J’AIME DECEMBER 2021

THE GILI ISLANDS ARE A
TROPICAL PARADISE
This is a popular method to get around the island and
since our accommodation was at the opposite end of
the island to the port, was efficient in getting us and
our bags to where we needed to be.
We arrived at our villa for the next four days, Akasia
Villas, and were impressed with the two bedroom
villa we had booked. We had our own plunge pool
and two spacious bedrooms with outside bathrooms.
The accommodation was a bit of a trek to find as it
is hidden away in the centre of the island but was a
lovely base as it was quiet and walkable to some great
little spots for food.
We settled ourselves in and chose to go for a walk as
evening set in. Gili Air is very easy to walk around
and although some of the little streets may be hard to
navigate you’ll always come out by a beach at some
point!
That evening we
THE TRANQUIL VILLA
headed towards the
north of the island
where there are
several restaurants
to choose from
as well as a large
beach. We took
advantage of the
cheap cocktails
as the sun set and
enjoyed the local
food which I found
full of flavour and
well catered towards
vegetarians. There
is little nightlife on
Gili Air so after our
meal we headed back to our villa to
play cards and have an early night
reading.
A highlight of any trip to the Gili
Islands is a snorkelling trip. The
region is known for turtles, as well
as underwater sculptures off Gili
Meno. We hopped on a half day
snorkelling tour and went to several
popular snorkelling spots in the
Gilis. We were lucky enough to see a
number of turtles but were advised
not to follow them into the deep
waters. They did get close, however,
and it was so special to swim with
these amazing animals. The coral
around the islands is now fairly
bleached but there is still some lovely
coral to explore with a wide variety of colourful fish.
Seeing the underwater sculptures wasn’t on our
original itinerary but after I asked our guide, he was
kind enough to make a detour towards the left side
of Gili Meno and to the popular photo spot.These
underwater statues were created and commissioned
by BASK, the eco-resort where the statues sit in front
of. They were made from the casts of real people and
are a haunting reminder of our impact on the world.
Their overall goal is to raise awareness of the death of
our world’s coral reefs with the hope that in the future
these statues will become a man-made reef.
The site was quite busy with tourists, but I was able
to take a few photos of the statues with no people
in - quite a feat! Our guides also tempted fish with
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