Dear pool people,
Welcome to the first of a series of pool travel invasions.
A travel invasion is getting as many people as possible to go on holiday together. Creating a village atmosphere where everyone knows everyone else, where you can enjoy the company of old friends and meet new ones in a laid back environment.
The Gili Islands is an easy choice for this. It's a sunny place full of nice people and beautiful water where you might get everything you want.
The Islands, located in the north west of Lombok, feature three small, coral fringed islands; Gili Air, Gili Meno & Gili Trawangan - each with superb, white sandy beaches, clear water, coral reefs and the best snorkeling on Lombok. Sunrises are over Lombok's Mount Rinjani volcano and sunsets illuminate Bali's towering Mount Agung volcano. And there are no cars or motorbikes...
This is the perfect spot for getting together.
So please come join us and be a part of our first island invasion of Gili Trawangan.
Thank you and see you in Gili.
pool
Located just off the coast of Lombok Barat, Gili Trawangan is ideal for snorkeling, scuba diving, and laying about. The island is famous for its blue coral and has pristine, white sandy beaches and can be easily reached by sea from the harbor of Bangsal Pemenang on Lombok.
The trip to Gili Trawangan takes 30 minutes and 45 minutes. Accommodation is simple and in keeping with the natural surrounding, but a few good little boutique hotels have sprung up alongside the original basic huts, most of which look out over the water. Local transport is simple but iconic, the Cidomo (cikar-dokar-motor) – a horse-drawn, two wheeled, wooden cart remains an aurally rustic feature on the island. The island is small enough to race around on bikes if such strenuous activities turn you on.
You don't need to take much more than your bathers, a sarong, a bit of rupiah and your i-pod. There's no real shopping except for basic necessities. Most hotels on all the islands have restaurants, so there's a reasonable choice of places to eat and a good variety of meals to suit most tastes. There's even some pretty damn good sushi.
Trawangan also has a number of good dive shops, some run by expatriates living on the island, so you can learn to dive while you're there. At night, the island always has a party happening at one of the restaurants or bars to disrupt the tranquillity. But if you're looking for a quieter evening then catch a free outdoor movie on bean bags or in your own private DVD hut over-looking the water. Food, drinks and funny stuff are served everywhere.
Occasionally an act of god will black the island out. On such nights, everyone simply chills out quietly in the candle light.
The beach starts from the right of the pier and pretty much ends at the Almarik, a boutique hotel at the far end of the beach. But there are also secluded beaches all around the island waiting to be discovered. Just jump in at the Almarik and let the currents take you around the reef. The visibility is superb and the exotic marine life just about ten metres from the beach is diverse.
A typical day on Trawangan starts with some quiet time in the morning. You sit on your balcony or veranda and just clear your mind a bit while you wait for breakfast. You may smoke if you enjoy one in the morning. While you're doing this, you will notice that every five minutes or so, some local will either be driving a horse cart or riding a bike by and saying Hi! by calling out your name. Personally, that always adds to the sunshine.
Whenever breakfast calls, jump on your bike and head for the beach. Find a nice restaurant or bakery, have a hearty breakfast and just lay around for a bit to digest and take in the beach scene. At this point, I usually take a nap or read a book.
Late morning and late afternoons are good times to start snorkeling. The rest of the day can be spent either laying on the beach, hanging out by the beach bars with the locals, watching DVDs in a hut with some burgers and fries or exploring the kampong lanes by bike. The place is small enough that we'll always bump into one another.
Gili Meno & Gili Air are the two smaller islands closest to Lombok. They are about 5 minutes by boat from Trawangan. If you're mad enough, grab a canoe and paddle there. These two islands have absolutely fuck-all to do except sitting in a baruga on the beach and zoning into the sea in between the occasional snorkel.
There some excellent surfing off Gili Air. It's out there so you'll have to paddle pretty far. There's also some reef surfing off Trawangan. This is very rocky and apparently in very shallow water so I would call it dangerous. Still people do it and you can see them rip it up from Surfer's Point.
The day always ends with a sunset and some cocktails if you haven't already had some at lunch. You'll need a bike or cidomo to get to Sunset Cottages to catch this. The sun sets behind Mount Agung in Bali but I think it sets into the crater of the massive volcano. It's a fiery sight that leaves behind lavenders and pinks in the clouds as it goes down.
The ride back thru the trees in complete darkness except for the moon is crazy fun, especially when you don't have any flashlights.
Have dinner and drinks anytime and anywhere you like. The range of food goes from side street warongs to pizza baked in a wood fire oven on the beach to fresh sushi in a cushioned baruga.
Our top 3 places to eat:
Cafe Wayan Bakery & RestaurantGreat sandwiches, home made pastas and fresh deli with various kind of Balinese and Asian cuisine. Cafe Wayan is related to Cafe Wayan in Ubud and Senggigi.
Old Lady WarongKampong to the max.
Living Room RestaurantGreat taste, great value with friendly service. My personal favorite.
click here for MORE...
Accommodation tariffs on today's range are from between Rp. 50,000 (equivalent to USD 6.00) to 100,000 (USD 12.00) per night for a simple room with fan, to an air-con bungalows style with hot water, in comfortable resort-style settings at up to Rp. 950,000 (USD 110.00) per night and everything in between, depending on the seasonal price fluctuations.
click here for LUXURY WITH POOL ETC/AFFORDABLE NEW BUNGALOWS WITH MODERN FACILITIES/BACKPACKER'S CHOICE...I have stayed at a nice wooden villa set in a coconut grove, very secluded and away from it all, and a beautiful kampong hut on tree-lined side street. They're all actually quite good depending on your needs and taste. You can either book online or just show up and look around.
If you want to go all the way, try A private villa for a bunch of people. A good place to have your own little party going if you invite the right crowd over.
click here for VILLA BEACH HOUSE...click here for KELAPA VILLAS...
There's a party every night in Gili Trawangan so CDJs and mixers are available for anyone who cares to DJ. Usually it's some dude from the mainland but we've taken the liberty to invite a few of our pool of DJs to come along as well so you'll not be starved of good music.
The party rotates from bar to bar everynight and only the host bar is allowed to close at 4am. A nice mixture of locals, guests and freaks attend these events so it's a colourful spectacle after a few purple space shakes. Get on the table if you need a podium, but do it fast or the locals will beat you to it.
After dark on the island is always free and easy. Hanging out on your veranda with some people having a drink and a chat is something that we recommend you do. If you want, bring portable speakers, it will complete the vibe.
BY FAST BOAT DIRECT FROM BALIBy far the quickest and easiest way of getting to the Gili Islands from Bali is with the new FastBoat service, operated by
Blue Water Safaris. Established in early 2006, this has rapidly become the most popular way of getting to the Gili Islands – it is far quicker than any other boat service, and even quicker than flying via Lombok - it cuts out all the hassle of airport check-in, delayed flights, negotiating transport to the harbour, negotiating boat prices, and provides a convenient one-stop transportation direct to the Gili beaches.
The Blue Water Fastboat includes fee air-con transfers to and from the Kuta area in Bali, which is just 20 minutes from Benoa Harbour. From here it takes around two hours to get you direct to the beaches of Trawangan, Meno or Air. On the way you get to view the impressive coastline of South East Bali, including spectacular views of Gunung Agung, before cruising across the Wallace Line in the Lombok Straight to the Gilis (check out the route on the boat’s GPS system!). Sightings of large groups of dolphins are very common (well over 50% of trips from Bali meet dolphins on the way), and occasionally Beluga Whales are seen breaching.
click here for BLUE WATER FASTBOAT...
BY AIR FROM DENPASAR/SINGAPOREThere are many daily flights from Jakarta via Surabaya, or direct flight from Bali to Lombok. From Singapore, Silk Air fly direct to Lombok 4 times a week. From Mataram Airport, take airport taxi service direct to Bangsal or get a public transport/bemos from Rembiga to Pemenang, then to Bangsal by Cidomo (horse cart). Use your bargaining skills to negotiate the price. From Bangsal to Gili Islands, the only transportation is by regular public boat or boat charter.
The Koperasi Angkutan Laut (Sea Transport Co-operative) is the boat owner cartel which monopolises transport to the islands. Try to get to Bangsal at around 09:30AM or 10:30AM as most boats go in the morning.
click here for FLIGHT SCHEDULES...click here for SILK AIR...PRIVATE SPEEDBOATMost upmarket hotels on Gili Trawangan give extra service and conveniences to their clients by providing their private modern speedboat and skip Bangsal. The alternative harbor is runs privately by hotel's owners at Teluk Nare or Teluk Kodek (another 10 minutes drive from Bangsal). This seems to be more effective and hassle free. It takes only 10 minutes to Gili Trawangan. This option only available if you book in advanced through reputable local tour operators.
BY FERRY FROM BALIBounty Cruise - Fast Catamaran is longer operates since 2001. Ferry service from Bali - Lombok - Bali available 24 hours, depart every two hours. It takes up to 4,5 hours from Padang Bay (East Bali) to Lembar (South West Lombok). You will spend almost the whole day on the bus and ferry and by the time you reach Bangsal, you may have to charter the boat to get the gilis at unusual price. From Lembar Harbour, take a bus to Mandalika bus station, choose destination Tanjung, and stop at Pemenang. Get a local transportation called Cidomo (horse cart) to take you to Bangsal Harbour. Once there register your name at the ticket office. Lombok Taxi available 24 hours. To order by phone, dial 627000, or add 0370 (area code) if calling from bali.
click here for PUBLIC BOAT SCHEDULES...
