This Indonesian Island Is Set to Be the Next Bali — and It Just Got Its First Luxury Resort

Ta’aktana, a new Luxury Collection resort on the Indonesian island of Flores, has seven overwater sea villas and is a short boat ride from the famed Komodo dragons.

As a travel writer, one question I’m frequently asked before jetting off somewhere further afield is, “Is it worth it?”

And with dozens of beautiful Mexican and Caribbean resorts right in the United States’ backyard, I get the notion. It’s a lot to spend upwards of 24 hours in transit, all in hopes of some nice scenery, a few good cocktails, and a comfy bed.

But when the door swung open to my overwater sea villa at Ta’aktana, a new Luxury Collection resort on the Indonesian island of Flores (and the first Marriott property in East Nusa Tenggara), I sighed. It was worth it.

At first, it was just the sprawling villa and spectacular, expletive-inducing sunrises and sunsets that got to me. But then, as one night turned to two and then to three, I began to accept that Ta’aktana — and more importantly, this part of Indonesia — was getting under my skin.

I spent the next few days trying to articulate precisely why in my head. Great service, excellent food, and unique architecture and design are table stakes for the top-tier resorts I frequently visit, so what about Ta’aktana made me immediately forget all the effort it took to get there?

I ultimately settled on the answer: It’s the implicit way the resort has integrated itself into the island’s culture and community without feeling overwrought or forced. You can’t help but learn about this magical island through everything — and everyone — you encounter at Ta’aktana, whether it’s the sopi, a local coconut sap liquor used in cocktails at Maiga!, or the colorful batik napkins, repurposed from fabric scraps and used throughout the restaurant. Even coffee grounds from the on-site roastery (only Indonesian beans, naturally) are transformed into a coffee liqueur that accents the pool bar’s spectacular espresso martini.

During a cocktail-making class focusing on sopi, Andreas Widiyanto, the resort’s accomplished Javanese beverage manager with a pedigree of some of the best hotel bars in the Middle East, pointed out the slightly askew roofs on the overwater villas to me, a feature I hadn’t even noticed. “It’s meant to resemble a clam’s shell, slightly open,” he said, noting they’re a nod to the Indonesian sea warriors and fishers who sailed these islands for centuries. “The resort tells a story.”

And he’s right: Everything here is a word, a sentence, a chapter, in Ta’aktana’s story. Read on for my full review of this remarkable Indonesian resort.

Ta’aktana

• The resort’s rooms are inspired by Indonesia’s fishing nomads, and the villas have unique macrame headboards.

• You won’t find typical resort food here — the restaurants all have Indonesian flair and use local ingredients like Flores corn, avocados, and lobster when possible.

• The staff, from butlers to restaurant hosts, is attentive and charming, with skills that include dampening a toddler’s breakfast tantrum and recommending the best snorkeling spots from the hotel’s private jetty.

The Rooms

Of Ta’aktana’s 70 rooms, there are 45 junior suites and 25 villas, From the latter, seven are overwater sea villas. All junior suites have roughly the same floor plan, with room class differences decided based on floor level and view. All also have balconies and sprawl more than 700 square feet — larger than your average New York City apartment. From there, one- and two-bedroom villas start at 1,200 square feet, and what they lack in views, they make up for with private plunge pools. (There’s also the The Mansion, a 5,000-square-foot hilltop villa with three bedrooms.)

If you can swing it, however, Ta’aktana’s pièces de résistance are its seven overwater bungalows jutting out from Pantai Wae Rana. At a whopping 2,000 square feet, these vaguely brutalist structures are light-filled and airy, with colorful batik fabrics paired against neutral furniture and sliding floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Bathrooms have a dramatic wet room with rain showers and peaceful tubs that open up onto the deck, where I spent hours with a cup of coffee, gazing into the clear water, watching everything from a white-spotted puffer fish to a green sea turtle gliding above the reefs. My minor quibble would be that you can’t swim directly from your villa, regardless of how inviting the water looks — there’s no means to exit the water — but the resort’s beach and jetty are just steps away.

All room classes have a stocked minibar filled with local beer and snacks, and while it’s complimentary for all, it’s refilled daily for villas. Additionally, rooms have a kettle for tea and coffee (local beans in pour-over sachets are provided), and toiletries are by Australian brand Sodashi, with Sachajuan shampoo and conditioner.

Food and Drink

One of Ta’aktana’s most distinctive features is its food and drink offerings. While other resorts I’ve visited around the world have largely sold out to the global cuisine diaspora in some form, Ta’aktana relishes its Indonesian heritage throughout the resort — particularly in its dining options. (“You won’t see salmon on the menu here” was a cheerful refrain I heard from multiple staff members.)

On the first night at Umasa, Ta’aktana’s traditional Indonesian restaurant, I was treated to a multicourse, family-style spread of dishes from around the islands: There was Savu sea prawn topped with rusip, a fermented fish condiment found in Bangka Belitung; pumpkin curry from Bajawa, awash in turmeric, lemongrass, and galangal; and pinadar, a grilled chicken loaded with andaliman pepper sauce — a treat for anyone who loves the ma la tingle of Sichuan food.

Leros, the hotel’s only all-day restaurant, starts with an immaculately prepared Indonesian buffet and an a la carte menu featuring more traditional Western offerings, all with a Flores flourish. The Egg & Ikura, a soft scramble served over toast, is topped with roe and either lobster or prawn from the island, while the Tofu Avocado is a spa-inspired dish of house-made tofu, Flores avocado, soy sauce, and green onions. If you’re craving “American food,” Leros’s lunch menu has a few different riffs, like a local corn soup; a menu of pizzas, some topped with local seafood; and pasta options.

The resort’s open-air Japanese robata, Taba, is spectacular, using traditional preparations and quality standards with all local ingredients, save for the melt-in-your-mouth cuts of Miyazaki and Kiwami sirloin. Ingredients for vegetable dishes, like the nasu dengaku (a miso-glazed eggplant), are mainly sourced from the resort’s garden, and the local sashimi offering, which changes daily, was astounding both in presentation and freshness.

As a coffee fan, Ta’aktana’s small on-site roastery showcases a variety of Indonesian beans and various preparation methods. My go-to was a V60 pour-over made from single-origin Yellow Caturra beans, but for those missing their daily Starbucks a little too much, the house Ta’aktana blend is excellent in traditional espresso drinks like lattes or macchiatos.

Activities and Experiences

While the resort spans nearly 40 acres, water is central to most activities here. A private jetty and luxury boat make island-hopping trips easy, but snorkeling and paddleboarding from the dock are readily accessible if you want to stay close to home — and you might spot a sea turtle or two.

Ta’aktana’s location also makes off-site excursions like dive trips or trekking simple, which the hotel will happily arrange. Komodo Island — about a 45-minute journey by boat from Labuan Bajo — needs no introduction, thanks to its namesake reptiles, and Pantai Merah, the nearby “pink beach,” was as spectacular as expected, with some of the best snorkeling I’ve encountered in years.

The resort’s peaceful pool area, which has a swim-up bar, abuts a small, well-kept beach with loungers and towel service. Those looking to break a sweat can get in laps at the Olympic-length pool near the lobby, adjacent to a 24-hour fitness center.

The Spa

I was lucky enough to be the inaugural visitor to Ta’aktana’s hilltop Di’a Spa, where I enjoyed a relaxing massage. The peaceful space has six stone-walled treatment rooms (two for couples) that are large and relaxing, each with private restrooms and showers; a plunge pool; a sauna; and a steam room. Other treatments include facials, body wraps, hair and scalp treatments, and nail services. Villa guests can also enjoy spa treatments in the privacy of their accommodations.

Family-friendly Offerings

Ta’aktana’s multiroom villas are perfectly suited for children, with several even offering bunk beds in the second bedroom. A kids’ club is available on-site, as is a smaller, splash-pad-style pool, plus there’s a variety of programming in the form of classes and activities for little ones. Kids under 12 are not allowed to dine in Taba, and no children are permitted to stay in the overwater sea villas for safety reasons.

Accessibility and Sustainability

While Ta’aktana participates in common sustainability measures like eliminating single-use plastic and sourcing local food, it’s innovated beyond that, partnering with a local textile mill to turn their batik fabric scraps into napkins. The resort also recently donated hundreds of pairs of shoes and whiteboards to a local school. It’s been actively cleaning up beaches and roads adjacent to the property and has worked to mitigate its impact on the nearby coral reef.

“The whole resort is circular in the community,” Peter-Paul Kleiss, the property’s general manager, told Travel + Leisure. “We take from its culture and give back to them.”

Regarding accessibility, the main resort is housed in a three-story building accessible via walkways and elevators, with a limited number of stairs. The pool, spa, and Umasa restaurant, along with the villas, are a further walk, but there are always butlers in electric buggies eager to drive guests to their next stop.

Location

Ta’aktana is set in the small fishing village of Labuan Bajo on the Indonesian island of Flores. The resort is just five minutes from Komodo International Airport, which, despite its name, presently only accommodates domestic flights, with most incoming from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta and Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. (A flight from Kuala Lumpur will launch in the next few months, with Singapore to follow eventually.)

The resort’s location makes it a prime gateway for travelers hoping to visit Komodo National Park or planning dive trips to Batu Bolong, Mawan, or Makassar Reef, some of the region’s best dive spots.

How to Get the Most Value From Your Stay

Ta’aktana is part of The Luxury Collection, meaning guests can earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points during their stay. Recent offers have included daily breakfast and dinner, complimentary airport transfers, and included 90-minute massages for two people.

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