Merlyn Guesthouse

Lovely location right on lake with beautiful unmanicured garden. Clean room with private bathroom. Towels provided. Friendly staff, very attentive. Great value

I had a great one week stay at Merlyn. Thanks to Edy and the crew for showing me a great time, I will definitely return!

We stayed here in April 2019.nnOur first impression was that the rooms are a little bit basic; no towels or toilet paper, and fairly plain.nnBy day two, however, we were completely won over. The setting is absolutely superb by the lake, and the host keeps a really beautiful garden in which to enjoy it. There are even hot showers! She is very helpful, and I do not exaggerate when I say that she makes the best banana pancakes I think I have ever had!nnThe location is also really great. A bit north of the main part of tuk tuk, it is a little bit quieter, and near some fantastic restaurants (special mention to Jenny’s restaurant about 15 minutes walk away).nnFiona, the woman running the shop across the road from Merlyn is also super helpful!nnConsidering the budget price, this could easily be a five star location.

I had a great experience at Merlyn’s. You get a lot for the price. Beautiful garden right on the water, a couple classic Batak rooms and fresh coconut and mango from the garden. They’ll also organize a BBQ in the back area with fresh fish from the local market. The owners and staff are friendly and helpful. The Batak houses are old, but I found that charming.

The owner, Ivan, catched us right from the ferry with low prices, free towels and free toilet paper. The towels were dirty and smelly, and so is the hospitality. We stayed here during low season (even the staff of other hotels on the island was on vacation) and no other room was taken at Merlyn. We rented two scooters „for a day“, but surprisingly had to return them BEFORE dinner time and were forced to walk through the rain to our dinner location. We also booked our next transport with him (of course provision was included) which left at 14:00. Although there were no other guests, we still had to check out at 12:00 and had to wait with all our luggage, in front of the room till our departure-time. The room was OK for the price (the sink in the bathroom was stinky and there was no moscito net), but if you are looking for a nice accommodation with friendly staff - BOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE.