Wow what an amazing three night stay at Villa Samalama - we were cared for by the greatest staff on the island and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Breakfast was absolutely delicious and there are plenty of restaurants within a 3 minute walk for lunch, sunset and dinner.

I stayed in Villa Samalama for 3 nights and it was a gorgeous place to stay. Staff come to your villa in the morning and cook your breakfast in your outdoor kitchen, and the breakfasts were delicious! The beach is a 3 minute walk from the villa, and they also provide bikes free of charge which were so fun to explore this tiny, beautiful island. The only down sides of the villas was that the shower was cold all 3 nights, and facilities are very basic. However, you get loads of space to yourself and the stay was peaceful and relaxing throughout, waking up to the sound of the call to prayer and the bells on the horse and traps. Paradise!

All of the staff at Villa Samalama were absolutely lovely and so very helpful. The accommodation was thoughtful and beautiful, the garden and pool area was especially well done. Beautiful flowers everywhere - I can’t recommend them highly enough!

The Villas Samalama are close to the north end of Gili Air ie the opposite end from the town and where the ferry comes in (RPI 150k horse and cart ride). This end of the island is quieter. The Villas are about 10 mins from the beach and have a few excellent indonesian restaurants nearby with other more international restaurants and bars on the beach. The villas each have a private compound and pool which really added to our privacy and space. First impressions of the Villa were that it was in need of some love and care. While being clean inside, the outside decking was wharped and faded, as was the woodwork and doors at the front. Also note the bathroom is effectively open to the outside. Breakfast is cooked to order in the villas outside kitchen (there are no ‘central’ cooking facilities). Choice was limited to fruit and how you wanted your eggs cooked, and none of them were done very well. Having said that the staff were very helpful, especially Jack, who spoke pretty good english. Overall I would say the villas were expensive compared with similar properties on Bali, but i don’t know how they compare with other properties on Gili Air. With a bit of superficial exterior maintenance and training the staff how to cook breakfast properly (and offer local options) the villas could be really good. The private pool and compound really were hugely appreciated.

The Villas Samalama are close to the north end of Gili Air ie the opposite end from the town and where the ferry comes in (RPI 150k horse and cart ride). This end of the island is quieter. The Villas are about 10 mins from the beach and have a few excellent indonesian restaurants nearby with other more international restaurants and bars on the beach. The villas each have a private compound and pool which really added to our privacy and space. First impressions of the Villa were that it was in need of some love and care. While being clean inside, the outside decking was wharped and faded, as was the woodwork and doors at the front. Also note the bathroom is effectively open to the outside.Breakfast is cooked to order in the villas outside kitchen (there are no ‘central’ cooking facilities). Choice was limited to fruit and how you wanted your eggs cooked, and none of them were done very well. Having said that the staff were very helpful, especially Jack, who spoke pretty good english. Overall I would say the villas were expensive compared with similar properties on Bali, but i don’t know how they compare with other properties on Gili Air.With a bit of superficial exterior maintenance and training the staff how to cook breakfast properly (and offer local options) the villas could be really good. The private pool and compound really were hugely appreciated.

Beautiful private villas with a nice pool. Staff were amazing and friendly, serving breakfast every morning with a smile. Really enjoyed our stay, wish we could have stayed longer!

Nice location close to the beach. Good service and tasty breakfast!

Well positioned private spacious accommodation. Quiet and serene but only footsteps to the beach for those amazing sunsets. You have friendly staff and locals always there with a friendly smile and at the ready with any questions you may have. The pool is amazing and the whole Villa is second to none on the island. I love this place.

Couple on honeymoon Gili Air was one of favourite parts of trip. Staff friendly and welcoming they couldn’t do more for you during your stay. Fantastic breakfasts cooked in your kitchen area. Definitely have banana waffles ! Comfortable beds and air con perfect. Shower great. It was honeymoon and staff kindly decorated bed on arrival. Villa area was really peaceful and nice in the morning and evening to chill. Perfectly located couple of minutes from beach with great sunset view. Pool nice temperature. They give you free bicclyles to get round island during stay with night lamps which are very needed. Not too much opportunity to use location for sun bathing but beach is right on door step and for a drink at a bar you can have it most of day. Gili Air one of best parts of trip and villa samalama contributed to that.

Couple on honeymoon Gili Air was one of favourite parts of trip. Staff friendly and welcoming they couldn’t do more for you during your stay. Fantastic breakfasts cooked in your kitchen area. Definitely have banana waffles !Comfortable beds and air con perfect. Shower great. It was honeymoon and staff kindly decorated bed on arrival. Villa area was really peaceful and nice in the morning and evening to chill. Perfectly located couple of minutes from beach with great sunset view. Pool nice temperature. They give you free bicclyles to get round island during stay with night lamps which are very needed. Not too much opportunity to use location for sun bathing but beach is right on door step and for a drink at a bar you can have it most of day. Gili Air one of best parts of trip and villa samalama contributed to that.

Villa Sama Lama was a beautiful retreat on the Gilis. It will be your own private oasis. Now if you’re unfamiliar with the Gili Islands, there are a couple things to note. The Islands are very rural and you will have to navigate a lot of small dirt roads to get to the things you want to see (they provide an excellent map that makes it easy). Also the power on all the islands can go out quite frequently (seems to come back on same day), but this is a normal occurrence and the Island folk are adapt at not letting it ruin your stay with many businesses running generators. So knowing those things, you will not find a better Villa. The staff are very friendly and helpful. For example, my flip-flops broke and the staff not only told me where to go to get a new and how much to pay (took stress out of bargaining), but also offered to walk down with me to get them. The breakfast was also very good. When you’re hungry simple open the front entry to your Villa and they will come in to make your own private breakfast (we were so full from breakfast we never needed to get lunch). Quick things to note about location, you’re on the North end of the Island so you’re away from all the boat traffic of the harbor, the North end is also where the sunsets and there are amazing beach side restaurants for just that. All swimming is on the East side of the island as it’s less coral and deeper. I’d stay again at Villa Sama Lama.

They were awesome, they definitely went out of there way to help us

They were awesome, they definitely went out of there way to help us

Oasis, amazing place for honeymoon.

We had an amazing stay at Villa Samalama. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the villa was very lovely. The location is ideal for exploring Gili Air, the beach only being 2 minutes away on bike with peaceful atmosphere and restaurants. All in all, you get a lot of value for money here. Only thing was that the bicycles we rented at the hotel was in a quite bad condition - could use a service check.