This is one of the best budget places to stay in Gili T. Yes, there are some issues, mainly the noisiness of the rooms, but the benefits far outweigh the issues. We stayed at this hotel for 8 nights - we initially booked 2 nights, but then booked the following 6 nights there. We also stayed in 4 different rooms – some rooms are great, some make the experience terrible (sorry Ben!) PROS / BENEFITS - Central. This hotel is right in the middle of the Gili action. It’s very close to the port, shops, bars, but yet a few doors down so the music doesn’t keep you up at night. If you want to walk/ride through to the other side its also very central. - Gym access is included. This is a huge advantage; there’s only 2-3 gyms on the island, each costing ~$ 9-15 per entry. The gym is well-equipped with unlimited water and stereo. The owner Ben works out there himself. The gym downstairs is air conditioned, while upstairs is open air. My only criticism is that the spin bikes were upstairs in the open air outside area – I was absolutely dying in the heat, and I think cardio equipment should be in the aircon downstairs. It’s hard to find any spin bike in a gym, let alone a good spin bike with a heavy flywheel like these ones, so I still used them and loved it. When I come back to Gilli, I will ask Ben to move one downstairs - the WiFi is fast, reliable and unlimited. There’s only a couple of spots in the hotel it didn’t work (e.g. it may work on one side of the bed but not the other). - aircon is included and it works: this was a little room dependant, the downstairs rooms had cold aircon, the upstairs rooms struggle and could only get the temp down to ~ 26 deg. - the hire bikes are high quality. They cost 100 Baht ($10 aus dollars) per day to use and come with a lock. Gili is a small island, you can bike around it in 1.5 hrs, and every hotel / street corner will offer bike rental for 50-90 baht/day, but they’re old and you need to store them outside hotels/bars/rooms. These hire bikes are brand new, very good quality, a good deal (~$10/day), and are more securely locked behind the hotel gates. - it’s very safe. The staff are around from early in the am til late at night, just cleaning and keeping an eye on things. the hotel area enclosed, getting in and out via a door. But there is no security staff. - the sound of the mosque prayers is reasonably quiet for a hotel that is so central on the island. Seems to be just far enough from them that it’s not too bothersome. - it comes with a basic breakfast daily – coffee, orange cordial drink, some fruit and a hot dish. Plenty to get you going. - the owner Ben is an Aussie expat, very friendly, down to earth and helpful. He’s always around in the café, is happy to direct you, give you advice, and just have a chat. He’s a legend of the island. CONS - Most rooms are VERY loud and it does impact your comfort when you just need some peace and quiet on this island. There is only one, maybe two rooms that were quiet, and
