9.2Booking
Lost Paradise
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8.3530207S, 116.0338349E
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A story of old wood, cold beer under the palm trees and purple sunset skies

Every traveler has dreamt of moving to the other side of the world in search of a live with a cold drink under the palm trees and no worries in sight. Lost Paradise tells the story of a young backpacker and how he turn a dream like that into reality, by working hard and not giving up.

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Shipping by sea
The strongest wood famously comes from Borneo, Kalimantan. Due to deforestation it has become a scarce resource but there are good bargains to be made on wood reclaimed from old buildings and construction sites for new eco-friendly projects.
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Wood from Borneo was loaded onto trucks in Java, crossing the strait to Bali, then across all of Bali to board yet another ferry to Lombok. From the beaches in north Lombok we reloaded the wood onto small boats headed for the Gili Islands, and the final stretch by horse-drawn carriages. An intricate logistical journey through Indonesia that took years to master. Our only source of electricity at the time was through a 500m long cable hanging in the coconut trees, only just enough to power one fan and one light bulb.

story build card 2
The early beginnings.
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We opened our doors with only one room finished.
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Good reviews started coming in and after a few weeks the second room was finished, then the third…

tukang on the roof2
Wooden structures absorb seismic energy, making them more resilient to earthquakes compared to rigid stone buildings.
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We opened our doors with only one room finished, the place still looking like a construction site. But with great hospitality in mind, we manoeuvred the early days and started getting great reviews from guests.

Working with selokan cor at the pool build
Pool build catalogue

Our beautiful swimming pool took shape and the garden went into bloom. When we reopened after lockdown, we realized that what we had was no longer a little guesthouse, but a full-on, kick-ass resort. We are very proud to present to you and welcome you to Lost Paradise of today! A story of old wood, cold beer under the palm trees, and purple sunset skies. A journey that took well over a decade to accomplish.

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Depka in the pool
Not many people with their sanity still intact would take on a build of this magnitude with no proper machinery. We used shovels to dig out the hole—everything was done by hand—and then we got hit by the monsoon. And yes, that's Darsen—our hotel manager.
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Thank you to all of you who have come and stayed with us, and thank you to all of you who believed and supported us. We could never have done it without you.

Martin Henry Vrana

Martin Henry Vrana
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The film about our journey by Robin Danehav is available on Youtube

underneath the adventure