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Indonesia’s Gili Asahan, Lombok’s best-kept secret: island as peaceful as it is beautiful
- Off the southwest ‘tail’ end of Indonesia’s Lombok island, Gili Asahan is a world away from the hard-partying Gili Islands to the north
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![The beach in front of the Pearl Beach Resort on Gili Asahan, a beautiful, peaceful island off Lombok, Indonesia. Photo: Josh Edwards](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/05/78c6daca-c0cd-42ab-ade1-d6bcf5412d1f_b8f8b499.jpg?itok=i3vq0bry&v=1720161071)
My pre-booked boat pushes off from a beach on the Indonesian island of Lombok, gliding through calm waters and passing the emerald-green hills and empty beaches of Sekotong Bay – a welcome indicator of the weekend ahead.
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Minutes later, my destination draws into focus, stark white sand glistening in the morning sun.
Jumping into the shallow waters of Gili Asahan, off the southwest “tail” end of Lombok, is to be transported to a desert-island paradise.
Asahan has no roads or motor vehicles, and only five hotels. There is just one, small community of permanent residents, all of whom live here only because of the tourism work.
![Gili Asahan is a short boat ride from Lombok. Photo: Josh Edwards Gili Asahan is a short boat ride from Lombok. Photo: Josh Edwards](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/05/365f4ab0-e4a6-41f1-ada3-cd6d715e428a_4e2afc74.jpg)
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