The River Island Sidemen

This place was amazing...right on the river. We woke up to the best views! Jero was over the top with her hospitality and we could not be more grateful. We arrived late and she still accommodated our hungry kids at the restaurant. The rooms were decorated so cute, and the beds were so comfortable!

The River Island Sidemen was without a doubt the most beautiful place we stayed during our trip. It felt like much more than just a hotel, it genuinely felt like our own home in paradise. Everything was beautiful. Our room was amazing, and having our own little garden right next to the river made the experience incredibly peaceful and special. The whole property has such a private and relaxed atmosphere that we could freely walk around and enjoy everything almost as if the place belonged to us. We originally planned to spend our time exploring Sidemen, but we loved the beauty, peace and atmosphere of our room so much that we decided to simply stay and enjoy it. My only regret is that I didn't book a longer stay. The staff were incredibly kind and available 24/7. Whenever we needed something or order food, we simply sent a WhatsApp message and it was taken care of or brought directly to our room. The River Island Sidemen is a place I can wholeheartedly recommend. A special thank you to Jero Virona for her wonderful hospitality and for making our stay even more memorable.

Literally everything!

Nothing

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.