Arlen Nova's Paradise Homestay

If you are looking for real comfort this may not be the best place but if you appreciate a quiet clean lake beach without fish farms on the horizon, from where you can admire the majestic range lines around the lake from the terrace of your private bungalow you'll be pleasantly surprised. Ibu Linda and the boys who run the place are so genuine, polite and helpful and the food is really tasty. We asked for a BBQ fish fresh from the lake and we were very impressed. I even went for a ride on a dugout canoe to the little island, a great way to soak in the peace of the lake in the morning sun. The access to the place is not what you expect but don't be put off by the uneven mud path along the rise paddies, take it as a sustainable alternative to building a concrete path. Overall a very pleasant and cheap accommodation.

Already the walk between rice fields to Arlen is incredibly beautiful. And when you arrive you find yourself in a nicely designed and kept tropical garden by the grand crater lake, Maninjau. The little huts are pretty and colorful with own bathroom, with shower and English toilet. The huts are quite basic, but comfotable enough and right on the rough sandy beach of the lake. ||You will see fishermen close-up, local people passing by between the rice padis, and maybe even a buffalo kept by the shore. ||The owner family is very kind and humble. ||Food is delicious and they have a variety of local and western dishes. Make sure to stay here if you go to Maninjau and support this amazing family, because you can feel and see that they put all their love in creating this space. An exceptional place by the Lake and generally in the region.

We stayed three nights at Arlen Nova's. The accommodation is accessed on foot via a track alongside rice paddy fields, which means you are in a nice peaceful spot away from the road.||We received a warm welcome and were given lots of information about things to do locally and ideas for our onward journey.||The detached bungalows are set in beautiful, well maintained gardens and look straight out across the lake.||The accommodation itself is very basic and in need of some updating and renovation. This is the reason for my average rating. We were so well looked after by the management staff, I would give them a five, but the owner needs to put his hand in his pocket and invest in what could be fabulous accommodation in a prime location.|We have paid the same room rate at many places in Sumatra and had a much better standard of accommodation.||We had breakfast and evening meals at the on site restaurant. All meals were really tasty, I especially liked the fish curry and my husband loved the martabak.||We hired a scooter with helmets from there to take a trip around the lake.|We also paid for a guided walk up to a local waterfall, which was a nice trip out.|We arranged for a car and driver to take us to our next destination, we were charged more than we should, even after negotiation, so I would advise seeking out an alternative if needing to arrange transport.||I'm conflicted about how to advise about a stay at Arlen Nova's. We were really well looked after by the onsite staff, but the absent owner needs to spend some money on the place as some elements of the rooms are literally falling apart!|If you're prepared to rough it a bit and be rewarded with peaceful, uninterrupted lakeside views, then go for it!

We spent one night in here in August 2014. It takes about 200m on a narrow path in between rice fields to get there from the main road. It's about 6km from the main village, so you won't meet many people in here, but there's also no fish farms. There was a mosquito net in the room, but it had holes in it and we had to change bungalows because of the enormous number of ants in our room. Overall, the place is a bit run-down and has only cold water, but I believe that its remote location and amazing views make it the best place around Lake Maninjau, even considering the slightly more expensive price.

I have reread the reviews and agree overall. The rooms are so unclean. i had a little cupboard with bloodstained bandages inside, toothbrushes and sandals inside which suggested fisherman were sleeping there. the sheets were dirty and on our last morning it was raining heavily so doubt there would be laundry done. Cats abound and will get on the bed if door left open, they sit everywhere in dining room. Food is OK and cheap but kitchen is foul with dishes on floor with cats scavenging.Fishermen did take over the outdoor pavillion and drank and made noise till late. I took the cabin closest to the lake and loved the view and the garden. the water is not too clean but it was ok to swim there, no fish farms. Yes bring a torch to pick through the rice paddies at night. no .buses run at night so motor bikes are needed. There are local walks in rainforest but the town is depressed and not friendly with few restaurants...some along the road near Arlen's are nice but even the market was closed up. Natural scenery is lovely but this place is not cheap by Sumatran standards and just not up to scratch: backpackers we met all said the same despite being used to rough travel. I am frankly puzzled that people will come here....

We took the local travel (shared taxi) from Bukittinggi and were dropped off on the roadside. There is no road access to Arlen Nova, so we carried our packs through the rice fields down to the lake. The bungalows are detached and in a garden setting, facing the lake. ||||We had read many reviews of the accommodation around the lake, and we decided on Arlen Nova as it seemed to have a nice setting, with no fish farms directly infront. ||||Unfortunately the bungalows are in desperate need of attention. It seems a very long time since any repairs or refurbishment took place. We had the second bungalow from the lake. The rattan chairs outside had rotted, so we changed them with one from the next door bungalow which was empty. The bed desperately needed a new mattress, but there was a mosquito net. There was no furniture inside the room, apart from a little table. The bathroom had a cold water shower, and toilet but no sink and no door between the bathroom and bedroom. Again we raided the next door bungalow to take a wall mirror, so my husband could see to have a shave. ||||We hired a motorbike for two days to explore all around the lake, the local markets and up to the top of the zig zag bends. Zul, the manager was also the cook. He and his mother made us some nice local food during our 3 night stay in May. He also arranged a shared travel (taxi) to take us back to the airport. We were the only guests there at the time so no late night parties going on. Local fishermen would come into the restaurant to sit around smoking and chatting.||||It feels like Lake Maninjau is no longer on the popular tourist trail, and people tend to visit for the day, rather than staying overnight. Because of this, Arlen Nova seems to have fallen in to disrepair. It is such a shame as it is in a lovely setting but do not expect too much from the accommodation.

We were looking for a quite place and defenitely found it here. You only meet some fishermen at the lake and the nice staff. The food was also very yummy and pretty cheap. ||||Unfortunately there are countless ants everywhere, in the bungalow, terrace, garden, beach. We knew it before from other reviews but couldn't imagine so many. The bungalows need repairs urgently. The bathroom smelt like hell and wasnt clean. The only positive thing about the Bungalow was the mosquito net.

We liked this place so much we did not want to leave and it was one of our favorite places in sumatra. The location is quiet away from the hussel and bussel and it has a private beach that is good for swimming with no fish farms. The view from our hut was breath taking. The staff are really warm and friendly and organised everything for us including paragliding, motorbike rental and canoeing, they also do treks. I would highly recommend.