Our Amazing Time on the Gili Islands (Meno)

“Gili” in the local Sasak language means island. There are plenty of them around Lombok but the most well known is the trio of Trawangan, Meno and Air which are only accessible by boat.

At this point, we are still staying on the island of Lombok. No trip to Bali OR Lombok should be complete without a visit to this group of Gili Islands. If you want a lively island, including watersports and surfing, then it’s Gili Trawangan also known as “Gili T.” Gili Air is a mixture of both Gili T and Gili Meno.

We chose to visit Gili Meno based on a recommendation for it being the better suited, safer island for couples and young families who want to relax.

Small enough to walk around and lots of accommodation and restaurant choices. The scuba diving and snorkelling is also very good around this island. The recommendation was spot on. We know this because we went there twice! First time was just Dionne and I. Big thanks to the MahaMaya restaurant who looked after us. First class food and service. We came back to Meno a second time as a family for Jayden to complete and pass his Open Water diving qualification with Divine Divers.

We stayed in the dive centre accommodation which was good value and really convenient. Their cafe/restaurant was also one of the better ones on the island which was handy given our kids are always hungry!

We highly recommend Divine Divers should you come to Meno for diving.

We were staying in North Lombok which is a perfect location for getting to the Gili Islands. Given the size of our family, it was good value to hire a direct private speedboat for a group of up to 10 people as they charge per trip and not per person. It will drop you directly outside your chosen accommodation anywhere on the island which is really convenient! The return fare was about £30.

If you are a smaller group or on your own and on a budget, there are cheaper options such as large public boats that go to the islands from Bangsal harbour (Lombok). They will take a bit longer as they will stop at each island. Bali operates several services a day across a few different departure points as that’s where the bulk of the visitors travel from.

Whilst you have the option to visit and leave on the same day, it’s a better experience to stay over for a night or two. The sunsets there are some of the best we have ever seen! Of course, you can also hop to one of the other two islands as part of your trip. There are loads of places to stay on Gili Meno and they can suit all types of budget. Most are family run with small individual huts/bungalows but there are more and more small resorts popping up. They are mostly dotted around the edges of the island sitting very close to the sea with breathtaking views.

There are also more in the middle of the island. Personally we would recommend stay on a beachfront resort. There are double bed bungalows there as cheap as £20 a night with breakfast.

Gili Meno is so small, I ran around it in 25 mins! On this small island, most places are within a comfortable walking distance. Even though the bars and restaurants are part of each resort accommodation, they all welcome each other’s customers. No motorised vehicles on the island makes it bliss.

The only transport you can pay for is horse drawn carriage called a Cidomo. No sound of motor traffic. Only the sound of gentle lapping crystal clear water on the palm tree lined white sandy beache with chilled bars and restaurants creating a vibe that makes Gili Meno so unique.

There are several important things to note for all three islands:

• Facilities are limited. There are minimarts, but no banks – only a few cash machines and money-changers offering poor rates.

• Blackouts are not uncommon and only upmarket places have backup generators. Take a torch after dark because there are few (and, often, no) street lights.

• During peak seasons (July, August, and mid-December to late January), hotel prices can double and finding a decent room is difficult, so always book ahead.

• Smelly bore water is used in most guesthouses for showering, while expensive places usually have to ship in freshwater from the mainland at great expense. So, use water sparingly.