Pajo Holidays

The property itself is beautiful, and my room was great—spacious, comfortable, and well-appointed. I was lucky to catch a stunning sunset on the beach, and the food at the restaurant was very good. The kitchen even accommodated an important dietary need on the fly, which I truly appreciated. The service in the restaurant was excellent. However, the overall experience was let down by a few service issues. I had messaged the hotel about a week before check-in to request a late checkout (which they offer), but never received a response. When I asked at check-in, I was told it wasn’t possible due to full occupancy and that it came with an extra fee—exactly why I tried to arrange it in advance. Additionally, despite having VIP status, I didn’t receive any upgrade. I had to ask them to adjust my restaurant bill afterward to reflect the VIP discount, which should have been applied automatically. Overall, it’s a lovely place to stay, but the communication and handling of VIP benefits could be improved.

The room was good without being groundbreaking. The staff were good. Restaurant staff were excellent.

This resort has a beautiful and dramatic setting, built into a cliff overlooking the sea with individual plunge pools by each villa. You sleep to the sound of the waves beating on the rocks and enjoy beautiful sunsets. However, it is experiencing many problems with staff and service. We did not receive a gracious welcome, were not given an orientation to the staff or amenities, and were charged an enormous amount (over a million IDR or $70 apiece) for a "barbecue" when we arrived. We had a bumpy 3 hour drive from the west and did not want to eat much on unsettled stomachs, but were told that this was a "fixed price" meal even if we did not want to consume it. We were ready to try to take our meals elsewhere until we realized that on the other days we could order a la carte. Major problem in communication and not a great way to welcome clients. The resort is also not eco-conscious: We were allotted 2 small plastic water bottles, had to beg for more drinking water to take our meds and make coffee in the room. Only Nescafe, no milk available. They should follow the lead of other Sumba resorts (Nihi, Cap Karoso) and provide refillable glass bottles. This is both wasteful and stingy on the part of the staff. The general manager left while we were there and is apparently not going to be replaced. We did not get an orientation about activities or the spa (which we never visited, although there was a sign about it). We asked our driver about horse back riding and so did that