De'Coco Villa and Suites

The villa was bright, open and welcoming, with spacious, clean bedrooms and linen that felt luxurious. It's not brand new and does show some wear, but it was brilliant for a few families staying together and exploring the island. Eka, the manager, was kind and responsive, answered all my questions and helped with booking and the stay. The staff were attentive, and we couldn't have been happier. They were also very helpful arranging bikes and activities. As we explored the island, we saw a few places with higher ratings that didn't look nearly as good as De'cocco Villa. Thank you De'cocco Villa for a wonderful stay!

We paid $5500 AUD for six nights and were really upset by how untidy and unpleasant the stay was. We were two families traveling together and had booked a villa so we could relax and share a hangout space. I've stayed in plenty of Bali villas, but this one wasn't as clean or luxurious as the listing made it sound. During our week there, we got clean towels only once, after asking. We asked for clean sheets and pillowcases too, but never got any. The towels had stains, there was mould on the sheets in one room and stains on the bed in another. They never changed the sheets. The plumbing was sensitive, which is understandable on an island, but all toilet paper had to go in the bin, and it wasn't emptied until we asked three days later. The kitchen bin wasn't emptied during our stay either. Thousands of ants crawled over the cupboards, drawers, cooktop and up the kitchen wall, so we didn't feel comfortable using the kitchen. We'd looked forward to having a villa pool with little ones, but hardly used it. When we arrived it was very cloudy, smelled strongly of chlorine, burned the kids' skin and stained their clothes. Even after we told a staff member the pool seemed “sick,” he seemed to agree. The staff we saw appeared to spend time smoking and drinking in an adjoining bungalow. I don't know if they were supposed to be working or attending to us, but they rarely came by. If the villa had been clean, regularly attended to and had a pool we could swim in, my review would probably be different.

The bungalow is tiny, though it has the basic necessities. The Booking pictures show a private villa and have little to do with the bungalow. To me, Gili Air, and I guess the other Gili islands too, seem all about Instagram pictures and marketing. Behind that, I saw extreme poverty, mud and unsanitary conditions. Swimming and sunbathing didn't seem enjoyable, and eating out seemed dangerous when I saw the conditions local people live in.

My bungalow was quiet, clean and comfortable, and I loved the location. I stayed for two weeks and absolutely loved it. The staff were very friendly and attentive, and I'll definitely stay here again.