Hotels in Gili Trawangan

It's a nice place to relax and getaway. Real island atmosphere if you're not on the party street. You can either stay away from the crowds or party the night away. The island offers a variety of hotel options, so you can go cheap or splurge. Not many hotels are located on the beach as the main street separates the hotels from the beach and restaurants. Getting to the island is pretty easy and best done during the daytime. There's one main harbor and the private fast boats and ferries usually don't get to stop at a pier, so be prepared to get your feet wet and to pull your luggage through the sand/beach. Getting around is not a problem. It's nice that there's no cars, just horse carriages and cyclists you have to beware of. You can walk, hire a horse carriage, or rent a bicycle to get around. The beaches in some areas are nicer than others. They are generally clean. Lots of coral on some of the beaches so be prepared with water shoes. The snorkeling is great and probably the diving even better. There are lots of operators offering snorkeling trips and the size of the group on each trip can differ quite a bit. If you're not comfortable using their equipment which they probably do not disinfect, then better to bring your own. The food quality varies. If you don't mind going really local, the night food market is the place to go. Cheap good food in an open air courtyard. Food in the restaurants can be pretty pricey as most of the food, even seafood is imported from the mainland. Good local food seems quite rare as a lot of the restaurants cater to the tourists. If you're into cooking, try out the cooking school. You get to cook and eat what you cooked! Enjoy the sea life while it's still there. With all the snorkeling operators throwing their anchors on the coral reefs, snorkelers standing on the corals, and global warming, you probably won't see much beauty left in the years to come....

Gili T can be a bit overwhelming at first. The harbour strip is busy,noisy and a clamour of horse carts and cyclists which you have to dodge as they rule the road! There is no motorised transport on the island so if you're staying on the northern or Western sides of the island you'll want to take a carriage with your luggage. We found bicycles indispensable for getting around - between the hubbub of the eastern and south Eastern party strip and the sunset bars of the West. Expect to pay around 50000 IDR per bike per day. Be warned - the mosque on the island starts daily prayers at 4:30 AM every morning over very penetrating loudspeakers. If you are going to be bothered by this make sure you choose the location of your accommodation accordingly. There are plenty of choices to eat. Some of our favourites were: Pearl of Trawangan - delicious lunch and very reasonably priced for a resort restaurant Cafe Pituq - a little gem selling very tasty vegetarian food. Scallywags - BBQ and salad buffet. There are plenty of waterspouts on offer. We hired Sups (75k IDR fpr 1 hr) and also went on a Gili BBQ Pontoons snorkelling trip at sunset which was good value and our only turtle sighting. Some downsides: There is quite a lot of litter on the beach and in the sea (plastic, cigarette cartons etc). This was pretty depressing and an effort to improve this on the island would go a long way to enhancing the experience. Also - make sure you research your transport to and from the island. There is vast disparity in the quality/experience between the different operators. We took gili Cat who were good. Bluewater Express is another with excellent reputation. Eka Jaya is also supposed to be decent. Marina Sri Kanda by all accounts is one to avoid at all costs. Overall we enjoyed our stay thoroughly and time flew by!

Gili T is a great island! Pretty hectic on the main strip but a chilled out island vibe. Definitely get bikes for the duration, walking can be tiring in the heat and you get from a-b very quickly. Can be left outside restaurants and bars and be safe :) Food quality on the island is pretty poor. Most restaurants sell the same things and are poor quality. Can take some time to get served. Sunset beach side of the island is definitely worth staying. Far more quiet and relaxed and stunning views of the sunset every day. Nice bars and restaurants. We loved Marlin. You can then cycle into the busy part of town when you like. Snorkelling is a must and stand up paddle boarding. Live music at Rudy's every night is FAB! Be sure to book your boat to and from in advance. They are super busy.

I walked the whole island twice in the four days i spent there. The bikes and horses seem to be the preferred methods of transport but taking my time to get around was no worry for me. I enjoyed my first afternoon in Scallywags, with the best vegetable fajitas and a few AMAZING cocktails, a little pricey when i paid my bill but i was over the moon with the service i got and quality so happy to pay it. Night markets food was amazing too, good price and lots to choose from, just make sure you get there early so its hot and not sitting about too long. I went in rainy season and the afternoons were crazy for the roads flooding but didn't really put a stop to anything just have to be prepared for flood walking and power cuts, it was a fun four days/three nights and i'd go again, rainy season or not!

Gili was so nice. Loved that there were no cars or motorbikes- riding bikes around the island was lots of fun. The locals don't hassle you and all shops have set prices which makes it so nice and easy! The restaurant Scallywags was one of the best places I have ever eaten. We went there for breakfast and dinner- they have a big buffet of delicious salads and sauces and you order any fresh meat or seafood and they bbq it up for you. They give you a plate and you have unlimited access to the salads and bread and them get an amazingly cooked piece of meat brought to your table. and the breakfast buffet is amazing too!!

Great place for a first time experience of "island life". Everything is affordable, the people are helpful and friendly and theres always something to do. You can rent a bicycle and ride around the whole island within an hour so transport is easy peasy! Would definitely recommend to go snorkeling, the highlight of my trip was swimming with the turtles. The central area can be a little over crowded and noisy, but cycle up to sunset point where you'll find nicer, quieter beaches, and a great place called "Window Bar" to enjoy the sunset with a bonfire party afterwards!