This post is part of my Holiday Price Tag series, where I share the nitty-gritty of my holiday spending, giving you a transparent look at what different trips actually cost me.
I went to Gili Trawangan and Bali from 27 April to 4 May 2025, a week after returning back from my surfing & cycling trip in Taiwan.
For the clueless, Gili Trawangan, often called Gili T, is the largest and most busy of the three Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok, Indonesia. Notably, the island is car-free, with bicycles and horse-drawn carts serving as the main modes of transport.
I was at Gili T from 27 Apr – 1 May, and I spent SG$983.73 in total. Below is a more detailed breakdown of my diving trip there.
The cost breakdown of my Gili Trawangan trip.
Entertainment (41% of expenses)
Entertainment was my biggest expense, with it consisting of yoga (~SG$16) and diving (SG$383).
I took my PADI Advanced Open Water certification with Blue Marlin Reef Gili Trawangan. This certification will allow me to dive to a greater depth (~30 meters) and open up a wider range of dive sites and experiences.
The course required me to complete five dives with a mandatory deep dive and an underwater navigation dive. Others can be chosen based on interests, such as night diving, wreck diving, fish identification, or underwater photography.
I went for a total of 5x dives (~SG$60 each) and 1x refresher pool session (~SG$35). The experience was pretty scary after not diving for so long and I was so thankful to get an experienced and reassuring instructor (shoutout to Miguel!) for my refresher pool session.
One of his advice really stuck: “So long as you have your regulator in your mouth, there’s nothing to be scared of.”
Then, it was into the deep!
My first one was a mandatory deep dive at Halik Reef and our instructor brought down an egg and biscuits wrapped in a red wrapper to show us the pressure and colour changes. Sadly, my buoyancy control was really bad and I floated away like Aunt Marge.
The other mandatory dive was navigation at Bounty Wreck. Didn’t float away this time, but I ran out of air!
Even the third dive (Peak Performance Buoyancy) was a struggle for me.
I only started getting comfortable with my last two dives (wreck and drift dive). Fortunately, there were way more things to see during those trips – a sunken boat, sea turtles, and moray eels!
My friends continued a fifth dive at Shark Point. In their own words, that dive site was the best out of every site at Gili T – they saw many sharks and sea turtles.
Transport (35% of expenses)
Next up, the bulk of my expenses were transport. Aside from a Scoot flight, we had to take a car to the Lombok harbour and transfer using a fast boat to Gili T island. That cost us ~$18/person.
Accommodation (13% of expenses)
Lastly, the next biggest expense was accommodation for me. We stayed with the dive centre – two rooms with ensuite toilets for the four of us cost SG$134/person.
Reflections about Diving at Gili Trawangan
One word of advice – bring cash! Transactions at Lombok and Gili T are still very cash-driven. 3% extra charge if you’re paying by card. Luckily, there are ATMs available so we could withdraw using our YouTrip and Trust cards.
What about my experience at Blue Marlin Dive Gili T? The good part was that they’re very transparent with their prices – everything was displayed on a signboard outside the dive centre and their website.
On the ground, however, the centre was chaotic and it’s really dependent on who your instructor is. Unfortunately, our instructor was pretty young, and he gave us many conflicting instructions during our time there.
Overall, it’s a 6/10 for me diving at Gili T. I think there are better and more accessible dive sites. I probably won’t be back, but it’s still a good check off my dive list and time spent with friends.
Celebrating our friends’ engagement!
Cost of Holidaying in Bali
The next leg of our journey is Bali!
Honestly, I wanted to fly back to Singapore after Gili T, but it’s recommended to have a 24-hour cool-off after diving because flying at altitude too soon can significantly increase the risk of decompression sickness (DCS).
The lower atmospheric pressure in an aircraft cabin can cause dissolved nitrogen in your body tissues to form bubbles, which can lead to a range of serious and potentially life-threatening health issues.
Scoot also only operates alternate-day flights, so it’s either extending the stay at Gili T or heading over to Bali.
The cost breakdown of my Bali trip.
In total, I spent SG$298 in Bali.
- The top expense was our accommodation villa at Canggu (29%).
- Next up was eating out (29%).
- Transport (19%) was up next – the bulk of the cost was the 4h ferry from Lombok to Bali.
- Entertainment (14%) was well-spent as we had a 2h surf class and also bought our surf pictures from a hustling man.
Always Yours,
Val