Coconut Hill Cottages

Out of about 10 hotels I’ve stayed at on the island, this was the best. The staff and food were amazing, and the family room felt comfortable and homely. For epic reviews around the world, locations, hotels and food, follow me Instagram @ANDREWKENNEDY980

We stayed in a beautiful rustic wooden cabin and wished we could have stayed longer. The rooms are lovely, the host is very friendly, and the location is great. The beach is a minute away, with lots of good restaurants on the road and a supermarket just in front.

There was nobody at the ‘reception’ when I arrived, and no one answered the phone numbers I was given. I wandered around for 15 minutes before someone came over from the other side, where the restaurant apparently serves as the actual reception. After breakfast one day, a staff member told me I had to pay for it, even though I’d already stayed two days and breakfast was included in the price. I tried to explain, but he got angry and didn’t apologize. His attitude continued for the rest of the trip and made the stay unpleasant. The other staff were good, but that experience ruined it for me. There was mould in the bathroom, which has no windows.

The room was nice, the pool was okay, and the owners were very welcoming and helped with all our reservations. I’d give the stay five stars if the last-minute ferry incident hadn’t happened. I asked the owner to book us a ferry back to Bali. He charged 175k, 25k more than the ticket I found in Bali. I was okay with the extra cost, even though I could have gone to get the ticket myself. But he booked what I think was a cheap boat without permission to shore. We had to walk into the middle of the beach through five meters of water to reach a small canoe that would take us to the boat. I objected at first and called the owner, but he said he’d already paid for the ticket. We had three big suitcases we couldn’t carry ourselves, so they loaded them into another shabby canoe, flooded with water, to bring them to the boat. We waited almost an hour for transport, and all our luggage and clothes inside got soaked. I was exhausted after a long day and the whole experience.