Here is a full breakdown of my 4 days on Gili T Island
*If youre looking for a quick recap → skip to the bottom
How to get to the Gili Islands
One of my most viral tiktoks illustrates my ferry ride from Bali to GIli T
Check in is 45 minutes before the ride. I handed in my 2 pieces of luggage to the gentleman at the check in location loading up the carts and they were transported to the boat before the passengers.
**** Keeping two air tags in my luggage has been such a lifesaver for providing me with peace of mind, knowing they got onto the boat with me! ****
I was very lucky to have a smooth ride on the way to the islands. I sat on the deck of the boat the whole ride and enjoyed the ocean breeze and beautiful views (on the way home I was not so lucky….)
I arrived in Gili T and walked right off the boat up the walkway to my hotel. I purposely booked an accommodation right next to the port so I could easily bring my luggage from the boat to my hotel, rather than having to lug it around the island! The entire island is walkable and the only modes of transportation are bike or horse carriage. I rented a bike from my hotel for one day to circle the island, but the best way to get around is by foot.
Where to stay
I stayed at Abdi Hotel for 3 nights totaling $126 ($42/night). The location was perfect for me and the pool was nice and relaxing but it was definitely loud at night being located by , the bed was not supre comfortable but it was perfect enough and I was very satisfied I stayed here. Upon arrival I rented a bike from the front desk for 50.000 IDR ($3.04) and explored!
I sat for dinner at Desa Dina Beach resort where I paid 200.000 IDR ($12.20) for the Lemon Butter Snapper and a salad - I didn’t enjoy this meal - the fish had too many bones in it for me to eat and the salad was nothing to write home about but that was my fault for not planning ahead. Listed below are all of the wonderful spots I discover over the rest of my weekend. Also reference my gluten free guide for a more detailed breakdown of my top eats!
After dinner I walked into The Bamboo Spa where I had the most amazing foot massage for only 80.000 IDR ($4.88) then topped off the night with a scoop of yummy coffee ice cream at Coco for 25.000 IDR ($1.53) **full disclosure - I did indeed come back here for a massage every day I was on the island…once I twice in a day
Full day in Gili T on the island
I woke up for sunrise and it was soooo beautiful!!! I got some gorgeous drone footage and found the most beautiful seashells! My hotel included a free breakfast with my stay so I ordered a smoothie bowl and coffee. Then I walked around the island and made my way to PinkCoco hotel. I was here from 8-10 and practically had the entire place to myself! While I was here I got amazing photos, enjoyed coffee & shakshuka for 125.000 IDR ($7.59), and relaxed reading my book.
On my walk back towards my hotel I stopped in a handful of shops and got the cutest hat from Another Day in Paradise for 150.000 IDR ($9.10)
I caught up with my boyfriend on facetime which eating lunch at Kayu Cafe where I ordered the red quinoa chickpea salad, the immune booster juice, and the gf avocado toast for 273.000 IDR ($16.66) it was soooo fresh & amazing!!! Then I relaxed by the pool at my hotel and closed my eyes for a bit as I was still battling jet lag and a 15 hour time change.
I relaxed on the beach with a 60.000 IDR ($3.64) green juice at Ego and read my book then walked over to You Spa for a 1 hour 45 minute spa treatment. This space was beautiful, picturesque and peaceful but there was construction going on next door so there was loud drilling during my whole treatment, which if you know me personally you know this robbed me of my zen. I did the 810.000 IDR ($49.l6) Recover package complete with a facial, foot massage and back massage. The massages were nice but I did not enjoy the facial (I think I just learned that I don't like facials personally lol) - overall it was cool to experience this but I don't think I would recommend spending the money when you can enjoy a wonderful message for a fraction of the price at Bamboo Spa, but if budget is’nt a factor for you - you wont regret booking a treatment.
I walked back to my hotel, got a 25.000 ($1.52) street corn for dinner (I had a big late lunch since my internal clock is off) and called it a day!
Full day in Gili T - Boat Day Visiting the Gili Islands
I woke up for sunrise on the beach and droned, then went back to Kayu cafe for the most delicious gluten-free pastry & oat milk cappuccino for 100.000 IDR (6.65)
A few weeks before my trip I booked the Snorkeling with Turles & Statues tour through Viator for $22 https://www.viator.com/account/booking/152053514/1534070543/1148820295. I checked in, got sized for my fins, then had 40 minutes to relax at my hotel next door to check in before the tour. I was in a group of about 20 people on the boat. We were given goggles and fins and the guides took photos of us on their go pro which we received via google drive less than 24 hours after our trip. Their photos and videos were so good that assuming they are consistent with this quality, you could rely on them for all your photos (If you want to remove people from your snorkeling photos check out my travel tip on background removing)
The water was glacier freeze blue and so beautiful! We saw turtles eating coral at our first 2 stops and lots of pretty fish! We also visited Gili Meno island which was a handful of villas and picturesque seating areas overlooking the water. If you care about artsy, gorgeous photos definitely bring a camera/tri pod to this island!!
There were a few places to get a bite to eat and drink. It's so beautiful here! We also got to see baby turtles that were kept safe in a little pool so they can grow before embarking into the ocean on their own!
We saw the famous nest sculptures which were very cool to see but with so many people swimming around there it was super claustrophobic for me! I stayed on the outskirts and looked in. I also found 3 other statues in their own mini circle not far away in the sand. Thanks to our viator tour guide and editing out a few other swimmers, I got this awesome photo !
The tour group brought us to Gili Air island for our last stop which from what I saw was mostly a lot of trash and not too much to do or see. The group brought us to a restaurant that I did not enjoy - I ordered the fried rice (I think it was just rice and ketchup :’))
Then we took the boat back home and I went right back to my favorite spot - Bamboo Spa - for a foot massage! After dinner I enjoyed what ended up being my favorite dinner of Gili T - Pasta Pojok. All of their pasta is made fresh in house including their Tagliatelle Senza Gluten!! I ordered it with the Pomodoro e Basilico sauce and when I shared how excited I was about finding fresh GF pasta on the island they brought out the most delicious warm GF bread as well!! This combined with the salad I ordered to start filled me up so much that I had to take half of my pasta home to finish in bed later that night! So freaking delicious!
Traveling from Gili T back to Uluwatu
My final morning in Gili T was an unfortunate example of an unexpected travel hiccup. I woke up for sunrise to fly my drone and she took a crash landing and broke a leg. I was thankfully leaving on my ferry for Uluwatu a few hours later so I went to Coffee & Thyme for a delicious vanilla latte which researching drone repair shops near Uluwatu and I whatsapped a handful of places I found. Then I got a delicious buddha bowl & pressed juice from The Banyan Tree for lunch before taking off to Uluwatu.
I had such a relaxing ride there buy oh man that boat back was awful! At times I seriously questioned if we were going to tip over the entire boat it weas so rocky and stormy but we made it back and I had scheduled a driver ahead of time with bluewaterexpress as an add on so right off the boat I was walked to a private car to shuttle me down to my first stay in Uluwatu at Dreamsea Sea Hotel! One thing I did not know before this trip was how brutal traffic is! It took a little over 3 hours for us to get from the Padangbai ferry port to the hotel. I arrived around 5:30 and was exhausted but sooo excited to see where I was staying - Dreamsea was hands down the modest beautiful hotel I stayed at on our whole trip.
Recap
Where to stay → Abdi Hote
Where to eat → Kayu Cafe, Ego, Pasta Pojok, Coffee & Thyme, The Banyan Tree
What to do → Take a boat tour to visit the Gili’s, snorkel, lay at the beach with a book, relax at one of the beach clubs, ride your bike or walk the perimeter of the island soaking in the views, find a hammock to nap/read on, relax at a coffee shop, visit the ____ market, get a spa treatment/massage, shop
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