The Lounge Restaurant & Accommodation, Labuan Bajo, Flores

Once we reached Labuan Bajo, we had two nights there before our flight back to Jakarta. This time we opted for The Lounge for our accommodation. As well as being a restaurant and bar, they also offer four unique rooms for guests. The room was very nicely decorated and came with a hanging bed...yes, that's right. The bed was suspended from the ceiling by four metal cables and moved. Interesting! We were in the blue room and everything was themed accordingly including four blue spotlights. The bathroom had a rain shower as well as a rock and coral feature wall. There was a bit of a funny smell emanating from the sink though so we had to keep the door shut. There was a bottle of water in the room and we were brought our welcome drink shortly after arrival. It was a delightful pink drink that had ginger and grenadine in it and was very refreshing. For breakfast there were some limited options (once again, let down by the breakfast...sigh) which included eggs, fried rice and fruit salad. Generally we were very happy with our stay. As the rooms are close to the restaurant and bar there is a certain amount of noise but it generally quietens down by about 10.30pm. Unfortunately we were staying during the World Cup and so I was woken up on both nights by shouts and cheers from the restaurant where they were showing the matches. Obviously that's not a frequent occurrence but I would have appreciated knowing in advance as I am a light sleeper and it might have affected my decision to stay. The Lounge is situated in the middle of the town so you are close to everywhere and can easily walk to restaurants and shops. The price was Rp. 385,000 per night. Not cheap but at least it was comfortable, clean and the staff were courteous and efficient.

The restaurant is a great spot for hanging out in the evening. There is a local band who perform from 8 to 9pm and they even play some local songs. The food is decent and there is a range of cuisine from burgers to pizza and local dishes too. The drinks are cheap and offer choices with the local alcohol called sope or imported alcohol. I would say it is the most popular spot for chilling out at night and is always busy. The Lounge should definitely be one of your stops while in Labuan Bajo.

Room

Toilet

Outdoor seating

View

Restaurant

Nirvana Bungalows, Riung, Flores

There are not a huge number of places to stay in Riung as at the moment it is still relatively quiet. So I think there are about 4 or 5 places and when I read reviews generally they were not very good. Finally I decided on Nirvana Bungalows. We arrived in the evening and the staff welcomed us and showed us to the bungalow where we would be staying. I was pleasantly surprised at the standard of the room. It had been freshly painted and was nice and clean. There was a bed, mosquito net, sink, mirror and bedside table. The bathroom had also been freshly painted and was large and had a great shower. I was more than happy. At 220k per night the room provided good value for money including our breakfast. Once we were settled they brought us a coffee and we were able to straight away organise our boat trip for the following day through a member of staff. Breakfast the following morning was a nice small loaf of bread with butter and jam, a plate of fruit and a cup of coffee. We were even given breakfast on the morning we left which was at the very early time of 5.30am. The owner of the bungalows called Om Rustam, is friendly and welcoming and happy to sit and have a chat. There are seven bungalows in total and the newer ones are at the back (which is where we stayed). There are rooms with aircon which are a little more expensive, ours had a fan. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

Golo Hilltop, Labuan Bajo

Before we made our way to Kanawa island, we had to spend one night in Labuan Bajo. Flights to Labuan Bajo are increasing but still limited and as we didn't arrive until after 2pm we missed the daily boat to the island that leaves at midday. After browsing Trip Advisor to see what was on offer, I was rather dismayed to see that many hotels had received poor reviews. Complaints ranging from poor facilities to mismanaged staff. Eventually I settled on Golo Hilltop. Situated just outside of town but withe views across the harbour, it seemed to be the best of the bunch. When we arrived, we were picked up at the airport by the hotel driver. Unfortunately he seemed to have left his manners at home that day and left us to carry our bag up the stairs by ourself with not even an offer of help. Not a good start. When we reached the reception, we stood around for awhile feeling a bit lost while a member of staff talked to another couple. Eventually someone else approached us and asked us to fill out a form. I was rather disappointed that we weren't offered a friendly greeting for even a welcome drink of coffee or tea which is part and parcel of life here in Flores. Being married to a native of the island, I have visited many homes here in Flores in the past and never once have I not been greeted with a smile and handshake nor an offer of coffee.

After filling in the form we were shown to our room. The room was simple with an AC and four poster bed with a mosquito net. There was a shelf unit with a safe as well as an empty small fridge. There was also a kettle with some coffee sachets and tea. The toilet was fairly basic too offering the necessities of a sink, shower and toilet. The price was 350,000 for the night. When asked if we could have some water for the room, we were told we could buy it at the restaurant. To be honest, a complimentary bottle of water in the room would have been much appreciated after our journey from Jakarta. The saving grace of this hotel has got to be the view. When you sit outside your room you have a wonderful view across the harbour and it certainly allowed me to soak in lots of uninterrupted sky. We wanted to rent a motorbike and asked one of the staff to help us. There were two motorbikes parked in the car park but the staff member said he didn't know where the keys were and went off on his motorbike to ask the boss. He never came back! We had to organise the motorbike ourselves by contacting a friend of my husband.

The next morning, we arrived in the restaurant for breakfast and were told we could have eggs and bread or a banana or pineapple pancake with coffee or tea. We were given the choice of how we wanted our eggs cooked...whoopee do! Breakfasts in Indonesia never fail to disappoint me. I think the only time I have ever been blown away by the standard of breakfast served was when I visited Bali Starling homestay in Canggu. Otherwise it is disappointment after disappointment. Pancakes are usually thick and stodgy so I generally avoid them and stick with the basic eggs and bread. The sad thing is that I have been travelling in Indonesia since 1997 and the breakfast options have not changed a single bit. It's very disappointing for someone who adores breakfast and understands it's importance as the first meal of the day. Anyway, I continue to live in hope.

This hotel has a lot of potential but still has a long way to go in respect of customer service, which let's face it we are all looking for when we go on our holidays.