Where To Stay In Gili Air Lombok: Our Accommodation Guide

Gili Air is a small island in Lombok, Indonesia, about 10 minutes by fast boat from Lombok’s mainland, a 2.5-hour speedboat ride from Bali’s mainland or 2 hours from the Nusa Islands. It has beautiful clear water, coconut palms and you can get around the entire island by riding a bicycle. In fact, motorised transport is not allowed, just adding to the island vibes. So where to stay in Gili Air? Here’s our Gili Air accommodation guide to help you choose…

Where To Stay In Gili Air? Area Guide

Gili Air is a tiny island and most places can be reached within a 10 – 20-minute bicycle ride.

The main areas to stay in Gili Air can be divided into staying by the beach or staying inland, or by North, South, East and West. But where is the best area to stay?

Gili Air Map

Gili Air Map Lombok

Staying By The Beach Or Inland?

Honestly, in our opinion, it doesn’t really matter if your accommodation is right on the beach or not, as even if it is inland it will be very close to the beach, and perhaps a little more tranquil.

We stayed inland in a beautiful pool villa, which was only a 5-minute bicycle ride to the nearest beach and was on a gorgeous quiet road with palm trees and some local houses around.

Inland would be our pick for the best place to stay for a more local feel. The east side beaches would be our pick for where to stay in Gili Air for the best beaches.

Should I Stay In The North, South, East Or West Part Of Gili Air?

Gili Air Beaches

The east side of the island is the best area to stay in Gili Air for swimming and snorkelling, as it has the best beaches.

The south side of the island is perhaps the busiest as this is where the jetty is and where boats arrive and leave. So this would be our pick for where to stay if you don’t want to walk far with luggage but also don’t mind a more touristy feel.

And the western side is the best area to stay in Gili Air for sunsets, where you can see Mount Agung on Bali.

Sunset Gili Air

In terms of getting your luggage to your accommodation, you can get a cidomo which is like a small horse and cart, but as we honestly didn’t know about the treatment and care of the horses, we decided not to use them. You could also hire a bicycle if you had a backpack only.

Check out hotimage

We walked to our accommodation with our bags, which was fine but will be slow. Keep in mind some roads are sandy/dirt, particularly part of the west and north roads around the beachside, so this will be harder.

Gili Air Island Streets

But overall, due to the small size of Gili Air, it’s one of the only places where location doesn’t really matter. I would decide based on the best accommodation for you, whether that be a guesthouse, hotel or villa.

How to build a website with WordPress and what are the best plugins to use Building a website with WordPress is an excellent choice due to its versatility, ease of use, and a vast array of plugins that enhance functionality. Here’s a comprehensive guide to building a WordPress website, along with recommendations for the best plugins
Top WordPress Plugins for Managing Ads and Monetizing Your Website Effectively: Why is Ads Management Important for Website Monetization? Strategic ad placement throughout the website enables publishers to maximize ad revenue while ensuring a positive user experience. The positioning of ads is critical in capturing users’ attention without being intrusive or disruptive. By understanding user behavior and preferences, publishers can make informed decisions regarding ad placement to ensure that the ads are relevant and engaging.
Top Directory Plugins for WordPress to Create Professional Listings and Directories: If you are interested in establishing professional listings and directories on your WordPress website, the following information will be of value to you. This article will present the top directory plugins available for WordPress, which include GeoDirectory, Business Directory Plugin, Sabai Directory, Connections Business Directory, and Advanced Classifieds & Directory Pro.
The Most Important Stages and Plugins for WordPress Website Development: Developing a WordPress website requires careful planning, execution, and optimisation to ensure it is functional, user-friendly, and effective. The process can be broken into key stages, and each stage benefits from specific plugins to enhance functionality and performance. Here’s a detailed guide to the most important stages of WordPress website development and the essential plugins for each stage.
.org vs .com: A Top Guide to the Differences in Domain Extension
When you set up a website for a business or a non-profit organisation, you might think the most important part of the address is the actual name. But the domain extension (the bit that comes after the dot) is just as important for telling people what your site is all about.
The Best WordPress Plugins for Image Optimization to Improve Load Times and SEO. The pivotal element lies in image optimization. This discourse delves into the significance of image optimization for websites and its impact on load times. Furthermore, we will delve into the advantages of leveraging WordPress plugins for image optimization, such as streamlined optimization processes, enhanced SEO, expedited load times, and an enriched user experience.
What is a data center or Internet data center? The term “data center” has become very common due to the role it plays in many of our daily activities. Most of the data we receive and send through our mobile phones, tablets and computers ends up stored in these data centers — which many people refer to as “the Cloud”, in a more generic way.

You really can reach all areas of the island easily, so below we have our accommodation guide with all of the best places to stay in Gili Air, Lombok.

Should I Stay On Gili Air or Gili Trawangan?

Gili Air may only be a short boat ride from Gili Trawangan, but the two islands are very different. One question we had the first time we visited the Gili Islands was which Gili Island to stay on. All of the Gili Islands have no motorised transport, and all have beautiful clear water surrounding them.

Gili Trawangan has the most tourists, restaurants, shops, bars etc. It is the busiest island and the one to stay on if you want to party. Having said that, there are areas of the island where you can escape the crowds and have a more tranquil stay if that’s what you’re after. It also has some beautiful beaches.

Gili Air is a quieter island than Gili Trawangan with fewer tourists. It still has some delicious restaurants and things to do. I personally preferred the white sand beaches here for swimming and snorkelling. Gili Air would be our pick for where to stay in the Gili Islands for a nice balance of activity, things to do and yet fewer crowds. It’s a great option for couples and families. Having said that, I think out of all the Gili Islands, most people will find something to love about Gili Air.

Gili Meno is another of the Gili Islands, that is known for being the quietest and the most untouched. It’s popular for romantic stays, honeymoons and people looking for a peaceful stay.

How Long To Spend In Gili Air?

Personally, I think 2 days and 2 nights is a minimum. Spending time here is all about relaxing, taking it slow and enjoying nature, which is difficult to do if you have a short stay.

You could also easily spend up to a week on Gili Air if you are happy to have a slower-paced holiday and fully enjoy the island time, or if you are staying here to do a dive course or something similar.

If you have the time I would recommend picking two of the three Gili Islands to stay a couple of nights on each, as each island has a completely different personality.

Booking Accommodation

Booking.com

When looking for where to stay, we always search for our hotels on Booking.com. Simple to use and also has a great app.

Airbnb

Airbnb is another good option if you’re looking to stay in a private villa.

Gili Air Accommodation Guide

Our picks for the best places to stay in Gili Air below are based on our favourites that we have stayed in, knowledge of the best hotels and their specific locations, lots of research, reading reviews, hearing from you and putting this all together with our own experience.

So here are our favourite picks for where to stay in Gili Air…

Please note: Prices are per night and were accurate at the time of this post.

Splurge: Luxury Accommodation In Gili Air

Slow Villa Design

We absolutely loved staying at Slow Villas. It’s the perfect place to stay for laid-back luxury accommodation that makes you feel even more connected to the island. It quickly feels like your own beautiful island home, with a stunning private pool and garden. Slow has a focus on environmental sustainability.

Ke Rensia Private Pool Villas — Photo credit: Ke Rensia

Ama Lurra Private Villa — Photo credit: Ama Lurra

Gili Air Villas (2 bedrooms or more)

These villas below only have two bedrooms or more. But some of the villas listed above also come with one-bedroom, two-bedroom or more options as well, so make sure to check them out also.