ABSTRACT   BACKGROUND፡Patients experience first-hand quality services from nurses who are directly responsible for their welbeing. However, patient dissatisfaction with nursing services remains a problem in most developing countries. Therefore, this study aims to explore patient satisfaction with nursing care services in an Indonesian hospital. METHOD: A qualitative study with a descriptive phenomenology method was employed. Also,in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 informants, and thematic analysis was adopted to analyze the data. RESULTS: The results of this study are described in the following themes and sub-themes: (1) hospital existence in public eyes: a) service commitment b) accessibility; (2) patients’ background: a) religious aspect, b) cultural influence on perceiving health and sickness. CONCLUSION:Hospital management needs to enhance the quality of nursing services through sustainable education programs and continuous training. These are importantto improve nurses’ cognition and skills, and further to ensure patient satisfaction and hospital quality. KEYWORDS: Culture, hospital management, Indonesia, nursing services, nurse, patient satisfaction, religious aspect