WHAT TO EXPECT
If you love the thought of staying on a remote island, this is the spot for you! Due to it’s unique name and accommodation, we were instantly drawn to this place. We loved the thought of staying on a private island and in ‘rooms’ with no walls or doors! What surprised us was how clean the water and beach was. This is usually a hit and miss whilst travelling in South East Asia because there is an issue with waste that gets thrown into the sea. Our stay was a short 2 days to treat ourselves after a whole week of studying for our PADI course, taken at one of the best dive sites in the world, Komodo Island! You’ll be able to meet a nice little community of fellow travellers and enjoy the beauty of the beach and the sea! Everyone tends to get ver social as there aren’t many of you so you end up speaking to people from all walks of life. One guy booked it for 3 days and ended up staying for 5 weeks!
Great Snorkelling Spots
Amazing Local Staff
Dreamy White Sand Beach
Private Beach Hut
Chilled Vibes All Day Long
No Hot Water or A/C
Outdoor Shared Showers
Barefoot Experience (You'll Be On The Beach The Whole Time!)
Digital Detox
You Could Potentially Have The Whole Island To Yourself!
Each 'Room' Has A Seaview
Who Wouldn't Want To Relax Here?!
Eco Tip 04: Pick a natural sunscreen that doesn’t include oxybenzone. This is really harmful to the ocean reefs as it causes bleaching and can eventually kill the coral
GETTING THERE
A courtesy boat shuttle takes you to the island at 9:30am (you’re able to arrange alternative times at an extra cost). Hopping on to their ‘Bikini’ boat, the journey took about an hour through the gorgeous port of Labuan Bajo.
We arrived there with only 2 other people on the island at the time. We instantly felt like we’d found paradise and was already dreading having to leave! The staff introduce you to the island and talk you through where everything is and what food and activities are available.
Our 'Room'!
THE ‘ROOMS’
Each room has their own name assigned to them – we got ‘Driftwood’ which we loved! It was also the closest one to the toilets which was handy incase we had to get up in the middle of the night! The rooms include all you’d need for a comfortable stay and you’re able to close it off with a mosquito net. For extra privacy, the curtain can be closed and you’re in your own little pod. Next to the bed there’s a socket for charging your devices and a night light. It’s almost like camping but with all the luxuries! The toilets and showers are shared and outdoors, separated by male and female. These were constantly well maintained and were decorated really well! The island is very beautiful and calm, providing us with one of the best sleeps we’ve had for the whole trip with the sound of the waves in the background. The best thing was we didn’t have to leave after check out at 11am, so we got to enjoy the whole day until the boat picked us up at 4:30pm.
Bonus tip: They don’t tend to promote the WiFi, however they’ll give you a staff code if you do need to use it for a short period of time (such as checking emails – but why would you in a place list this??). Don’t try to trick them and use it all night though because they change the code every few hours! Yes, tried and tested by us – we did try to use the WiFi for more hours than they told us to and it automatically disconnected.
One Of The Outdoor Toilets - Taken From Le Pirate Website
Make The Most Of The Happy Hour From 3pm!
FOOD + DRINK
We don’t usually go for all inclusive packages but in this case it worked out cheaper to get that rather than buying each dish individually. This included breakfast, lunch and dinner but the drinks were extra. If you like Asian cuisine, you won’t be disappointed here! The food was incredible, we were never hungry as there was plenty of food in the buffet style breakfast, lunch and dinner but they also left snacks out for you at various parts of the day if you were hungry. Lunch whilst we were there was either chicken, fish or tofu (which you had to notify your choice of beforehand) with a buffet style salad bar. There is a lovely little restaurant on the island where you can enjoy this on communal dining tables – the perfect place to mingle with other travellers! Dinner was in a Korean BBQ style, where you have the cooker on the table and you grill the food yourself. We also had some lovely Vietnamese rolls that were fun to make with the rest of the islanders! There’s also a bar on the island as well as a really fun little set up where you can make your own juice by riding a bicycle. Happy hour starts at 3.30pm so it gives you plenty of time to get your cocktails in throughout the day!
They also cater for vegetarian options, you’ll just have to let them know if advance when you’ve booked as the food comes in by boat from Labuan Bajo. We have no dietary requirements, but we noticed that they took other diet wishes very serious and where very alert while handling out the food.
The Gym Is One Of The Many Activities You Can Do On The Island!
WHAT TO DO
This is the perfect place to relax and detox from the rest of the adventures you’ve had on your travels. You’ll find hammocks everywhere or simply sunbathe on the white sand! However, if you do get restless and feel like doing some activities, here is what the island has to offer:
Trekking - there is no set path so be prepared to walk amongst thigh high grass!
Snorkelling
Kayaking
An outdoor 'jungle' gym
Volleyball
Table tennis
Movie nights in the evening
The marine life and coral can be explored just metres away from the shore which was mind blowing! We’d just finished our PADI course and this definitely lived up to the standards we just saw in Komodo National Park!
Ride The 'Bikini' Boat To The Island
TOP 5 SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES WE LOVED
Le Pirate do not use disposable straws or cutlery. They also don't sell bottled water in single use plastic
The food is fresh and locally sourced. It is then transported daily by boat from Labuan Bajo
Their electricity is powered by solar panels and provides adequate electricity to charge phones, gadgets, fridges and the lights in the rooms
There is no hot water and all outlets are installed with push taps to reduce water consumption. Water is boated in from Labuan Bajo daily so is limited.
They use the ocean's breeze as a natural form of A/C! It does get cooler at night so we didn't feel like it was necessary at any point.
Had This Little Visitor Every Morning
Learn more in related article: Indonesia Island Hopping
Take A Sneaky Peek At The Cocktail List And Prices
We All Love A Sunset View!
HANDY TIPS
Le Pirate also offers a boatel stay which allows you to stay on a boat near Labuan Bajo
Beware of the current that can get strong at changing tides
We'd 100% recommend staying overnight to get the full experience!
Be sure not to miss out of the reef which is literally a couple of yards off of the beach. PLEASE do not step on it as we could see that a lot of it has been damaged but none the less it's still amazing. If you enjoy your snorkelling you are in for a treat!
If you'd like to store your main luggage during your stay, contact Le Pirate and they'll be able to arrange this for you.
Contact Le Pirate here.
Get Social With Your Neighbours!
FEMALE AND SOLO SAFETY RATING – 4/5
What could go wrong on a private island! (Unless you’ve see the Fyre Festival documentary?) Everyone here was really friendly and we never had any moments where we felt uncomfortable. Sometimes the staff are the ones that can ruin someone’s time when they’re travelling but this wasn’t the case at all here. At no point did we ever feel unsafe, even walking across the beach to the toilet in the middle of the night. Don’t forget, no matter how safe you feel, always stay alert.
