The quieter of the two main Gili islands, we booked to come here after Gili Trawangan as we thought that we may appreciate the peacefulness after being on the 'party' island for a few nights, but in-fact I missed the buzz and atmosphere of Gili T. Don't get me wrong, Gili Air is beautiful and if quiet is what you're after then this is the place for you. 

Set out pretty much the same as Gili T, Air has a path that runs adjacent to the coast all the way round the island. 

The bars and restaurants aren't as plentiful as they are on Gili T, so definitely hire a bicycle to get around. 

There are quite a lot of activities to partake in on the island, we spent our days diving, snorkelling, paddle boarding and cycling. The island also offers paddle yoga (which i sadly missed), yoga and pilates, cooking classes and other water sports. We hired our paddle boards at http://www.bluemarinedive.com/.

We managed to swim with turtles, however this was quite far out at a diving location (my partner dived and I snorkelled). We also spotted a turtle off Turtle Beach by the wall (opposite Blue Marine Dive), it was too deep to swim with the turtle though. We didn't seem to find any turtles closer to the beach, we must have been unlucky as they have been spotted. But there were lots of fishes, all different colours and sizes so still worth the snorkel!

My favourite time of the day...sunset! Like Gili T, you want to head west of the island, it's not as busy as Gili T, so plenty of spare beanbags to sip your cocktail on.

As well as the east coast of the island, the north coast is perfect for swimming. The east coast is quite narrow and you will find many sun beds are on a raised decking or platform, but on the north of the island you are able to sunbathe or walk alongside the ocean. It is also a perfect spot for some lunch...

Recommendations

Dive

I had good intentions to dive. I'm a snorkeller myself but not a fan of the deep blue sea. As much as I love swimming with turtles and being surrounded by pretty coloured fish, it's comforting to know that you are on the top of the ocean and can come up for breath whenever you need to. Anyway, we booked a half day dive, mainly for my other half as a birthday gift because he'd always wanted to try it. We pre booked with Manta Dive prior to arriving on the island as you get 10% off online and they have really good reviews. We had a German instructor, she was very informative and knowledgable and spoke great English. There was only 3 of us in the group so we all got assistance when necessary. Unfortunately my session ended in the pool as I couldn't get to grips with the breathing (I suffer from asthma and if you are an asthmatic it is advised that you seek medical advice beforehand i.e in your home town preferably). However the most important thing is my man enjoyed himself and was amazed by the amount of different fish he saw and the many turtles. Manta Dive are very professional and also calming and reassuring, I would definitely recommend them. They only charged my half of the full amount and let me go on the boat as a spectator which was nice of them. We booked the Introduction Dive which cost 810,000 IDR if pre-booked or 900,000 IDR on the day. 

Eat

As much as I enjoyed eating Indonesian food and fresh fish most nights, sometimes all you fancy is pizza! I think wherever you go it's the same, you always feel obliged to eat their cuisine.  We initially went to go to Biba as according to The Lonely Planet, they serve the best pizza on the island. However they no longer serve pizza, only homemade pasta which I'm sure is lovely but when you're in the mood for pizza, only pizza will do! So the search began and we quickly came across a sign for OASI pizza pointing inland just down from Biba. So we followed the signs which were surprisingly quite frequent considering it's a tiny island. The pizzeria is set on a covered terrace which has a no-shoes policy.  It isn't massive as it is also part of a B&B so i'd get there early so you can get a table. There is only one chef but you wouldn't notice because the service is pretty good and to be honest who's in a rush when you're on holiday? The pizza's are perfectly stone-baked and beautifully topped. It was one of the best pizza's i've ever had and i've had a lot of pizza's!

Sleep

It doesn't matter where you stay on the island because you will always be close to the sea. We came across new build Gili Air Escape whilst looking months before we were set to arrive. The resort looked so inviting that booking our accommodation here was a no-brainer. There are only 4 tastefully decorated wooden bungalows, 1 villa and 1 suite surrounding a clean and refreshing outdoor pool. The staff are great and extremely helpful, especially the english-born owner. Breakfast every morning was absolutely delicious, the bed was so comfortable that I wanted to ship the exact same mattress and cushions home! The shower was hot and powerful with an extremely spacious bathroom, the bungalows were massive with a walk in wardrobe and a beautiful balcony looking out to the pool. The sun beds around the pool were actually in the sun (rarity in Bali) and the welcome drinks were, well very welcoming in the 40 degree heat! Bikes can also be hired here and delivered to you in seconds for 40,000 IDR per day. Our three-night stay was perfect and we were really sad to leave. Definitely the best place we stayed in the whole two weeks in Bali and also one of the best places i've ever stayed in. Gili Air Escape think of everything to make your stay pleasurable! I booked through Booking.com