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 200 OF PROJECT CINLOC

Everything grows rounder and weirder and I stand here in the middle of it all and wonder who in the world you will turn out to be. Love Rose Feel free to share ...

Day 197 of building a new boutique hotel on Gili Air

# DAY 197 OF PROJECT CINLOC

I’ve got something really exciting to share with you! Last weekend our research team went to Singapore to attend the International SeaKeepers Society Award Diner. A very special evening where over 220 people with a mix of nationalities made up of diplomatic corps members, leaders from commercial companies, scientists, and ...

Day 196 of building a new boutique hotel on Gili Air

# DAY 196 OF PROJECT CINLOC

What defines us is how we rise after falling. I’m standing next to the swimming pool in Villa Nangka. I’ve been standing on this exact same spot when I made a picture of our beautiful house when we just bought our little paradise. I’ve been standing here when they demolished ...

Day 194 of building a new boutique hotel on Gili Air

# DAY 194 OF PROJECT CINLOC

When you are rebuilding your dream everyday milestones are happening. Today we celebrate that the bamboo pillars for our new villas are on the way from Bali to Gili Air! ...

Villa Nangka - The Perfect Place To Stay O n Gili Air

# DAY 191 OF PROJECT CINLOC

We are officially taking bookings again from the 1st of August of 2019! Come and share your holiday in paradise with us! The New Villa Nangka We hired a great team of architects and together we designed the New Villa Nangka. Imagine spacious relaxing rooms with a modern and sophisticated ...

Day 163 of building a new boutique hotel on Gili Air

# DAY 169 OF PROJECT CINLOC

We received our first booking request! Not from a friend or a family member, but from a real person that we’ve never met before. After I’ve read the email three times to make sure I understood it right, I get up and do a little I-am-so-happy-I-can’t-stop-moving-dance. Another small step in ...

Teaching the next generation about conservation

# DAY 163 OF PROJECT CINLOC

When we bought our little piece of paradise on Gili Air we wanted more than just owing a little boutique hotel. We wanted to use this opportunity to give something back to this island that gave so much to us. I believe that each and every one of us has ...

# DAY 149 OF PROJECT CINLOC

I’m now part of a secret group that knows the truth about one the best hidden secrets in the world: that glowing woman who lovingly rubs her belly as she flawlessly glides around her home and effortlessly completes day-to-day tasks? Yeah, she doesn’t exist. But luckily the first trimester is ...

# DAY 143 OF PROJECT CINLOC

It’s happening! We officially started building last Monday! There are people walking around Villa Nangka measuring things, moving things and doing building things. I couldn’t be happier! It was a long way just to get to this point and we still have a long way to go, but for now ...

# DAY 131 OF PROJECT CINLOC

And suddenly there they are: tears, perfectly round tears. It starts with just a few drops but quickly it feels like monsoon season. It’s February and we still didn’t start rebuilding our dream. What do you do when you are ready to jump but someone holds you back? I know ...