Gili Meno

Gili Meno is the smallest of the three Gili Islands and a good setting for your desert-island fantasy. Ringed by gorgeous beaches and teeming reefs, Meno is also the quietest and most traditional of the three, beloved more of honeymooners and mature travelers than the full-moon-party set.

Most accommodation is strung out along the east coast, near the most picturesque beach. Inland you’ll find scattered homesteads, coconut plantations and a salty lake. The once-lonely west coast is seeing some high-profile development, including an enormous beachside condo project called Bask (www.baskgilimeno.com) that is slated to have over 85 villas when it opens in 2020. It’s got some powerful Australian backers and a high-profile pitchman, ex-Baywatch star David Hasselhoff (aka ‘The Hoff’). The effect of this huge resort on little Gili Meno is likely to be profound.