The River Island Sidemen

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

My stay at The River Island Sidemen has been absolutely incredible. The location is exceptional, set on a beautiful private island surrounded by lush nature. The garden is incredibly charming, and the rooms are spacious, comfortable, and beautifully maintained. Most importantly, the owner, Jero, is an exceptional host and a genuinely lovely person. She truly went above and beyond to make sure our stay was as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience and I can’t wait to come back soon!

The owner was so helpful and was always available for anything, even with external problems. The bathtub was insane, like a dream, in the middle of nowhere with all the sky for you.

The sheets smelled a bit musty but apart from that, everything was fine.

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.