Palulu Garden Homestay

The restaurant has a nice view, and the staff were helpful. That was the good part. The bathroom was awful: once water got on the floor, it smelled, and the shower had almost no pressure. I could only wet myself and dry off straight away. The room was dirty too. I’d read comments saying it was an upgrade from a live-aboard trip, but mine was nothing like that. The boat room I’d stayed in was 100 times better. I booked two nights, but ended up calling other homestays at midnight because I couldn’t bear to stay. The wall paint smelled really strong, and after spending most of my time outside the uncomfortable room, I noticed it late. Within an hour or two I had a sore throat, and while I was still deciding what to do, allergies started showing on my skin. Fortunately, I found another room that took me in, and it was cheaper and 10 times cleaner. Those problems had already made me book a boat trip for the second day instead of staying both nights. I also wanted help finding information about the trip, but the staff member knew I was interested and kept trying to get me to book through his uncle, who was at a party and didn’t answer his phone. When I came back the next day to pack, they seemed excited when I said I was leaving early and they could clean the room. Please stay away.

Breakfast was good, and they even served it at 6:15 because we had a flight. The room was big and had good air conditioning. There’s no Wi-Fi in the room, but it works really well in the common area. The view from there is beautiful, with good fancy restaurants nearby and a nice larger sunset spot just 500m to the right as you leave.

I spent quite a few days at Palulu Garden Homestay over the last 4 months and really liked it. The hosts are so friendly and welcoming, and their banana pancakes are the best. The rooms are simple, but the bed is very comfortable. They’re also always doing work to maintain and improve the place. I’d happily stay again.

We spent our days diving, so a basic room was all we needed. The hosts were really friendly and accommodating, even bringing an afternoon snack while we relaxed on the veranda and enjoyed the beautiful view. They let us keep some beers in their fridge and held our luggage until 6 pm on checkout day. Recommended.