Nothing

Great breakfast. The staff were so friendly and the setting just gorgeous.

Stayed in April 2024

Can't think of anything. All good!

Sumatra, what a wonderful place and Sam's Bungalows is a piece of paradise within Sumatra! I stayed 3 nights at Sam's Bungalows and thoroughly enjoyed my stay. I communicated with Sam prior to arriving and Sam always got back to me promptly. Sam arranged a car to pick me up at my hotel in Medan. My driver (sorry, I forgot his name) showed up on time and he was a very safe, good driver. My room was great! It had a balcony with a view of the river and the jungle. I saw monitor lizards and monkeys from my room plus branches moving around across the river which were orangutans in motion. The room was comfortable and had a cool bathroom downstairs. There is no air con (you are in the jungle, not the city) but there was a fan that was adequate. I ate breakfast every day and had dinner at their restaurant one night. The restaurant overlooks the river. It was all good! The highlight of my trip was a 6 hour trek through the jungle (wear good shoes) with Rama (sp), an excellent guide. Rama was very patient and was always looking out for my safety plus he spoke English well. He also packed a yummy lunch for me which included 4 different types of fruits! During the trek, we saw 6 orangutans (3 sets/mother and baby), a hornbill, a large bird that resembled a peacock, and plenty of monkeys. Take a swim in the clear river after the hike and then raft back to your bungalow while checking out the jungle from the perspective of the river. All good! Sam has a great family and crew that are very friendly and helpful. Sam also arranged my transport from his bungalow to Lake Toba. Bukit Lawang is a very relaxing place! Give Sam's Bungalows a visit if you choose Bukit Lawang and you will have a great time, a real experience! Thank you Sam, family, and crew!

Stayed in March 2024

The fan in the room wasn't great and some new bed linen would be great addition.

The food at the restaurant is excellent. Everything freshly prepared. The beef rendang is absolutely delicious!!

Stayed in March 2024

WiFi in the rooms is not good but I think this happens throughout the village… the restaurant is 10M away and has excellent wifi!

Sam is an attentive and friendly owner and his staff are excellent! Pipie his main guy was always there to chat and help plus he played Rummikub with us at night! The restaurant was very good with a great selection of food with amazing value! They booked out car from Medan and gave a motorbike ride to the hotel which added to our experience! We also booked a jungle trek with Andre and Rama as our guides… they were patient and fun to hang with and the provided a wonderful lunch plus we saw six Orangutans with a mom and baby within 5ft! A definite recommend to our friends !

Stayed in March 2024

Staying at this guesthouse is the ultimate ‘Bukit Lawang’ immersion , because the almost unbelievable experience of Sam, involving the place in general and his knowledge of orang Utans in specialty

Very well informed about everything! This is the real spot, to be, Sam is a pure local man with a very interesting story to tell about him and Bukit Lawang.

Stayed in February 2024

The room we stayed in was a bit of a climb up the steps but ok for fit family Needs a fridge No tea coffee facility in room for late nite or early morning drink British thing. Very basic fan but was ok It’s the jungle is what it is loved it

Very rustic but that is its charm Very clean Very friendly helpful staff If they can do it for you they will. Nothing any trouble even taking luggage up steep stairs and also dropping us n luggage for taxi. This is in the jungle so you have to accept the rustic/ basic amenities Loved it Will go bk

Stayed in February 2024

Nothing, everything is perfect :)

The room is perfect! The view from the room is amazing and we could even hear some monkey voices ^^ We have everything we needed, hot water runs very well which is perfect after trekking in the jungle ;)

Stayed in December 2023

The room smelled a bit musty. I think our room needed an upgrade. everything is a bit old. Curtains and decorative cushions were dusty. Room is quite dark, But for this price I was very happy with this accomodation and I would book again.

Staff was really great. Big thanks for Rama and Andre with who we did the Jungle Trek and sang songs in the evening. Food was good, big bathroom with good hot shower. Transport (from Medan, and to Berastagi) was arrange by Sam for us. Nice views from the restaurant over the river and the Jungle

Stayed in January 2024

Nothing to complain about - everything was fine :)

For the price we paid the room was great - overlooking the river, with a big terrace, comfortable bed and huge downstairs bathroom with hot water (not common in Bukit Lawang) - we loved it after the jungle trekking! Cosmetics were provided for our convenience. The restaurant served good food (better than some nearby places) and Bintang for a reasonable price.

Stayed in November 2023

I absolutely loved my stay here. Contact with Sam’s bungalow before I arrived was great, to arrange an airport pick. I received a very warm welcome when I arrived and all the staff were really friendly, helpful and caring. They also organised what was an in incredible jungle trek with such a knowledgeable guide. Great location in the village, just wish I could have stayed for longer.

Stayed in January 2024

Bathroom floor is stones. Loose stones. Not all that hygienic I guess. The bed was not too comfy and I missed a molton between the mattress and the sheet. Also not so hygienic. Towels were worn.

Hot water shower!! Good food in the restaurant. Loved the hammock on my balcony

Stayed in December 2023

The WiFi was a little patchy - but what can you expect in the jungle.

Loved my 8 night stay at Sam's Bungalows! Excellent customer service, every member of staff was friendly, helpful and just good to spend time with and chat to. The room was clean and comfortable, great food in the restaurant with a mix of Indonesian, Western and Malaysian dishes- something to suit everyone. Location was incredible. Wish I could have stayed longer.

Stayed in December 2023

We loved everything about Sam’s Bungalows and Restaurant. Big room with four-poster bed, a balcony and an amazing hot shower. The view of the jungle is amazing. We actually saw an Orangutan from the Bungalows. The staff are second to none; so helpful and good fun. The food in the restaurant is made fresh and is really good. They can adapt to needs because it is prepared from scratch. They even bake their own bread daily. The jungle tour was awesome. Great guides who entertained us the entire day. We saw orangutans, Thomas leaf monkeys and so much more. We can not fault this place. Everything we needed and wanted. We stayed for 5 nights and could happily have stayed for much much longer.

Stayed in November 2023

That I couldn’t stay longer :(

Amazing staff - Big bungalow with private bathroom & great views - Accommodating and friendly - Airport transfer offered to me before arrival - Jungle trek (and tour guide) was out of this world !!

Stayed in October 2023

This is one of the most amazing places we have visited in the world! Guess it will also be hard to find such wonderful people again.. Well, the location is perfect as Sam’s Bungalows are at the end of Bukit Lawang, right next to the jungle river in the beautiful natur. The rooms are big and clean, the view from the balcony was amazing. The restaurant is perfectly located with wonderful views right next to the river and jungle. The food is very tasty, we never went to any other place than eating at Sam’s! We booked everything with Sam, perfect communication upfront! 1. transport: all went perfect! 2. jungle track: better than you can imagine in your dreams!! We booked a private tour with Rama & Andrei - possibly the best guides ever!!! We saw 8 Orang Utans, we even came pretty close to some of them. Rama & Andrei know a lot about the jungle, respect the nature and the animals and are so much fun as well. Had lovely picnics at quite places in the jungle, learned a lot about the animals & plants and had so much fun!! On the way back we had a fantastic ride with the tubes..We always felt safe and extremely comfortable with our wonderful guides!! Thanks so much Rama & Andrei for creating such wonderful life-time-memories for me & my daughter😍 3. bicycle tour: was also excellent! great mountain bikes and also a lovely guide ( sorry forgot the name ) 4. Sam & his wife: wonderful people that made our stay a most unforgetable one!! Thank you ALL so much for all these precious moments we spent together with you in Bukit Lawang! We will be sending all our friends to you & hope to see you again in the future!!!

Stayed in August 2023

Big rooms, clean, comfy, really nicely decorated. Fun and friendly staff. Lovely food in the restaurant. Perfect base for jungle adventures!

Stayed in September 2023

The restaurant next door was quite noisy, with a couple of guys always smoking and listening to loud music. It was a shame because the area is quiet and peaceful.

The room was spacious and comfortable, it felt private thanks to the balcony. Also, Sam’s has the best food in town, homemade bread, yummy indonesian food (try their curry!) and best fruit.

Stayed in September 2023

Great comfortable place, affordable, nice food and very friendly people.

Stayed in July 2023

Very nice place, room, balcony, bathroom and location. Everything was great! Really enjoyed our stay.

Stayed in August 2023

Nothing!

Truly a magical place! Located almost directly in the jungle this accommodation is a wonderful place to find peace and connect with locals, such as Sam and his team. The bungalows are clean and provided us with everything we needed. The best part of our stay there was the staff: they are incredibly nice and welcoming in every way. They took us through a trekking tour in the jungle where we spent a night camping. Not only did they guide us through the jungle (we saw orang Utans and many other animals !!) but also they prepared wonderful meals, made a bonfire and sat down with us to chat and play games at night - always with a smile on their face. It was such a great experience which we will never forget! Thank you Sam, Andre, Ram, Riki and rest of the team!!

Stayed in July 2023

Nothing

Spacious clean room, overlooking the river at the end of the village in a peaceful location. The staff were amazing, organised all our tours and transport and even surprised me with a birthday cake 🎂. I would definitely recommend to stay here!

Stayed in June 2023

hot shower big room great food great staff

Stayed in May 2023

That I didn't stay longer! There is nothing not to like about staying at Sam's Bungalow in Bukit Lawang.

I loved everything! The staff was friendly, attentive, helpful, and fun! They sent someone to pick me up at the bus station, prepared delicious meals and fresh every day, the views are stunning, and the room is beautiful and clean. I especially enjoyed my Jungle Trek with my guide, Rama. He was so much fun and knowledgeable. We had a great day and saw 10 orangutans plus many other jungle animals. It was one of my favorite adventures in North Sumatra!

Stayed in April 2023

the monkey do wake you up very earlier, but we woke up earlier anyways

location, and view of the jungle

Stayed in April 2023