Labuan Bajo in Indonesia: best hotels and things to do

Labuan Bajo is a town in the west of Flores island, which has become the main gateway to Komodo National Park. If you are looking for a mix of prehistoric nature, world-class diving and vivid island life, Labuan Bajo is your ideal location.

This is a small, rapidly developing tourist town in Indonesia. In Labuan Bajo, on one street, you can see a worn-out fisherman's hut and a futuristic boutique hotel. The main thing to understand before booking: the town is very hilly. Either you live down by the port, where it is noisy, crowded, but everything is at hand, or on a hill - quiet, panoramic view, but every trip for water turns into a leg workout. Today, this is a town experiencing a real construction boom, and here you can find any accommodation: from five-star hotels to stylish hostels with rooftop pools.

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AYANA Komodo Waecicu Beach

A large complex located on the first line of Waecicu Beach. A surprise awaits you right at the entrance - the lobby is on the 11th floor! You check in with a view of the entire archipelago, and then go down to the rooms and the beach. The whole hotel is glass and light. The main point of attraction is a 250-meter pier, at the end of which there is the Naga bar. This is the perfect place to jump into the water or drink a cocktail when the sun goes down into the ocean.

Infrastructure: 192 rooms and 13 suites. There are three pools here, including one children's pool, a gym with a sea view and a luxurious spa center. Meals are served in two restaurants: Rinca offers excellent Asian and Western breakfasts, and at Kisik Grill you are served the best seafood. For those who want to explore the islands in VIP format, the hotel has its own 54-meter pinisi yacht Lako di’a.

AYANA Komodo Waecicu Beach

Plataran Komodo Resort & Spa

Plataran is about the spirit of old Indonesia and absolute privacy. The hotel consists of traditional Javanese villa houses "joglo". You live surrounded by antique wood, carving and lush gardens. This is one of the greenest hotels in the area. The atmosphere of "quiet luxury" rules here - no fuss, only the sound of the surf.

Infrastructure: villas of several Garden and Beachfront categories. The top villas on the rocks have their own infinity pools. The hotel has an excellent spa center and round-the-clock service that organizes canoeing or snorkeling. Xanadu restaurant is a classic of Indonesian cuisine.

Plataran Komodo Resort & Spa

Sudamala Resort, Seraya

This is an option for those who want to escape from reality. The hotel is located not on the main island of Flores, but on the small island of Seraya. Here guests are awaited by bungalows in a minimalist "beach chic" style. There are no roads and cars, and the main feature is the house reef. That means you do not need to take tours to see turtles and rays - just put on a mask and take a step from your own pier.

Infrastructure: a private beach with perfect sand, an outdoor pool and a diving center. Lomak restaurant offers fresh catch and international dishes.

Sudamala Resort, Seraya

Sudamala Resort, Komodo

A garden on the ocean shore. The resort is designed so that guests feel in complete privacy, while still remaining a few minutes' drive from the town center. The main feature of Sudamala Komodo is the presence of its own private white-sand beach. For Labuan Bajo this is rare, as most shorelines here are public or rocky.

Infrastructure: the resort has a wide choice of suites and villas. The room stock includes garden Inerie suites, panoramic Larantuka suites and beach Rangko suites, with authentic interiors and open bathrooms. Modern fitness center and spa salon. A large outdoor infinity pool with ocean view is the center of relaxation. Wae Rebo restaurant serves Indonesian, American and international cuisine.

Sudamala Resort, Komodo

Loccal Collection Hotel

This hotel has become the calling card of Labuan Bajo on social media. It is called "Little Santorini" for its dazzling white walls, maze-like staircases and bright blue details. It is built on a steep slope, and from every point there is a view of the harbor with boats. Compact stylish rooms. There is a chic infinity pool. The hotel restaurant is a place of pilgrimage for sunset photos.

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Loccal Collection Hotel

Escape Bajo

A modern adults-only hotel. It is worth choosing at least for the terrace restaurant. From here opens perhaps the most beautiful sunset view in the town. There are both comfortable private rooms and shared rooms.

Escape Bajo

Accommodation in Labuan Bajo: tips

1. There are a lot of mosques in Labuan Bajo. If your hotel is in the center or on a slope - the call to prayer happens at 4:30 in the morning. Earplugs are a first necessity.
2. If your hotel does not provide a transfer, download the Grab or Gojek apps. Motorcycle taxi (Ojek) is the fastest way to move around the narrow and steep streets of the town.
3. Choose the north of the town for accommodation (the area of Loccal Collection, Seaesta hotels, Waecicu Beach). It is cleaner there, and the choice of restaurants is better. The southern part of the town is more industrial.
   
   

Things to do in Labuan Bajo

Labuan Bajo is not just a point on the map, but like a lost ancient world. Local nature can be explored for more than one week.

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Komodo National Park and three main locations

Padar Island: You will need to overcome about 800 steps. It is worth going at sunrise. By 9 in the morning, the sun begins to burn, and the climb turns into a challenge. But when you reach the top, delight happens. Three bays with beaches of different colors: pearl white, coal black and delicate pink. This is one of the most photographed places in the world.

Komodo dragons. You can also see them on Rinca Island. Many ask: where is better? On Rinca it is easier to meet the monitor lizards. On Komodo everything is larger in scale - you need to walk through the forest accompanied by a ranger, and it is more like a real safari. Without accompaniment, exploring Komodo is forbidden, as the monitor lizards are dangerous.

Pink Beach. There are several pink beaches on Komodo. This shade of sand is given by crushed red coral. Life hack: if you want to make the photo brighter, wet the sand at the waterline - there the color becomes strawberry-like. The snorkeling here is amazing: coral gardens begin two meters from the shore.

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Diving and snorkeling on Komodo

• Manta Point. Here you do not just look at fish, you swim with huge manta rays. This is drift snorkeling: the boat drops you at the beginning of the current, and you simply float above the bottom, watching these amazing animals swim beneath you. Sometimes up to 20-30 individuals at the same time. Incredible emotions!
• Diving. Spots like Batu Bolong are considered among the best on the planet. But be careful: the currents here are tricky. If you are a beginner, be sure to choose proven dive centers, there are many of them on the main street. One day of diving with 3 dives and meals on the boat costs about $160-180.

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Exploring caves

• Gua Rangko. This is a place for those who seek exclusivity. First you go by car to the village, then take a small boat and sail along deserted shores. Inside the cave there is a lake with water so salty that it keeps you afloat, like in the Dead Sea. The best time: from 12:00 to 14:00, when sunlight penetrates through the vault and the water glows in neon color.
• Mirror Cave Batu Cermin. It is located very close to Komodo Airport. This is a dry cave. The walls here contain salt crystals that reflect light like mirrors. Inside you can see fossils of fish and turtles - once this place was the bottom of the ocean.

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Evenings in Labuan Bajo: rum and seafood

The most popular spot is Amelia Sea View. This is a free platform where locals and tourists gather in the evening. Just sit on the grass and watch how the sun falls into the sea between dozens of islands.

Kampung Ujung night market

This is the gastronomic heart of the town. Dozens of stalls with fresh fish. You can bargain to your heart's content. A huge red grouper or lobster will cost many times less than in a restaurant. Even if you do not have the goal of buying fish, come here for an excursion, here you can see all the wealth that the ocean gives.

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