Gili Island Tips & Travel Guide

     A beach trip is never actually my thing. When it comes to holiday, my mind automatically thinks about staying at home, watching Netflix with my third cup of coffee, and yet the caffeine won't stop me from taking a nap. Moreover, when it comes to public holiday, my mind automatically thinks about how would I spend the day with J. Because he usually comes home (more like I force him to come home). But again, we would just go to a movie theatre or try a new cafe or restaurant.

   

     So, I don't prefer beach trip and I don't like hiking either. But I like to visit the town that I've never stepped my foot on it before and explore the historical places or buildings. Anything that has a historical background. However, I did enjoy the beach trip that I had last weekend. It's a family vacation with my grandma included on this trip. So today, I'm going to share my own experience and I hope it helps to guide you when you decide to visit Gili island so that you come fully prepared and enjoy your trip.

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PACKING

Pack everything you might need during the trip and pack it in your suitcase. You can only carry one bag beside your suitcase (I prefer a small backpack). Place your sunscreen, bug spray, or even sanitary products, anything in your backpack because you don't know when exactly you need them. Make sure you still have a room left in your backpack to place your sandals when you decide to jump the water.

Don't pack too many things. Extra clothes are okay, but you're going to find a lot of cute stores in Gili Island and we don't want to get an extra charge in the airport because our baggage is overweight, right?  

MONEY

Most of the stores accept your visa card or Amex. But if you only bring cash, you can always exchange your currency to Rupiah in Money Changer. There are plenty of them in Gili Island and if you're on a tight budget, you might want to choose the one that has a good exchange rate. I noticed that the exchange rate is different from one money changer to another.

PLACE TO STAY

Okay, so if you are looking for something fancy and luxury in a 5-star hotel, I'm sorry to say that you are not going to find it on the island. You need to go back to the main island (Lombok) and go to Senggigi area. But I assure you, that staying in Gili island would be a luxury experience itself. There's a lot of cafes and bars surrounding the island. Each one of them is facing the beach. And most of them offer a place to stay. 

 

FOOD

Like I said, the island is surrounded by cafes and bars. There's a donut cafe that I really wanted to visit but I was occupied by my goal to finish exploring the island first. And also, you can find some local residents selling roasted corn that you can enjoy while waiting for the sunset.

WHAT TO DO

Rent a bike and ride it to explore the island. You are going to find that most of the road area is covered by sand (it's a beach for God sake) so once in a while, you just have to hop off the bike and push it down the streets. It's such a tiresome that's why you gotta choose a place to stay IN Gili island. So you can freely explore the island. How much do you need to pay for renting a bike? It's IDR 25,000 (or USD 2) an hour.

Another fun thing you can consider to do when you visit Gili island is absolutely snorkeling. Actually, they say it's a must do. But to be honest, since I can't swim I didn't do that no matter how much I wanted to do so.

There are so many things that I still wanted to do but free time is something that I don't have back then. My hotel was in Senggigi and I had to go back to my family before dawn. I'm not complaining at all though. I could still enjoy the sunset from the resort I stayed in (it has a private beach too).

So that's it! If you still have some more questions about traveling to Gili Island, feel free to comment below or leave me an email :)