Gili Trawangan accommodation offers something for everybody and for all budgets. When you’re wondering where to stay in Gili Trawangan, you’ll be pleased to know that you can find cheap accommodation in Gili T perfect for backpackers, big beach resorts in Gili Trawangan with swimming pools, and there are plenty of private villas in Gili Trawangan too!
Where To Stay in Gili Trawangan
In terms of the best place to stay on Gili Trawangan, it depends on what you want from your trip to Gili T.
After living in Gili T for many months and meeting many people who have stayed in different places on the island, in this blog post, I’ll give you information on the best Gili T hostels, Gili T Hotels and Gili T Villa’s for your Gili Islands Accommodation!
Best Area to Stay in Gili Trawangan
Gili Trawangan is a very small island but where to stay on the island is important!
If you want to be in the busy part of the island where all the shops, cool cafes, bars and clubs are, you should stay on the Eastern side of the island near the pier or slightly inland.
If you want a quiet stay, you should stay on the Western side of the island. However, note that this is the opposite side of the island to the Gili T pier and you will need to get a horse and cart here with your luggage seen as Gili Trawangan is a car-free and motorbike-free island.
Gili Trawangan Accommodation
There is so much accommodation in Gili T. If you’re the type of traveller who doesn’t like booking accommodation in advance, that’s ok, you can still turn up to Gili T with no accommodation booked like travellers did in the good old days, as there are plenty of hotels, hostels and guesthouses within walking distance from the pier.
However, if like me, you like to book your accommodation in advance, here are the most popular hotels, hotels, resorts in Gili Trawangan to choose from depending on what you want from your trip here, and what your budget is so you can work out where to stay in Gili Trawangan!
Best Hostels in Gili T
Gili T is a popular place for backpackers and its hostels reflect this. There are lots of hostels in Gili T, most of which are centred around partying, so if you’re travelling solo to Gili T and looking to meet friends to have fun with, book yourself into one of these hostels as you’ll be sure to meet friends to party and see the island with!
Best of all, most hostels in the Gili islands have private rooms and 3-bed dorm rooms only, which is a dream for most backpackers and may help when working out where to stay in Gili Trawangan!
All of these hostels are rated as sociable hostels, they have pre-drink parties each night, I’ve seen many of them and they’re a lot of fun! And most have swimming pools! Not bad for backpacker accommodation hey!
PLANNING YOUR GILI ISLANDS TRIP
I lived on Gili Trawangan island for 6 months so I know it well! Here are my top posts to help you plan your trip:
30 TOP Things to do on Gili Trawangan!
3 Day Gili Trawangan Itinerary!
2 Week Gili Islands, Bali and Lombok itinerary!
How to get around Gili T, Gili Air and Gili Meno by Boat!
Where to stay in Gili Trawangan – Best Hotels, Hostels & Villas!
GETTING FROM BALI TO THE GILI ISLANDS
There is only one way to get from Bali to the Gili Islands and that’s my fast boat from Padang Bay.
You can wait until you arrive to book your boat or be organised and book it in advance here. Booking in advance is especially good during the summer and Christmas months!
BUY HERE: From Bali: 1-Way Boat Transfer to Gili Trawangan/Gili Air/Lombok
BUY HERE: From all Gili Islands: 1-Way Boat Transfer to Bali
Best Guesthouses and Bungalows in Gili T
If hostels are not your thing, there are plenty of guesthouses and bungalows in Gili Trawangan available which will offer you a basic private room, usually with a seating area outside and a social area in the middle. Some even have swimming pools.
In fact, if you are visiting Gili T on a budget, many of the guesthouse and bungalow accommodation in Gili T is cheaper than the hostels because they come with fewer facilities.
These budget bungalows and guesthouses are all in a good location on Gili T and close to the beach. From my experience, I have found that these type of properties all benefit from really friendly staff and good social areas where you can meet other travellers, whilst not spending too much money on accommodation so keep this in mind when looking into where to stay in Gili Trawangan.
Best Hotels in Gili T
If you want something a bit more upmarket and special, especially if you are visiting Gili T for a holiday or even for a honeymoon, there are plenty of really nice hotels and resorts which are small in size and have a boutique feel to them, and all of these hotels and resorts in Gili T have swimming pools right outside the rooms.
Although the above options for accommodation in Gili T may look fancy and expensive, all of these options offer nice bedrooms and facilities for a good price, especially if you are a couple or 2 friends sharing the cost. You can get high-quality accommodation for a fraction of the cost by staying in nice hotels and resorts in Gili Trawangan so keep this in mind when looking into where to stay in Gili Trawangan!
Best Beach Resorts in Gili T
If you’re looking for the ultimate best places to stay in Gili, the beach resorts in Gili T are the place to stay. They offer beautiful swimming pools and these resorts are all right on the beach offering you the best chance to really relax and enjoy your holidays in Gili Trawangan. These hotels in Gili Trawangan are particularly good for families coming to Gili T, couples and honeymooners.
As mentioned at the start of these post, the resorts in Gili Trawangan that offer a quieter stay and more luxurious stay are mainly located on the Western side of the island, this means they are away from the hustle and bustle of the main area on the Eastern side however they still have plenty of facilities around them, you will just need to take a horse and cart to your hotel in Gili T when you arrive and you’ll want to use the horse and carts or hire a bike to see more of the island.
However, a plus of staying in one of these resorts and 5-star resorts in Gili T is that they have everything you need there so you don’t have to move around much if you don’t want to and the hotel receptions can help you with everything you need to enjoy your stay on the Gili islands so keep this in mind when working out where to stay in Gili Trawangan!
For even more Gili Trawangan Accommodation, Booking.com is the best place to look and book!
Best Gili Trawangan Villas
Finally, there are lots of really great Gili Trawangan accomodation options, especially if you want something that is more private and good for families or a group of friends.
I’d recommend taking advantage of the many villas in Gili T on offer on booking.com, all of the below options come with private swimming pools and many have kitchens so you can cook your own food if you wish and have a self-catered holiday in Gili T.
Read my full guide to 15 Private Gili Trawangan Villas with Swimming Pools here!
How To Get to Gili Trawangan?
Now you know where to stay on Gili T, here are your options for getting to Gili Trawangan and the Gili islands.
Bali to Gili Trawangan
The most popular route that people do is to land in Bali International Airport and then travel to Gili Trawangan.
There is only one port and pier in Bali where the boat from Bali to Gili Islands runs and that’s from Padang Bai in the North.
You can book a minibus and boat package which will pick you up from your Bali Hotel, take you to Padang Bai and then will take you to your boat over to the Gili Islands.
The whole journey takes about 5 hours depending on where you’re staying in Bali and they leave two or 3 times a day.
There are different companies offering differently priced tickets, generally, the cheaper the ticket, the more squashed your minibus or car will be and the smaller the boat will be. I recommend the company Eka Jaya which costs more but is much comfier, you can book tickets with Eka Jaya on 12Go Asia here.
You will need to book tickets from Padang Bay pier on 12GO Asia and get a taxi from where you are in Bali in Padang Bay. Getting your own transport is much easier, quicker and comfier than getting a shared transfer.
Lombok to Gili Trawangan
Gili Trawangan is much closer to the island of Lombok than it is Bali so it is quicker and easier to get to Gili T from Lombok than Bali.
If you want to go straight to Gili Trawangan I recommend looking at flights into Lombok Praya Airport, from here you can travel from Lombok Airport to Bangsal Harbour in 90 minutes and get the boat from Bangsal to Gili Trawangan in just 20 minutes.
Not only is Lombok Airport closer to the pier than Bali Airport but there are more regular boats from Lombok to Gili Trawangan than Bali to Gili Trawangan, they take less time and if you miss a public boat you can hire a private boat from Lombok to Gili Islands.
Nusa Lembongan to Gili Trawangan
Finally, if you are already travelling around the small Indonesian islands, there is a boat from Nusa Lembongan to Gili Trawangan which cuts out all of the bus transfers!
Still working out your Indonesia itinerary. Look at buses and boats online on 12Go Asia here. I recommend booking with Eka Jaya which you can book on 12GO Asia:
I hope this helps you with where to stay on Gili Trawangan!
- For more of my Gili Island blog posts to help you plan your trip see:
- 30 THINGS TO DO IN GILI TRAWANGAN!
- How to find the BEST swings on Gili T!
- The BEST Places to Snorkel on Gili T!
- The Perfect Bali, Gili Islands and Lombok Itinerary!
- How to Spend 3 Days in Gili Trawangan!