Lelewatu Resort Sumba

Great place to stay when you want to chill, relax, and far from noisiness. Currently, they have 13 rooms, and the remainings are still renovated. All staff are friendly and they are always ready to pick you up with a buggy car from villa to community area. The bed is super comfy, made me sleep so well. Also they provide good breakfast. Unfortunately, they can not provide seafood menu that time. Last, it has nice view here, particularly sunset time.

Some places you just fall in love with, and Lelewatu was just such a place! We stayed in villa 6 for over a week and a half. It is an absolutely great villa with the pool in front, so one wakes up overlooking the pool and then the sea! Fantastic! The room is very beautiful and well laid out. It has a very large bed and fantastically huge pillows! It's also not too far from the reception if you prefer walking (rather than buggy), as we do. The views of the sea and the Milky Way are truly amazing and the excellent, friendly staff members are always willing to help. The food really is very good, especially considering dining options near to, or even far from, the hotel are very limited indeed (in other words the hotel is not taking advantage of us as a "captive audience" as some less reputable places do).....and the portions are exceptionally generous. Wifi fast and reliable. Some people have mentioned the hotel being run down in places. Well, there were a couple of very large earthquakes South of Sumba just before Covid...and then the Covid fiasco... so as far as I am concerned, it's totally understandable. What's more important is that all of the other areas are beautifully maintained....and to cap it all more investment is coming. So, honestly, not an issue for us! Also, don't forget the price! Just down the road, there is the Nihi resort. For the price of one night at Nihi (and not even for staying in anywhere near their best villa there!) one could spend more than we did for our whole stay at Lelewatu and that must not be taken for granted at all! The absolutely lovely staff, fantastic location, and the willingness of people to help really stand out. A special thanks go to - and in no particular order - Mbak Mbak Gina, Alin, Dina, Dora, Ayu and Tasha - and apologies as I know I have forgotten to mention at least two lovely people - and of course a big "thank you" to the delightfullly helpful Pak Wanto and Ibu Risna! We absolutely loved staying here and for us, Lelewatu was unbeatable!

Spectacular - if you manage your expectations. We enjoyed our stay, but do not expect "white glove" 5-star service. Expect a 4-star jungle lodge with lovely villas and incredible views. It is not constructed or managed to "high-end" standards. Food is average. Staff are all very friendly, and eager to assist, but they are not trained for 5-star service. Yes, go there. Your memories and photos will be spectacular. But you will likely feel that you paid an inflated price for what you get. Just manage your expectations.