Really great price for all it provides! The location is heavenly, the food is great and the staff and the owner are very friendly, helpful and thoughtful!

Stayed in March 2024

Nothing

Palambak island Resort is a little paradise ! The place is very nice, clean and confortable. The island is amazing. The food is really good, tasty, and in good quantity, the bungalow is Cosy (confortable chairs, hamac, Good bed, mosquito net and fan). The staff is really nice and helpful. They offer you free kayak and snorkling and are the only one doing it for free !

Stayed in March 2024

We just loved everything about this place! The beach, the palm trees and the clear waters of the deep blue sea are picture perfect everywhere around the island. Our beautiful wooden bungalow was nice and basic - but with all most important necessities - and well maintained, with an attractive veranda with two lovely wicker armchairs, a table and a hammock. It was wonderfully relaxing to spend time here reading or just staring at the sea… The MB Palambak Island Resort has only eight bungalows, all identically designed and in good shape. The four shared bathrooms/toilets are spotlessly clean and well looked after too. The resort is currently one of only two places to stay on the island. There are no settlements or villages, which enhances the Robinson Crusoe feeling. Communal meals are prepared in the central restaurant shack and served at the big tables outside on the veranda (or inside when it’s raining). Before arrival you’ll be asked if you have any food preferences - vegetarian/fish/chicken - and the cook matches your desires. Every day the menu was a surprise, but it was always delicious and with great variety. We didn't have the same dish once during the four days we stayed here. Kayaks and snorkeling gear are free available for guests. However, the underwater world around Pulau Palambak is not the most beautiful in the Banyak Islands; for that you‘re better off going to Tailana or Tambarat. Boat trips can be arranged at reasonable costs. The sand in front of the resort is cleaned daily by the staff (possibly together with volunteering guests). Staff is super friendly and helpful. Essential communication takes place by e-mail and WhatsApp via Mrs Claudine, the great organizational talent behind the scenes. She can also arrange your boat transport from/to the mainland. The MB Camp in Singkil has the same owner as the MB Palambak Island Resort. Direct speedboats can be arranged between both places if required.

Stayed in February 2024

Nothing, everything was perfect :)

The island is more like a paradise than a common island. The most time we were only guests on the island, so we had an island for us. On the island is everything that you need for a perfect stay. There are bungalows almost on the beach that were very clean, and the beads were very big and comfortable. You also have the common area where you eat tasty meals prepared by the staff. You can also buy some snacks or drinks (but there are no alcoholic drinks due to the law introduced by the province). The staff is very helpful, friendly and smiling. They do the best to make your stay unforgettable (they prepared even the birthday cake for our friend who had a birthday). But the person without that doesn't work is Claudine. She has organized for us the transfer from Bukit Lawamg and then after the stay at Pakambak to Lake Toba (the driver Riki was also very friendly and helpful). She knows everything and is always ready to help you or answer your questions. Really, Claudine made us stay at Palambak Island, easy and simple :) Big thank you, Claudine! I highly recommend this place and Claudine as a person who helps you to make an unforgettable holiday.

Stayed in October 2023

Nothing

If you are looking for this island which you see in pictures, and wonder, where is this paradise on earth? So we found it in Palambak, the island is nearly deserted, only the resort personnel and about 10 people were in the island, you had golden sand beaches, warm water, fish and corals to snorkel, wonderful place on earth. Personnel were helpful, nice at all times, and made the experience even better, I would strongly recommend anyone.

Stayed in August 2023

The staff here is absolutely amazing. The facilities and location is beyond perfect, we absolutely loved our stay!

Stayed in August 2023

Lack of power through the night meant no fan or light after around 10pm, torch is essential.

Location was stunning and staff were lovely

Stayed in August 2023

The transportation to the island was a bit surprising in comparison to its price. The "speed boat" was not what we had in mind. Also, the food served is a bit limited in both quantities and variety (and we normally don't eat that much).

The location on the island is quite unique. A perfect place to relax for a couple of days and go back to the basics. The bungalows are spacious enough, with a nice porch where to relax. The blue sea water (despite the plastic pollution) together with the white sand and palm trees give the perfect spot for relaxation. The personnel was sweet, and we would really recommend to play the game " 7 of diamonds " with them, it was very fun.

Stayed in August 2023

This is not the resorts fault but Indonesia really needs to sort out it's plastic waste problem. Most beaches, pristine white sand/turquoise waters, were littered with plastic bottles etc. Every ferry I've taken in the country I've had to watch people tossing rubbish over the side. But please don't let it stop you visiting. It's a stunning location.

The best of rustic and comfort. Perfect for a week of no shirt, no shoes, digital/alcohol detox. Extremely comfortable beds, great food and staff that went above and beyond to create a memorable experience.

Stayed in July 2023

Nothing, it was wonderful

We had a lovely time at the resort. The staff was wonderful. They made our stay very comfortable and we were pleasantly surprised by the facilities and comfort. The bungalow with nice porch had a very comfortable bed. The shared bathroom was very clean. Also the food was very good, the base was rice with vegetables and chicken, fish or tofu/tempeh but the cooks did their very best to vary it up by flavour, sauces and preparation. Also always a nice snack of fruits or something sweet. The island itself is a paradise and you can explore with kayak (scout for sea turtles at the other side of the island) or go island hopping and snorkeling. It takes some time to get here but in our opinion was totally worth it. Also Claudine is very helpful and can help you organise the logistics to and from the island (we stayed at their camp in Singkil as well, same excellent quality and comfort!). Again, we had the best time and would recommend everyone to visit here as you travel around Sumatra!

Stayed in June 2023

We had some misunderstandings with the staff, since they don’t speak english, however they make it work most of the time.

This place is just wonderful. Staff is nice and we more or less had the whole island to ourselves. The bed was nice and the fact that the room was covered in mosquito made it very safe and comfortable. It’s quite difficult to get there, but with the help of the owner, it is manageable. And it is very much worth the trouble.

Stayed in June 2023

Nothing

From the initial contact with Claudine, we had high hopes for this stay . The level of customer service Claudibe provides her guests is second to none . Shes is always on hand to answer questions . Once we arrived on the island ,we were greeted by the guys who work in the resort , they take care of everything and were always on hand to help , they kept the gardens and the beach clean and free of litter and debrit from the sea , as well as cook amazing seafood meals . The bungalows are spacious and have very comfy beds, and the shower blocks are also kept clean by the team . Overall, we couldn't recommend this resort any more .

Stayed in May 2023

The shared bathroom blocks weren't always clean. With no power at night, getting to the shared toilet block was a pain. Although it is not MB Palambak's fault, and there is nothing they can do about it, the plastic rubbish on the beaches of the island is very sad to see and it is a shocking reminder of the problems plastic causes in Indonesia. If you buy an Indonesian SIM for your phone, note that "3" network has no coverage here. Do some homework first to find which SIMs work here.

The peace and quiet and lovely staff are the standout features of this remote "castaway" feeling accommodation. The bungalows are comfortable, although power is switched off between about 2200 to 0700ish the next day and then again, for the bulk of daytime hours. The hammocks on the bungalow's balconies are great to laze in. There are complimentary kayaks and snorkelling gear. All meals are provided, although if something runs out it won't be available. The manager, Claudine, is an angel and if she offers to help you organise onward travel, I advise you to let her help you. She is an expert at helping travellers and can help you make affordable and easy travel plans.

Stayed in January 2023

Lots of mosquitoes - bring some strong repellent. The quality of the food was excellent but there wasn't much variety. Palambak island is located quite far from the majority of the Banyak islands so island hopping or kayaking to another island isn't really an option. They offer a snorkelling trip for 1.2 million IDR per boat but they mostly visit areas we had already seen on the transfer from Balai to Palambak.

Palambak Island is very beautiful with turquoise water and a white sand beach that goes around the entire island - which takes around 4 hours to circle. There are some areas (especially 20 mins walk south) that have very good snorkelling, however not everywhere on the island is great for snorkelling due to the reef being very shallow and some areas of poor visibility. I've heard that other islands have better snorkeling. The resort was the only open lodging on the island so I had the island mostly to myself and the 2 other guests (although another guesthouse 300m south may open soon and local fisherman sometimes come on shore). The guys running the resort are very friendly but do not speak hardly any English - so we used Google translate a lot. They also cook very tasty meals which mainly are either grilled fish or chicken with tofu, tempe, vegetables, rice and fruit. I would definitely recommend going to palamabak island resort for 3 / 4 days then maybe staying on another island to the north west like pulau tailana or sikandang for some island hopping.

Stayed in September 2022

Everything was perfect.

The bungalow are nice and they are just in front of the sea and near the jungle. It is a perfect spot to relax. You can borrow a kayak to explore the amazing Palambak island looking for sea turtles. You can also organize a day tour of island hopping to go snorkeling (which we highly recommend). The food is very nice and fresh. They went fishing almost every day and cooked fresh fish for us... delicious! Claudine and her staff are super kind and ready to help with any request. They helped us also during our journey back to Medan, booking boat and taxi. If you want to find a piece of heaven on heart, this is it.

Stayed in June 2022

Outrageous prices, especially for the food, you are forced to pay 50k per meal, but the food is highly disappointing, it was mostly cold when served, dinner and lunch were mostly rice and some veggies or meat, which is okay of course but the portions are super small and the breakfast eggs were oftentimes from the night before (I don’t want to set too high standards but for the price that you are forced to pay that’s just not acceptable) one time our fish even tasted rotten, they claim that the prices are so high because of the remoteness of the island, but compared to other islands in Indonesia (which are also really remote, for instance in Raja Ampat or Sulawesi) it is way too expensive. The location is beautiful but unfortunately our stay was somehow ruined by the fact that you have to pay extra for everything and it seemed like they only wanted to make profit. So sadly I would NOT recommend staying there.

Stayed in August 2023

Way too expensive for what it is, especially the food and transportation, Claudine communicated with us in a nice and helpful way but you can tell that it’s only about the money, trying to persuade us to take the expensive ferry over and over again even though we told them multiple times that we wanted to take the public one, offering three meals per day (which is really nice) but having to pay 140Rp per day even though the portions are super small and the quality is often bad…

Staff is nice and helpful, rooms are clean, also the bathroom

Stayed in August 2023

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Stayed in October 2023

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Stayed in August 2023

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Stayed in August 2023

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Stayed in August 2023

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Stayed in January 2023