Gili Islands, Indonesia

Back in February, I went on a girls trip with my besties to an island off a little place called Lombok in Indonesia. We wanted a short holiday where all us girls could all catch up whilst relaxing and getting pampered and this was our chosen adventure:

Where to stay?

Keep in  mind there are 3 parts to this island, Gili T, Gili Meno and Gili Air. I've heard from previous visitors that the different locations represent different purpose of travel.

Gili T = Partayyyyy

Gili Meno = Romantic getaways, honeymooners

Gili Air = Traveling on a budget

We stayed in Gili Air, at Manta Dive. Yes it was cheap. But I would NOT recommend this shit hole. Coz they might even forget to pick you up from the airport even though you've already paid for this and then charge you for your departure transfer because they forgot to state in the final price that only pick up from the airport when you arrive is charged, even though in prior correspondence you clearly stated that you need both arrival and departure transfers.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO US.

The chick organizing payment is an idiot. She has no interest in the pleasure of your stay. We didn't receive any compensation for HER mistake. Stupid bitch.

Anyways, despite crappy accommodation where the door didn't even lock properly, we made the most out of our stay, nothing will ruin our holiday, even if it comes with some drama.

What to do?

We were only there for 3 days and that was just perfect for us. You have to keep in mind that Gili Islands is quite small and the main attractions have to do mainly with water, so if your wanting a short beach escape this place will definitely be perfect for you.

Massages

There are many, many massage places and its cheap aswell. I think under $10 for an hours massage. Its a bit of a hit and miss though, depending on your luck you may get a really good one or a real shit one haha. I got both. But if you are easily aroused ticklish like my Marlz, you'll probably die laughing coz they do some weird gestures to your feet.

I wouldn't recommend getting a manicure or pedicure though, their colour selections seems to cater for cute grannies. I guess nothing compares to the 3D nails I got in Malaysia.

However! If you get sun burnt, which one of my girls got realllly badly to the point where she looked liked a pealing tomato I would recommend searching for massages that have a Aloe Vera wrap. That really helped my Ninz.

The massages come with amazing views and the sound of relaxing waves. We also had fresh coconut juice whilst getting pedicures, it was pure bliss.

Cooking classes

I would have to really recommend this! It was actually really really fun even for someone who doesn't cook very often. I learnt so many healthy dishes that are all made under 30 mins. The people who run this class are super funny too.

I think this class cost us around $20-30, you cook 4-5 dishes and get to eat it at the end. I'll link their website here

Snorkeling

I have to say Rach & I sucked at this. She hyperventilated the minute she got in the water and I ran out of breath lol. Luckily one of our girls is a certified life saver. Thank god for you Cor Cor.

Other than that the girls had a great time exploring the pristine waters, they were swimming with lots of beautiful fishes and turtles. We were able to capture these pictures from Nae's underwater camera. So if you decide to do some snorkeling, bring along a waterproof camera.

 

I just want to mention that this cost us around $20 per person, we were able to get a private boat with lunch included as well. Definitely worth the time and money.

Shisa Bar

Theres this trendy shisa bar by the beach that has the best views on the island. Go there to catch the sunset, its absolutely beautiful.
 

Where to eat?

I'm a real fussy eater. So the food on this island wasn't that great for me. Bellow will be some of the rare places that I had actually enjoyed.

Coffee

Even though my other half drinks like 6-7 a day and my girls all need a coffee to start their day, I've never been a coffee person. I got hooked on soy lattes since going to this little place near Manta Dive. Unfortunately I didn't take any food pictures here, so I'll just place a link to where you can find this cute little coffee shop.

Cheap but Tasty 

Go to the night markets, they have hawker stores that are cheap and tasty! We didn't get to go there often because of the short stay but I've heard from a lot of visitors that they had enjoyed better meals here than the fancy restaurants.

The only thing I had there was chicken rice, and my gosh that was the best chicken rice I've ever had in my life. Just go!

Live Seafood 

On the last night of our stay we went to a fancier restaurant (Scallywags) that offered live seafood, you start by choosing your live seafood, then choose the way you would like for it to be cooked (bbq, steamed etc.)  plus you get the option to purchase their salad bar as well.

We had lobster, prawns, fish etc.

Pretty much the same price as what you would be paying in Australia, the ambiance is great though. I'll link the location below.

Travel Tips

•  If you are wanting to get movies, there's no stores like there is in Bali. At night, you will find guys walking around offering them, so get it while you can as they don't come around during the day. 
• DO NOT stay at Manta Dive in Gili Air.

If you have any questions about this destination, just contact me (:

To Cor, Nina, Marlz, Nae & Rach.

Reminiscing through this post makes me giggle and very blessed, this trip was like school camp but without limitations. You are all my drunkkkkkkiiiiin loooooove.

I find that its sad that as we've gotten older, our commitments and schedules makes little time for us all to catch up at the same time. I miss you guise & will never forget the time we stayed up all night singing with different accents plus the other crazy shit that we got up to too...

Love you bitches xx