MB Palambak Island Resort Pulau Banyak Aceh Singkil

We had such a great time here. The staff were brilliant and the Australian-Indonesian owner, Claudine, was so responsive and helpful and catered to our every need even sorting out our airfares from Singkil in advance for us! The chalets were great (we had one for us and one for our kids) and the place never seemed crowded. The sea outside is the clearest I have ever seen and the snorkeling trip we organised was amazing. Loved it here and could have easily spent an extra week! Ask Claudine for any additional needs - we ordered 4 lobsters for 35 euros per kilo!

Some days the breakfast was a little slow but it is an island after all! There is no hot water but that didn’t bother us!

Schöne Bungalows, nettes Personal und wie bei allen MB Resorts super Support von Claudine, jederzeit wieder!

Localisation parfaite, sensation d’être sur une île déserte 🏝️

El entorno es muy agradable y el bungalow está limpio, amplio y bien aislado, es una pena que debido a la gran cantidad de mosquitos y pequeños bichos que pican no se pueda aprovechar más el porche y los exteriores (a pesar de ponernos repelente de mosquitos nos hemos ido llenos de picaduras 😅). El personal es muy voluntarioso, pero muy difícil la comunicación porque nadie habla inglés y eso genera un mal servicio, creo que un manager que facilitará la comunicación entre clientes y staff sería muy eficiente. Aún así, con paciencia y Google translate nos hemos comunicado. La comida es rica, variada dentro de lo que se puede esperar en un lugar tan remoto. La playa frente al hotel está bastante limpia aunque no hay una zona bonita de corales para hacer snorkel (como si hemos visto en otras de las islas Banyak) pero la parte de atrás, a la que se llega por un camino detrás de los bungalows está absolutamente llena de kilos de basura. Se debería realizar algún tipo de recolecta de residuos. Recomiendo hacer el island hopping para hacer snorkel. La persona que gestiona el hotel vía móvil ha hecho todo lo posible para facilitar nuestra logística a la isla y estamos muy agradecidos.

Very well organized by Claudine. Beautiful peaceful location. Kind staff. Very enjoyable snorkeling trip. Good food.

Only suggestions would be a sink in the bathrooms and perhaps a volleyball net

Claudine's proactivity, fast response and action on raised issues was flawless. It is unparalleled in the 4 months we have been travelling. The crew was really nice, friendly and welcoming. The huts have comfortable stretchers and a hammock at the front and have a good size. The beach in front of the accommodation was clean, beautiful and very enjoyable. You can easily see fish in the corals nearby. Free kayak available only depending on availability. (They only have 4 paddles for 2 single person Kayaks and 2 double kayaks) They bring you by wooden boat to the other side of the island to see turtles for free. (You could also snorkel and Kayak there) The food was okay, it is nice that they serve vegetables and fruits with every meal. The portion sizes are good too. Internet is available both wi-fi and 4G BUT it is unstable and slow.

The hut has a giant mosquito net completely lining the walls. It is supposed to keep mosquitoes and other insects away but it is full of holes, small and big. We tried to cover the bigger ones but the mosquitos are so small they can also come inside through the small holes. So, the net does not work. We did burn the mosquito coil that keeps mosquitoes away at the times we were instructed to do so. But we couldn't sleep with it in the hut. The smoke is toxic and made my nostrils and eyes burn. So, yeah couldn't keep mosquitoes away that way. It is really hot in the island and the only way to have a somewhat more comfortable sleep, temperature and mosquito-wise, is with the fan provided. HOWEVER, the fan runs on a battery which is charged by solar panels during the day and can run out in the middle of the night. That leaves you struggling with heat and mosquitoes. Due to this, of the four nights I spent there I could only sleep two. So I was actually looking forward to leaving. The pillows are super tall, hard and they were moldy (the crew did exchange them right away when we complained though). Anyways, it gave me a stiff neck that took 7 days to heal. Even after the pillow exchange it was still too tall and I could only sleep with a makeshift pillow I made from a jacket and a hoodie. Cleanliness of the toilets: Cleaned once a day at best. It was clean-ish when we arrived and that's as clean as it got. The shower heads don't work, so you have to shower from the big bucket of still standing water. The mosquitoes like to use it too. Cleanliness of the huts: I guess they swivel the floor once around the bed in between guests. Under the bed there is a thick layer of dust and dead insects and around the bed the floor is slightly sticky. Probably because of the maritime breeze. Garden view hut: Is actually in the swamp already so it is a swamp and laundry view.