The River Island Sidemen

The place is stunning, so tranquil and peaceful near the river. The bungalows are spread out so you have your privacy and ours was really comfortable. The owner, Jero, is such a lovely woman that made sure we had everything we needed. I really enjoyed my conversation with her.

No much to say. I loved the place. Maybe be aware that the place is like 20 min from the centre of Sidemen, something I didn’t realise when booking our accommodation. You cannot cross the river and be in the other side of town in 5 min. So if you don’t have a scooter or your own transport, the location is not ideal (Gojek and Grab do not work in Sidemen).

Location, amenities, the host and the service

The location is very beautiful, the Joglo I had was equipped with everything I needed

The location is beautiful, the breakfast was good, the staff is very polite.

The distance from the village (Sidemen) is a big problem, if you cannot ride a scooter. We had to rely on the staff for our daily transportation to the village, but the hotel owner did not check (as she had promised) her WhatsApp messages on time in order to arrange pickup from the village. Therefore, the first night we had to walk a long distance in complete darkness; it was dangerous. Although the breakfast is good, the quality of the other meals is very, very poor. The rooms are beautiful, but full of insects and geckos (we found gecko poop in the room every day). The owner is very unreliable: She forgot to arrange our transport to the airport (at the time of our stay, "free airport shuttle" was listed under "Facilities"), and we ended up missing our two-leg flight. She also spoke badly to us about other guests all the time, which made us feel quite uncomfortable. In a nutshell, this is an acceptable (under no circumstances "good") option for real nature lovers, who do not mind insects etc., ONLY if they can ride a scooter. Yet, the cost is too high for the quality offered. I regretted my stay at the River Island and would avoid it by all means. Similar (better, even) landscape can be found everywhere in/around Sidemen.