After many previous trips to Komodo, I finally got to stay at the Komodo resort. An ethnic chic boutique hotel on the fringe of the amazing Komodo National park.

With this review, find out if the Komodo resort is the best place for your next holiday and get plenty of practical tips on how to make the best of your trip to Komodo.

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How to get to the Komodo resort?

Getting to Labuan Bajo Indonesia – the entrance airport for Komodo

The Komodo national park is reached via the Labuan Bajo airport. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, foreigners are not allowed to fly into Indonesia. I was lucky since I was already in Bali and so I was able to do this trip at a very special time.

From Bali, I usually fly to Labuan Bajo with Garuda or Citilink, as they have a great luggage policy for diving equipment.

TIP: At the time of writing this article, Garuda allows an extra 15 kg of luggage free of charge specifically for diving equipment.

TIP2: Citilink has a sports club that you can join for 450000 Rp. It gives you 20 kg of free diving equipment on all flights so you pay back the card with only one trip. To join, check here

If you are thinking of booking Lionair because it looks cheaper, do read my review on why I will not fly Lion air here.

There are some additional requirements to fly due to the coronavirus. I had to take a swab antigen test the day before traveling and show it on arrival and departure. I also had to download the Indonesian EHAC application on my phone and complete the form for each flight, which was checked on arrival. All the extra COVID controls were fast, friendly, and well-organized.

Tip: for your return flight, it is possible to do a swab antigen test in the basement of the Labuan Bajo airport. It was well organized and we were done in about 30 minutes

Getting from the Labuan Bajo airport to the Komodo Resort

The resort can arrange your airport transfer and boat ride. It is well organized and the boat is very comfortable.

I however made my own way to the resort. I arrived at the resort after a day of Diving in the park with dive Komodo. The diving boat just dropped me at the Komodo resort on the way back to Labuan Bajo.

Zeppot, the Komodo resort manager greeted me. Someone took my bags and someone handed me a cold towel.

Zeppot took me to the restaurant, gave me a drink, and explained me about the resort, meals, and diving schedule. It was all very smooth.

My diving gears were taken directly to the dive center and they proactively washed everything and put it to dry.

We were taken in a speedboat for my return trip so it took around 35 minutes from the pier to the resort.

Review of the Komodo resort.

The Komodo resort is located on its own private island on the edge of Komodo island.

It is composed of 20 bungalows. There are 18 standards bungalows and 2 bigger bungalows that have 2 units each.

All the bungalows are beachfront and have a nice view.

The restaurant, the pier, and the dive center are at the center of the resort. South of that are the 10 south bungalows that are by a small white sand beach

Both the restaurant and the dive center are pretty bamboo structures that are open to the ocean breeze.

The bar is a welcoming place with outdoor tables on the large beach at the center of the resort.

It is a great place to meet other divers over sunset drinks.

The watersport center is next to the dive center. You can get Kayaks to use around the island.

The place is genuinely beautiful. There are bougainvilleas through the lush garden.

The gentle sound of the wave is so relaxing. I spent many serene afternoons relaxing on a sunbed by the beach.

 

Review of the rooms at the Komodo Resort

I stayed in bungalow number south 6 and I loved it.

The wooden bungalow doesn’t look big from the outside but felt surprisingly spacious.

The room is large with a king-size bed covered by a mosquito net and a desk.

The bed was very comfortable ( a bit on the soft side) with plenty of soft pillows

There is a safety box in the cupboard for your valuables.

The fridge is filled with complimentary soft drinks and snacks.

There is airconditioning and many plugs to recharge your electronic devices

The curvy shape of the roof and ethnic art adorning the walls give the room a relaxing feel.

The room is very well designed and manage to be laid back and super comfortable at the same time

The bathroom is large and covered with white stones

The vast shower has hot water and good water pressure.

Tip: it is a gas water heater and the water takes a few seconds before it gets warm. if the hot water doesn’t start, just turn off the water and start again.

Shampoo and body wash are provided.

The beachfront terrace was my favorite place to hang out.

There are 2 chairs, a footrest, and a table to relax. It is surrounded by a round roof and therefore offers privacy and protection from the rain.

Even better are the 2 lounge chairs right on the beach in front of your bungalow.

What bungalow to choose at Komodo resort?

Bungalow 1 is the closest to the restaurant and the dive center. Bungalow 10 is the furthest away.

Tip: bungalow 1 might be a bit noisier as it is closer to the restaurant.

The bungalows with the best-unobstructed sea views are south 4 and 5

North are more Deluxe bungalows. They are also by the sea but the beach has been eroded at some places and disappear at high tide. In that area, The Komodo Resort has added over-water platforms with lounge chairs that also looked like a great place to relax. So I wouldn’t worry about getting a room on the Northside of the island. They are also great.

 

Review of the food at the Komodo resort.

Meals are served at 7 -9 am, 12 am ( or after diving), and 7 -9 pm.

The restaurant is large and breezy.

The menu is a mix of Indonesian food and Italian food.

Due to the Covid situation, they were operating with a reduced menu. In normal time you would get much more options to chose from.  The standard Full Board package normally includes 2 types of a la carte menu, and 4 types of a la carte dinner from our their menu list (more than 40 options of Indonesian, Thai, Italian, and Western selection)

The food is tasty but don’t expect gastronomic food. Remember you are on an isolated tropical island…

I was on the full board plan. For breakfast, I could choose between eggs, pancakes, continental breakfast, or Nasi Goreng. Fruits were always available. The one disappointment was the orange juice. It was the watered-down sugary powder one…

I could choose between 2 or 3 main courses that changed with every meal for lunch and dinner.

It ranged from beef rendang, Gado Gado, bakso soup to carbonara pasta.

The food was varied and plentiful.

A dessert was served at diner and fresh fruits were also available.

Dive organization at Komodo Resort.

The best feature of the Komodo dive resort is its proximity to the best dive sites of Komodo.

This makes it the most convenient resort to dive central and north Komodo dive sites.

The hotel is on Sebayur island which is a mere 40 minutes by slow wooden boat from sites like Batu Bolong or Mawan!

While other hotels in Labuan Bajo or Seraya would take over 2 hours.

While it would take most dive boat all day to go there and do 2 dives,  staying at Komodo Resort means you can do the 2 dives in the morning and relax on the beach for the afternoon ( or go for a third dive )

They usually go for 2 dives in the morning starting at 8 am and are back by 12:30 am. You then have the option to go for an afternoon dive at 2 pm to one of the nearby dive sites around Sebayur)

The diving service is 5 stars. The staff would take care of all our gears and bring them on and off the boat. they would also rinse it. The staff on the boat were super friendly and assisted us with putting our gears on.

The boat is an old wooden boat. It is not the best-looking boat but it is large and functional with a toilet and a large diving deck.

The ladder at the back of the boat is very comfortable and makes it easy to get back on board.

There is a sun deck and a shaded area with bean bags at the top of the boat.

The motor however broke down after our first 2 dives. They could not fix it.  We drifted for over 40 minutes until the speedboat from the resort came to rescue us. I was told that they have just bought 3 new boats so hopefully, this will be fixed in the future.

Dive time is 60 minutes and it was strictly enforced. Nitrox is available for an extra fee.

On my last day, there were only 2 people diving. Me and another beginner diver. Yet, they put us in 2 different boats so that we could both dive sites according to our level. It shows that Komodo resort really cares about providing the best dive experience possible to its guests.

And the dives were fantastic!  I was in Komodo end of March so it was the end of the manta seasons.

We saw over 20 mantas at the Manta point dive site and 8 mantas at the Mawan dive site. They stuck around with us for the whole dive. It was incredible.

We dove Batu Bolong twice :-). We witnessed a bit of hunting with sharks and Giant trevallies hunting fusiliers.

The reef at Batu Bolong is splendid and is covered by red anthias and other little fishes. A huge barracuda was patrolling the area and many turtles were sleeping on the reef. What a fantastic dive site.

What to do at the Komodo Resort?

Tour To see the Komodo dragons

Besides diving, the resort organizes a few tours to the nearby islands. Don’t miss the trip to either Rinca or Komodo island to see the Komodo dragons. Other highlights are the picturesque Padar Island or Pink Beach. You can see the tours offered by the Komodo resort and their prices below

Chilling on the beach

The beach is super nice and all the bungalows have 2 lounge chairs on the beach in front

Snorkeling at Komodo Resort.

There is a pretty reef just in front of the rooms.

Don’t expect big fishes like in central Komodo but it is still pretty good snorkeling.

As the coral is pretty shallow, the easiest way to avoid damaging it is to start from the pier.

Tip: inform the watersport staff that you are going snorkeling. This way they can keep an eye on you and “rescue” you with a boat if the current is too strong.

The coral around the pier is destroyed. But look under the pier as many fishes hide there. I saw vertical fishes and a dreamy school of 50 batfishes there. We also saw 2 blacktip sharks hanging around the jetty!

If you snorkel 2 minutes away from the pier in either direction, the hard coral garden starts. Many small coral fishes are going about their daily life.

The coral garden goes down in a gentle slope to the channel

The Spa at Komodo Resort

Unfortunately, the spa was closed during my stay due to Covid restrictions so I didn’t get to try it.

The gym at Komodo resort

Amazingly, the Komodo resort has a gym if diving doesn’t give you enough exercise

Walking to the viewpoint for sunset.

There is a path from the resort to the top of the island. The walk is quite easy and can be done in flip-flops. It takes about 10 minutes to go up ( it took me a bit longer to come down…)

The view from there is breathtaking but the sunset is still a little bit obstructed by the island in front.

The path starts behind bungalow south 4

 

Conclusion

The Komodo resort is a very special place located near the fantastic Komodo National Park. It is a place you must visit if you are into diving or snorkeling. The bungalows are super comfortable, the beach is beautiful and the place exudes a good vibe. It is also the most convenient resort to dive the best sites of the Komodo National Park.

The Komodo Resort is normally fully booked months in advance. SO make sure you book early if you want to stay there. You can book via their website here. 

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If you want to know more about the other luxury resorts in Komodo, check my reviews of the Seraya Resort and the Ayana Komodo. 

If you want to know more about liveaboard diving in Komodo, check my review of the Carpe Diem trip to Komodo, the Ilike liveaboard trip from Komodo to Maumere and The Ilike liveaboard trip from Komodo to Bali.