodation we booked the Gili Paradise Bungalows via airbnb. This cost 600,000 IDR / £34 per night with breakfast included (for two) We were so happy with our choice, these bungalows have air con, wifi, they are clean and 200 metres from the beach (where the boat drops you off) I would definitely recommend. Here's a link: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/20003054
We spent our first afternoon relaxing on the beach before hiring a bike (no motor vehicles on the island, so its either bicycle or horse & carriage) and cycled down to the south of the Island to catch the sunset at around 18:15. Four of us ate at Casa Vintage Beach, it was great food and the sea breeze was much appreciated as we didn't get any breeze in Bali. We ventured back to the busy area of the island for drinks, live music at Sama Sama and beer pong, which was great fun and also booked a boat trip for the next day.
The boat trip began at 9:30, we had the boat to ourselves (four of us) and the total cost was 940,000 IDR - So £13 per person. We visited three spots for snorkelling, saw incredible coral, fish and turtles! Definitely worth doing. We came back around 14:00, freshened up and decided to cycle round the island, which took around 40 mins in total - stopping off at the swings for a bintang and photo of course.
Dinner that night was at Pituq Cafe, a vegan only cafe. The food was incredible, so rich in flavour and a huge variety - I would definitely recommend eating here!
The next day we travelled back to Bali, the boat back to Amed was two hours late and then took 2.5 hours due to stopping off at each island, but we will definitely head back to GIli T - Next time for longer!
Let me know if you have any recommendations, or any questions by commenting below.
Speak soon,
AST
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