Bilou Beach Villas
Freedom with private boats
The surf
We have a variety of breaks here with waves for all surfing levels. Our peak season is April through September when the SW and SSW swells consistently hit the Mentawais, Indonesia, arriving on their long journey from the low-pressure systems in the Southern Indian Ocean March and October are our shoulder months. In those months we have world-class surf with fewer people in the lineup, but it's not as consistent or big.
A perfect day
You'll have the freedom to surf when and where you want - each villa with a max of 4 guests has its own private boat and driver.
You can arrange with your driver to wake up before dawn and head out. Return to fresh ciabatta bread in their fully equipped villas, followed by a midday nap. Head off again for an afternoon surf. Sundowners and dinner at the beach bar.
Breaks
The lodge
Our goal is to make Mentawais accessible to families and small groups. We provide a small and private environment so all the guests can enjoy their trip with the freedom to surf and go on adventures at their own pace.
Villas
We only have 4 villas at the resort. This keeps the number of surfers down and an exclusive vibe at Bilou. Each villa is equipped with its own kitchen, en-suite bathrooms, and private boat. Guests have muesli and fresh fruit for breakfast. Fresh ciabatta is delivered to your villa for lunch. Bilou Beach Bar serves an extensive buffet for dinners satisfying all dietary requirements.
Food
Our villas have fully furnished kitchens, so guests can prepare their meals if they want to. But if they are in the mood for something local, Bilou Beach Bar serves dinners and ice-cold Bintangs in front of our white sand beach in a family-friendly environment. Kids are very welcome!
Activities
Our guests are free to enjoy the place at their own pace and preference. We provide a wide variety of activities so you never get bored. Besides the drop-off right in front of Bilou Villas, there are also 3 small islands and 1 big one all nearby, giving you many protected spots to surf, snorkel, fish, SUP, and explore. With your private boat and driver, you can access these areas just minutes away whenever you wish.
Eco resort
We are working towards reducing our carbon footprint while giving back to our local community on Awera Island. Our design is inspired by the use of traditional building methods applied by skilled local craftsmen. Our main source of power is renewable energy using solar panels around the property. Besides that, we recycle our garbage, use as much locally grown produce as we can and we use natural cooling as opposed to air conditioning. Our villas are designed for inside-outside living with huge windows, doors opening out everywhere, and shaded wrap-around decks so no direct sunlight enters the house. The houses have the traditional high pitched reed roofs that keep the cooling inside them. We also use the SAWYER world-class filtration system to filter the rainwater we collect and no plastic drinking bottles or cups are allowed.
Guest book
Bilou's seaside setting is absolute bliss for the wandering soul/couple/family/friend group. The villas are perfectly equipped for relaxed island living. The hammock, the bean bag, and the beachside cabana all provide lounging options during the day, while the beach bar is a lively watering hole and feeding hub by night.
Fresh food deliveries mean you can pile bountiful amounts of tropical fruit into a muesli bowl, enjoy Sumatran coffee, and refuel on the hostess's masterful ciabatta loaves (hand-delivered warm to your kitchen).
The staff and owner-family are friendly, highly competent and knowledgable, and willing to go to any length to make your stay more enjoyable. "Cool" IS the vibe around Bilou, no pretenses, egos, or drama... instead think fun, camaraderie, and for some guests, even a family-like feel.
The waves, last but in no way least, are downright epic. There is pretty much always something to surf even when the forecast is "flat." When it's on, buckle up. The resort is located close to many options, even during an extended stay we didn't tire of the wave selection.
Additionally, Bilou is special because each guest/group is given their own boat and driver to take them surfing, snorkeling, fishing, or cruising, wherever they want, whenever they want. BIG BONUS!
Rooms
Location
Getting there
Bilou Beach Villas
Chantal Malherbe
Gideon Malherbe
Bilou is our life - we are a family-owned business and we live permanently on the island. Long ago, we noticed that there was a lack of service for specialized camps with a more private and familiar environment where groups of friends could come to enjoy themselves in a private setting.
It was especially hard for families with kids to find an affordable place where they could enjoy at their own pace without having to share a boat with other guests, for example. Thinking about that, we created Bilou - a surf camp that offers our clients a more immersive experience, still keeping their privacy so they can create awesome and memorable vacation memories. That's what we had in mind and that's the goal we try to achieve every day.
Sustainability/responsibility
We have taken steps to reduce our footprint while giving back to our local community on Awera Island:
- Our design is inspired by the use of traditional building methods applied by skilled local craftsmen in the Mentawais Islands.
- Our main source of power is renewable energy using solar.
- We recycle our garbage.
- We use as much locally grown produce that we can.
- We use natural cooling as opposed to air conditioning. Villas are designed for inside-outside living with huge windows, doors opening out everywhere, and shaded wrap-around decks so no direct sunlight enters the house. The villas have the traditional high pitched reed roofs which keep the houses cool. Each bed has a fan inside the mosquito nets
- We catch our own rainwater and filter water for drinking using the SAWYER world-class filtration system (no plastic drinking bottles)
- The #1 contributing factor to contaminating Awera Island's well water and tidal mangrove, is soapy water and towels. Towels take up loads of water, soap, and power. We supply sarongs on your bath rails and keep towels to an absolute minimum.
