In June 2023, I travelled around Indonesia with my boyfriend. We saw a lot of Bali and Lombok, but then decided to also do a domestic flight to Labuan Bajo which is located in the komodo islands. In fact, there was a place I saw passing by on pinterest which really seems to be a dream, namely Pirate Island! My friend and I had not booked this 3-day trip to Labuan Bajo in advance. After hesitating for a long time, we booked it anyway and we certainly did not regret it.

Pirate Island is located in the Komodo archipelago. It is an uninhabited island, where you will only find overnight accommodation, a little restaurant and a cocktail bar. You actually sleep on the beach about 20 metres from the sea. You can choose a glamping tent or a beach hut. We opted for a beach hut. This cost us 70 euros per night. We stayed there for two nights, which I would recommend. I wouldn’t stay longer than that, I’ll tell you why in a moment. When you choose the beach hut, you do have to use the public showers. Besides, you really literally sleep in a hut, so you practically live and sleep outside. We were initially worried that we wouldn’t be able to sleep well, but we were proven wrong. Sleeping in the idyllic beach huts completed the experience.

On the island, there is plenty to do. First we wanted to do the boat tour to the Komodo Islands but unfortunately there were no more places available (we had booked late). In the end, we didn’t mind because you can have a great time on the island. You can snorkel, play table tennis, drink cocktails at the bar and, of course, chill a lot. Our highlight was still snorkelling. You swim straight into the sea and immediately encounter the most beautiful fish, including small sharks. These, of course, did nothing. It had also been my dream for a long time to take in an open-air cinema setting. And to experience this on a desert island and under a beautiful starry sky was fantastic.

There was one small downside to this wanderful trip though and that was the food. We opted for the island club package for 18 euros a dayincluding buffet lunch, 3 course dinner and unlimited access to all marine activities (snorkelling & canoeing). For lunch, you had a running buffet and it was definitely tasty. For dinner, you could choose between veg, fish, chicken or meat and this was also tasty but very little. furthermore, you had an A La Carte menu that was available between 10:00 and 11:30 am and between 2:00 and 04:00 pm. This was available very short while we were sometimes really hungry later in the evening or between noon. Once we had to wait a long time for the waiter and as a result we were not allowed to order. You’re on a desert island so you can’t get food anywhere else. I would advise you to maybe take some snacks with you. This was also the reason we thought two nights was enough.

If you are in indonesia and have the time and money to fly to Pirate island, I would recommend it anyway! It really is a once in a lifetime experience.