Kita Surf Resort — Hotel in Teupah Tengah

My stay at Kita Surf Resort was all I'd hoped it would be and more! ||On arrival we were greeted at the airport by some of the incredibly friendly staff and shuttled a short drive to Kita Surf Resort where we were introduced to the rest of the staff and other guest. The resort is set among coconut trees and very well maintained beautiful gardens, right on a small almost private beach with an excellent swimming area. One of the beauties of Kita Surf Resort is that its not too big and for this reason has a wonderful community atmosphere. We ate all our meals together each day and were able to get to know one another and make some great new friends which was excellent for me as I was travelling alone. The food was prepared by the wonderful kitchen staff and was simply amazing, mostly authentic Indonesian style but on a couple of occasion some western.||||Each day started early with breakfast and a surf report, we would then load our scooters provided by Kita Surf Resort and set off with our surf guide to check the best surf spots for the day. Unfortunately as it was early in the season we didn't get the bigger swell we were hoping for but despite this we still had waves every day at a range of different breaks all within 45min of the resort, the closest being a two minute walk! Most places we surfed it was just our group from Kita in the water! Amazing! ||||When I stayed at Kita there was no WIFI. I considered getting a local SIM for my phone so I could be all connected to the world but soon realised how wonderful it was to be there with no outside distractions! Nothing was so important that it couldn't wait two weeks so I decided to go without and enjoy every moment without connectivity. It was just what I needed, a real break with nothing to worry about, excellent food and company and surf everyday! What more could you want out of a surf retreat!? ||||The rooms at Kita Surf Resort are kept clean and simple built in a traditional style with thatched roof and have all that you need! With each having its own bathroom, balcony with hammock and chairs and stunning views. The rooms are equiped with fan and mozzie nets, shelves and good clean drinking water!||||I couple of things I could've done better....||||Be sure to check your flight times connections etc. I found out the hard way and had to leave a night earlier than planned. There is only one flight per day from Medan to Simeulue so in order to get my connecting international flight from Medan on my way home I had to spend a night in Medan, luckily there was a very nice hotel close to the airport (Hotel Prime Plaza).||||Most guests staying at Kita are from France! I really like the french so this was great but unfortunately I don't speak french...yet! All the guests staying at Kita when I was there were very friendly and excellent fun company, they did there best to accomodate for me and brush up on their english and I learnt some french too! However I wish that my french were better prior to arriving! Anyway if you don't speak french there's no need to worry.||||Also, be prepared, do your research. Take the important things that you need for example good Sunscreen and Zinc, spare leg rope, surf board repair kit, wax, reef booties, etc etc. This is not Bali, be prepared for a wonderful cultural experience without the tourist crowds. This is simple, quiet Indonesian village life so you will struggle to find certain things in local shops.||||All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Kita Surf Resort. Gauthier and his crew were very welcoming and friendly, they showed us all the best surf breaks and were very knowledgeable with local surf conditions that ensured we had waves everyday! We were also lucky to attend a wedding in a local village on my last night.||Gauthier has a very good reputation with the local villages and was able to show us a truly unique experience of Simeulue! ||||I highly recommend Kita Surf Resort and can't wait to visit again! ||||Many thanks to everyone at Kita...

We stayed at Kita-Resort for 10 days in the off season. Here is what I liked and what was not so great.

The resort itself is beautiful and its beautifully located. I really enjoyed the garden and large space between the bungalows allowed for a lot of privacy. The staff are lovely friendly people that try their best to give one a pleasant stay. The food was also great, we only ate local dishes and had a really good time with that.

What wasn´t that great:

There is a great emphasis on the knowledgeable surf guiding, being int the right place at the right time and all that on the Website. I can only speak from our experience. Yes, there was a surf guide that would bring you to a surf spot, but it was usually one of the two that was closest. Neither of those waves were great, I am sure they have their day but most of the time they were not worth it. We on several occasions asked if other waves were working or with which tide and swell spots may be worth checking. We usually heard that there was not going to be a wave there. Those were usually the spots one needed a boat to get to or just a big drive. We figured it out ourselves by talking to other surfers on the island and just driving around a bunch. What was frustrating was asking if a spot was good the next day, receiving a “No” then finding out from other surfers that it was good. If you only have 10 days such things are crucial. Waves are fickle and there is no guarantee that a spot is going to be good. We however were given the impression that it was really not worth giving spots a go and upon still going there had the best sessions we´ve had all trip. We are not pros, but decent surfers that can tell a high-quality wave from a low quality one. Whether or not the guiding was this way due to lack of knowledge, communication issues or something else does not matter to me. There was no guiding anywhere near to what is advertised on the website.

It says on the Website that there will be Scooters/motorbikes available during the stay. There were, however, they had a lot of problems. No working breaks, only one working break, no light, not starting. During our stay we did not have access to four working motorbikes. We had to drive 40 minutes back to the resort in the dark with one bike not having any light twice. We came to the bikes on morning wanting to leave and only found three bikes there as one hand been designated to some other tasks that morning. We tried to communicate what we needed, why it did not get done I do not know but it did not get done. After complaining about it the kitchen staff were giving us a bit of an attitude for two days. Which I understand because to them it must seem crazy that us westerners would make such a fuss about this. And if I were doing the “normal” Indo thing I would not. But it is advertised on the website, and you are booking with a European run resort and I expected better service.

During our stay the Resort was cutting down the greenery that grew between the resort and the Beach. They were doing that all day often listening to music on their phones. So, if we were lying in the hammock, we’d have that going on 3-10 meters in front of the bungalow. The greenery was then brought to the beach and burned; with a light onshore breeze the smoke was carried into the resort. They eventually stopped doing that after we complained but again communication was difficult, and it was clear they could not comprehend what the issue was.

Now all of this is very normal for Indonesia. But it stands in stark contrast to what is described on the Kita-Homepage. I do not want to speak ill about any of the staff, they were all lovely and trying very hard to give us a pleasant stay. If they did fail in some aspect, then in my opinion not due to lack of effort but simply because of the cultural difference which should in my opinion be taken care of by the owner of the resort who receives the payment...

I spent 9 nights at Kita Surf Resort on Simeulue and found exactly what I had hoped for.

The island has not (yet) been discovered by mass tourism and you can see and feel that everywhere. It was nice to see that spots like this still exist.

There is Surf tourism on the island, but during off-season there weren't many surfers around. The pandemic and the travel restrictions for Indonesia meant that for two years almost no tourists found their way to Simeulue and it is logical that this time has left its mark.

Kita Surf Resort is a perfect location for all those who want to go exploring off the beaten track and surf in almost deserted waves. The resort is beautifully situated on a small beach. Unlike other resorts on the island, Kita has made a point of keeping its ecological footprint as small as possible. Plastic is consciously and successfully avoided, resulting in very little waste. Instead of relying on concrete, corrugated iron and A/C, the beautiful bungalows are built of wood and covered with roofs made of palm leaves. The bungalows are very open and the light wind brings a pleasant cooling at night. There was a fan in the room, but I never needed it. And if it is too hot, a cold shower helps. There is no hot water, but I never missed it. The grounds are well maintained and there are plenty of coconuts for everyone ;-)

The food is excellent and gives enough energy for the exhausting days in the water. They cook a great mix of Indonesian and Western cuisine and there is always more than enough to eat.

The resort staff are all super nice and helpful and try to give the guests the best experience possible. The owner is on site when he can and otherwise helps as soon as possible via WhatsApp if you have a problem or are not happy with something.

The surf guiding still has potential, but the young local knows the spots and tries to get the best out of the conditions and the surf level of the guests. He could still be a bit more determined and show more initiative, but with experience that will come for sure, at 21 you can still be a bit reserved.

The scooters are heavily stressed by the bumpy roads and trails to the sea and suffer accordingly. Repairs are often necessary, but they are done regularly.

I felt very well taken care of at Kita Surf Resort from the first moment and very soon felt at home. There was a very pleasant atmosphere between staff and guests and we laughed a lot and had a good time together.

Besides Kita's ecological commitment, I also like the social aspect. There is a lot of cooperation with the locals, all employees come from Simeulue and so Kita also offers perspectives and jobs for the local population.

In my opinion, Kitas way is what is needed to establish sustainable tourism on Simeulue, including the local people and help them to take care of their little paradise while it's still there!

Conclusion: If you want a western luxury resort, it is better to stay in the west, but if you are looking for a tropical paradise far away from all the tourist streams, you will find it on Simeulue and at Kita. :-)

I would like to thank all the staff at Kita for the wonderful time and the great experiences I had during my time on Simeulue! If possible, I will be very happy...