Naturale Villa

We moved out after two of our four booked nights, and they kindly gave us a full refund. The family hut had a good ocean view from its patio or balcony, and you could hear the waves at night, but rats running, squeaking, and fighting on the roof were too noisy to ignore. The place may suit people who are comfortable with a lot of nature. The pipes were broken, there were droppings on the floor, the water boiler was dirty, and the room smelled musty. There was also lizard droppings on the jar lids, so I threw them away. We had no free water bottles, and there was no toothpaste, which I’m used to having in Asia and Bali. They provided a water jug, but bottles cost extra. Luckily, we’d bought a 5-litre bottle after seeing the Europeans who rode with us on the tuk tuk buy one. Although there’s a harbour right next to the place, the villa staff booked me a boat with Rocky Fast, whose harbour is on the other side of the island. Getting there meant a bumpy 30-minute ride to Naturale, making the place feel very remote. The receptionist on WhatsApp was responsive and helpful. The man who served us on day one seemed unfriendly at first, but turned out okay. I’d forgotten my charger, and they let me charge my power bank at the counter. The water stopped for a while, but they fixed it quickly and it was fine for the rest of my stay. I also had warm water for a late-night shower. Breakfast was minimal. On the first day, I got one slice of toast, then the guy kindly gave me another for free. On day two, another guy brought two slices and charged me 30k. I’m not here to diet on one slice of bread. I had to order a plain omelette because onions or vegetables cost extra. On day two I chose a boiled egg, since the oil in the first day’s omelette made it taste weird. The pizza was horrible. My kids said it was like a pastry sheet with ketchup, and we left the whole thing.

Bed bugs made our night in the family villa very uncomfortable. We found them during the night, and staff kindly moved us to another room at 3 a.m., but we found bed bugs there too. We ended up spending the rest of the night outside by the pool instead of sleeping. The manager apologized in the morning. We learned that the owner knew about bed bugs in some rooms, and it seemed to us the problem wasn’t new. The hotel was full during our stay, so this feels like a serious issue that needs urgent attention. It’s a shame, since the place has potential. I hope the hotel deals with this properly.

I’ve stayed here twice over the past couple of years and loved it both times. There are two big pools, the staff are friendly, and Mushroom Bay is just a one or two minute walk away, with beautiful water. Breakfast was included and really tasty. The rooms are amazing, and the beds are a bit hard but still comfortable. In the family huts, it gets very loud downstairs when people walk around on the upper level. Aside from that, I’d highly recommend it!

The beach is just a few minutes away, and you can even see the sea from one of the two pools. The rooms were clean, the staff were friendly, and the simple breakfast tasted good. You can hear nature all around, including geckos and birds. I recommend this place 100%!