Pondok Santi Estate Luxury Beachside Resort — Hotel in Gili Trawangan

Just a 15-minute fast boat ride from Lombok, Gili Trawangan is the largest of the three Gili islands. The pace of life is relaxed here – there are no cars or motorbikes on the island.

Horse-drawn carts or cidomos can take you wherever you need to go, but the island is small enough to get around by bike or on foot. Most of the action on the island is centred around a 2km stretch of beachfront just 400m from Pondok Santi. If you want to party, this is the place to go – bars take it in turns hosting nightly events and there’s always a beach barbeque on the go. Along the beachfront, you’ll find ample restaurants, beach bars, boutique shops, spas and dive shops as well as a produce market which arrives by boat every morning – even if you don’t plan on buying, it’s worth going along for a look!

Pondok Santi offers a spacious and secluded haven from the hustle and bustle of Gili Trawangan’s main strip so you can truly get the best of both worlds on the island.

Getting to Pondok Santi Estate.

Once you’ve arrived on Gili Trawangan you will be met by one of our guest relation supervisors who will assist you with your luggage and getting a 5-minute Cidomo horse cart ride to Pondok Santi Estate where you will be greeted with a complimentary welcome drink and ice-cold towel.

VIA DENPASAR, SANUR, NUSA DUA, KUTA, SEMINYAK, CANGGU AREA

There are many companies offering fast boat services to Gili Trawangan with all boats departing between 8.30 and 11.00am.

We recommend catching an early boat as the sea is normally calmer.

You will be picked up at your hotel in Bali between 7-8am and go direct to Serangan Harbour, which is a 2.5-hour boat ride to Gili Trawangan.

For this service we recommend Blue water Express and Wan Gobel Express

*Please note that if the date of your return trip to Bali is on the same day of your international departure flight, more fast boat operators can insure delivery to Denpasar International Airport after 6pm.

VIA LOMBOK

If you are staying on Lombok you can either depart from Senggigi Harbour by fast boat, or taxi direct to Teluk Nara and fast boat from there to Gili Trawangan in 15 minutes.

For this service we recommend booking your fast boat transport through Pondok Santi, as our preferred operator is a small, locally-managed service.

VIA LOMBOK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Regular daily flights arrive from Bali, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and four times per week direct from Singapore. You will be met by one of our drivers at the airport who will assist you with your luggage, then travel a 1.5-hour drive to Teluk Kodek Harbour.

From Teluk Kodek you can either take a convenient 15-minute fast boat ride, or travel at a more leisurely pace in luxury on the Pondok Santi Outrigger Boat, “Princess Margaux”.

*Please note pricing from Teluk Kodek Harbour: Fast boat: IDR 1.300.000 per way per 2 people (Additional fee at 200,000/ extra person) Princess Margaux:...

Greeted with a big smile right from the entrance. Hafiz (front desk manager) learnt our name from the first minute and addressed us accordingly during the entire stay which made the estate feel like home. Probably the nicest person I've met in Bali I was wondering at some point how anyone can be this cheerful. Muzhar was also around covering when Hafiz wasn't around and would continously check up on us if we needed anything whatsoever. At arrival we were greeted with fresh juice and a wonderful presentation about the island and what to do there.

Food: Definitely the best food on the the Gilis! The breakfast was amazing by the beach and was cooked really well. For dinner I recommend eating here too it's definitely the best spot for food on the island. Pizza is cooked PERFECTLY and we know our pizza, and so is the bbq station at night with fresh seafood options (especially the lobster). Keep in mind that they also grow alot of their own vegetables and fruits and these areas are there for display during your stay.

Rooms: we had the garden view rooms which were spotless and cleaned multiple times a day. You know you're at a great hotel when there is this level of attention to detail. A water pot to clean your feet before stepping on the villa, a clean towel to dry by the door, very well functioning fans both over the bed, and on the day bed outside on the porch. They even made your bed for bedtime as when we returned to the room after dinner, the night lights were on, the room was sprayed of all insects/mosquitoes, water bottles were filled and placed next to each bedside table, the day pillows were removed and the blanket was tidied and half open ready for you to jump in while the bed net was already closed to prevent insects. The room is spacious, and provide high levels of of privacy as the hotel is located on a large plot of land.

Location: only a few minutes by horse from the harbour. Its on the quieter side of the island but still within close proximity as its right between the sunset spot and harbour. They even provide bicycles free of cost to their guests which makes transport around the island easy without haggling anyone to rent a bike. It's beach front so you don't need to go anywhere to enjoy the island. However the tide does go down and the area upfront becomes rocky ( by then you'd be at the sunset spot 5 mins away watching the sunset anyways).

Once they found our we are on a honey moon, they arrange for a santi coco; which is a ritual where the gardener climbed an entire coconut tree to cut two coconuts for us while we sat on a picnic set up, and opened them up freshly infront of us while we sat in the coconut palm view garden. Definitely the best coconut we had on the Island. Even for non honeymooners, they are happy to provide the same!

Definitely coming back with family or friends. You can see the attached photos and...

An exquisite beachfront resort.

Before getting too far into my review I must say the STAFF at this resort, whether in the reception area, food services area, managers or groundskeepers all were EXCEPTIONAL.

Super friendly, always smiling and genuinely pleased to see us. I could list them all, but most notabley: Fazz, Ahyar, Muzahar, Maria, Nanda, Yudha, Sabit, Syamsul, Chris (Chef) and Camille (Food and Beverage Manager).

Our room was spotlessly clean and beautifully appointed with a seating area, spacious bedroom with super comfortable beds with lots of pillows. The outdoor shower area was like a spa! There is a large filtered water dispenser in the room.

The grounds are gorgeous and tropical. The outdoor pools beautiful with lots of wonderful outdoor seating. The bathroom near the main pool is absolutely beautiful, maybe an odd note to include in a review, but it makes my point, and that is, that there is ATTENTION TO DETAIL in every corner of this resort.

Breakfast is included with many options to choose from, all DELICOUS. You could opt to have breakfast in your room or at the beach.

The restaurant run by Chris (chef) and Camille (Food and Beverage Manager) and their team are all exceptional. I honestly can’t say enough abut the high level of service here. Their lunch and dinner menus have something for everyone including an amazing fresh grill menu, you DEFINELTY want to eat here.

We had free bikes so we could bike around the island.

We also had 3 AMAZING massage treatments by ILA and DEVI. They are amazing therapists. You can book them at reception.

PLEASE give back and actively REVIEW, the businesses deserve the exposure and fellow world travellers appreciate the information.

Secondly, a nominal service charges are usually included with your bill, but PLEASE tip a little extra. Small businesses and their employees in Bali take such pride in making you feel welcome and provide exceptional service whether it’s where you eat, sleep or play (trek, spa, or tour) for extremely reasonable rates, they deserve it!!

Be a GREAT Global Ambassador …VISIT local businesses, REVIEW and...