Beach Getaway to Gili Air

Being able to work for such a global company is an opportunity that I'm very grateful for, especially in that it hasn't forced me to suppress my desire to constantly explore and travel. In fact, with John Hardy, I am encouraged to be inspired by new surroundings everyday. My business trips to Bali enable me to use the weekends to plan a get-together with friends for a mini-vacation, and this time around, we decided to go to Gili Air, a small island off the east coast of Bali, as none of us had been before. Gili Air is one of 3 islands that are car and motor free - the only way to get to the island is via boat, and around the island, by foot, bike or horse-drawn cart.

Last minute planning and booking ensued, and we embarked early on Saturday morning to Padang Bai to catch the highspeed boat. Amidst miscommunication, delays, confusion and general hullaballoo, we ended up actually missing our 9am boat ride to Gili, and were told the next one would be at 1pm. Disappointed and cranky, we marched over to the head office of the boat company we booked with to file a general complaint on lack of organisation and to our surprise, received a free brunch at a chic beach-side cafe as compensation.

Upon arrival at Gili Air, we encountered some gorgeous sailboats... and vowed that one day, somehow, we would also be on one too! And oh mamma mia, the stars that night were unbelievable. Stargazing on a sailboat out in the middle of the sea? Yes, please!

After a refreshing swim in the sea, we found out that 2 of our colleagues from John Hardy had also decided to come to Gili Air as well and since the island was so small, we bumped into them in no time. It was lovely to be able to enjoy the company of friends, toes in the sand, watching the gorgeous sunset ... definitely good times to be had by all!