📍 Resort Information & Location
Resort: Semaya Beach Resort
Location: Nusa Penida Island, Bali, Indonesia
Address: Jl. Raya Batukandik, Nusa Penida, Klungkung Regency, Bali 80771
Near: Crystal Bay Beach (5 min)
🏝️ Popular Nusa Penida Attractions Nearby
• Crystal Bay - Snorkeling & Diving
• Kelingking Beach - T-Rex Cliff Viewpoint
• Angel's Billabong - Natural Infinity Pool
• Broken Beach - Pasih Uug Arch
• Diamond Beach - White Sand Paradise
• Atuh Beach - Secluded Bay
• Manta Point - Manta Ray Diving
• Peguyangan Waterfall - Sacred Blue Stairs
While Nusa Penida offers incredible natural beauty and world-class diving, this resort fails to meet basic hospitality standards.
👋 My Arrival
When I arrived at Semaya Beach Resort, the location near Crystal Bay looked promising. But problems started immediately.
No Drinking Water Provided
After settling in, I looked for complimentary water bottles - standard in most hotels. There were none. I called the front desk to request some.
They sent up two sealed bottles with a bill for 160,000 Indonesian Rupees (approximately $10 USD).
When I complained about the charge and lack of complimentary water, management admitted they "should have" provided water in the room. They then took away the sealed bottles I had ordered and replaced them with refillable water bottles.
In Indonesia, a 5-star resort should not be providing unsealed water in refillable containers. Are the containers clean? Is the water clean? Basic health and safety questions that shouldn't need to be asked.
[Photo: Refillable water bottles they provided]
Not the best start to a supposedly 5-star experience.
🍽️ Restaurant - The Raw Chicken Incident
CRITICAL FOOD SAFETY VIOLATION: Raw chicken served instead of ordered rare beef
Initial Incident
- Ordered rare beef, received what appeared to be raw poultry
- Only discovered after tasting - texture and flavor completely unlike beef
- Restaurant Manager Andika Putra came to table
- He insisted multiple times it was steak despite both diners arguing otherwise
Health Consequences (2 diners affected):
- Guest 1: Severe stomach cramps same evening
- Guest 2: Explosive diarrhea 48 hours later
[Photo: Original meal - raw meat served]
[Photo: Zoom in on meat texture showing it's not beef]
External Verification
- Professional chef friend confirmed: "That is NOT steak"
- Posted on steak-specialized social media - received dozens of messages confirming it wasn't beef
- Got BANNED from the steak forum for posting non-steak photo!
[Screenshot: Message to chef friend and their response]
[Screenshot: Social media replies confirming it's not steak]
[Screenshot: Ban notification from steak forum]
Management Response Timeline
Day 1 Morning: Requested to speak with upper management - NONE AVAILABLE. Only the same restaurant manager who lied was present. What kind of "5-star" resort has no senior management on site?
Day 1-2: Not knowing if it was raw chicken or pork, took anti-parasite medication as precaution
[Photo: Anti-parasite medication taken]
Day 3: Finally met Resort Operations Manager
Sindra Sindrawan
- He took one look at the photo and agreed it was NOT beef
- Promised to identify the meat and report back
Day 3 (hours later): Second meeting with Sindra
- After "talking with staff," claimed it was beef
- Showed a photo of beef packaging as "proof"
- I demanded: "Let's go to the kitchen NOW and cook it"
[Photo: Beef packaging they showed as "proof"]
The Kitchen Test
- Management cooked a new "steak" in the kitchen
- It looked and tasted exactly like beef
- They claimed it was the same meat served 2 days prior
[Photo: Newly cooked actual beef]
[Photo: Side-by-side comparison - new beef vs original meal]
AI Analysis Proves the Truth
- Used ChatGPT to analyze the freshly cooked meat - AI confirmed: "Definitely beef"
- Uploaded original meal photo - AI initially thought it was Ahi Tuna
- When told it was meat not fish, AI concluded: "Cannot be beef due to incorrect color and texture"
- AI stated: "Chicken or pork would NEVER be served raw by a reputable resort"
[Screenshot: ChatGPT confirming the new meat is beef]
[Screenshot: ChatGPT analyzing original meal - "not beef"]
Medical Consequences & Resort's Refusal
- Told management: "I will not be gaslighted. I've been eating steak for 40 years."
- The meat was either chicken or pork, each with different health risks when consumed raw
- Not knowing which, I had to visit a doctor for stool testing to check for parasites
- Resort refused to pay for the medical visit despite serving the raw meat
[Photo: Doctor's receipt for parasite testing]
🚿 Bathroom Conditions
Water Quality Issues
- Faucet dispensing yellow-tinted water
[Video: Yellow water flowing from faucet]
Shower Problems
- "Hot" water is warm at best
- Runs out completely after about 15 minutes
- Impossible to have long, relaxing vacation showers
Privacy & Sanitation Nightmares
- Open-air toilet system - zero sound privacy
- Particularly problematic when suffering from explosive diarrhea from raw chicken
- Neighbors can hear EVERY bathroom sound
- You can hear neighbors' conversations from your bathroom
[Photo: Open-air bathroom design]
Room Placement Failures
- Smoking and non-smoking rooms placed directly adjacent
- Due to open-air design, cigarette smoke permeates non-smoking rooms
[Photo: Neighbors smoking visible from non-smoking room]
🧹 Housekeeping Standards
- Staff wearing outdoor shoes while cleaning inside rooms
- Cross-contamination risk from outdoor to indoor surfaces
[Photo: Housekeeping staff cleaning with outdoor shoes on]
🚴 Bicycle Rental Safety Hazards
SAFETY ALERT: Equipment poses serious risk to guests
Equipment Condition
- Old, deteriorating bicycles
- Flat tires on multiple units
- Broken kickstands causing bikes to fall
[Photo: Flat tires on rental bikes]
Critical Safety Failures
- Brakes squeal loudly and don't work properly - DANGEROUS
- No lights provided for night riding - DANGEROUS
- No helmets available for guest protection - DANGEROUS
- Local roads have NO lighting at night
[Video: Bike struggling to stop, loud squealing brakes, poor maintenance]
💪 Fitness Facilities
Equipment Limitations
- Tiny single-machine that is unstable
- Extremely low weight capacity
- A few low-weight "dumbbells" made of plastic
- Completely unsuitable for any fitness routine
[Photo: The pathetic gym setup]
[Video: Gym equipment demonstration]
✋ Final Insult: The Broken Comb
Just before checking out, I used a wooden comb provided by the resort. It broke in half.
Having spent time in Thailand, I knew this was a terrible omen. In Thai culture, a broken comb during use is a serious bad omen - a warning of misfortune. The superstition says it must be thrown away immediately or the bad luck will manifest.
This perfectly encapsulated the entire stay - even the resort's combs were cursed.
[Photo: Broken wooden comb split in half]
Cultural Note: In Thai tradition, when a comb breaks while brushing hair, it's considered a bad omen that brings misfortune if kept. The immediate disposal of the broken comb is believed to prevent bad luck from manifesting. This belief is part of Thailand's extensive superstition framework that governs daily life.
The resort couldn't even provide functioning combs, let alone safe food or clean water.
Overall Rating
⭐ 1/5
ABSOLUTELY NOT RECOMMENDED
By the end, I couldn't wait to leave this 1-star joke of a resort.
The Real Problem: Management
The only saving grace is that the service staff were kind. This is a 1-star resort as a direct result of 1-star management.
Management Failures:
• Restaurant Manager Andika Putra - Lied directly to guests about raw chicken
• Operations Manager Sindra Sindrawan - Initially honest, then backtracked under pressure
• No senior management available on-site during crisis
• Attempted to gaslight guests about food safety incident
• Zero accountability for health violations
• Complete failure in basic hospitality standards
This resort represents everything wrong with hospitality management - prioritizing face-saving over guest safety, lying instead of taking responsibility, and operating with standards that wouldn't be acceptable at a roadside motel, let alone a resort claiming to offer a premium experience.