One more group of small islands (gili, in the local language) to the south of Lombok Island, whose beauty and exotic nature attracts the foreign tourists to come, consists of the four gilis: Gili Nanggu, Gili Tangkong, Gili Sudak, and Gili Kedis in Sekotong District, West Lombok Regency.According to the tourists who have visited this tourism location, the panoramic beauty of the four gilis is not less attractive compared with the three gilis to the north of Lombok Island which have been known earlier by the world: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. The four gilis even have more excelling qualities: their quietness and naturalness.
“The facilities in these four gilis are still minimum, hotels or home stays have been built on Gili Nanggu and Gili Gede, and there is only a restaurant on Gili Sudak, yet, for the guests, the quiet atmosphere and being far from the bustle attract them to come,” said Tohri, one of the guides who happened to be accompanying some tourists from Australia.
“The facilities in these four gilis are still minimum, hotels or home stays have been built on Gili Nanggu and Gili Gede, and there is only a restaurant on Gili Sudak, yet, for the guests, the quiet atmosphere and being far from the bustle attract them to come,” said Tohri, one of the guides who happened to be accompanying some tourists from Australia.
For that reason, he expected that the government will take the necessary steps to 
preserve the nature of the four gilis. “It doesn’t mean that I’m against the development of this area, but the tourists prefer the naturalness of the area. The development in the tourism area is important, but it is better to build impermanent facilities, such as repairing the public facility like the boat crossing harbor to the gilis, the provision of toilets, and the most important thing: keeping the cleanliness, especially the roads to the tourism location,” mentioned Tohri.
preserve the nature of the four gilis. “It doesn’t mean that I’m against the development of this area, but the tourists prefer the naturalness of the area. The development in the tourism area is important, but it is better to build impermanent facilities, such as repairing the public facility like the boat crossing harbor to the gilis, the provision of toilets, and the most important thing: keeping the cleanliness, especially the roads to the tourism location,” mentioned Tohri.According to Totok, the manager of the only restaurant in Gili Sudak, the visiting tourists usually join the “one day trip” program offered by travel agents. “To reach this place, they (tourists) can cross by boat from the little harbor in Tawun Village, Sekotong. The chartering boat to cross to one gili is Rp 200,000, two gilis Rp 230,000, and for three gilis Rp 280,000,” he explained.
From Tawun Harbor, the tourists usually cross to Gili Nanggu (the easternmost of the gilis) to go sunbathing on the white sand, swimming, snorkeling, or diving to enjoy the beauty of the undersea panorama around the gilis with the beauty of their corals and fish.
The next trip is crossing to Gili Tangkong to do the same activities, and then just before noon, they stop over at Gili Sudak to have lunch in the restaurant. “Our menus are mostly seafood, such as grilled fish, fried fish, fried rice and many others,” Totok said.
Although Gili Sudak serves only as a stopover for lunch, continued Totok, but this small island, an area of 30 hectares, also has the natural panorama and undersea beauty unsurpassed by the ones at Gili Nanggu and Gili Tangkong.What is more attractive is, in the front of Gili Sudak, on the way to get back to Tawun Harbor, there is a small coral island about 250 square meter wide, Gili Kedis, which is called the “Romantic Island” by the tourists. “Visiting this small island becomes the final series of the “one day trip” program, in which the guests can spend their time enjoying the beauty of the exotic nature and the sunset in the west,” Totok said.
According to Herry Sabwan, another guide who accompanied the just-married couple tourists from France who were having their honeymoon, Vidre Wibowo and Julie Leverdez and their families, Gili Kedis has become the last magnet of adventure on the four Gilis in the southern area of Lombok Island which are yearned for by the tourists.
“So impressed are the tourists who have visited the four gilis that when they come back to Lombok Island, they will definitely come to this area, especially to the Romantic Island,” Herry said while referring to two tourists from Germany who had come four times to the four gilis.
“Our visit here is incited by the curiosity after hearing the story from guides in Gili Trawangan about the existence of one small island to the south of Lombok Island, which is called the “Romantic Island”. And we have proved that, this island can bring about a romantic atmosphere so that it can increase my love for my wife,” Vidre said while promising that in the next two years he will come back to the island.
“I love this Romantic Island. Besides having the natural panorama which is really beautiful, with white sand beach, coral habitat which is well preserved, the most important thing is that our privacy is more secure,” Julie continued. (SS Lelono)
Note:
Gili Gede
Secret Island Resort
Has restaurant, spa, villa, rooms and bungalow
Gili Gede
Secret Island Resort
Has restaurant, spa, villa, rooms and bungalow
http://www.secretislandresort.com/
Via Vacare Island Cottages
http://www.lombokrooms.com/via-vacare-beach-cottages-lombok.htm
Gili Nanggu
Gili Nanggu Hotel Resort managed by Istana Cempaka.
Has restaurant.
Accommodation is in cottages & a bungalow and a small restaurant is attached
Gili Nanggu Hotel Resort managed by Istana Cempaka.
Has restaurant.
Accommodation is in cottages & a bungalow and a small restaurant is attached
http://baletajukhome.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html
Gili Sudak (is this true – no reference on Internet)
There is only one restaurant on the 18-hectare island, serving various seafood dishes.
“The local favourite is grilled fish, because we serve fresh fish from local fishermen,” restaurant operator Toto said.
There is only one restaurant on the 18-hectare island, serving various seafood dishes.
“The local favourite is grilled fish, because we serve fresh fish from local fishermen,” restaurant operator Toto said.
