Orange Hotel

A clean place at a reasonable price, with really helpful, friendly owners. It’s centrally located, just four minutes from the hotspot.

The bathroom smell made us feel sick, and the rooms were filthy. There was no service or toilet paper, and the cobwebs were thick. Someone had left a clump of hair and grime in the shower caddy after picking it up from the dirty bathroom floor. The sheets were stained, and one bed even had sand in it. We booked three rooms for two nights. We felt stuck for the second night because our bags had been there all day and we had an early tour, though we should have left since the rooms hadn’t been serviced anyway. At 40,000 INR ($40 AUS) per night, it was expensive, especially with plenty of nearby places at similar prices. I’d seen reviews saying breakfast was included, but nobody told us that. The busy road was noisy, and scooters parked along the walkway meant we had to weave through just to reach our horrible rooms. Lebuan Bajo is such a beautiful place, so I can’t understand how this hotel keeps operating. It’s a blight on this great little town.

The AC rooms are basic but okay. We’re used to simple backpacker places, but the fan rooms were another story: the so-called double bed was only 1.20 m wide, and we spent the night sweating. The service was a disaster. The owner was the most unfriendly hotel owner we’ve ever met, and she was willing to kick us out in the middle of the night rather than think about a solution.

We stayed nearly a week, and Patricia, the owner, was kind and friendly. The room attendant was always around, quick to respond, and incredibly gentle and helpful when trying to sort out any issues. She’s a lovely person. The hotel is simple and fairly priced, but clean. Our room had AC and hot water, and the beds were comfortable. It was a nice stay.