Laprima Hotel – Labuan Bajo, Indonesia

Trudging back to my room at one in the morning, my body ached for rest. After ten trials on opening the door using an old school key I got inside and went straight to the private balcony to secure it. A li’l bit tipsy from a fun beer sesh at the poolside of Laprima Hotel in Labuan Bajo, I was taken aback when I saw the moon shining with all its glory. It was in its perfect state; overly big, rounded and glowing bright like a jewel under Indonesia’s roof. It was so beautiful that I dozed off watching it from my bed, shining through my shadowy room.

Coming from Lombok, we had a connecting flight from Bali before reaching our next destination--Labuan Bajo. It was our fifth stop on Trip of Wonders 2016, a twelve-day exploration on different key destinations in Indonesia by the Ministry of Tourism with 40+ souls from different Southeast Asian countries. We enjoyed the first leg of our trip when we visited Jakarta (for a quick overnight stop), Bandung, Yogyakarta and Lombok.

Labuan Bajo is popular as jump-off point to some of the more famous islands in Flores and the whole of Indonesia, Komodo and Rinca Islands to name a few.

Front desk

We arrived after lunch at Laprima Hotel and went straight to our respective rooms to have a decent rest after half day of transit. I was ready to ~~clutter~~ unpack my stuff as we will be staying here for four days.

My Deluxe Double Room (check for discounted rates here) was spacious and with basic amenities; double-sized bed, end tables, daybed, desk with chair, flat screen TV, mini fridge and an en suite toilet and bath. Nothing fancy, just the essentials for a comfortable stay.

The view from my private balcony with its garden table set totally compensated what lacked on the interiors.

Deluxe Double Room (Sea view)

I was fortunate to be housed on a room with sea view. Laprima’s pool and garden on the ground level were only a stone’s throw away from the beach. The humid salty air surprisingly perked me up. Finally, a beachfront hotel, I kept on mumbling.

I had a good rest that afternoon and went out for dinner and beer run on a convenience store at downtown Labuan Bajo. We had a blast on our beer session that night at the poolside of Laprima Hotel under the gorgeous full moon. It’s as if we had our own version of Full Moon Party in Indonesia. Haha.

Morning view from my private balcony

Breakfast is served at the in-house restaurant of Laprima Hotel, buffet style. Choices were very limited and I only remembered one chicken dish that stood out on the course of our four-day stay. Fried eggs and sausages were also some of the mainstays on my plate.

WiFi connection in my room wasn’t reliable. Decent connections would be at Laprima Hotel’s lobby.

Their breakfast is so-so

We had two full days of sea excursions and it included some great places in the Komodo National Park. After which, we’d come back home to a lovely sunset view on our private balconies. The burst of majestic colors always painted the sky no matter where I go in Indonesia (as with our case at Ratu Boko in Yogyakarta). And I always loved it, the serenity and beauty of it.

Beautiful sunset, every day

Waking up with a lovely view of the sea can be habit-forming. I actually miss those times when I wake up and go straight to the balcony and just stay there. Laprima Hotel in Labuan Bajo may not be as lavish as others but it would surely compensate in terms of romantic sceneries.

Laprima Hotel (check for discounted rates here)

Jalan Pantai Pedeh No.8, Labuan Bajo, Indonesia

Contact Number: (+62) 385.244.3700

Special thanks to Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism for making this trip possible.

As always, opinions and opinions are all mine.