Despite visiting Indonesia (mostly Bali) and other parts of Southeast Asia on several occasions, we never felt the draw to visit the Gili Islands—until now. On a recent trip, we finally decided to add this tiny island to our itinerary. In this post, we share our impressions after a much-too-short three-night stay on Gili Air, where we enjoyed a slower pace of life, stunning sunsets, delicious food, cold drinks, and plenty of water activities.

Destination Overview:

Gili Air is one of 3 of the Gili Islands located off the north west coast of Lombok. One of Gili Air’s many charms is how small it is and how easy it is to get around: you can walk or bike the entire 5 km around the island pretty easily and pleasantly due to the absence of motorized vehicles as they are not permitted. 

If Gili Meno is the tiny, quiet escape and Gili Trawangan is the large, lively party hub, Gili Air offers the perfect “in-between” experience. While some parts are livelier than others, it remains a low-key, peaceful place to enjoy snorkeling, diving, and a surprisingly diverse dining scene. The island is a popular stop on the “Banana Pancake Trail,” meaning it’s easy to find budget-friendly accommodations, tours, and food.

Getting Here:

Getting to Gili Air from Vancouver where we live is not easy and it made sense to add a stop here on our 2 week trip to South East Asia after visiting Lombok.

The most common ways to get to Gili Air are from Bali and Lombok. 

• Speed Boat from Bali: You can take a ferry from one of the various spots in Bali for about 2-3 hours. We ended up taking a Blue Water Express speed boat to Padang Bai Port on the east coast of Bali from Gili Air. Overall, the experience was pleasant enough, but we did end up hitting some rough surf that could make you sea sick if you are very sensitive to motion sickness.  Blue Water Express is more expensive than other boat providers but gets better reviews and seems a little more safety oriented than smaller ones. The other company we had considered as they have larger boats and decent reviews was Eka Jaya.

• Flight-Drive-Boat: If you fly into LOP – Kuta Lombok Airport, you can take a taxi to the ferry port to a shared or public boat to Gili Air. There are flights from Bali to Lombok if you are worried about the speed boat journey. We ended up taking a non-stop flight on Scoot from SIN – Singapore to avoid a connection in CGK – Jakarta. The transfer from Somewhere, our hotel in Lombok, took about 2 hours and the boat ride from the pier to Gili Air took 20 minutes. 

How long to spend:

We ended up booking a 3 night stay at a hotel to enjoy about 2.5 days on the island. Some people visit for the day from Lombok and others may spend more or less time, depending on what you want to do. Once we settled into our routine of spending the day at the beach, exploring by bicycle, trying new restaurants and enjoying sunset happy hours on the beach, we wish we had one more night to fully relax and maybe do a boat tour. On the flip side, we are also very curious about Gili Meno, the smallest and most quiet of the islands and could see ourselves heading there for 2 nights too! If we had enough time, spending a week in the Gili Islands would be optimal. We had contemplated spending 2 nights, and that would have been too short.

Where to stay:

There are a number of smaller hotels and hostels on the island. We decided to stay Villa Tokay, part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Our villa, the Tide, had a private pool, an expansive outdoor area to lounge, a kitchen area, an outdoor shower, and a very serene and comfortable bedroom. Staying here really made our time on the island special as Villa Tokay was felt like we were castaways, but with lots of luxury too! You can check out our full review and YouTube video room tour. 

Another option that we considered that was very cute and affordable is KeRensia Private Pool Villas; at some times of the year, the rates are as low as $100 a night for a modern room with your own private pool!

For other ideas, this link takes you to a list of accommodations available on Expedia. 

Budgeting

Gili Air is incredibly budget-friendly. To put it in perspective, our total food and drink spend for an entire day was less than a single meal in Singapore.

• Beach Clubs: We opted for chairs and umbrellas at Scallywags Beach Club for a consumption minimum of about 100,000 IDR ($6 USD) per person—a bargain for a day of ocean swims and cold beers.
• Happy Hour: You can find beachfront cocktails for $2.50–$5.00 USD.
• Activities: A shared four-hour snorkeling boat tour starts at roughly $25 USD per person.
• Dining: Beach barbecues are a staple. At Papaya’s, a plate of grilled meat or fish with two sides cost around $10 USD.

Best Time to Visit

To enjoy Gili Air outside of rainy season, the best time to visit is between May to end of September. We visited in early October and enjoyed warm sunny days, some cloudier than others. One our first day, the winds were unseasonably strong, but otherwise we had no complaints.

What We Loved

The ease of movement and the “slow-motion” feel of the island were highlights. Life here follows the sun and the tide: mornings on the east side for the sunrise, and evenings on the west for sunsets, acoustic music, and bonfires.

The food was also a standout. Mama’s Pizza rivaled high-quality pizzerias back home, and Pachamama offered incredible healthy juices, tasty tapas, and a must-try passionfruit cheesecake. We also loved that you can wander just a few streets away from the tourist strips to find quiet local communities.

What We Didn’t Love

We had mixed feelings about the horse-drawn carriages (cidomos). Animal welfare is a valid concern, though it’s a difficult balance in areas where locals rely on them for their livelihoods. Additionally, we noticed some trash on the beaches—mostly glass bottles left behind by visitors.

Fortunately, organizations like Gili CARE are working on waste management, and Oceans 5 Dive Resort hosts a weekly beach clean-up at 5:00 PM where volunteers get a free drink in exchange for their help.

Summary

Gili Air ended up being the most peaceful and affordable destination of our trip. Its appeal lies in the lack of “must-do” pressure. It’s a place to explore at your own pace without being confined to a resort. We highly recommend it for travelers of all ages—including families—and hope the environment remains preserved as its popularity grows.