The River Island Sidemen

I like to support Indonesian owned and operated hotels/ villas in Indonesia. This is one. You can see that the family lives on the property and that is refreshing. The property is HUGE- the largest I have ever seen in Bali. And the view from the dining area and pool is unmatched for natural beauty. I spent hours just staring at the river and hills and jungle in the background. There are better views from this place than from any of the tourist attractions in the area. The little bungalow I had was super cute and looked very Indonesian. The restaurant in the property next door, Kubu Sakian, is REALLY good and within a 5 minute walk. You can use Grab to get around locally.

There are some little things that are a not quite up to standard. One was that the sink in the bathroom smelled like sulfur every time I turned it on. I preferred to use the water from the shower. And there is a rock to stand on when you are showering in the outdoor shower that is wobbly. It might not be the best for someone who doesn’t have good balance. The other thing was the food. They bring food in from a restaurant close by and it was not good at all.

Todo, su tranquilidad, la limpieza sobretodo, la ubicación y el cuarto de baño muy original. Es una carga de paz y espiritualidad. El personal súper súper amable . Merece mucho la pena y volveríamos a repetir. Teníamos reservado una noche y finalmente decidimos dos . La chica nos facilitó una moto para poder movernos por aquí, la habitación tenía repelente de mosquitos y todo para que la estancia fuera lo más cómoda posible y de verdad destacar la limpieza.

Me gustó todo pero si les tendría que decir algo para que mejoraran sería el desayuno que quizás es un poco pobre para los otros que nos hemos encontrado en nuestra estancia en Bali. Pero por lo demás de 10 . Repetiríamos sin duda

This place was truly 10/10. It felt like a peaceful spiritual retreat surrounded by nature and the river. Jo was incredibly kind and caring, more like a friend or family then a host. She helped us with everything, organized a great brand new scooter for a very fair price, arranged massages whenever I asked, and always made us feel at home. The massage on the veranda with the sound of the birds was unforgettable. The staff were all lovely and even washed our clothes before we left, everything came back clean and smelling amazing. Jo also makes delicious food with so much love. The breakfasts were wonderful, and we also loved the fried rice, chicken satay and pizza. The sauna with the nature view was amazing too. Everything was very clean, peaceful and comfortable. Just keep in mind this is a place deeply connected with nature, perfect if that’s what you are looking for.

We loved everything and honestly have nothing to complain about.

The location is beautiful, the breakfast was good, the staff is very polite.

The distance from the village (Sidemen) is a big problem, if you cannot ride a scooter. We had to rely on the staff for our daily transportation to the village, but the hotel owner did not check (as she had promised) her WhatsApp messages on time in order to arrange pickup from the village. Therefore, the first night we had to walk a long distance in complete darkness; it was dangerous. Although the breakfast is good, the quality of the other meals is very, very poor. The rooms are beautiful, but full of insects and geckos (we found gecko poop in the room every day). The owner is very unreliable: She forgot to arrange our transport to the airport (at the time of our stay, "free airport shuttle" was listed under "Facilities"), and we ended up missing our two-leg flight. She also spoke badly to us about other guests all the time, which made us feel quite uncomfortable. In a nutshell, this is an acceptable (under no circumstances "good") option for real nature lovers, who do not mind insects etc., ONLY if they can ride a scooter. Yet, the cost is too high for the quality offered. I regretted my stay at the River Island and would avoid it by all means. Similar (better, even) landscape can be found everywhere in/around Sidemen.