You’re dreaming at…

THE CRUSOE HOUSE by Island Houses

Indonesia - Islands

Castaway, but curated. Your slow-living island fantasy made tactile

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WILDLY PLACED: North-west shore of Gili Meno - one of three car-free, reef-rimmed Gili Islands, accessible via boat from Lombok or Bali.

EDITORIAL VIBE: Shipwrecked chic. Think driftwood daybeds, shell chandeliers, woven baskets, linen beds, and afternoons that stretch like low tide.

CORE PILLARS: Castaway minimalism, barefoot freedom, tactile nostalgia, island solitude.

MUSE MOOD: She snorkels with turtles at sunrise, reads for hours in a hammock, and drinks rosé from enamel mugs while sketching mangroves.

BEST TIME TO GO: May to October for dry weather and calm seas.

THE LOOK: Whitewashed timber, thatched roofs, sand floors, bamboo screens, antique touches, island light.

WHO’S IT FOR: Romantic minimalists, slow travellers, nostalgic escapists, barefoot honeymooners.

INDULGENCE SPECTRUM: From USD$280 per night, self-catered. Includes daily housekeeping, beach essentials, and a fridge stocked with tropical staples.

The Crusoe House feels like a film set left behind by a director who understood solitude and the art of elemental living. Open-air, open-hearted, and open to the elements, the house is a poetic ode to island life before WiFi, welcome drinks, and curated playlists. It is the kind of place that doesn’t ask you to perform, only to arrive - fully, gently, unfiltered. Here, the design doesn’t distract - it dissolves into the breeze, the sand, and the hush between waves. There’s no AC, no concierge, no background soundtrack - just natural ventilation, soft light, and the kind of quiet that teaches you how to listen. Even the shadows seem to move in slow motion.

Days unfurl with a rhythm dictated by tide and sky. You’ll forage for breakfast in the simple kitchenette - mango, toast, and strong island coffee - then wander barefoot into the sea. Hang your towel on a palm trunk, read until the sun shifts, nap under a whirring fan.

The outdoor shower becomes a ritual, a daily baptism in coral-filtered calm. Mornings are for wandering; afternoons for stillness. The island asks nothing of you - except maybe to notice more. The evenings? Candlelit, barefoot, with starlight spilt across the sand like forgotten treasure. You’ll hear the sea breathing just beyond your veranda and trace constellations through palm fronds.

This isn’t for everyone. There are no menus, no turndown service, no hand-holding here. But for those drawn to castaway freedom and quietude - those who prefer their luxury woven with weather and memory - it’s paradise, unplugged. A home for the off-grid romantic, the barefoot intellectual, the solitude-seeking dreamer. It’s a place to unscroll your thoughts, to let time loosen its grip, to fall back in rhythm with your own breath. And when you leave, it stays with you - like sea salt in your hair or sand in the spine of your favourite book.

ISLAND HOUSE’S BEATING HEART

There is no lobby. No restaurant. No reception desk. The soul of Crusoe House is its simplicity. A home carved by the wind, held together by timber, time, and tide. What beats at the centre is space - both physical and psychic - to simply be.

The SLOJOURN spark

FIRST. The setting – Gili Meno’s north-west beach is impossibly quiet, with reef just metres from the shore. Sunrise swims here feel like secrets.

SECOND. The open-air shower – Walled in bamboo and sky, rinsing off here feels ceremonial.

THIRD. The bookshelf – A treasure trove of island reads, paperbacks with sand-worn pages and pencilled notes from travellers past.

Where you dwell

The Crusoe House is a two-bedroom, open-plan beach house made from reclaimed teak and styled with soft restraint. Inside you’ll find linen bedding, mosquito-netted beds, curated artefacts, and an open kitchen that opens to the sea. Outside, there’s a shaded verandah, hammock corner, sand-floor lounge, and palm-fringed pathway to the beach.

There’s no need for tech here. Just bring your soundtrack (if you must) and let the rest fall away.

The art of living

Wake to the sound of doves and the scent of sea air. Stretch barefoot on the verandah. Make coffee with island patience. Then snorkel with turtles, dry off in the sun, and read in the hammock until it’s time for a swim again.

You’ll eat simply - fruit, fresh bread, maybe a grilled fish if you venture into the village. Evenings are slow and candlelit. Journals come out. Books are swapped. Time dissolves.

The forever lens

WATER: No plastic bottles—just glass refillables and island-filtered rainwater.
WASTE: Composting on-site, no single-use plastic, and daily cleaning with biodegradable products.
DESIGN: Built from recycled and locally-sourced materials. Furniture is handcrafted or reclaimed, with thatched roofing and natural airflow throughout.
ENERGY: No AC or energy-draining tech—just fans, breezes, and solar-powered essentials.

The together lens

The Crusoe House exists in quiet collaboration with the island. Staff are hired locally and the house is serviced by Gili Meno residents. Linen is washed in the village, fresh produce comes from island gardens or the boat from Lombok. There’s no tourist performance here - just slow, quiet reciprocity.

The take it with you

• Salt-dusted skin and sand between pages
• A coconut-shell spoon you’ll never throw out
• A deep craving for candlelit dinners and no phone signal
• A sketchbook with mangrove lines and hammock musings
• The memory of the sea, always within reach

WE SLOJOURNED HERE

“It felt like the world turned its volume down. I forgot what day it was. Embraced my inner barefoot, salty goddess. This is what unplugged paradise feels like.”

The ways you can move

SLOJOURN is a members-only platform for the new vanguard of conscious travellers. That’s you.

In that vein, we support a multitude of ways to book your travel.

Book directly with SLOJOURN’S travel team (we just don’t book flights, friend).
Book via our preferred travel partners that we can connect you with.
Use this as your guide and DIY your way through the world (love that for you, just take note of the destinations that prohibit this such as Bhutan, Socotra… etc.)