Gili's Beaches or Bali Beaches - Advice?

We%26#39;re planning 2 weeks in Bali, centered in Ubud, a little time in the mountains, perhaps some time in the north and east. We were thinking we%26#39;d end our trip with 3-4 days on the Gilis to take advantage of a totally laid back, beautiful beach to do a little swimming and snorkeling and just relaxing. We%26#39;ve heard that the beaches are better than on Bali proper and that the snorkeling is great. We%26#39;ve also heard they tend to cater to backpackers (not us) and that there is malaria...Can anyone weigh in on whether it is worth it (are the beaches really better) and if the malaria thing is a reality? Would you recommend this or just stay on Bali and find a spot to relax there?

Gili's Beaches or Bali Beaches - Advice?

the beaches at the gilis are great and clean with white sand. there is good snorkeling. food and accom is good (caters for a variety of people - we are a family group). there are three islands to choose from: gili trawangan is great but crowded to a degree and the other two are quiet.

we were recommended that there was no need for malaria tabs there and we have been about five times.

from ubud you can get a fast boat from padangbai to gili t. about 2 hours. leaves about 8am daily.

i prefer the beaches there compared to bali.

Gili's Beaches or Bali Beaches - Advice?

I also recommend the Gilis near Lombok. All have nice clean beaches and are small enough to easily find your patch. Trawangan is the busiest, followed by Air and then Meno but it is easy to move between the three for visiting. Take along some mosquito repellent (can also be useful for sand flys and other pests) though malaria would be unusual due to the islands%26#39; dryness and the little lake on Meno is too salty.

Thank you for the recommendation. Is there good beach snorkeling as opposed to off-shore reef requiring a boat.

the snorkeling is close to shore. don%26#39;t need boat except to get to other islands. a snorkel boat tour is good as it introduces you to the various snorkeling spots with someone watching. there are very strong currents on the gilis.

ARe the currents strong at the beach or off-shore?

If you have 3-4 days skip the Gilis and go to Komodo National Park at western Flores Island. IMHO, some of the world%26#39;s best snorkeling, beautiful deserted islands, manta rays, coral, perfect. For natural beauty it blows away Bali or the Gilis. And you can see the dragons.....

Diving is unbelievable and snorkeling is incredible as well.

The people there fiercely protect the environment and marine preserve, so the environment is pristine.

Its a 1.5 hour flight from DPS to Labuan Bajo. You get a private charter boat to any of the islands. The boat is very cheap.

I will post a JBR in the next day or two.

This site is a pretty good summary of the attractions

www.floreskomodo.com/index.php鈥?/a>

There only malaria risk free areas in Indonesia are Bali, and Java (except Menoreh Hills). Large cities are malaria free, but I think its best to take malaria tabs if going anywhere outside of Bali and Java. Unfortunately there is some malaria on Lombok. I take Larian (mefloquine) whenever traveling outside of Bali or Java. Using some common sense precautions malaria should not be a big worry.

close to shore the currents aren%26#39;t that strong. what i tend to do work out which way the current is flowing. figure out where i want to finish and then snorkel out so that the current carries you along to where you want to get out. easy to get in if you aim at 45 degrees to shoreline and flow with the curent to shore. then get out and walk back to the start. do a short snorkel to start off and expand as u get use to it.

the boats do the same. they put you in a certain point and you flow with the currents and the boat moves up to where you are to finish.