Island Beach bungalow

The friendly staff, clean bedding and towels, and neatly prepared breakfast made a good impression. I also appreciated being able to help myself to coffee and tea. The water pressure was so weak that I couldn’t shower, so I moved to another hotel after one night. The staff tried hard to fix it, but couldn’t. The pool water was dirty too, and I couldn’t swim there. We talked several times during our stay about how disappointing the shower and pool were, especially since there were other good things about the place. I’d have given it three stars because of the shower, but went with four for the clean linens and the staff’s friendliness. If they improve the water pressure and replace the pool water, I think the accommodation could earn good reviews again.

The private bungalows are spacious, have good lighting, and come with a nice outdoor seating area. The pool looks inviting, but the chlorine was so strong it left a horrible taste in my mouth, making it somewhat unusable. At night, termites in the room’s wood made a loud knocking sound, and we could hear the call to pray from the accommodation. On the plus side, breakfast with juice was free, and the laundry service was quick, returning our clothes fresh. There’s a great restaurant nearby, Jali, just a four-minute walk away, where we ate most of our meals. Bikes cost 50k a day, though the ones we got were in poor shape, with rubbing brakes and no working bells.

It’s a quiet place to sleep, even though the beachfront bars and restaurants are close by. The front is an eight-minute walk from the hotel, less by bike, and you can hire bikes here for less than on the beachfront. The rooms were bigger than they looked in the pictures, well equipped, and had good air conditioning. The pool was large and a nice temperature. Rudy and his team made us feel very welcome. Breakfast was fantastic and included in the price: eggs on homemade toast, pancakes, freshly pressed juice, plus tea and coffee available all day and night. We’d happily recommend Island Beach Bungalow to friends or family visiting Gili T.

The room was basic, with just a bed and no other furniture, and it took the AC a while to cool it down, though it worked well once it did. Each room had its own WiFi, but the connection was weak at times. The bathroom was inside the room but open to the outside, not fully enclosed. The inland location felt very different from the activity along the beach, and the route to the hotel was rundown and very dark at night. I rented a bike from the workers, but its headlight didn’t work. One morning the worker gave me only half the breakfast on offer, even after I asked, while the other table got the full serving.