Trawangan is a part of Lombok island with mostly people live under the tourism object income, the village of Gili Trawangan was covered by hotel around it although now the island was fully built with hotel and restaurant.
During your stay in this island you should now a specific thing about local people how they communicate to the tourist, the quality of service, attitude and other aspect that may influence to your holiday experience.
Most of local people will meet everyday in everystep of the road and they own any tour company.
The people of Gili Trawangan hold the East-Side attitude like respect to older one by young man or pointing a something with right hand not with left hand even the foot.
Here some tips to make any adaptation in a place with indigenous attitude of Gili Trawangan :
First, Find hotel stay, Bargain the room cost if you require for stay longer than two or three days, in economic system this will be much different, if the people stay one night or stay 5 night they will has a different price each day. This system was acknowledged by the local people which familiar with Long Stay Discount, then you can do bargain with the price untill the last budget you have.
Tell the people honestly how much your budget left, then they will offer a lower cost and consider the budget under hotel revenue but most of this tactic take a long time but better result.
Many of the bungalow owner has graduated in some hotel company then they will know more about cost and income through the hotel system.
Second, try to speak with indonesia or sasak language, just know one word the local people will proud to know it.
Based on my survey that take place in Gili Trawangan personally, most of the owner of big hotel able to speak indonesian language, they said that is the way they can understand what the people want and to know more about local people live style, most of the owner learn day to day about the language to approach the local people come close to.
What about we are on traveling, we do not have enough time to learn a language.
Do not worry about, just to know a little pieces word which mostly using on daily conversation.
You know a little and local people will respect and more familiar to you than before then the price will go down slowly.
Third, where to eat in Gili Trawangan, one thing you should understand about the big hotel is not guarantee that they has a high quality product for food if you see from the hotel level. We recommend to do a little walk around the whole island, find a place where a lot of people reach about and waiting for order or fully booked, this can be a physical prove that the restaurant has nice food. It is a simple mindset that easy to understand.
Do not forget to ask the price before order cause some of the restaurant has additional tax service that not include the price and other was included, make sure about the price before get argument and disappointed.
Fourth, manykind of tour can be held in Gili Trawangan from under water until land cruise, find a tourist information were located on edge of the road, the people will offer you the highest price as welcoming price but do not shocked, there are no fixed price on this island then start bargain and find the last deal, if you think the price far from your budget and try to find other tourist information then you can compare the price which one marching to your cost.
Do not give up immediately before the price get the great reason, a bargain is a part of the travel game that you must win about, but if you lose your budget will not much expensed.
Fifth, hire any product, there are many informal rule was established in this island day by day and strongly hold by other local people, but bargain or negotiation can solve the problem to catch the customer. This most happen in low season.
The business community of Gili Trawangan has standard price that hold by the business man as a standard prive to hire their products to put fair competition but when the costumer lower the rule can break smoothly.
Another option if you hire more that 1 pieces or more than an hour you can do bargain until the last price and the man agree to take the price and this almost close to the target then make it deal.
Sixth, if you are an hoteliers you will be popular with the word compensation, you can set a compensation as your gun to shoot the hotel when they have problem dueing your stay. if you had any problem on your hotel stay especially in 3, 4 or 5 star, you can ask any compensation regarding to the problem happen during your stay like the air conditioner was not cold, the room not clean or other unexpected problem.
Compensation is one of the way the hotel protect their clients to get high rank on online booking to keep the rank on top level.
To day is the years where the traveller most using mobile application and easy internet acces, they will use the hotel or restaurant based on online review by the real man who stay at the same hotel, cause of that the hotel must keep the loyalty to the client.
The Last, horse cart cost this is the biggest problem that my client always ask about when they use this service.
Before use the horse cart service ask for the price to the driver continue to check the price list infront of driver, it will explain anything.
Horse cart is the only one transport that able to load you and your luggage to the hotel, a driver can free charge the highest price on you although they break the rules price, the driver will not enough care about that.
They think that the guest will come first and never back, this a strange thinking.
Remember, do not use the horse cart service before you ask the right price even lower then price list, i hope this tips can help you much during your stay in Gili Trawangan.
