Review Time
Very much enjoyed a trip to Bali in early 2025 organised by SoloKiwiVentures - so much so, I booked another trip with this company for September 2025 and returning again for a longer tour in 2026. As a solo female traveller I very much appreciated the security of being looked after from the moment we arrived in Bali - safe luxury villa accommodation, airport transfers and daily reliable transport organised, delicious meals (sumptuous Indonesian and Western breakfasts made by our own chef) as well as lunches and dinners at a range of top quality restaurants, and a wide range of activities covered in the cost of the tour. Excellent value for money, very highly recommended.
Solo Kiwi Ventures was absolutely shambolic. Sold as a “Luxury Women’s Holiday,” it fell far short.Sharon, the tour guide and owner, is unprofessional — gossiping about guests, buying beer while we were sorting our own coffee, milk and plungers to take back to the 'luxury' accomodation . The blurb said this trip was flexible, but a suggestion to change the night of group dinner was met with aggression and a refusal to discuss. When reminded that we were paying customers she insisted it was “her trip.” Her main interest seems to be finding the next Happy Hour, smoking, and getting the best room or best seat on the boat ( while leaving guests to help each other!)Accommodation was not luxury — no tea or coffee, far from the beach in Sanur, the on-site restaurant which is on her website does not exist, in Ubud we were miles out of town and expected to organise our own transport. Her suggestion for dinner in Ubud was to get some "Grab ( Uber) Eats'. We had to ask repeatedly for basic things like fresh drinking water.In fairness to the business "Ponte Villas" in Gili Trewangan - this hotel is lovely and the staff are amazing!Both other accomodations were basically Air bnb's.There was no yoga, no flexibility in the itinerary, and no sense of luxury. As a group we suggested to her that we should have transport organised as the GoJek drivers would not come to our accomodation!Twice she had to be asked to get out of bed in the morning to deal with an unfolding situation. Both times this was after 8am. Once when we were flooded with slippery mud in Ubud, and another occasion in Sanur when the breakfast was being set up outside in the rain.The local guide; part of the 'package' did not appear until 2 days before the end of the trip.She is now sending threatening letters to a member of our group for posting reviews!
This was, without question the most disappointing and poorly run trip I have ever experienced. I joined a Bali trip with Solo Kiwi Ventures, expecting a luxury, well-organised experience hosted by Sharon McLean. Instead, it was disorganised, uncomfortable, and at times genuinely distressing.The trip was marketed as “luxury” and “flexible,” yet the Sanur accommodation was basic, poorly maintained, and far from the “exclusive estate” promised. There was no restaurant, no nearby beach access, and we even had to buy our own coffee and milk throughout the trip. Sharon’s promotional photos are years out of date and bear little resemblance to the person we met. Pre-trip preferences were ignored, and despite advertising herself as a yoga teacher, she refused to run a class, admitting she hadn’t practiced for years.There was no meaningful hosting or guidance whatsoever. We were left to organise our own transport and find out about each location ourselves. Despite flooding in our Ubud accommodation causing loss of power and water, and being in a tsunami zone on Gili T, Sharon did not once provide any health and safety briefings or account for anyone's whereabouts. In fact, on two occasions, she was nowhere to be seen while we had to relocate the breakfast location ourselves due to flooding and torrential rain. During boat and ferry trips she would often board first to secure herself a good seat, with no regard for any of her guests. Her behaviour was consistently unprofessional. Reasonable requests were met with hostility and visible disdain. Midway through the tour she unjustifiably evicted one paying guest, which was extremely distressing for the guest, and left us all worried that we could be next. She forced two others to vacate their rooms so she could move herself into the superior accommodation.I observed Sharon drinking alcohol during the day on numerous occasions, which I found inappropriate for someone responsible for hosting and which contributed to a clear lack of attentiveness and professionalism. She repeatedly said in a raised voice with flailing arms, “THIS IS MY TRIP!” — and that’s exactly how she behaved, as though we were intruding on her personal holiday. For someone profiting thousands from each booking, her conduct was disgraceful. This was not a luxury hosted experience; it was a chaotic, unpleasant, and deeply disappointing trip that I would never recommend to anyone.
I travelled with Solo Kiwi Venture on the Bali & Gili Islands trip and found that several aspects didn’t meet the expectations set before the tour. While Gili T offered comfortable, luxury-standard accommodation and was a highlight of the journey, the other locations fell short of this description.Ubud provided a pleasant atmosphere, but its distance from the township made getting around challenging, especially at night when local taxis were often unwilling to service the area. In Sanur, the accommodation was not close to the beach as advertised, and the “restaurant” was actually a small kitchen requiring meal orders a day in advance. The estate also appeared tired and lacked lockable doors for our rooms, which affected the sense of security.We experienced some difficulties with responsiveness from our tour guide, and at times our group organised our own safety check-ins and support. Despite this, the group itself bonded well and everyone looked out for one another.Overall, while the trip had enjoyable moments—particularly on Gili T—there were several areas where the experience could be improved to match what was promoted.I do not recommend this tour company as the considerable financial outlay did not meet the product delivered.
Apart from meeting 7 other like minded ladies who all enjoy travelling who I thoroughly enjoyed the company of, this would be the most awful holiday I have experienced. Sharon who owns and operates Solo Kiwi Ventures neglected basic operating skills, lacked any organisational skills, put herself first in many instances, in fact often telling us it was her holiday. Became unpleasant if any of us made a simple request, refused to be flexible. No transparency as I was shocked and confused upon meeting Sharon as the image she uses in all advertising material doesn’t even come close to resembling her. Sold as a “Luxury” holiday which was far from - two accommodations were tired and a distance from main centres and lacking basic facilities (tea/coffee making - our group bought plungers and coffee). One accommodation our doors did not lock and the safes continued to non-operate. The complimentary dinners - we were expected to pay transport and our drinks! A host? A guide? Sharon was neither - she drank excessively, slept through greeting us at breakfast - dreadful…. Beware!!!
Very much enjoyed a trip to Bali in early 2025 organised by SoloKiwiVentures - so much so, I booked another trip with this company for September 2025 and returning again for a longer tour in 2026. As a solo female traveller I very much appreciated the security of being looked after from the moment we arrived in Bali - safe luxury villa accommodation, airport transfers and daily reliable transport organised, delicious meals (sumptuous Indonesian and Western breakfasts made by our own chef) as well as lunches and dinners at a range of top quality restaurants, and a wide range of activities covered in the cost of the tour. Excellent value for money, very highly recommended.
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