We are working in Indonesia, can speak passable Indonesian, and travel a lot in the country, so we were shocked to be taken for a ride by Samosir Cottages. After (too late unfortunately,) reading other reports on the hotel it seems they have a habit of not providing what you pay for.
We booked the Deluxe room through their website and had confirmation via phone. Upon arrival, the room they checked us into was spartan, had a broken shower, missing furniture and a view of the neighboring broken-down boat shed, and not the sweeping views of the lake as stated on their web site. It looked like a poor version of their cheaper 'Comfort Room'. After a very long trip to get there we were tired so we didn't complain but asked if there was a room with a better view - of course the standard "we're full, but maybe tomorrow" was the response.
That evening, despite the room being advertised as a luxurious place to 'sleep', we were kept awake until 5a.m. by a very noisy party in the upstairs room. A party is fair enough - but not until 5 a.m. in a place that's promoted as a natural retreat. We called the front desk to complain about the noise at 1:30 a.m. but nothing was done despite assurances things would be fixed. We called again at 3a.m. & 4a.m. and they wouldn't even answer our calls! Needless to say after a long trip when all we wanted was a good night's sleep so we could get up the next day refreshed and able to enjoy the lake, being kept awake in a cheap room we were paying more than necessary for, and being ignored by the staff, was not helping us have a relaxing holiday.
The included breakfast the next morning turned out to be nasi goreng only. After being told there's nothing anyone can do to help us with the room we finally got to speak to the manager who told us there was nothing he can do about rowdy guests. What about the rest of the guests who want to use their room for it's main purpose at 3 a.m. namely sleeping, and not staring at the ceiling listening to incessant noise all night?
In the end we did get a refund for the night we didn't stay there but still had to pay the higher price for the crap room after the manager decided to debate what 'Deluxe Room' really means (his view clearly differs to the hotel's web site). At this stage we'd traveled a long way, had no sleep, been ripped-off and argued all day with various staff members - this was not good for what was supposed to be a restful weekend away.
We moved to another hotel that was much cheaper, with better rooms, better lake views, a decent restaurant and a helpful and friendly staff. We could enjoy the rest of our stay but want people to know about the scam at Samosir Cottages and recommend that they stay at one of the much better value places along the beautiful lake. Forget about the money side, as it's not that much, but with all the lying and noise Samosir Cottages just isn't worth the hassle and, most importantly, the wasted time when you should be enjoying the lake.
We booked the Deluxe room through their website and had confirmation via phone. Upon arrival, the room they checked us into was spartan, had a broken shower, missing furniture and a view of the neighboring broken-down boat shed, and not the sweeping views of the lake as stated on their web site. It looked like a poor version of their cheaper 'Comfort Room'. After a very long trip to get there we were tired so we didn't complain but asked if there was a room with a better view - of course the standard "we're full, but maybe tomorrow" was the response.
That evening, despite the room being advertised as a luxurious place to 'sleep', we were kept awake until 5a.m. by a very noisy party in the upstairs room. A party is fair enough - but not until 5 a.m. in a place that's promoted as a natural retreat. We called the front desk to complain about the noise at 1:30 a.m. but nothing was done despite assurances things would be fixed. We called again at 3a.m. & 4a.m. and they wouldn't even answer our calls! Needless to say after a long trip when all we wanted was a good night's sleep so we could get up the next day refreshed and able to enjoy the lake, being kept awake in a cheap room we were paying more than necessary for, and being ignored by the staff, was not helping us have a relaxing holiday.
The included breakfast the next morning turned out to be nasi goreng only. After being told there's nothing anyone can do to help us with the room we finally got to speak to the manager who told us there was nothing he can do about rowdy guests. What about the rest of the guests who want to use their room for it's main purpose at 3 a.m. namely sleeping, and not staring at the ceiling listening to incessant noise all night?
In the end we did get a refund for the night we didn't stay there but still had to pay the higher price for the crap room after the manager decided to debate what 'Deluxe Room' really means (his view clearly differs to the hotel's web site). At this stage we'd traveled a long way, had no sleep, been ripped-off and argued all day with various staff members - this was not good for what was supposed to be a restful weekend away.
We moved to another hotel that was much cheaper, with better rooms, better lake views, a decent restaurant and a helpful and friendly staff. We could enjoy the rest of our stay but want people to know about the scam at Samosir Cottages and recommend that they stay at one of the much better value places along the beautiful lake. Forget about the money side, as it's not that much, but with all the lying and noise Samosir Cottages just isn't worth the hassle and, most importantly, the wasted time when you should be enjoying the lake.
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