Gili Trawangan is a popular spot for those spending some decent time in Bali.  A short boat ride away with plenty of cheap accommodation, white sandy beaches and great nightlife it’s a hot spot for budget travellers and backpackers.  I was looking for somewhere in Bali for a long weekend in September when I came across rates for Le Pirate on Gili Trawangan, about 50% cheaper than anything comparable in Bali, it was an easy decision to make.

You can fly to Lombok and then transfer by boat to Gili Trawangan, there are also several boat options from Bali.  I chose to go with Bluewater express, they have a 2.5 hour crossing, this seemed to be the quickest option by the time you factor in transfers to and from the airport. Tickets were IDR 1.3 million return including a private hotel pick up and drop off.

The whole operation is very well organised and they have a great safety record (I’m a total wimp when it comes to boats and planes…). Once you are dropped at the office and have checked in there is time to order a coffee (Or a beer)from the cafe in their eating area. The boat is 2.5 to 3 hours and drops off at the main harbour.

On arriving there are heaps of taxi carts and this is where I get a little bit stuck with Gili Trawangan.  My poor boyfriend had to hump our luggage halfway round the island as I refused to use the horse and cart taxis, I should probably also mention here that he was on day two of a particularly bad man flu…

So these horses… They don’t look malnourished and I never saw any aggressive treatment from the drivers but the loads look heavy, it’s hot and the roads are not the best, I just couldn’t bring myself to use them.  The other option, which, in hindsight would have been better for us would have been to hire two bikes from one of the many stores around the harbour and then cycle to our accommodation. They’re cheap and aside from the horses this is the only transportation around the island. (Tip - if you can, leave you big luggage at a hotel and bring a smaller holdall, literally all you need are a few swim suits and a coverup anyway…)

Anyway, walk we did, for about 30 minutes (Sorry skippy!) to our accommodation at Le Pirate.  We’d stayed at Le Pirate before in Labuan Bajo and really liked it and we had pretty high expectations.  For IDR 1 million per night we go a garden hut and breakfast for two.  The huts are clean and comfortable with AC and water (they will also refill your water bottles free of charge). The breakfast is delicious, made to order and lots of healthy choices. The grounds are really nice, a pool for the beach club and then a private pool for guests.  Le Pirate is on the right side of the island for Sunset and the beach bar runs specials during sunset time.  The food was fantastic, the best of all the Pirate venues we’ve tried, and probably also the best we had on the island, the BBQ corn is a must. 

For our last two nights I booked Majo private villas. A little more expensive than Le Pirate but absolutely worth the money. All of the Villas have a big private lagoon pool, day bed and outdoor lounger area.  The grounds are spectacular with tropical flowers every direction you look and a big communal pool if for some weird reason you’d had enough of skinny dipping in your private pool.

Full disclosure on the arrival experience, it involves the island rubbish dump, so super dusty and lots of trash floating around, however once you’re inside you don’t notice it. The staff at the villa were super helpful and arranged a half day snorkelling tour with private boat.  You also get complimentary bikes for the duration of your stay and the breakfasts are amazing and served to your villa.

We opted for a half day snorkelling on a private boat (we’d both had a long month at work and neither felt like being super social), but on seeing the other boats packed with people I’m glad we paid a little more for the private option.  Not only could we do as we pleased and for however long we wanted it was also much quieter at the different stops we had. 

We were super lucky at Turtle point, the visibility was amazing, we could see the scuba divers 10 meters below us and there were 8 or 9 turtles that would come up to the surface every now and then. After about 20 minutes a boat arrived with a big group of people on it and it got a little busy so definitely look to get there early.  If you have a private boat ask to do that spot first as it’s second on most of the itinerary’s. There are a few other stops for snorkelling, including the underwater stages and then to Gili Air for lunch (Not included). 

The beaches in Gili Trawangan are nice enough, a little rocky in some places.  I was very happy at Le Pirate as they also have a great pool and plenty of shady spots, their cocktails are really good and the service is excellent. 

There are loads of restaurants on Gili Trawangan, we thought the food at Le Pirate was awesome and so we didn’t bother to venture out to much.  We did try the local seafood market, it was okay, a little over priced and not the nice setting but very very busy, the corn is pretty delicious though!

I would go back to Gili Trawangan in a heartbeat, it’s clean, quiet and the snorkelling is fantastic, it feels like a real little vacation spot (Which sounds strange given I live on Bali…). I’d probably also stay at Majo again, the location is pretty good, very central and the private pool is wonderful.