Untouched islands, luxury boats and the famous Komodo dragons
Flores and Komodo National Park are one of the most spectacular destinations in Indonesia. Think dramatic islands rising from turquoise water, pink sand beaches, pristine coral reefs and the legendary Komodo dragons roaming freely across remote islands.
We have written this article based on multiple visits to the region. Our first trip was in 2019, spending a couple of days in Labuan Bajo, exploring Western Flores and making a day trip to Komodo National Park. Since then, we have been back multiple times. Olivia has traveled Eastern Flores extensively when she was working for an ecological foundation, and Dirk has made a Komodo dive trip with friends in 2025. Together we’ve visited again in 2026 to inspected high-end hotels and liveaboards for this article and to develop a new Honeymoon Package featuring Komodo.
Luxury honeymoon destination
In the not so distant past, this region was really for the more adventurous travelers only, but lately it’s starting to become a niche luxury travel destination. Some spectacular 5-star hotels have opened up recently, and every year newer and nicer luxury Phinisi Liveaboard Ships start sailing. You can now discover this beautiful region without compromising on comfort!
We would suggest honeymooners to stay in an overwater villa, as you won’t find this in many parts of Indonesia (definitely not in Bali!). The most high-end and modern are the overwater villas in the Ta’aktana Resort, a luxury collection resort by Marriott just north of town. We also really like the wooden overwater villa’s with private pool at the Katamaran resort, and feel they blend into the environment slightly better than those at Ta’aktana. For those that don’t mind a secluded stay only accessible by boat, and are looking for a more economical overwater villa option, we really like Menjaga Bay too.
We have personally inspected most high-end resorts in the region and are keen to guide you through your options 😊. Scroll down for more hotel suggestions in the area of Labuan Bajo.
Labuan Bajo: Gateway to Flores & Komodo
Komodo Airport is not actually located in Komodo, but in the nearby town of Labuan Bajo the island of Flores. This lively town is the starting point of most visitors and has a long history as a trading port of the seafaring Bajo people of Indonesia.
Sukarno Hatta Street runs along the harbour and consists of bars, dive shops, tourist agencies, trendy coffeeshops and international restaurants. On the north end you’ll find the night market where locals and visitors enjoy freshly grilled fish from simple foodstalls. A bit further inland op the hill, many coffeeshops and restaurants offer panoramic views over the harbour. Tako Bajo is a local favorite for drinks during sunset. A little more upscale is Le Bajo Restaurant, all the way towards the northern tip of town on a long Jetty (you need to reserve here in high season).
When in Labuan Bajo, consider making a half-day trip to swim at Rangko Cave. If you visit in the early afternoon, the rays of the sun shine into the cave creating a beautiful light effect. Most hotels and tourist shops in town organize trips to Rangko Cave, which involves a 20-minute car ride and a short boat trip from the town of Tanjung Boleng.
The Komodo Islands
You can see the highlights of Komodo in a single day trip. Most tours leave really early from Labuan Bajo, around 6AM, and get back in the early evening. You can either join a shared tour, or book a private boat. If you have the time however, we suggest staying on a traditional Phinisi liveaboard ship for a few nights and take your time around Komodo, scroll further down for more information on these Liveaboard experiences.
Below are our highlights of the Komodo region, often visited by both day-trips and liveaboards. However, there is way more to see, especially if you are into SCUBA Diving (more information on SCUBA further down).
- Padar Island: this is a famous photo spot. If you hike up the hill you can get a spectacular 360-degree view of Padar Island with an ocean on all sides. Does get very crowded in high season. A little warning though, its around 800 steps, so bring water. Fortunately most tours stop here first when it’s still early and not so hot yet - but you’ll probably get sweaty regardless!
- Pink Beach: Pictures don’t do this spot justice, the natural pink hues are spectacular when visiting in person. This beach turned pink due to coral While made famous by Instagram, this is a spectacular spot and also nice for a refreshing swim and to see turtles and colorful fish swimming around the coral.
- Komodo Dragons: most tours stop at Komodo National Park on the main island of Komodo. While the dragons roam freely around the premise, local guides make sure the visitors stay safe.
- Manta Point: spectacular spot in the middle of the sea, for snorkeling and diving. When we visited we saw multiple Manta Rays circling around. Scroll further down for more info on SCUBA Diving.
- Kalong Island: Not all tours stop here, but it’s really unique. Thousands of birds sleep on the mainland of Flores, but spend the day at Kalong island searching for food. As the sun sets, they will all fly back to Flores around the same time. We tried to capture a picture of this but it’s hard to see!
There’s a big difference in speed between boats, and it does affect your day: slower traditional wooden flatboats might only visit 4 spots, while faster speedboats and yachts might stop at 6 or more spots in a single day. When we did a day-trip back in 2019 we did not know this and had one of the slower boats, meaning we only visited 4 different sights.
⚠️ Important: We suggest not visiting Komodo during the wet season (mid november - mid march), as most liveaboards won’t sail, day-tours often get cancelled and the weather and ocean might be rough. Also note that the local government is implementing a Komodo visitor cap some time in 2026, so please double-check on the latest situation, we suggest to secure your spot in advance to prevent disappointment.
Sail by Phinisi Liveaboard
A Phinisi is a traditional Indonesian sailing vessel, famously crafted by the Konjo tribe in Sulawesi. Known for its seven sails, it represents centuries of maritime heritage and was historically used for spice trading. Today, they are popular as luxury liveaboard yachts.
Sailing on a Phinisi is our favorite way to discover the Komodo Islands. Instead of rushing through a day-trip that leaves at 6AM, you can take your time and explore both the highlights and more off-the-beaten-path destinations around Komodo.
Before choosing a Phinisi Liveaboard, we suggest considering a few different things:
- Shared or private? Do you want to join a shared Open Trip, or book a private Phinisi? Luxury private Phinisi’s are expensive (usually starting from 4000$ for 2 nights), while you are able to join a higher-end shared 2-night trip from a comfortable above-deck room from around 1000$ per couple.
- How many nights? Would you rather join a trip for 1 night or for 2 nights? We suggest the 2-night trips as these are more relaxed and the one-night trips arrive back in Labuan Bajo very late, requiring you to book an overnight in town afterwards anyway. Most 2-night trips arrive back to the harbour around noon, allowing you to fly back to Bali the same day.
- Diving or non-diving? Is your focus on sightseeing & snorkeling, or on SCUBA diving? Some sailboats focus on SCUBA destinations and have dive facilities on board while the majority of ships are more focussed on general sightseeing and snorkeling.
- Day of the week? Most Phinisis run shared open 2-night trips from Friday to Sunday, while some also operate from Monday to Wednesday. A private trip can start any day of the week.
- Do you like Indonesian food? Most ships serve Indonesian food in a buffet-style - often with a focus of seafood, rice, chicken and noodles. We love Indonesian food, so for us that is not a problem, but if you prefer more Western catering or have specific dietary requirements you might have more limited options.
- Where are you heading next? If Lombok or the Gili Islands are your next or previous destination, you could also consider booking a 3-night liveaboard between Lombok and Flores, stopping in Sumbawa (swim with whale sharks!) as well as Komodo. If you book a 1-night Komodo trip from Labuan Bajo, you will likely need a hotel stay in Labuan Bajo on either end as the trips leave early and arrive back in the harbour late. 2-Night trips are better timed, allowing you to get an early morning flight from Bali before your sailing or late afternoon flight back to Bali afterwards.
There are boats at different luxury levels, and finding online reviews of individual ships can be hard. Some rooms are below deck, often without any windows or very small ones. For a honeymoon we always suggest booking a room on the upper deck or main deck - possibly one with perks like a balcony or bathtub 😍. Unfortunately to figure out which rooms are available and which ships are sailing on your dates, you will need to contact multiple boat operators, as most don’t have their room availability listed online. We work with a few operators we trust, and are happy to help find you a suitable Phinisi for your honeymoon.
Honeymoon Hotels in Flores & Komodo
We have personally inspected many hotels in the region. Below are our favorites!
❤️ More Labuan Bajo hotels? You might want to compare prices or check all highly rated hotels for couples in Labuan Bajo for yourself. See all the best Labuan Bajo hotel options here and compare reviews and prices for your dates 📅.
If you follow this link, we've already filtered the list to only show the best options with great ratings of 8 out of 10 or above (but you can easily adjust the filters).
SCUBA Diving with Manta Rays
Komodo is a spectacular dive destination, famous for Manta Rays and a high bio-diversity, spectacular drift dives, sharks and reefs. Batu Bolong is a small rock pinnacle is teeming with life, and is considered one of the 10 best dive sites in the world. Tatawa Kecil features caves and swim-throughs, but advanced SCUBA certification is required. Karang Makassar is famous for Manta Rays, and when I (Dirk) was diving here I experienced multiple giant Manta Rays swimming over my head like an orchestrated dance. These are just some of the over 50 dive spots in the Komodo area!
While dedicated SCUBA Liveaboards exist, I visited in a different way on a dedicated dive trip (Olivia didn’t join as she doesn’t dive). My friends and I stayed at the Scuba Junkie Dive Resort, a 1.5 hour boat ride away from Labuan Bajo town. They offer three meals a day and daily dive trips by boat to different destinations. While accomodation is simple compared some more 5-star options, and the food is mostly simple Indonesian buffet-style, I really loved my stay here and the staff was super friendly and professional.
Romantic dining in Labuan Bajo
Flores beyond Labuan Bajo
In this article we’ve mostly covered the Komodo Islands and the area around Labuan Bajo, which is on the Western tip of Flores Island. But Flores has way more to offer and is a huge island: driving from one end to the other takes 17 hours!
Most travelers stick to the highlights of Komodo & Labuan Bajo. However here are some highlights for those adventurous travels that consider venturing further East ❤️!
- Some 4 hours drive from Labuan you’ll find the town of Ruteng, where you can explore the traditional Manggarai Village of Ruteng Pu’u.
- Ruteng is also the place where the ancient Hobbit Man was discovered, part of a smaller species of “archaic humans” that used to inhabit Flores around 50,000 years ago but is now extinct. You can still visit the cave where this Homo Floresiensis was discovered.
- While we normally suggest staying away from spider webs in Indonesia, we make an exception for the massive spiderweb-shaped ricefields of Linko, also in the Ruteng area.
- Olivia used to work for an NGO running projects in the town of Ende, so she visited the place many times and knows the area well. This area is known for the spectacular three-coloured lakes of the Kelimutu Volcano.
- It’s a long 12 hours drive over winding roads from Labuan Bajo to Ende, so it’s definitely worth stopping at one of the Hot Springs in the Bajawa area!
How to get to Komodo?
Multiple airlines operate the short (1 hour 15 minute) flight between Bali and Komodo Airport. We suggest Batik Air or AirAsia, both reliable domestic operators allthough the legspace tends to be small.
It is also possible to reach Flores from Indonesia’s capital Jakarta or by international connection from Malaysia or Singapore, but those international flights only operate a few days per week.
For the adventurous, consider joining a longer Liveaboard (usually 3 nights) that sails from Lombok Island. This might be a logical step after visiting the Gili Islands, and as a bonus you’d be able to swim with whale sharks along the way!
Frequently Asked Questions
How to get to Komodo?
Labuan Bajo is the starting point for most travelers to Komodo. There are direct flights from Bali, Jakarta, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
How many nights to spend at Komodo?
We suggest staying 5 nights: spend two or three nights in Labuan Bajo town in Flores, and joining a two night liveaboard sailing across the Komodo islands.
What is the best time to visit Komodo?
The weather gets rough between mid November and mid March, and many boat trips might get cancelled. The rest of the year is great!
How to get from Labuan Bajo to Komodo?
You can join a day trip leaving at 6AM, however a more relaxed experience would be joining a multi-day Phinisi Liveaboard.
Is Komodo a good honeymoon destination?
Yes! With luxury liveaboard sailings and high end 5-star resorts and overwater villas, we believe Komodo is a spectacular honeymoon destination!
Next Destinations
Most travelers fly into Labuan Bajo from Bali, but it’s also possible to join a 3 night Liveaboard Phinisi Ship to Lombok Island and travel onwards to the Gili Islands.
If you do end up traveling back to Bali, we would suggest exploring some of the more green inland regions, as Komodo & Flores are much more dry and focussed on the ocean. The jungle town Ubud continuous to be our favorite honeymoon destination in Bali, but it’s also worth considering checking out the mountains around Munduk. If your flight home leaves from Bali and you would like to stay near the airport, consider the calm beach town of Sanur, trendy Seminyak or the cliffs of Uluwatu.
For those looking for more SCUBA Diving, consider North Bali’s Amed or the Gili Islands.
You can also end your honeymoon in Komodo, as there are direct flights from Labuan Bajo to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. But check availability, these flights don’t operate every day of the week.
We are Olivia & Dirk
Hi! We have put together this guide with a lot of care, based on our own experiences. As a couple, we have lived in Bali for the past 7 years, and we fell in love with the island. We have visited every corner of Bali, especially the romantic places ;-). While our articles do contain affiliate links, you can trust us to recommend only the experiences that we love.
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