Due to the beautiful sunsets over the ocean and opportunity to swim with turtles off the beach, this has to be my favourite out of the two main Gili Islands, Trawangan and Air.

We came here first (last drop off on the fast boat - if you are doing both Air and Trawangan then you're better off visiting Air first) and having been told that this island was the 'party' island we decided to only stay here for two nights.

Indeed it is a lot more lively than Air, however it is not like you're average party destination. It has a good mix of late night disco with chilled bars - in that respect I wish we had stayed longer.

We arrived from Padangbai at 5pm which gave us just enough time to drop off our bags, freshen up and make our way to the south of the island for sunset which was at the very early time of 6.10pm! Being newbies to Gili T, we walked from one end of the island to the other, those experienced Gili islanders rode bicycles (the only method of transport on the Gili islands are push bikes and horse & cart). Every tourist will be headed south for sunset, so get there early, grab a beanbag close to the shore, order a nice cold Bintang and enjoy the view!

Come evening most people head to the East of the island for 2 for 1 cocktails and fresh fish cooked on the bbq!

Now the reason we came to the Gili islands...snorkelling. We found the best spot for swimming with turtles was off the beach by La Moomba Bar & Restaurant (North East of the island). Sun beds are free on both Gili islands by the way, but not in Bali. Now, even though I have read that it is possible to swim with turtles off the beach here, you don't quite believe it until it happens, and it did on multiple occasions. You don't even have to swim out far to see the beautiful green turtles as they are usually found hovering over sea grass. I have been snorkelling on many occasions including the spectacular Great Barrier Reef and Galapagos region but this has to be one of my most favourite and memorable experiences to date. No excursion. No cost. No long boat journey. No people. Just me, myself and the turtle (oh...and my partner - the photographer of course!).

There isn't a whole lot to do on the Gili Islands which is perfect if you just want to relax. Most activities involve the water, such as snorkelling, diving (see my post on Gili Air), paddle boarding or even paddle yoga. I highly recommend hiring a bicycle for your stay on both islands, it only cost around 40,000 IDR per day (approx £2.00), your accommodation may have them to rent, if not there are plenty of places you can hire from along the East side of the island. The north of the island is tricky to ride around because paths are covered in sand so if you either have to get off and push your bike (which is not fun in the heat) or cut through a side path.

Recommendations:

Boats

You can book your return fast boat to the Gili's from Padangbai which usually costs 600,000 IDR (approx £35) and includes a shuttle bus to your next destination in Bali after the Gili islands. If you want to book your return fast boat before you get to Padangbai that's also possible as they sell tickets including transfer to Padangbai in Ubud and other destinations in Bali. 

Tickets for internal boats to and from the Gili islands are available from a number of booths on the islands.

Food

For at least one of your evenings you must head to the fish market on the east of the island. It's delicious, cheap, fresh and you get a chance to mingle with the locals. We ordered a whole lobster, whole squid and whole yellow tail fish (yes it was rather a lot for the two of us) along with a side of rice each and two large Bintang's for 300,000 IDR (approx £17).

If dining on the beach excites you as much as it did me then head to Scallywags. They also offer a wide range of fresh fish cooked on the bbq. Costs slightly more than the fish market but you're paying for the service and beach-front setting. 

On our last day on Gili T we were looking for somewhere to eat lunch (we actually went to go to Pituq cafe as we heard good things but they were fully booked - they don't have many tables by the looks of it) and we stumbled across Kafe Kecil. We had the most amazing fried Tempe and homemade peanut sauce for starter and a very nice shrimp Pad Thai for mains so I highly recommend eating here. They don't have a website but they are situated close to the port (from the port go right-first left then across the path on the corner). It's opposite a vintage clothes store which is also worth a visit! 

Sleep

We stayed 2 nights at Bale Sampan Bungalows which were great. They had their own pool and beach front with sun beds. The bathroom was open air which i thought was really cool and the shower was spot on! They serve up a nice breakfast in the mornings and have bikes available to rent (make sure you ask for a bike lock). We booked with agoda.

Personally I don't think you need a pool when you're so close to the beach anyway unless you're planning to spend a lot of time at your accommodation or you are interested in diving or doing your PADI. If this is the case, I recommend to book your accommodation and diving as a package as you can save some money.