Pondok Santi

In today’s busy, crowded and noisy world to have a sense of space and peace is true luxury. To be able to wake up to the sounds of birds and the ocean, to see the stars fill the sky at night, these are blissful little gifts that escape many of us in our everyday life. It’s one of the reasons that we fell instantly in love with Pondok Santi on the Indonesian island of Gili Trawangan. Yes, you’ll find all this and more as you discover just what what perfect paradise this truly luxurious resort has to offer.

Located on the busiest of the popular Gili Islands, Pondok Santi is a small collection of villas set in a coconut tree grove where towering palms shade you from the sun and the ocean laps at a white sand beach. Just a stones throw from neighbouring Lombok and not much further from Bali, this place is one of those gems where preserving the peace and natural beauty that this island was once famous for, has been a priority.

Stay in one of the Private Pool Bungalows where the design, full of light and natural wood, billowing white curtains, cushions in muted tones and woven rugs, pots and baskets, will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a magazine (whilst you secretly vow to redecorate your home after your trip). The outdoor double rain shower, framed by tropical flowers and plants, the huge private pool and whitewashed walls filling your secluded courtyard with yet more light; it’s actually very hard to find fault with the space.

The resort has impressive eco credentials too, with rooms having stylish water coolers to dispense with the need for plastic bottles, a desalination plant and a ‘no plastic straw’ policy among their sustainability initiatives.

It was great to see Pondok Santi trying to preserve this beautiful island as Gili Trawangan really is one of those places where you’ll find yourself smiling at the beauty of it all. The white sand beaches and turquoise waters were as beautiful in reality as the pictures we’d seen before arriving.

The Vegan Food

And the vegan food? Another success of this top end resort. Breakfast was served in the open air Santi Lounge Restaurant, next to the resort’s stunning infinity pool. Beachy, laid back vibes are continued with a natural sandy floor but beach bar this is not. The food is well put together with an emphasis on being nutritionally balanced as well as full of flavour.

For breakfast we sipped fresh juices, pots of spicy turmeric and ginger tea (made on request) and freshly brewed coffee. There was a choice of plant milks on the menu; soya, rice and almond and an appetising smashed avocado on sourdough. But as we were welcomed to adjust anything we liked we opted to add extra tempeh and to create a mini Western styled cooked breakfast from pan fried potatoes, chargrilled tomatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes and bok choi.

In the evening we returned to eat mixed red and white quinoa tossed with peas, finely diced pepper salad dressed with lemon and mint and topped with tiny cauliflower steaks which had been chargrilled. The cauliflower added another layer of texture and that distinct chargrilled flavour that makes you instantly think of summer BBQs. This nutritional powerhouse of a dish was not only full of complete protein (the holy grail of vegan eating) but it was tasty, light and colorful.

This was followed by a cashew pesto pasta with tofu, tempe and mixed vegetable skewers. The pasta was twirled into 3 mini hives and had a decadently rich taste and nutty taste full of olive oil and basil flavours and juicy mini tomatoes. Served with the tofu and tempeh skewers, this was a perfect pairing of local ingredients and international cooking.

We loved that staff were so comfortable with our vegan food requests and that ordering plant based food was a total breeze.

The Vegan Essentials

There were already non-feather pillows on the bed and a non-feather duvet too (always good to find when you’re a vegan).

The in-room amenities were in planet saving containers so we couldn’t tell if they were vegan (we just used our own) but we commend the labelling of the ‘aloe gel’ in the little gift bag which had a cruelty-free bunny symbol on it.

Massages were available outside in one of the wooden pergolas set amongst the coconut palms.

The Vegan Food Quest Verdict

Check in to Pondonk Santi to enjoy the space, peace and luxury that this resort offers. Enjoy healthy and delicious vegan food after a day relaxing on the picture perfect beach or by their stylish pool. This is certainly one of those places where you’ll make a million happy memories.

We were guests of Pondok Santi but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views.

Pondok Santi
Gili Trawangan
Lombok
Indonesia

Telephone: +62 819 07057504
Email: reservations@pondoksanti.com
Cost From: £150 / $190 (July 2018)