It's not just an island, it's an experience. Yes, I'm in love with this sparkling white sandy beach, crystal clear turquoise water, endless blue sky and vibrant beach life.

The first time I heard about Gili islands, it was a few years back while I was planning my trip to Bali. My travel agent suggested me a name and said- `Why don't you add Gili Islands to your Bali itineraries?'

I was like 'what islands!!!

I started checking on Google and discovered three tiny islands in the middle of the sea.

The Gili islands are part of Bali's neighbouring island Lombok: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. When I googled for images, I got to see some pictures on a swing, in the middle of crystal clear water and I knew I wanted to go there. The inner me screamed with excitement - Woohhh! I so want this 'swing in the sea' photo on my Insta feed.

I immediately confirmed my agent to include this island on the list. Since it was not-so-long one week trip, I decided to explore only one island. So Gili Trawangan or the much-easier-to-pronounce Gili T it is!

There are several ways to get to the Gili islands from Bali. We took the fast boat from Padang Bai (southeast of Bali) and went straight to Gili Trawangan. This boat journey took about 2 hours. We were greeted by crystal clear turquoise water as soon as we arrived. Hello Gili T!

We quickly noticed that there was no single motor vehicle. To get around, you have to walk or rent a bicycle. But our resort was out of walking distance and we got large luggage. So, we hailed a cidomo (horse carriage) to reach our resort. They are pretty expensive though.

We checked in to Aston Sunset Beach Resort which is situated on the quieter far side of the island. The island is so tiny, it takes less than two hours to walk around the whole island!

We freshened up and headed to the beach. While walking around the island, we spotted all the iconic beach swings: Searching for that perfect photo on one of those trendy beach swings.

I picked the best one and snapped the perfect Insta shot. It was a blissful moment to remember as I swung above the ocean, enjoying the salty aromatic breeze. PEACE!

We came across a beach-side sunset bar, grabbed a seat, ordered some amazing food and fresh drink and waited to watch the Gili sunset. I was totally overwhelmed to witness the most unreal sky with blue, purple and pink hue and it was undoubtedly the best sunset of my entire life.

Next day we hopped the colorful beach, clicked some awesome pictures in different cute spots, stood in the calm water, enjoyed the beach vibe to the fullest, YAY!

This Gili Island was gorgeous and definitely worth exploring. Though it was a bit expensive than we expected, the experiences we had were more than worth it!

If you are planning your trip to Bali, then it would be incomplete without a visit to at least to one of the Gilis.