Mbeliling Mountain Ecolodge

I cannot rate the Ecolodge highly enough. It was outstanding. Fantastic and attentive staff who supported and cared for me during my 4 day stay. My special thanks to Aldi who is an amazing person making my experience truly memorable. When asked to help me Aldi exceeded my expectations by ensuring my visit at the Lodge and my trip to Komodo islands ran as smooth and trouble free as possible. I must also mention Dati and others in the restaurant who served up absolute delights. The Lodge is surrounded by forests, waterfalls and at night the stars are spectacular with the brightness of the milky way mistaken for cloud. The sounds of the birds and the sweeping views across Flores and beyond are incredible. Thank you so much for everyone at Mbeliling Mountain Ecolodge for a wonderful time and hoping to return to the Lodge in the not too distant future.

We had a lovely room up on the hill, the staff helped with our bags. Interesting bird sounds but it was hard to see the birds. Beautiful view from the room. The gecko was happy to give us a chorus every so often during the night. The Mbeliling driver accompanied us on the walk to the waterfall and even had bird calls on his phone to encourage the birds. The whole 4 day programme was organised by the staff and was a perfect end to our three-week vacation.

Four of us took the 18 day birding tour offered by Ecolodges Indonesia which included staying at Mbeliling, Satwa, Rimba, and various accomodations in Bali. We were met at each location by a guide and driver. I can't express enough how knowledgeable and anxious to please each and every person we met was. I thought the price for the package was an excellent value. We saw Komodo dragons, orangutans, proboscis monkeys and more than 200 species of birds including many rare endemics . Six star trip

We arrived at the lodge late afternoon. They did a swift check-in and let us wait at the restaurant/bar area. The view from here was amazing! They served us yummy welcome drinks. The room had to be reached by a super steep hill and I was completely out of breath from the short walk. I also have a bad knee so wasn't looking forward walking back down. They should definitely offer some buggy service! The rooms were spacious, super clean and they offer mosquito spray which you can spray before you go to sleep. We went back for a beautiful sunset at the restaurant. No-one in sight to order drinks. We had to go behind the bar and call someone. After sunset we had pre-ordered a set dinner menu (200k pax, when we arrived), which was served about 30min too late. All fine tho. The food was delicious! Back in our room everything was made ready for sleep. There was a bit of noise from the main road that is literally next to the lodge. Trucks with music, karaoke somewhere. Not as remote as you might think. Breakfast was super tasty but a little small compared to dinner. All in all we had a great stay.

Sitting on the mountain top 45 mins from Labuan Bajo, the A-frame cabins here are sensational. Views across the mountains to the ocean and Komodo dragon island. A genuine Indonesian getaway experience; great food, birds, stargazing, peace

From start to finish, everything about my visit to the Mbeliling Ecolodge was superb. Gede, who handles reservations, made the process easy and responded quickly to emails. It was apparent from the start that Ecolodges wants to personalize a guest’s experience so, after receiving a proposed itinerary for my 4d/3n stay, all it took was a little back and forth email discussion with Gede to tailor things to my preference. The setting is beautiful with plenty of color and life on the grounds. As mentioned in other reviews, the sunset views of the ocean and islands are a joy to watch from the dining room deck. The cabin was comfortable and the vegetarian meals I requested were very tasty and nicely presented by Dita and Yayang. Throughout my stay Maria and Ignasius were attentive hosts and ensured my needs were met. My tour guide Benjamin was the kind of person every traveler should have when visiting a new part of the world – he taught me about the Flores ecosystem and wildlife as well as its culture, history, economy, religions, and much more. Because the roads are variable in their quality, there were many instances when I was grateful to have Eddie as our driver. He got us everywhere safely, including pickup and dropoff at Labuan Bajo airport. Note: the optional trip to crater lake has roads that sometimes limit the driving to a few km/h and, while it didn’t affect me, I would not recommend that trip to anyone who tends to get carsick. Snorkeling was an important goal of mine and was the high point of my visit. Ecolodges made all the necessary boat arrangements, selected the islands we would visit, and ensured necessary equipment would be provided. I chose to avoid Komodo Island to see dragons (and tourists) but, as luck would have it, during a stopover while visiting a charming community on Rinca Island a dragon happened to be walking through someone’s back yard. Summary: it felt good to work with a company that is clearly focused on sustainability, conservation, and hiring local people, all of whom were warm, gracious, and eager to ensure I had a wonderful time. I would recommend Ecolodges Indonesia and this property without hesitation. Note: portions of this review may be similar/identical to a review I wrote about another of their properties (Rimba) I also visited during my trip to Indonesia.