Villas Samalama Gili Trawangan

I recently booked the villa for a family vacation, and it turned out to be a bad experience. Here’s why you should ne aware: 1. Unsafe Location: The villa is in the middle of nowhere on the island, which made us feel extremely insecure. There were no proper locks, adding to the sense of danger (see photo). 2. Environment: Traditional but very old property with noticeable insects, so if you have some concern with this be informed. 3. Hygiene Facilities: The toilet facilities were substandard – we were instructed to dispose of toilet paper in a bin, which was unhygienic and unacceptable. 4. Unresponsive Owner: Despite contacting the property manager within 10 minutes of our arrival to explain our discomfort and security concerns, we were met with a lack of empathy. Facility manager tried to be comprehensive but Owner refused any partial refund, even for the other nights, even though we had to book another accommodation immediately due to the situation. Note: please read reviews and you will see similar cases This place is not suitable for families who value safety and comfort. Think twice before booking this property. Our experience was awful, and we felt abandoned by both the property management and the owner.

Disclaimer: We stayed at this resort on Gili Air, but believe our review applies to this property on Gili Trawangan as well, since it is the same resort and the same host. We booked our stay at this resort for our honeymoon and expected pure bliss and heaven, but our vacation took a turn for the worse once we arrived. There was constant construction work (mainly chopping trees with a chainsaw) right next to our villa. The noise, smell and dust were unbearable, making our visit completely miserable. Not to mention we could have been hit by a tree and were exposed to toxic smoke from wood and waste burning. The management was very inflexible and became unresponsive as soon as we requested a refund for the nights after our cancelation. They offered a one year voucher, which was unacceptable considering we left early due to health concerns and reasons on their side, not ours. It felt like the bottom line was only money, which they were unwilling to return regardless of the legitimacy of the reason for cancelation. The surrounding area is rural, dusty and abismal. The beach is not a mere 5 meter distance away as the property states in one of the comments. Finally, the accomodation is nice and satiscastory but does not live up to the hype and is not nearly close to the 9.2 estimation it has on Booking. The price performance is less than satiscactory. We clearly felt the price was inflated due to inaccurate previous reviews made on Booking. We wonder if those were even real. The breakfast (not included in the price) was very basic and simple (eggs and toast and plain pancake) and we were still hungry afterwards. Extra food was an additional charge. It seemed they were charging extra on basically everything, not even providing the ride to the property, even though the port is a good 25 minutes away on foot and the road is terrible. We must point out the staff was exceptionally nice and hospitable and are therefore excluded from the negative side of our review. They were the highlight of our stay at this resort. We do not recommend a stay at this resort. It is not worth the money. Save yourself the disappointment and book somewhere else.

Highly recommended, best deal on the island & we’ve tried a few over the years ! Charming & comfy houses with à traditional touch in fabulous quiet & well preserved environment close to everything. We felt confortable & at home right away. The staff is friendly, efficient and discreet, they are helpful, amazing. Hoping to be back soon, thanks to all. VM

Wow. Such a beautiful villa! Gili Islands are BACK!!! Thanks to Shelly and the wonderful staff. You took such excellent are of us. Nothing was ever a problem. Great local recommendations, excellent breakfast and room kept A+++ Cannot recommend more highly. Villa Salamala is the best!