If you are looking for an unspoilt tropical island, with lovely coral reefs in warm crystal-clear azure water, idyllic white sand beaches, a quiet, peaceful atmosphere to relax in, beautiful sunsets over the sea and friendly locals to welcome you, then you are looking for Gili Meno. It’s only two kilometres long and one kilometer wide, but it is richly beautiful, with a wooded interior, a salt lake surrounded by mangrove forest, and some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world. You can stay in bungalows at the sea front, drink beer on the beach and eat traditional food in peace, without any noisy parties or other intrusions.

They call it the honeymoon island. But it’s also perfect for families with small children, and anyone who wants to shut out the clamour of the modern world and be at rest. You can spend lazy days on the beach, watch the beautiful sunrises over Mount Rinjani and the stunning sunsets over distant Mount Agung, and slowly drift over the multi-coloured reefs in the calm waters watching turtles graze on sea grass and seeing the astonishing biodiversity that calls the coral its home. It’s wonderfully peaceful.

Gili Meno is a tranquil paradise. And this is your ultimate guide to that paradise. We’ll show you how to get there, where to stay, where to eat, how to go about snorkeling and diving, where to find the best beaches, and all the other information you need for a perfect holiday or honeymoon.

Gili Meno is undeveloped, with no built up areas and none of the clubs and western tourist traps that you’ll find elsewhere, including on neighbouring Gili Trawangan. The story goes that Gili Meno was deliberately avoided by developers because in the 1990s, when the area was first becoming popular with backpackers, the Lonely Planet travel guide erroneously claimed that Gili Meno’s salt lake and surrounding mangroves bred unpleasant disease-carrying mosquitos. That isn’t true, and you are no more likely to get bitten here than anywhere else, but in modern times the locals have made sure the developers have been kept away, and the island is still deliberately unspoilt.

This means that the beaches, already perfect powder-white sand, are amongst the least spoilt by modernity in the world, making Gili Meno one of the most peaceful getaway destinations in all of Asia. It also means that the beaches and warm, calm waters are completely safe for children, making Gili Meno a paradise for little ones as well.

Getting to the island is easy. You take a fast boat from Bali with Bluewater Express, then a short island hop on a local boat or private speedboat. All the details are given below. The journey itself over the turquoise sea is part of the holiday. Once there you will find no motorized vehicles to pollute the air, but the island can be walked round in two hours, and you can rent bicycles to go exploring.

There is accommodation to suit all budgets, from backpacker hostels through family hotels by the pool to a romantic honeymoon holiday of a lifetime – and you can even get married here. You can rent a bungalow in the woods or a room by the beach where you can hear the waves lapping on the shore. We’ll show you a range of options to cover everyone’s needs.

Those seeking wellness activities can take a yoga class or enjoy spa treatments. If you want to be a part of the local culture you can engage with traditional fishing and handicrafts. There are no nightclubs or parties, though you might hear the faint sounds of partying drifting over the sea from Gili Trawangan or one of Gili T’s party boats, But there are lots of bars and restaurants to cater for all tastes, and we’ll take you through some of the options available.

Some people call Gili Meno the honeymoon island, but others call it Turtle Heaven. Not only is it the best one of the Gili Islands for spotting turtles, it’s one of the best places to do so in the entire world. If you’ve never been snorkeling or scuba diving before, then you can learn how. We’ll show you where to go and what to do below.

With this Bluewater Express Complete Guide to Gili Meno, you will be able to avoid stress, forget your worries, and sink into the peace that Gili Meno gives.

How to get to Gili Meno

The first thing to do is to book your fast boat ticket to Gili Trawangan from Padang Bai with Bluewater Express.

BlueWater Express is the safest, most professional, most reliable, longest-established and highest-quality fast boat service operating in the Lombok Strait. We are the trusted first choice of all top international travel agents, both Bali-based and internationally.

BlueWater Express was the first fast boat company offering services to Nusa Penida, the Gili Islands and Lombok, starting in 2006. Since we’ve been in operation longer than any other company, we’ve been able to continually improve, develop, upgrade, modernise, and invest in both the physical quality of our boats and the professional quality of our team.

BlueWater Express has a 100% safety record. That’s because we prioritise safety. Our boats are fitted with all the required safety equipment, such as life jackets and life rafts, and our modern technology includes GPS navigation systems and marine VHF radios. Our modern boats are maintained and inspected regularly. Professional safety protocols are followed at all times.

Once at Gili Trawangan harbour, it’s a simple matter to take a boat to Gili Meno. There are several ways to do this.

The public ferry laves from the harbour twice a day at 9am and 4pm; it costs 30,000 rupiah, $1.90 USD, $2.90 AUD, £1.50 GBP. This service is provided by Koperasi Angkutan Laut Karya Bahari, the local maritime transport co-operative.

For a more personalised service you can hire a local outrigger boat. You can do this from the private boat jetty in front of Scallywags. The boat will drop you off on the beach in front of your hotel (or the nearest place to it if you are staying inland). The trip by private boat costs 300,000 rupiah, $19 USD, $29 AUD, £15 GBP.

There is also a formally sanctioned Island Hopping Boat. This service is also provided by Koperasi Angkutan Laut Karya Bahari:

Gili Trawangan to Gilli Meno departs 09:30 price 20,000 rupiah, $1.25 USD, $1.90 AUD, £1 GBP.

Gili Meno to Gilli Trawangan departs 08:50 price 23,000 rupiah, $1.45 USD, $2.20 AUD, £1.15 GBP.

What to expect on Gili Meno

Gili Meno is an inhabited island with about 400 local residents, who live along and around the few roads that connect the various part of the island to each other. These locals belong to the Sasak tribe from Lombok, which has its own traditional culture. While they are ethno-linguistically related to the Hindu Balinese, the Sasak people are traditionally Muslim.

In keeping with its attitude of being deliberately unspoilt by modernity and tourism, the facilities in the local communities are more basic than elsewhere in the region. Many of them still use firewood for cooking and candles for lighting. Buy you will find electricity generators in the resorts and hotels.

Gili Meno has no source of fresh water. What fresh water there is has to be imported from Lombok. This means that fresh water showers are confined to the upmarket resorts; expect elsewhere to shower in seawater.

There used to be no ATMs on Gili Meno, and travelers were always told to bring cash with them, enough for the whole of their stay. That’s no longer the case, and there are now a couple of ATMs to be found on the island – but recent visitors have reported that they are often not working, out of order or out of cash, so it’s still recommended to bring enough money with you for your holiday. The resorts, hotels and dive schools take Visa and Mastercard, but away from them the locals only accept hard currency.

If you do happen to run out of money, however, Blue Marlin Dive offers the service of a credit card cash advance with a 7% commission fee. (You could always take a local ferry to Gili Trawangan and back – but that would spoil the whole point of sinking into the peace of unspoilt Gili Meno.)

4G Wifi internet connectivity is available on Gili Meno, and the service is good enough for social media, but it’s slow and not available everywhere, so you may find that it’s not good enough for work. That’s great – the point of being on Gili Meno is to be away from all of that! It means that children can get away from constant TV and video as well, and replace them with swimming and snorkeling, or relaxing in hammocks while drinking fresh tropical fruit juice.

Don’t drink the tap water. It’s unsafe, including for brushing your teeth. Use filtered water, available at the hotels, and refill your own bottle to avoid single-use plastics. Find out where to do this with the refillmybottle app.

On the subject of safety, there are absolutely no police officers on Gili Meno, not one. Nonetheless all visitors to the island agree that it’s a wonderfully safe place to be. Perhaps the deliberate lack of tourist traps, nightclubs where drugs are sold (as they are on Gili Trawangan) and other such temptations keeps the dodgy people away. Whatever the reason, peaceful Gili Meno is safe for all, including children and solo women travelers.

Finally, remember that nothing happens very fast on Gili Meno. Expect service at beach barbecues for example to take time. The pace of life here is slow – that’s an important part of the charm of the place. Take time out yourself to relax and savour the experience. You’ve made it to paradise, there’s no more need to hurry.

When to visit Gili Meno

Gili Meno can be visited all year round, but the best time is in the dry season from April to November. You can still enjoy the peace and quiet of Gili Meno in the rainy season, from December to March, but the seas are often choppy, water visibility is reduced, snorkeling and diving are less magical, and away from the intense rainstorms the air is often very muggy.

However, the temperature averages around 27°C every day and 22°C every night all year long, so it’s always a wonderful climate for a holiday.

What to do on Gili Meno

The main thing to do on Gili Meno is to relax and be at peace. However, there are several ways that you can enjoy the beauty of the island and its surrounding waters. Here are some recommendations.

Explore the island on foot or with a bicycle

Gili Meno is such a small island, with such beautiful beaches all around it, that one of the first must-do activities is to walk the perimeter. It takes an hour and a half to two hours to do this. You will be able to familiarise yourself with all of the beach bars and cafés, sunrise and sunset views, the best places to go snorkeling from the beach, where the dive classes operate from, where they light bonfires on the beach at night, and so on. This will enable you to plan your activities, dinners and drinks for the rest of your stay.

You can then explore the interior of the island. As there are no motorized vehicles, the roads are really just unpaved tracks amongst the local villages, and this will give you a unique insight into the traditional local culture and way of life. You can also find out how to get to the salt lake (see below).

Visit the Salt Lake and Mangrove Forest

The saltwater lake is the most unique natural attraction on Gili Meno. Known as ‘Kawasan Ekowisata Mangrove Gili Meno’, it is a dedicated mangrove ecotourism region. It covers about eight hectares on the north-west of the island, and it’s only a ten minute walk from the harbour. It’s a serene and tranquil place, that is nonetheless teeming with tropical wildlife. Wooden huts and shelters have been built around the lake for birdwatching and for keeping out of the sun while enjoying the natural beauty of the place.

It was traditionally used for salt production during the dry season, but has now been turned into a wildlife reserve. The mangrove forest that borders the lake extends to the west coast, and is home to many birds, newts and lizards – including large monitor lizards. Birds you will see include herons, migratory cattle egrets, blue kingfishers, storks, finches and watercocks.

There’s a boardwalk that crosses the lake, but it currently isn’t in very good condition (to put it mildly) and you will need to take care if using it.

Go Scuba Diving

Gili Meno’s amazing coral reefs, and their natural topography in both shallow and deep water, make the island the perfect place to learn scuba diving. There’s no need to have had any experience, as the dive schools will give you beginners’ instruction, and allow you to practice in their training pools before going on a sea dive.

You can take a range of professional courses, from the starter qualification Open Water Certificate to more advanced qualifications such as the Deep Diving Certificate. You can also learn about underwater photography. The three dive schools operating on the island are Blue Marlin Dive, Gili Meno Divers and Divine Divers.

Drift diving is a speciality of the Gili Islands, and is particularly suitable off the west coast of Gili Meno. You start your dive at the top of the ocean current, then slowly drift along the whole of the coral reef, not exerting yourself, just going with the flow.

There are many wonderful underwater attractions in the reefs surrounding Gili Meno. The most famous one is the sculpture installation called Nest, to be found off the west coast of the island next to the BASK eco-resort. This is visited by all the dive tours from all three Gili islands, as well as by snorkeling tours. The installation, created by the sculptor Jason deCaires, consists of 48 life-size statues of couples embracing arranged in a circle to signify the circle of life.

Other underwater attractions include The Wreck of the Meno Bounty, a 30-metre-long floating dock that sank in a storm in 1999, the Meno Wall, an 18-metre coral wall where you can learn deep diving, and the celebrated part of the reef known as Turtle Heaven. This is a coral-covered sea mound in crystal-clear waters where you are guaranteed to see green and hawksbill turtles grazing on sea grass and sponges.

Scuba diving is the most expensive activity on Gili Meno. A beginner’s first dive will cost 1050,000 rupiah, $66 USD, $100 AUD, £50 GBP, The Open Water Certificate costs 4,600,000 rupiah, $290 USD, $445 AUD, £230 GBP.

Read Bluewater Express’s complete guide to Scuba Diving in the Gili Islands here.

Go Snorkeling

Much less expensive than scuba diving, snorkeling is the perfect way to enjoy the coral reefs and idyllic turquoise waters. You can simply swim out from the beach in front of your hotel. You can also take either a public or a private snorkeling tour, where beginners can receive instruction on how to start out with snorkeling equipment, and a boat will take you out to the best spots.

As with drift diving, Gili Meno is perfect for drift snorkeling. Simply start at the top of the current and be taken by the current along the length of the coral reef.

The Nest underwater statues installation can be visited by snorkelers from the beach. To do this find the BASK eco-resort on the west coast of the island, and swim out from there. The statues are very popular with dive tours and snorkeling tours from all of the islands, so it will be easy to find.

Two other places where you can go snorkeling from the beach are at the Mahamaya restaurant and Diana Café. It’s strongly recommended that you wear water shoes, to avoid stepping on sharp coral and sea urchins.

Read Bluewater Express’s complete guide to Snorkeling in the Gili Islands here.

Sunbathe on the perfect beaches

In part because of their tranquil unspoilt nature, Gili Meno’s beaches are amongst the most wonderful in the entire area, and they are a beach holiday lover’s paradise.  The whole island is surrounded by lovely white sand. However, some spots are even better than others. The best beaches are:

• Sunset Beach on the west coast. This is the spot to catch the stunningly beautiful sunsets to the west over Gili Trawangan and distant Mount Agung on Bali.
• North Beach on the northern tip of the island, a quiet stretch of white sand perfect for snorkeling, and where you can catch both the sunset and the sunrise to the east over Mount Rinjani in the morning.
• Turtle Point beach on the northeast coast. As the name suggests, this is a place where you can swim out to where green and hawksbill turtles graze.
• Secret Beach on the east coast. This can only be reached via a narrow path through the woods, and is less obvious than other beaches, making it a secluded and hidden place with white sand, azure waters and amazing views to the east.

A particularly wonderful way to enjoy the beach life on Gili Meno is with stand-up paddleboarding. This activity is available from beach shacks all round the island; you take a board that resembles a surfboard and paddle out over the reefs looking down at the wonderful marine life.

One thing to be careful of: if you do walk barefoot in the water, look out for black spiky clusters of sea urchins. If you step on one of these it will be very painful indeed!

Enjoy the amazing sunsets and sunrises

The small size of Gili Meno island means that you can always walk to either the west or the east coast from wherever you are staying, meaning that you can experience both the sunrises and sunsets from the beach. If you’re not a naturally early riser, it’s worth making the effort to see one sunrise, because the view over Lombok and towering Mount Rinjani, silhouetted against the glorious sky, is an unforgettable experience. The sun rises between 5:45 and 6:30 am during the year. Check today’s Gili Meno sunrise time here.

As mentioned above, there’s a beautiful strip of white sand called Sunset Beach to the north west of the island, which is perfect for watching the setting sun. Two recommended places to do this are Mahamaya,resort beach restaurant and Diana Café. Both places are ideal for snorkeling from the beach. Details about both are given below.

Visit Gili Meno Turtle Sanctuary

As part of the drive to protect and conserve endangered turtles, the Gili Meno Turtle Sanctuary was established as a hatchery to ensure the successful survival of baby turtles, who are then released into the water when they are deemed large enough to escape the early death that so many baby turtles experience.

The sanctuary is a private initiative, not supported by the government or international NGOs. It is a small concern just off the beach, located by finding a sign under a piece of corrugated iron that points along the path to it. Find it on Google maps. Here, turtles hatch and enter small pools, about a metre square. They are then transferred to other pools according to age, and are released into the sea several months later. Around 500 baby turtles are nurtured and released by the sanctuary every year.

You can watch the releases for a small fee. However, be aware that the whole business is controversial. There are conservationists who argue that such turtle sanctuaries are actually harmful and damaging. What’s certain is that visitors should never handle baby turtles, and no sanctuary should raise money by charging tourists to do this, so please ensure that you don’t pick a turtle up. Find out more about the controversial nature of turtle sanctuaries here.

Experience the local culture

Unlike more touristy areas with western nightlife, it’s possible to engage with the real traditional Gili Islands on Gili Meno, and to experience some of the local customs.

For example, near Ana Warung and Bungalows at the north-east tip of the island, the locals sometimes get together after dark for quail singing competitions. The quails are kept in bird cages hanging from a construction made from poles. Judges count the number of times each bird sings during the allotted time, while locals bet on their favourite quail. They also cheer on the birds so loudly that it’s difficult to hear them sing at all. See a video of this custom here.

The Sasak culture from Lombok includes traditional song and dance, which you may well encounter. The dances take the form of storytelling, accompanied by the gendang drum and the suling flute. Other traditions include crafts such as woven baskets, wooden carvings, paintings, pottery and local ‘ikat’ textiles, all of which are available from stalls and shops to buy as souvenirs.

Traditional fishing has been a central part of local life on Gili Meno since the island was first settled. Not much has changed in modern times, with many people still using hand crafted wooden boats and homemade nets. You can experience this old-fashioned tradition by taking a fishing tour. Locals offer fishing boat trips where you can learn their techniques, with the opportunity to catch your own fish for a barbecue dinner on the beach.

Look after yourself with yoga and wellness activities

Since the whole point of relaxing on Gili Meno is to give yourself space for peacefulness and the removal of all stress, there can be no better time to pamper yourself with spa treatments, meditation sessions and yoga classes, for the rejuvenation of mind, body and spirit in paradise. There are several resorts that have wellness centers, or which offer yoga classes. For those on a larger budget, four-day wellness retreats are offered, where you can immerse yourself in a daily routine dedicated to mental and physical health.

One place where you can take yoga classes without being a guest is Gili Meno Yoga Retreat at Seri Resort. Classes are held twice daily in their designer-built bamboo studio Tuesday to Saturday at 9 am and 5pm for a cost of 150,000 rupiah, $9.50 USD, $14.50 AUD, £7.50 GBP.

Meno Island Villas is one resort that offers immersive wellness retreats. You can book what they call “a week of self-indulgence and self-discovery”, an all-inclusive programme including “the practises of Yin” , energy healing, rejuvenating massage and healing sound meditations, with time set aside to explore Gili Meno by boat and bicycle.

Where to stay on Gili Meno

Despite being a small island that has been deliberately protected from developers and mass-market tourism, Gili Meno nonetheless provides a good range of accommodation options to suit all budgets, from inexpensive guest houses to poolside bungalows, and of course honeymoon luxury suites. The friendliness of the locals means that you will be treated well whatever your budget.

One speciality of Gili Meno is the existence of sustainable eco-friendly accommodation, focusing on minimizing the hotel’s overall ecological impact. These include the option of staying in glamping tents immersed in the island’s rich tropical greenery.

The small size of the island also means that rooms can be sold out, especially at high season (July and August and Christmas / New Year). It’s strongly advised to book your accommodation well in advance of your trip.

Here are some recommendations, for all budgets.

Inexpensive accommodation

One of the best options for staying on Gili Meno is the Rabbit Tree Hostel. This is a uniquely creative artistic designer experience, with imaginative sleeping options as well as family accommodation. You can stay in a flying boat, a room full of pillows, a tree house, a dorm filled with multicoloured balls, and a rabbit cave, as well as designer double rooms for romantic couples.

Prices for dormitory beds start at $18.30 USD, $27.80 AUD, £14.40 GBP; the more expensive suites cost $32 USD, $50 AUD, £26 GBP. Find The Rabbit Tree Hostel here.

Yaya Bungalows Blue Coral at the north-east tip of the island is a great choice for a budget stay. Prices start at $17 USD, $26 AUD, £13.50 GBP. It’s right next to the best snorkeling beach on Gili Meno for watching turtles.

Meno Turtle Bungalows in the centre of the island offers garden bungalow accommodation for $22, $34 AUD, £17.50 GBP.

Ana Warung and Bungalows on the north-east beach front is owned by retired miner from Australia called Peter and his local Sasak wife Ana. They offer bungalow accommodation together with a popular warung restaurant and bar. Prices start from $25.50, $39 AUD, £20 GBP.

Mid-range accommodation

Meno Dream Resort to the southwest of the island offers lovely traditional bungalows around a pool for $50, $75 AUD, £40 GBP

Kura Kura Resort is on the east coast near the harbour. They offer deluxe and family suites embedded within lush gardens next to the beach. Being on the east side of the island, this is a perfect place to watch spectacular sunrises over Lombok’s Mount Rinjani. Kura Kura offers a spa with full body massage and in-room treatments. The Tipsy Turtle Restaurant on the waterfront offers a seafood barbecue and salad bar. Rooms start at $50, $75 AUD, £40 GBP.

Luxury accommodation

Karma Reef, right on the beach, has upmarket air conditioned wood and bamboo bungalows and glamping tents with sea-views, its own restaurant serving seafood barbecues and wood-fire pizzas, and a cocktail bar. One particular speciality of Karma Reef is its offer to host your actual wedding there, not just your honeymoon, either a civil ceremony or with a religious minister.

Mahamaya boutique resort is a wonderful romantic getaway on the seafront at Sunset Beach to the north-west of the island. The sunsets really are glorious here. Each room comes with private snorkeling equipment, and you can snorkel from the beach in front of the resort. The hotel boasts one of the best upmarket romantic restaurants on the island, with tables on the sand by the sea, and if it’s your honeymoon they will sprinkle petals under your feet.

Seri Resort has already been mentioned as a place to go for a yoga and wellness retreat. But you don’t need to be into yoga to enjoy the luxury stay here, as the resort offers private villas with their own swimming pools as well as bungalows and  hotel rooms, a shared beachfront swimming pool, a steak and wine restaurant, and a shisha bar.

You can host your wedding here as well as your honeymoon. Check out their offering here.

BASK Resort & Beach Club is a five-star eco-resort that calls itself ‘a sustainable sanctuary’. It offers 82 luxury villas, a restaurant and cocktail lounge, a beach club, a wellness retreat and gym and a 35-metre beachfront infinity pool. The villas are beautifully designed, with separate lounge and kitchenette areas, and they come with complementary sunscreen, charcoal toothpaste, after-sun and candles for romantic lighting. BASK’s upmarket restaurant has something very rare in Indonesia: their own wine cellar and sommelier.

Where to eat and drink on Gili Meno

For such a small island, Gili Meno offers a great variety of dining options. There are many traditional local warungs, mostly set away from the beach towards the middle of the island, serving Indonesian specialities such as nasi goreng. There are western restaurants serving pizzas and other favourites, and of course you can experience fine dining at a luxury restaurant. Here are some of our recommendations.

Warungs

Tip of the Tongue Warung is a great place to eat authentic Indonesian food, hidden away in the centre of the island. We recommend the prawn curry and the chicken lalapan.

Simpang 3 Warung, down the road into the interior from Mojo Beach Resort on the east coast, is another favourite. Try the vegetarian curry, spring rolls and sweet & sour chicken.

Mama Melani Warung on the south-east coast near the turtle sanctuary offers a great variety of fresh traditional Indonesian food on the beach, with wonderful views of Mount Rinjani. Try their grilled fish, curries, banana pancakes and fruit smoothies.

Ya Ya Warung on the beach further to the north offers a similar experience to Mama Melani, with daily special beach barbecue catch-of-the-day grilled fish.

Ana Warung and Bungalows  has already been recommended as an inexpensive place to stay. Pete and Ana’s popular restaurant and bar is in a two-storey beer house, offering great local food and quality cocktails, with perfect views of Gili Air and Mount Rinjani towering above.

Vegetarian food

The best dedicated vegetarian and vegan restaurant on Gili Meno is The Bamboo Restaurant at Seri Resort. Here you can find specialities such as vegan coconut caramel ice cream, as well as spicy vegetables with rice.

There is one completely vegan restaurant on the island, called Nourish. Find it here, in the centre near the salt lake and mangrove forest. As of January 2024 its status was “temporarily closed”; we assume this means it will re-open in the near future.

International food

Adeng-Adeng Beach Restaurant and Bar at the very northern tip of the island is the best place to go for pizzas, pasta, burgers and hot dogs. You can see both Mount Rinjani and distant Mount Agung on Bali from here, and you can drink cocktails on the beach as the sun goes down.

Sasak Cafe on the south-west coast is also a great place to watch the sunset, while eating quesadillas, fried chicken and barbecued seafood. They have a good inexpensive cocktails menu.

Karma Beach Club in the middle of the east coast serves fresh seafood, salads, pasta and burgers, and has a cocktail menu as well as serving beers and spirits. They have regular live music, which is unusual for Gili Meno.

Diana Café on the north-west Sunset Beach is one of the most popular places to watch the beautiful sunsets.

Romantic Dinner

There is perhaps no better place for a romantic evening on Gili Meno than Mahamaya on the north-west Sunset Beach. With superior service, tables on the beach with white linen tablecloths, perfect sunsets and a high-quality menu, this is the place to go – and honeymooning couples will have petals strewn beneath their feet.

BASK Eco-resort has the largest up-market food and drink service on Gili Meno, including a premium steak and wine restaurant and the Rosalee basement bar playing jazz-funk.

Beach Bonfires

At various places around the island, but especially to the north-east, local bars and eateries light bonfires on the sand, and scatter bean-bags around them. You can wander between them at night, grabbing a bite of inexpensive Indonesian rice or barbecued seafood and lounging with a Bintang beer under the stars. Given that Gili Meno is all about relaxing, getting away from it all, and experiencing a romantic tropical paradise, this is a must-have experience, for backpackers and honeymooners alike.