Project CINCLOC: A blog about building a new boutique hotel in Indonesia

What is Project CINLOC?

My Sunshine and I literally met under the big Nangka (jackfruit) tree which is standing in the middle of Villa Nangka. One year after we met we had the opportunity to buy this amazing place and we started our big adventure.

Our dream was to create a unique place on a tropical island. A place where every room is unique and designed with love. The beds of our villas were made out of recycled boat wood, in the bathrooms, you would find handmade ceramic tiles, each room had unique pieces of art on the wall and of course, we made sure you’re sheets & towels felt like small pieces of heaven.

Villa Nangka - Best Place To Stay on Gili Air

In Less Than A Minute Everything Changed…

On the 5th of August 2018, a 7.0 earthquake hit Lombok and the Gili islands. There are no words to describe this experience. We lost our house, our business, our dream. Everything we worked so incredibly hard for, got destroyed in less than a minute.

What happened was a tragic anomaly but we were determined to rebuild our little paradise and come back better and stronger than ever. With the help of our friends, family, and complete strangers we raised enough money to keep providing a salary for our boys during the time we were closed.

Villa Nangka destroyed by 7.0 earthquake in Lombok

Saying Goodbye To The Old Villa Nangka

It was not easy to say goodbye to the Villa Nangka as we knew it. The villa’s and her belongings tell the story of who we are, where we’ve been, and the guests we hosted. To see how our workers took down our buildings broke our hearts. But we had to keep on going, one day at a time and one foot in front of the other.

And one day we woke up and could really feel it; it was time to leave behind what we knew and believe something even better will be waiting for us. Because with every ending, something new comes along. And with every great ending, comes an even greater beginning.

Building a new boutique hotel on a tropical island

Rebuilding Our Dream

A few weeks after the earthquake we had a meeting with an architect from Jakarta to discuss the future of Villa Nangka. At one point she asked me: “Where did you two meet each other?” I pointed out the big Nangka tree in the middle of our property and said with a smile on my face: “We met right here.” She started laughing and said: “CINLOC!” I looked at her confused as I never heard of this word before. She started to explain it:

“The word ‘Cinta’ means love in Bahasa Indonesia and the word ‘Locasi’ means location. When you put these two words together you get ‘Cinloc’ which literally means ‘love on location’.”

We looked at each other and immediately agreed that this is the perfect project name for (re)building our little boutique hotel on Gili Air.

Building a new boutique hotel on Gili Air

We Are Back In Business!

We re-opened the doors of our little paradise on the 1st of August 2019. Curious how it’s like to build a boutique hotel on a tropical island? Below you find an overview of our incredible journey.

Would you like to know more about our little hidden paradise? Reach out to us and we’ll respond to you as soon as we can.

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# DAY 236 OF PROJECT CINLOC

Every four weeks I go up a bra size…it’s worth being pregnant just for the breasts. Pregnancy is also a lot of other things. It is the gift of life. It is a miracle. It is exciting…to create a life. To carry that life within your body for nine months ...

# DAY 232 OF PROJECT CINLOC

This morning our beloved and crazy chicken Alice passed away. Alice walked into Villa Nangka around three years ago. And decided to stay. Alice was not just an ordinary chicken. She was blind on one eye and we all thought she was immortal. She disappeared for a little bit after ...

International marine research center in Indonesia

# DAY 229 OF PROJECT CINLOC

Slowly but steady the new headquarters of the Gili Shark Conservation Project is rising. It’s my dream that one day, this beautiful bamboo building will be an international marine research center that host researchers, scientist and oceans lovers from all over the world. A place in the heart of our ...

Bamboo kitchen design made by Asali Bali

# DAY 223 OF PROJECT CINLOC

With proud we present you the new kitchen of the new Villa Nangka! Can’t wait for the day this places is filled again with the love and laughter of our boys and our guests. Love Rose P.s. A big thank you to Monokromo for making this stunning design and to ...

To all the people who find Mother's Day hard to celebrate, this is for you

# DAY 222 OF PROJECT CINLOC

In more than 50 countries people are celebrating Mother’s Day today. Many people might claim that it has now become far too commercialized and yet another chance for retailers to try and sell us flowers, cards, and gifts that we don’t necessarily need, but for me, this day is something ...

Getting To The Gili Islands In Indonesia

# DAY 219 OF PROJECT CINLOC

When I called the Dutch embassy to ask what paperwork we needed to arrange for our little girl, they couldn’t give me a straight answer. The scenario Dutch girl living together with a German guy without being married, in Indonesia, and expecting a baby was not a standard scenario. After ...

# DAY 217 OF PROJECT CINLOC

Work in progress. The roof of the kitchen is almost done! Every day we are getting one step close to the finish line. I strongly believe that it’s not the quest to achieve one perfect goal that makes you better, it’s the skills you develop from doing a volume of ...

# DAY 210 OF PROJECT CINLOC

For others this might be just an empty wall, for us, this is the starting place of our love, hope and dreams.✨💛 Love Rose Feel free to share ...

#DAY 207 OF PROJECT CINLOC

Although everything is happening according to plan, I can’t help it that on some days I wake up slightly panicked. A thousand questions shoot through my head like falling stars; will we finish the building on time? Will people like the design of the new Villa Nangka? Will we be ...

# DAY 205 OF PROJECT CINLOC

The bamboo crew arrived from Bali and started with making our new kitchen! Watch this space and discover how bamboo can be combined in all shapes and patterns to create a stunning collection of luxurious ceilings, stairs and railings. The prow-like curve of a roofline, the visible strength of a ...