Gili Islands

Beach life is the reason to come. All three islands are ringed by white or golden sand on clear water that stays around 28°C to 29°C all year, and you are never more than a short walk from the sea. Gili Meno has the quietest and widest stretches, Gili Air has calm water and plenty of shade along its east side, and Gili Trawangan's east coast is the busiest, with its west side kept for sunset.

The shore is not perfect everywhere. Much of it shelves over coral and seagrass that is awkward to wade at low tide, so swimming spots are worth choosing, and the channels between the islands carry strong currents. Turtles feed close to shore, so a mask turns an ordinary swim into the highlight of the day. The dry months from May to October bring the calmest water and clearest days.

Eating here is easy and casual rather than memorable. Beachfront restaurants serve grilled fish, smoothie bowls, wood-fired pizza and a long list of international comfort food aimed at visitors, and quality varies more than the menus suggest. The best local eating is in the small warung set back from the beach, with nasi campur, Lombok's fiery ayam taliwang and plecing kangkung.

Gili Trawangan's evening market near the harbour is the liveliest place to eat, with fish laid out on ice and grilled to order alongside satay and noodle stalls. Gili Air has a good spread of relaxed cafés, while Gili Meno has only a handful of places. Alcohol is widely sold on Trawangan and Air despite the islands' Muslim community.

There are no museums or landmarks to plan a day around. The islands are home to Sasak and Bugis fishing families, and the village lanes behind the beaches, with their small mosques and the call to prayer drifting over the palms, are the cultural texture of a stay. On Gili Trawangan a walk up the low hill in the south leads to the remains of a Japanese lookout from the Second World War and a fine view to Bali's Mount Agung. Anyone wanting temples, palaces or Sasak heritage has to go to Lombok or Bali.

Nightlife belongs almost entirely to Gili Trawangan, whose reputation as a party island is well earned. Along the main strip on the east coast, beach bars fill from sunset and a designated party night rotates between venues through the week, so there is somewhere loud and late every evening, with bucket drinks, DJs and a young backpacker crowd. It is fun and sociable, though narrow in style and repetitive over a long stay.

Gili Air is much gentler, with beach bars, bonfires and the occasional late night. Gili Meno goes to bed early. Things quieten sharply during Ramadan, out of respect for the local community, and the crowds are thickest from June to August.

The real outdoors is underwater. Around all three islands are dozens of dive sites with green and hawksbill turtles, reef sharks, rays and good coral, and the islands are among the easiest places in Indonesia to learn to dive, with many dive schools. Snorkelling straight off the beach, especially off Gili Meno and the north of Gili Air, regularly turns up turtles. Freediving is popular too.

Above water the islands are flat and small. Cycling or walking the sandy loop around each one takes an hour or two, and the reward is sunset over Bali's Mount Agung and dawn over Lombok's Rinjani. Climbing Rinjani is a serious trek of two or more days from the far side of Lombok rather than an outing from here.

The obvious outings are to the other two islands, a short hop by public or shared boat, each with its own pace and beaches. Beyond that, the Lombok coast is a short crossing from Bangsal, and a driver can take you along the clifftop road to Senggigi, into Mataram's markets and mosques, or to Sasak weaving villages in the island's centre. Traditional villages in the south, such as Sade, are around two hours away and make a long day. The options are pleasant but limited, and most visitors are content to stay put.

With young children, choose Gili Meno or Gili Air. Both are quiet and safe, with no cars or motorbikes, so children can walk or cycle freely, and seeing turtles while snorkelling from the beach is a highlight for older children. Gili Meno has a small turtle hatchery.

There is nothing made for children beyond that: no parks, zoos or museums, and days revolve around the beach and the pool. Medical care is limited to small clinics, the shallows can be sharp coral rubble, currents run between the islands and the fast-boat crossing from Bali can be rough. Gili Trawangan's party strip is best avoided with a family.

Once you arrive, everything is close. Motor vehicles are banned, so each island is covered on foot, by bicycle or in a cidomo horse cart, and walking all the way around Gili Trawangan takes a couple of hours. The inland lanes can be deep sand, which makes cycling harder work than it looks, and paths are unlit away from the centres at night.

Getting there takes more effort. Fast boats from Bali take around two hours and can be rough or cancelled in heavy seas, while the route from Lombok airport means a drive of around two hours to Bangsal and a short boat crossing. Boats between the three islands run only a few times a day, so changing islands takes some planning.

Shopping is limited to beachwear, sarongs, souvenirs and a few boutiques selling swimwear and resort clothes, mostly along Gili Trawangan's main strip and near the harbours. Lombok's pearls are sold everywhere, though quality varies widely. For Sasak weaving and pottery, the villages and markets of Lombok are the place to go.

The islands are cheap by international standards, though more expensive than mainland Lombok because almost everything arrives by boat. Simple bungalows and hostels, warung meals, massages and bicycle hire cost little, and a careful traveller can live well on a small budget. Beachfront villas with private pools, Western-style restaurants, imported drinks and dive courses push costs up, and the fast boat from Bali is a noticeable expense. Prices are firmest in July and August, when rooms on Gili Trawangan and Gili Air fill up.

There is no performing arts scene. Some beach bars on Gili Trawangan and Gili Air put on live bands or acoustic sets, mostly reggae and covers, and that is the extent of it. Traditional Sasak music and dance are found on Lombok, not on the islands.

Slowing down comes easily. With no engines and little to do but swim and eat, Gili Meno and Gili Air are among the most restful places to stay in the region, and many visitors plan to stay a few days and end up staying a week. Massage is cheap and everywhere, from beach shelters to small day spas, and resort spas offer traditional Indonesian treatments.

Yoga is well established, with open-air studios and retreats on Gili Air and Gili Trawangan offering daily classes, and some places combine it with freediving or retreats lasting a week or more. There are no thermal baths or bathhouses. Gili Trawangan's party strip is the one place where the calm gives way.