There are a number of ways of getting to the Gilis and Lombok. In the case of travel to the Gilis, they all involve getting into a boat at some point of the journey.

First, there is the slow boat to Lombok - the public ferry which departs hourly from Padang Bai in East Bali and takes roughly five hours to Lembar port in South Lombok. From there it is a two hour overland trip to the harbour at Bangsal in West Lombok, a wait for the public ferry boat to fill-up, and a then 45 minute ride to one of three Gili islands. 

Which ever way you look at it, you need to allocate an entire day to make that journey. This is of course the cheapest option, but also the most time consuming and the one fraught with most hassle.

Then there is the flying option. One needs to take a taxi to the airport (Rp 30,000 and 30 minutes) and arrive one hour prior to departure (total elapsed time to far 1.5 hours).The flight is “only 20 minutes” but calculate 45 minute for getting from departure lounge onto the plane, taxing to runway, landing, taxing back to terminal, etc. Then one waits for luggage, another 15 minutes. That whole “20 minute flight” opera consumes at least an hour. And we haven’t even begun to speculate about “on time performance”. Then its out to the arrivals lounge and the wait for a taxi to do the 60 minute trip from Mataram airport to Bangsal harbour on the west coast. If one has done the trip before, the best total elapsed time possible is 3.5 hours, assuming no hold-ups in this very long, tenuous chain of travel. And then there is the cost factor. Merpati airlines charges Rp 440k O/W. Taxi to airport is Rp 30k, airport tax Rp 30k, taxi to Bangsal 70k, transfer from Lombok to the Gilis, maybe Rp 100k. You are looking at anywhere from Rp 700k upwards for cost, slightly less if traveling together with a partner or friends who share taxi costs. Best possible time 3.5 hours, average time 4 - 4.5 hours, assuming no flight delays.

Finally, we have the fastboat option. Fastboats depart from either Benoa/Turtle Island in the south or Padangbai in the east of Bali. No matter what they claim, all operators assume best possible conditions when estimating travel time, and maximum speed over a known distance, eg 56 nautical miles at 30 knots. Due to sea conditions, currents and weather, the likelihood is 3 hours from Benoa and 1.5 hours from Padangbai, which is the closest harbour in Bali to Lombok. Hence boats depart Benoa at 7am, and from Padangbai at 9am, to all arrive at the same time (10:30am) in Gili Trawangan. Cost factor is roughly the same (Rp 600k), total travel time the same. The real difference is how much time one spends on the water.

People who make the trip regularly, ie travel professionals working in the Gilis, prefer Gilicat for a number of reasons. The seating is cushioned and more comfortable, the boat is sturdier and hence the ride smoother, the distance over the water lless and time spent on the boat the least. Gilicat is fully equipped with safety features - 25 pax liferaft capsule, life preserver for every person, including children, lifebuoys, EPIRB, GPS, radar, ship-to-shore radio. There are daily departures and the company prides itself on a 95% scheduled departure record since commencing operations in July 2007 (we do not do transfers during cyclones!!). Comfort, safety, reliability - what more would one want or expect on an Indonesian holiday??