Ruma Kaca Simanindo Bed&Breakfast

Henry picked us up at the pier, and after a short walk, we reached Ruma Kaca. The garden is wonderful and very lovingly maintained. The entrance of the colonial house is charmingly decorated, almost like a little dollhouse. There are many memorable photos of Tiolina’s father and grandfather. Our room was spacious enough. We had a fan, which was perfectly sufficient. The bed was very comfortable, and I think it was wider than it was long! We slept wonderfully. We rented a scooter for two days to explore a little of the island. It would have been nice if porridge or cereals had also been available as breakfast options. Tiolina, her son Rafael, and the entire staff were very friendly, helpful, and attentive.

Ruma Kaca is quite far from everything. Unfortunately, there is no direct access to the lake. We noticed the same thing at almost all the places we visited during our excursions.

La storia, il giardino , il museo , un posto non turistico ma vissuto

Niente

Het gezellig plekje, de sfeer en het personeel van waren een warmbad waarin wij lekker konden bijkomen van onze vele reizen. Ook erg lekker eten door het personeel gemaakt!

Enige minpuntje is dat de douche wat te dicht bij de wc staat

Čistota, jinde na Sumatře jsou běžně odpadky všude kolem. Tady je vždy krásně uklizeno. Hostitelé jsou skvělí, máte svoje soukromí, ale když potřebujete, jsou vám k dispozici.

Nemůžu nic vytknout

Rumah Kaca was probably the best accommodation we could have found in this area. Rafael is incredibly friendly, welcoming, and always willing to help with anything. The place itself has a unique atmosphere, enriched by its history and its connection to the local royal family. The accommodation is charming, peaceful, and serves as an excellent base for exploring this part of island. We enjoyed several trips from here and spent many wonderful moments simply relaxing in the beautiful surroundings and garden of Rumah Kaca, part of it is a amazing muzeum. M The entire staff was kind, smiling, and exceptionally helpful, which made our stay in Sumatra even more enjoyable. We truly felt welcome and would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Lake Toba and Samosir Island.

-

The garden and the history

Its soo unique & authentic

Nothing

Fantastic location, you are met at the ferry station and it's a simple walk to the hotel. The gardens are superb and very varied - has a camping feel to the place. Incredible service, if you need something, just ask Andrew and it will happen. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. So relaxing

It's a very small hotel which is great if you want peace and quiet, but facilities are rustic.

Very unique. Quite. Feiendly staff!

We stayed for 2 nights at Ruma Kaca, Tiolina’s beautiful “house of glass” in Simanindo, and it was truly special. The view over Lake Toba, the lush garden full of flowers and plants, and even the small Batak culture museum make this place unforgettable. Tiolina is an exceptional host, incredibly kind and helpful. She arranged a driver to show us around the island and gave great advice for taking the ferry. The food was delicious, and nothing was ever too much to ask. The location is outstanding, and if you get the chance, ask her to sing! Her traditional Batak songs accompanied by her slightly out-of-tune piano only add to the charm of this magical place.

Be prepared for some mosquitoes.

We were provided a different room to what we originally booked due to repairs. Although we didn’t stay in the colonial style house, we did stay in a newly built cottage room. The room was very spacious and really comfortable king size bed. The traditional Batak houses next to Ruma Kaca are lovely. Tiolina and staff are very friendly. Breakfast (omelette and toast, mixed fruit platter and plunger coffee) were good, but the prize goes to the gorgeous mini Dutch Poffertjes, our first time having these and they were amazing balls of delight.

It is a distance away from Tuktuk, 35minutes by motorbike

Wonderful heritage house, great staff and host Tiolina was so helpful.

Ruma Kaca is such a cosy place, everything done with love and passion. Tiolina is a perfect host who really takes care for her guests and offers a lot of first-hand knowledge about the local Batak culture.

Super nice owner and staff, beautiful space and good food :)

잘꾸며진 정원과 호수를 바라보면서 한적하고 평화로운 휴가를 보낼수 있어서 너무 좋았습니다. 또한 근처에 바탁 전통 건축을 관람할수 있어서 역사적인 부분도 즐길수 있어 좋은 경험이었습니다. 티올리나와 스태프들의 친절속에서 매우 좋은 휴가를 보낼수 있었습니다.

We had a wonderful stay at Ruma Kaca. The museum is fascinating, the surroundings are peaceful and beautifully maintained, and the host is absolutely lovely. The staff were so friendly and welcoming, which really made us feel at home. All the facilities worked perfectly, and the host spoke good English and kindly helped us with transport and local information. We had a truly special time here

Le cadre et la multitude de petits endroits où se détendre dans un jardin soigné, en regardant le lac Toba. La maison et le musée attenant invitent à se plonger dans le passé et l'histoire des Bataks. Tiolina, la propriétaire et le personnel sont prévenants et attentifs à votre bien être.

The unique building, setting, surroundings, filled historical and cultural context.

none

Unique stay, with a lovely and kind host. The food at the cafe inside in the grounds of the guest house is also delicious. The history is rich and it’s a nice start point for exploring the island as long as you’re comfortable on a bike.

Very beautiful scenery around the area. Other than that, very helpful staff! Thankyou ms Tio for your good service. Ms Tio also manage to find us a driver to tour around samosir!

Very relaxed cosy style

Far away from Tuktuk (35min drive) for alternative dining options,..

A great idyllic place to relax & slow down your mind and body. Clean room and love the big firm bed. Lina is a lovely and lively host with a loads of family history to share and to visit in the complex.

Not much aside that I am slightly prone to be bitten by mosquitoes.

lovely accommodation - clean and comfortable, beautiful grounds with an interesting local batak museum nearby. there’s a cafe in the premise, which served good food and coffee. a big shoutout goes to Tiolina, the owner and her kind staff who made our stay even more enjoyable.

water pressure was very low and mosquitoes everywhere. however an effective insect repellent spray is provided by the host.

Picture yourself in a holiday at faraway place but still feel at home. That is kind of feeling when we stayed at Ruma Kaca at Simanindo, Samosir. An attractive old heritage house well maintained, nicely decorated, sufficiently furnished by the kind and attentive owner, Ibu Tiolina. Gardens surrounding the house, spacious green yard extended right to the lake, coffee shop, library, art museum, traditional house complex, ancestral graveyards, the home has everything. It is our holiday home. We stayed on 29-30 January 2025 and wished to stay longer. Experience it yourself.

Ruma Kaca was a real surprise! We were warmly welcomed by Tiolina (owner) and accompanied to our room and she explained everything. The room and the whole property are very lovingly decorated. The room is located in a former colonial house and has a great view of the lake. It's like staying in a living museum. The food (dinner and breakfast) was also delicious and very good. As there is also a café in Ruma Kaca, the coffee was wonderful. In her free time, Tiolina sat down at her sewing machine and sewed beautiful hair bands. Tiolina took us to Paromanang the next day and we visited the local market with her. Unfortunately, we didn't have any more time as we had to continue travelling.

Nothing

Everything. Must stay.

My partner and I stayed here for two nights, and would have liked to stay two weeks if we had the time. Tio is such a lovely host as is all the staff. They went out of their way to make us feel at home and help us out with anything we needed. The room was super clean and comfortable, the garden is so beautiful and lovely to relax in, the food is tasty, the coffee was so so good, and the museum and grounds in general are lovely to explore and spend time in. Highly highly recommend staying here if you are anywhere around lake Toba!

I really enjoyed staying at Ruma Kaca. It was a nice little escape from the busy city. The host and her family are super lovely and welcoming. I felt right at home. The accommodation is beautifully located right next to Lake Toba and there is so much to see and explore. You can see that the host puts her whole heart in this place:) Also the Batak museum right behind the accommodation was very interesting to visit. I had a lovely stay and would go back anytime again.

There is nothing I didn't like.

It's a beautiful place with a amazing garden and lake site . You can really see that the owner put a lot of work and love in this place . It's a very good vibe and you have everything what you need . I can highly recommend this home stay .

This is a special place! The garden is wonderful, so is the house with all its history! The owner is a very lovey and helpful lady, and the staff very good and friendly.

Calm atmosphere, cool weather, good coffee. There is a museum and a Batak traditional house. Friendly owner 👍🏻

We had such a warm welcome at Ruma Kaca. The hosts are incredibly nice and the location is super relaxed. There is a big garden at the lake and there were some cute waterbuffalo’s on the grass. It’s easy to rent a scooter here to visit Tuktuk (30mins) and the rest of the island.

The accomodation is very cosy and nice. The house has 100-years history, constructed in colonial style. It is decorated with greate taste and above all has the splendid garden with variety of plants and flowers. More over the accomodation shares a place with the museum of local Batak village and their tombs! The pearl of this beutiful hotel is their people-Incu and Riris. Incu thank you for everythyng you and Riris have done for me!! You are so cute, helpful, big hearted, open-minded people!! Girls woll help you with everything you need! I am happy to meet you, girls!!💗💗💗

The place is brilliant! There is beautiful garden and very nicely arranged area by the lake, plenty of space to chill and rest. Rooms are also very comfy. But what is the most beautiful there are the ladies who run Ruma Kaca - they care for their guests beyond expectations! I truly recommend this lovely place.

All was great!

Ruma kaca is a very unique and beautiful place with lots of history. We enjoyed spending time in the spacious and beautiful garden by the lake. The house is also very beautiful and the bed was very comfortable. The staff were all lovely and helpful.

Food options are a little limited - for more choice you must go to tuk tuk which is 30 minute drive.

Authentic and unique place! Mauliate🙏

Look no further, this is an amazing place to stay. The owner is so sweet and the room fantastic. She really walks the extra mile for her guests. We were able to rent scooters and her food was delicious. Thank you so so much for having us, we will definitely come back.

It is an amazing experience! Ruma Kaca is a beautiful and cozy house with garden, more than that,is a living museum, with the memory of king of simanado, Tiolina is very helpful and kind, she helped us organize the transportation, her staff Incu is a very sweet girl, cook delicious pancakes and great coffee! If you like quiet, historical, family like place, highly recommended! They also rent scooter, you can enjoy samosir freely !For sure I will come back with more time, Thanks Tiolina & Incu!

Everything is perfect! Just like my dream house near the lake

Food was delicious. The room was very comfortable. Hot water for traditional shower was perfect everyday. Scooter rental by the host. The personal was so comprehensive, friendly, felt like home.

No WiFi. A little bit far if you arrive at Tuk-Tuk port.

Tiolina is an amazing host who goes out of her way to welcome you into her home and to ensure that your stay is as comfortable as possible. There is a cafe and museum on site and lovely views all around the property. This has easily been my favourite place to stay after travelling through Java and Sumatra. If you’ve always wanted to stay with royalty (Tiolina is the old king’s daughter in law) you can’t go past Ruma Kaca.

Everything was wonderful

Everything. The property is incredibly unique and it's unlikely travellers will get anything even similar in the main tourist spots in town. It’s authentic and in addition has its own access to the lake, a museum on site, a beautiful and thriving garden, and a brilliant host. Thank you so much for everything, Tiolina!

Not a problem for me but as it's off the tourist trail it's best to rent a scooter. The journey around the island is easy and the roads aren't busy. I would recommend renting a scooter anyway because you won't have it as easy anywhere else in Indonesia!