Mr & Mrs Smith

Nihiwatu

Sumba, Indonesia

Far-flung is an understatement: this eco-friendly boutique resort is located on one of Indonesia’s most unexplored islands, where ancient animist religion still holds sway and the landscape has been almost entirely preserved from urban development. Nihiwatu is a picture of paradise, where you can fish for marlin or yellowfin, surf the world-famous breaks, dive the reefs or even work on community projects for the local tribal village.

Need to know

• Rooms 10, including seven bungalows, two two-bedroom villas and one private villa compound consisting of a two-bed villa and a bungalow.
• Rates Double rooms from $565.00, excluding tax at 11 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional service charge of 10% per on checkout.
• More details Rates include a full body massage, all meals and non-alcoholic drinks.
• Facilities Jungle spa, gym, yoga, stables, Pilates pavilion, library. In rooms: minibar, WiFi ($30 a day).
• Poolside Carved into a hilltop terrace a short distance from the villas and bungalows, Nihiwatu’s swimming and plunge pools offer fantastic coastline views from the spacious, lounger-lined terrace.
• Check-out Flexible, depending on the day’s flight schedules.
• Children Under-12s stay free; 13- to 16-year-olds sharing a room cost US$120 a night. Babysitting can be arranged in advance for $30 a day. Plenty of Nihiwatu’s activities, such as horse riding, diving and snorkeling, can be tailored to children. More...
• Eco-friendly A staunch advocate of responsible tourism since its creation, Nihiwatu plants trees, makes and uses bio-diesel, and recycles extensively. Its owners have created the Sumba Foundation to preserve the area and alleviate the poverty of the people,
• Hotel closed 10 January to 28 February.
• Also Because transport to and from Nihiwatu depends on a weekly charter flight from Bali, there’s a minimum stay of seven nights. Smoking is not allowed in rooms.

Food and drink at Nihiwatu

• Hotel restaurant

  Nihiwatu’s main dining area is a sand-floored open-air pavilion where pan-Asian cuisine is served on two long communal tables, a few feet from the sea. The intricately carved wooden beams that support the roof have been salvaged from a Sumbanese village.

• Dress code

  Quite literally, anything goes.

• Top table

  For thee ultimate in starlit beachfront romance, ask to be served a private dinner in one of Nihiwatu’s many atmospheric nooks – or enjoy the full-on Blue Lagoon experience with a lingering picnic lunch in a secluded beach cove.

• Last orders

  10pm. The bar by the restaurant stays open for the last man standing.

• Hotel bar

  During the day, the Seventies-style Californian beach bar slakes the thirsts of bathers and wave-riders, but after dark it’s the cliff top bar by the restaurant that muddles up the aperitifs and post-prandial caprioskas.

Also worth knowing

• Weddings This property is suitable for weddings. More...

Nihiwatu Jl. Setiabudi Kuta Poleng Complex Block C/2, Kuta, 80361