Budget Travel Indonesia | Pulau Weh (Sabang) | Freddie's Chalet in Sumur Tiga Beach
I learned about Freddie's from a couple of travel blogs when I was researching about touring Aceh. What attracted me the most about this place was the food :P But when we arrived, it has so much more to offer.
We headed to Freddie's straight from Balohan jetty southeast of the island after about an hour ferry ride from Ulee Lheue Port in Banda Aceh. There were trishaws at the jetty for hire but since I came with my mom and sister (plus our luggage) we passed that one and went for a taxi van instead - shared with other passengers. The fare was Rp 50,000.
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| The taxi van was full so my mom and I sat next to the driver :D |
We also made arrangements for our transportation around the island with the same taxi driver who picked us up again the next morning to take us around for sightseeing including to the snorkeling spot.
But the trishaw could be fun though, if your destination is nearby and you came with friends. Just remember that Weh is a huge and hilly island =D
Freddie's is located at Sumur Tiga beach, about 20 minutes away north east of the island. We were the last passengers to get off so we got to see the villages a little bit as the driver dropped the other passengers, who were very friendly locals by the way :)
Although the houses were small and cute they mostly have this giant satellite dish standing in the front yard lol, that's the first time I've ever seen that big of a dish.
Freddie's is situated in a village where the houses are pretty close to each other. A 50-meter walk (maybe less) towards the beach from the road where our taxi stopped lead us to the chalet.
Breathtaking. That was the first word that came to mind.
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| We stayed in the second bungalow from left |
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| Sumur Tiga beach |
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| The open kitchen-dining area cum reception building is to the left side of this photo |
All the rooms, the reception cum dining area, *open-musolla and other buildings at Freddie's are built on a cliff right down to the beach, overlooking the Malacca Strait. They are on stilts with the roof made of rumbia tree fronds, the walls are woven rattan and others are mostly made of wood. I love the feel of this chalet, very tropical island paradise which is what Weh really is.
The room - very cozy, relaxing, basic shower with hot water, balcony facing the turqoise blue sea, hammock to sway you away in your day dreams, the sea breeze blowing into the room, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the sheer white curtains simply add to the whole feeling.
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| I didn't waste anytime getting on the hammock :P |
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| View of the beach from our balcony <3 |
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| The sunset that evening |
I love this place and everything about it. Almost forgot that right behind our room is a village of people. It's that tranquil. We rested a bit, showered and it was time for dinner.
When we reached the dining area, Freddie just started reading or rather explaining our dinner courses - in his beach pants and apron. Cool huh? ..a very French treatment for dinner from a very experienced and laid back chef.
He welcomed us as we slid into our seats and to my pleasant surprise even mentioned my name .. what a lovely host. Maybe it was because I did all the booking and corresponding with Freddie via email and even texted him that morning before our flight to Banda Aceh that he remembered me or maybe it is just his way with his guests. Whatever it is, I really appreciate that gesture.
For starters, Freddie's staffs (who were also in beach pants) served us broccoli soup, followed by corn fritters with some kind of sweet spicy salsa on the side; for the mains, we helped ourselves to a selection of beef lasagne (my favorite), penne pasta, coleslaw, ratatouille and a potato-and-beans dish at the main table and finally later for dessert, the staffs served us once again to a yummy slice of apple pie and a cup of coffee. What a delightful evening :D
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| Corn fritters and spicy sweet dipping sauce |
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| I had all the mains =D |
If you noticed, the menu was vegetarian-friendly too. Kudos to Freddie for giving such care for his guests. I guess that's why many tourists dine here even when they are not staying at one of his chalets. Commendable food and service.
If you plan to dine here whether or not you are staying at this accommodation, you'd need to book in advance to confirm your attendance. The same goes for breakfast as the room price do not include it.
Freddie may be french alright, but he serves halal food at his place; another commendable gesture. I enquired about this in my email to him, he said its easy for him to serve halal food because all of this his staffs are muslims ^^
The next morning, before our day of snorkeling, diving and swimming we had the pleasure of filling our tummies with Freddie's food once again..
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| Checkout the view from our dining area |
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| It was dark at dinner the night before, we didn't realize how nice the view from our table was |
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| Some of the items I had for breakkie |
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| The face of a happy customer ^^ |
*musolla - prayer room for muslims
Rates and bookings:
Freddie emailed me this fee structure in February 2015, if you'd like to get in touch with him please use these contact details,
Freddie Rousseau
santaisumurtiga@yahoo.com.au
+62 8136 0255 001
Freddies Santai Sumurtiga fee structure.
Rates from 1 April 2014.
Accommodation: (Tax 12%)
Bungalows (2 adults) Rp290,000 per night
Family units (2 adults 2 kids)(3 adults) Rp325,000 per night
Extra mattress or extra guest charge: Rp75,000 per night.
Maximum 3 adults in all rooms at Freddies.
Meals: (Breakfast and dinner Buffet style in the main building restaurant – daily advance booking) (Tax 10%)
Breakfast (from 0730 to 1000) Rp35,000 per person
(0630 for early departures to ferries)
Dinner (starters served 1930) Rp65,000 per person
Our ala carte Beach Restaurant is open from 0900 to 2200.
Transport: (as prescribed by the Taxi Association)
From the ferry to the resort Rp30,000 per person
From the resort to the ferry Rp25,000 per person
Full day car rental Rp500,000 (including driver and fuel)
Half day car rental Rp300,000 (including driver and fuel)
Motorbike rental
Rp100,000 flat fee
Health Massages:
Rp90,000 for one hour full body massage
Rp40,000 for a back and neck massage
Rp30,000 for a hands and feet massage.
Children rates for buffet meals:
Under 2 years
2 to 6 years
6 to 12 years
12 to 16 years
16 years +
Cancellations policy:
Bookings cancelled one week before planned arrival = No Charge
Bookings cancelled up to 3 days before planned arrival = 50% of room rate
Bookings cancelled less than 3 days before planned arrival = 75% of room rate.
The above policy will only apply if I don’t succeed to find a replacement booking.
Special discounted rates will apply for group bookings and workshops / meetings.
Long stay (more than 3 nights) discount of 5% on accommodation charges.
More than 7 nights 10% discount on accommodation charges.
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