We stepped off the boat on Gili Trawangan to mass chaos of people all around us, but Rudy, a representative and staff member from Martas, was waiting with a sign to take us to the hotel, making our arrival on the island super easy.
There are no motorized vehicles on Gili T and transportation is by horse drawn carriage, bicycle or foot. Martas rents bicycles for an affordable rate, but we didn’t find that necessary as the hotel is right off the main street in town. It’s tucked well enough away that it’s quiet and peaceful at night, but close enough that you can access all the restaurants and beaches in 1-3 minutes.
Rudy lead us to the hotel and as we checked in, he served us a welcome drink – a delicious fruit smoothie for each of us. We were shown to our bungalow which was a private 2-story bungalow with a beautiful porch looking out onto the pool, a spacious bathroom downstairs, and our king-sized bed upstairs in a loft-style area with a traditional high roofed ceiling.
The style of the bungalow was unique to others that we have stayed in, and we found it really cozy. On our second day, we were talking about how safe we felt being upstairs and how it was cozy to have our bed away from the patio and the bathroom. Our room had tea and coffee, a mini fridge, a TV with a DVD player and free wifi.
After we checked in, we went out to explore the island and to explore the beaches of Gili T. Martas provided us complimentary beach towels, and all of the staff were really friendly and helpful during our entire stay. Joanna and Marta weren’t there while we stayed at the hotel, but every staff member that we encountered was keen to ensure that we were having a good stay without being intrusive.
Although most of our time was spent exploring the island, we came back early each evening to relax and enjoy some downtime in what may just be Asia’s most comfortable bed. The first night we were there we slept over 10 hours! Some of that was needing to catch up on sleep, but much of was simply not wanting to get out of bed. We were grateful that we had 2 more nights to enjoy the bed and get plenty of sleep!
Breakfast in the morning was pleasantly filling, with your choice of coffee or tea, fresh fruit juice, a fruit platter, and your choice of eggs any style with toast or a banana pancake. We both opted for all the fruit and the omelette with everything in it. Most of the time included breakfasts feel just average, but this one was definitely better than average.
Martas has a beautiful pool with beach chairs in the courtyard of the hotel, which is the perfect option if you want to skip the busy beaches of Gili T.
By our 3rd and final morning at Martas, the staff were calling us by name, and we were a bit sad to leave. This small, family run hotel is a gem and we would both highly recommend staying here the next time you’re on Gili T!
You can learn more about Martas hotel on their website, or you can book your stay with Martas through Agoda here!
*We would like to thank Martas Hotel for sponsoring our stay on Gili Trawangan. As always, all opinions remain are our own.
