On our second night in Maumere a Portuguese/German couple who had just finished a weeks long motorbike trip on the islands of Indonesia told us that they were headed to Pirate Island for 7 nights, as a final destination and ultimate relaxation to finish their trip. Pirate what what, now? We decided we’d go too, and we would get to meet up with them, Merrick and Isabelle, again. It’s nice to be able to share tips and gather advice from other travelers.
Fabian, from Germany, also headed out to the Island. He was at our hotel in Labuan Bajo, Cool Breezes, so we all walked over to the Pirate office together to board the boat.Leaving Labuan Bajo harbor, and ready to settle into the island vibe. Aaarrggh!
Pirate Island is like summer camp for adults. You buy a package for all meals, there is no air conditioning or hot water, and you have snorkel gear waiting at your glamping tent for you. They also arrange scuba dives. Your tent has a fan, and when we stayed you could turn it on all day and night, but since the island is only powered by solar, in the busy season we read that the fans and the electricity may not be available all day. We brought headlamps which meant we didn’t need to turn on the overhead lights in our tent if we didn’t want to.
Leaving LB and admiring the mountains of Flores Island.After a boat ride of a little less than an hour we arrive. Welcome to Pirate Island.
Rich and I are just the age to keep making allusions to and jokes about Fantasy Island, Survivor, and White Lotus.
The boat which arrives once a day bringing new guests. It’s a shallow water disembark. The lovely staff bring your luggage and shoes off the boat for you.
You start your stay with a welcome drink and an orientation by staff. There is a map to show the snorkeling area, and a red or white flag for when you can snorkel from the beach (white flag high tide), or when you should walk out the jetty (red flag low tide.) Then the lunch buffet (you preorder your choice of main), and check in to your tent.
Our tent. Rich chose sunrise beach, so we got morning sun and then nice deep shade in the afternoon. Our own private bathroom. Relaxing and enjoying the view.The beach aesthetic is lovely. Ready for sunset!The sunset is getting dramatic.Let the relaxation begin. Our first night of two had the most dramatic sunset.Even the staff were out taking golden sunset light photos.A few people watched the sun set from the jetty.Final dramatic moments of the sunset.
The open air dining and hang out spaces were comfortable and had fans blowing a breeze. We had dinner at tables with other folks, but there were plenty of tables at which couples could be by themselves. Did I mention that Pirate Island is adults only? No guests under the age of 16.
Sunrise from our bed. There is a mosquito net. If you prefer not to be woken by the sunrise you would lower the tent flaps, but then you wouldn’t get the nice ocean breezes at night.We let the sun wake us for a six am swim.Coffee and tea are available from about 6:30 am to 9 pm.Super clear water, this is taken from the jetty.
The resort is working to protect and restore the coral reefs. Indonesia suffers from dynamite fishing. Apparently still a challenge to stop. When you snorkel you can see the newly started coral on wire frames. We always like to support tourism that celebrates natural beauty and wildlife as a way of preserving it.
Looking down from the jetty.Baby black tipped reef sharks cruising the shallows.At low tide you start your snorkel by jumping from the jetty. I would have preferred a ladder but it got the job done.Rich went first, I tossed his gear, waited, and then tossed my gear and jumped. Ok, it wasn’t that fast. I had to psyche myself up a bit to jump.
The snorkeling was fantastic, especially at higher tides when you could pass over the entire protected coral area. Massive schools of fish all around and a huge variety of colorful species. Not to mention turtles and sharks.
One of the smaller tents, more budget friendly and using shared bathrooms.All the staff wore cute blue striped shirts and were super helpful and friendly. From 7-9pm each evening was either a movie or a bonfire sing-along with a talented staff guitar player. Seriously like summer camp for adults. It’s always interesting what songs a diverse age and nationality crowd all know. Bob Marley. Yes. Fiona Hill. Yes. Local Indonesia songs, no but so fun to hear.The resident cat, named Grande. Waking from his afternoon nap.Not to be confused with his morning nap.Or his early afternoon sit and stare.Our final morning Rich climbed the hill.He started out with cloud cover.The jetty and a few land sightings.The climb up a rocky trail got him a good view.The sun came out. Ready for another swim. It was hot and humid.Sad to be leaving. Such gorgeous water.Goodbye Pirate Island, two nights was perfect for us.The happy travelers. Up next: Vietnam.
After decades of living and working in wonderful San Francisco we gave it all up to travel the world. Not owning a car allowed us to save money and live hyper-locally. Now we’re living around the globe. Follow along to see where we are and what cats I manage to pet.
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2 thoughts on “Sabolon Besar – Pirate Island Resort.”
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Less Car, More Life 
what fun!!! And so beautiful!
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