AYANA Komodo Waecicu Beach — Hotel in Flores

Let me state it clearly: I would've given all-5-stars if this were a cheap accommodation like Holiday Inn or Novotel. This is a premium hotel priced at about USD400night for a high season dates, so I hold it to the standard that the price demands. In short, it's hard to me to comprehend that this particular Ayana Komodo Waecicu Hotel shares the same brand name as the ones in Uluwatu Bali and Jakarta, which are nothing short of excellent in their services.

The Good: This hotel has an out-of-this-world super-amazing view, especially Naga Bar section that's located at the boat's pier.

The Bad: TV was neither YouTube-enabled nor supports screen-mirroring so, not comfy for small kids who want to watch Youtube on the TV screen. Their pricing was a bit disappointing, I booked my room through Agoda about 4/5 months in advance at around USD400/night for 2 adults and 1 child, when I checked again nearing the dates of my stay, the price dropped to USD275/night. It's totally fine to adopt whatever pricing tactics, but what makes me sad is the treatment they give me when I was about to check-in, instead of offering free upgrade: their staff implied as if they're doing me a favor by letting my toddler child stay for free despite the fact that I actually booked for 2 Adults and 1 Child. Bathtub blockage plug hole cover was broken upon entering the room, so in order to drain the bathtub water I had to hurt my finger pulling it so hard manually. Room sandals provided were not in the right pairs, we were given 3 right foot sandals and 1 left foot sandals. The private island trip was such a horrible experience. The island was super narrow, unattractive, dangerous to visit when the tide is high, sands and small rocks were piercing to our feet, my foot finger bled after walking slowly on them. Foods are mediocre for Ayana standard, a huge step-down from the foods served in Ayana Bali.

The Ugly: Almost every single time try to pay for foods / drinks in the hotel restaurants (about 80%), I was initially told that they didn't wanna accept direct payment and wanted to charge to the room instead. I already said to them repeatedly that I used the pay as you go method for payments so I wasn't putting any deposit to the room, so I asked to directly pay. They always insisted that they didn't wanna take my direct payment. But then about 20 minutes later after I signed all the receipt to be charged to my room, they came back again and said they had to charge me directly. This is a repeated encounter that I found extremely annoying. What's wrong with letting me pay directly at the first place?! On my check-out date, my wife nicely asked for the possibility of late check-out to the concierge. A few minutes after, they confirmed that they could accommodate late check-out by 2:00pm. But then at 12:00pm, another concierge staff called and said that we had to check-out right away by 12:00pm and there's no note at all that we were given 2:00pm late check-out. WTF?! This is so ridiculous. If you guys don't want to accommodate late check-out, just say so at the first place, no need to harass us by saying yes you can check-out later by 2:00pm, then only after we're preparing to check-out by that time, they said no actually it wasn't possible. After a heated dispute, they finally agreed to accommodate late check-out at 2:00pm which I didn't actually use, I returned the room to them at 1:00pm once I finished my packing. I really can't believe such an unprofessional conduct is done by a member of Ayana...

From start to finish, our experience at Ayana Komodo was beyond incredible — every moment felt carefully curated and filled with genuine hospitality. Here’s a glimpse into what made our stay so memorable:

Airport Pick Up The moment we landed, the Ayana team was already waiting with a warm welcome. The transfer to the resort was smooth and comfortable, and the staff’s friendliness instantly set the tone for a relaxing stay. We felt taken care of from the very first minute.

Arrival & Check-In Arriving at the resort was a breathtaking moment — the ocean view from the lobby is simply stunning. Check-in was handled with ease and grace; the team greeted us with smiles, cool towels, and a refreshing drink. Everything was so well-prepared that we could immediately unwind and enjoy the view.

Hotel Tour We had the opportunity to take a tour around the Ayana Komodo area with Ms. Agatha (sales Representative) and its beautiful venues, and it was an eye-opening experience. The team guided us through each space with warmth and professionalism, explaining every detail about their facilities — from event areas and dining spots to leisure activities. It was inspiring to see how thoughtfully everything is designed, blending luxury, comfort, and nature in perfect harmony.

Lunch at Rinca Restaurant Lunch at Rinca was delightful — the food was fresh, beautifully plated, and full of flavor. The restaurant’s relaxed atmosphere paired with a view of the sea made it even more special. The staff were attentive, always making sure everything was perfect.

Sunset Dinner at Lako Sae Boat Dining on the Lako Sae Boat was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The setting was magical — dinner with a sunset view, surrounded by calm waters and soft music. The food was exceptional, and the team onboard made the evening feel personal and unforgettable.

Coral Planting Joining the coral planting activity was both meaningful and fun. It was inspiring to see Ayana’s commitment to ocean conservation and to be part of something that gives back to nature. The guides were informative, and we learned a lot while enjoying the experience.

Kayaking Kayaking in the crystal-clear waters was another highlight. The equipment was well-maintained, and the staff patiently guided us through the activity. It was peaceful, scenic, and an excellent way to connect with the beauty of the island.

Dinner at KISIK Dinner at Kisik was unforgettable — fresh seafood grilled to perfection, served right by the ocean. The ambiance was romantic and intimate, with the sound of waves and the soft glow of lanterns. The service team was outstanding, making us feel truly special throughout the evening.

Breakfast Breakfast at Ayana Komodo is simply the best way to start the day. There’s an amazing variety of both local and international dishes, all beautifully presented. Enjoying our meal with the panoramic sea view was pure joy.

Ayana Team Taking Many Good Photos for Us One of the most touching parts of our stay was how the Ayana team took so many wonderful photos for us — capturing genuine moments with care and creativity. Thanks to them, we have beautiful memories to bring home and...

Before I write what I’m about to write, I just want to make very clear that 99% of the staff working at this hotel are friendly and helpful and polite and are nothing to do with the issues this hotel has. That 1% has to do with one member of staff who asked me if I was pregnant - I am not. This obviously really hurt my feelings and made me feel self conscious about my body for the remainder of my honeymoon. It was a stupid thing for anyone to ask, but to be asked it by a member of staff at a hotel was very unprofessional and risky on her part, since she ended up massively insulting a customer.

I’d love to say that was the only issue we had while staying at this hotel but unfortunately the list is endless. We have been lucky enough to stay in some beautiful hotels in Indonesia during our honeymoon and, with this one being 5 star, we assumed it would be the same. But it hasn’t been at all. This is a hotel that puts money above customer experience. For example, they charge for use of snorkelling equipment, paddleboards, kayaks etc - all things that have been complimentary in other hotels. They charge to shuttle you into the town (a few minutes drive) and charge more than the cost of a taxi to do this. And this price premium is an issue across the resort - everything you have to pay for at the resort is overpriced and extortionate (we used to live in London so this is saying something). Not only this but the hotel is incredibly inflexible and rigid in its approach. For example, breakfast finished at 10.30am and on the dot they started quickly clearing everything away around us and turned off the aircon - while we were still eating. We were on a meal plan with dinner included, but no one told us until we got to the restaurants that a) only two of the restaurants were included in this and b) that we had to have a very limited set menu at both of these to use the vouchers. Considering my other half doesn’t eat fish and I don’t eat meat and am primarily vegetarian, this was extremely limiting and left us with very little to eat - there were hardly any vegetarian options on one of the set menus, and basically no vegetarian or non fish options on the other set menu. It got to the point where we decided to pay to get a taxi and eat out in the end. Another example of their inflexibility came when we asked for a breakfast box / takeaway for our Komodo trip, since we were leaving at 7 in the morning. This was met with a no, since the breakfast area opens at 6.30am so we could theoretically have it there. We pushed on this and had to use the honeymoon card and then they finally said yes but only to a very limited breakfast menu that neither of us wanted. So we ended up having to just grab some pastries on our way to the boat. Again, in all of the other hotels we’ve stayed at in Indonesia, they have without question done us a breakfast box when we’ve had an early start.

Honestly I could go on and on and on. The hotel itself is nice and has a nice view, but that’s it. It does not act like a 5 star hotel and does not make you feel good staying there. We will not be coming back here and would urge other people to stay elsewhere if they’re...