Review of Ta'aktana, a Luxury Collection Resort in Indonesia - AFAR
"A newly opened (May 2024) high-end resort on Flores Island that emphasizes understated luxury through deep cultural storytelling and Indigenous Manggarai traditions rather than luxury for its own sake. Guests are immersed in local culture from check-in onward with a welcome ritual and hand-crafted bracelets, plus opportunities to witness a Caci whip-fight war dance and other Manggarai practices woven into activities, design, and food. The 40-acre property contains 70 accommodations—including seven 2,000-square-foot overwater sea villas with expansive indoor–outdoor layouts and private decks, 45 junior suites (about 700 sq ft), and 18 additional villas with private plunge pools—and offers anticipatory service (private butlers for each villa, high-touch staff recruited from top Indonesian hotels). Facilities include three pools (an Olympic lap pool, a resort pool with a swim-up bar, and a kids’ pool), an overwater cocktail bar, a coffee shop with on-site roastery, a private jetty for island-hopping to Komodo National Park and nearby attractions, and Di’a Spa with locally inspired treatments. Dining spans three in-house venues—a casual all-day spot serving Indonesian and international classics (grilled local fish with sambal highlighted), a family-style Indonesian restaurant with dishes like poached Flores Strait lobster with sambal luat and sautéed cassava, and a robata-style Japanese restaurant that relies mostly on local ingredients—plus plentiful nonalcoholic options including three varieties of traditional jamu. Practical notes: it’s about a 10-minute drive from Komodo International Airport (and can be reached by boat, with on-property docking), the town of Labuan Bajo remains relatively quaint with limited nightlife, basic accessibility is provided in the main building though only one room meets U.S. ADA standards (junior suite room 110), and rates start in the upper-luxury range (from around $510)." - Chris Dong
