Tambora Hotel

The reception staff were lovely, and the price was cheap. It was quiet too, though someone started sweeping the yard right outside my window at 5:20. I tried asking him to stop, but got nowhere. At least that part of the yard was clean. The hotel’s clearly in very bad condition, and its best days are behind it.

The location is great, and there’s plenty of space, which makes it sad to see the first hotel in Sumbawa Besar deteriorating like this. It’s dilapidated and falling apart, probably because there’s no money for repairs or upgrades. It needs an investor or a buyer, or it’ll keep slowly dying.

They’re helpful with whatever you need, so just ask. The service was nice and breakfast was included, but they served the same thing all week, which would get boring on a longer stay. The bathroom wasn’t attractive, though it was okay, and parking is limited. Fine for staying a little while.

I was here around late 2003 and early 2004 while working on the NEXT Map Indonesia project. We had to stay in Sumbawa Besar, set up the tools at the old airport, and send the logged data to our base in denpasar. This was the team’s second city after denpasar as we covered the southern part of Indonesia. I remember a nice hotel, with trees all over the entrance and the front yard.