Strikingly beautiful, with glorious white-sand beaches lapped by warm, brilliant-blue waters, the trio of Gili Islands just off the northwest coast of Lombok have developed rapidly in recent years to cope with the crowds of visitors. Of the three, Gili Trawangan best fits the image of "party island", with heaps of accommodation, restaurants and nightlife. The smallest of the islands, Gili Meno , has absolutely no nightlife and not much accommodation and, closest to the mainland, Gili Air offers a choice, with plenty of facilities in the south, and more peace elsewhere.

Prices on the islands vary significantly according to the season: the same bungalow will cost Rp30,000 in February and Rp50,000 in July, August and December. None of the islands has a particular crime problem, but there are no police on the Gilis, so in the event of trouble it is the role of the kepala desa, the head man who looks after Gili Air (where he lives), and Gili Meno, and the kepala kampung on Gili Trawangan, to deal with the situation and take you to police at Tanjung or Ampenan to make a report. It seems that when problems do arise they are sometimes dealt with poorly.

The access port for the Gili Islands is BANGSAL , 25km north of Senggigi, which has a few restaurants, some moneychangers and a Perama office (7.30am-4pm). If you get stuck, the losmen Taman Sari (no phone; $5-10) is just by the gate into the harbour. Bangsal is a short cidomo (horse-drawn cart) ride or a shadeless 1.5-kilometre walk from PEMENANG , 26km beyond the Ampenan-Mataram-Cakranegara-Sweta area and served by bemos or buses from Mandalika terminal. There are also some bemos from Ampenan. All transport between Mandalika and points around the north coast passes through Pemenang. There is no public bemo service along the coastal road north from Senggigi to Pemenang. Perama sells tourist shuttle tickets to Bangsal from most tourist spots on Bali and Lombok. Sample fares are Rp45,000 from Kuta, Rp35,000 from Candi Dasa, Rp10,000 from Mataram or Senggigi.

Boats leave Bangsal throughout the morning, when full, and take between twenty and forty-five minutes; buy your ticket at the office on the quayside right by the beach. Blue, red and white boats serve Gili Air (Rp1500), yellow and red go to Gili Meno (Rp1900), and red and white to Gili Trawangan (Rp2000). They operate from 7.30am until 4.30pm and leave when full. From Senggigi , you can take the daily Sunshine boat to Gili Trawangan, run by Sunshine Tours (tel 0370/693232), in central Senggigi, or the daily Perama shuttle (1hr 30min; Rp20,000). At both ends of all boat trips you'll get your feet wet, as the boats anchor in the shallows and you have to wade to and fro.

Once on the islands, the "hopping island" boat service is extremely handy for getting around . It does one circuit, Air-Meno-Trawangan-Meno-Air, in the morning, and one in the afternoon. It's conveniently timetabled and fast, and makes a day-trip to another island a feasible option. Times from Gili Air are 8.30am and 3pm, from Gili Meno to Gili Trawangan 8.45am and 3.15pm, from Gili Trawangan 9.30am and 3.30pm, and from Gili Meno to Gili Air 9.45am and 4.15pm. Between Gili Trawangan and Gili Air the fare is Rp5000, between Gili Trawangan or Gili Air and Gili Meno, it's Rp4000.

There are a number of moving on options from the islands. Several operators on the islands offer shuttle tickets direct to Lombok or Bali destinations. Lombok Mandiri quote Rp16,000 to Senggigi or Mataram, Rp18,000 to Lembar, Rp29,000 to Padang Bai, Rp38,000 to Ubud and Rp40,000 to Kuta, Bali, all from Gili Trawangan; prices are Rp1000-2000 less from the other islands. Perama have counters on Gili Trawangan and Gili Air and sell tickets from Bangsal; there is just one daily departure leaving Bangsal at 9am and fares are Kuta Rp45,000, Ubud Rp40,000, Candi Dasa Rp35000, Padang Bai Rp30,000, Senggigi Rp10,000, Kuta Lombok or Tetebatu Rp25,000.