DISCOVERING KOMODO

THE FIRST AND ONLY FIVE-STAR RESORT ON THE INDONESIAN ISLAND OF FLORES IS ALL KINDS OF FABULOUS. BY HELEN HAYES

Ayana Komodo is the first five-star resort to open on the island of Flores and is perfectly located for those wishing to explore the countless delights of the Komodo Islands.

The resort opened on 15 September 2018, with guests flying in from around the world to celebrate the opening and check out the newest member of the Ayana family, joining well known sisters Ayana Resort & Spa Bali, Rimba Jimbaran Bali, and Ayana Midplaza in Jakarta.

Located not far from the airport at Labuan Bajo, the Ayana Komodo Resort clings to the side of a hillside with a gentle slope to the white sands of the beach. We pull up to the lobby which has spectacular views over the water and the islands of Kukusan (Monkey) and Kukusan Cecil (Little Monkey).

The 13 suites and 192 premium guest rooms are all located on the lower levels. The interiors of my light-filled room are contemporary, and I love that you can enjoy the view from the bathtub, the bed or the balcony.

Ayana Komodo has six restaurants and bars including Rinca, that offers indoor dining or al fresco options adjacent to the pool and the beach. Kisik Seafood Grill offers freshly caught and cooked seafood and traditional dishes served on tables set in the sand. Naga Bar is perched at the end of the snaking pier, named Naga (dragon) as it has a curve in it like a dragon’s neck and is perfect for lunch or sunset drinks. The Unique rooftop bar serves Mexican cuisine, while Mesa Bar, in the lobby, is a lovely space for coffee or a light lunch. The property’s fine dining restaurant, HonZEN is the spot for divine Japanese cuisine.

The resort has plenty of things for you to do. Frolic in one of the three swimming pools, go for a paddleboard or kayak off Waecicu (pronounced Whychichoo) beach or grab snorkelling gear and get up close to myriad sea life and coral off Kukusan island.

To go further afield, the resort’s beautiful glass bottom boat, Lako

Taka, offers a range of tours around some of the nearby islands, and also into Komodo National Park. For divers, the Lako Cama is a beautiful speedboat set up for diving in some of the region’s dive sites – known as some of the best in the world.

One of the main attractions of visiting Komodo National Park is to see Komodo dragons. These ancient creatures have been around since the dinosaur days and have not changed since. We visit the island of Rinca (Rincha) on the resort’s glass-bottomed boat, and meet our park ranger, who leads us into the interior of the island. We find a tangle of dragons in the shade of a hut in the tiny village, and

our ranger gives us some interesting information on these creatures.

He points out a female dragon and her nest and says she has about 30 eggs in it. While she is a great mum while guarding the nest, she is not so good once they hatch. Our ranger says that once born, their first challenge is to head for the trees to escape their mother, who likes to eat newly hatched Komodo dragons. The young dragons live in the trees for six months or so, until they can outrun mum.

For something really special, book a two- or three-night cruise on the resort’s stunning traditional phinisi sailing yacht. The 54-metre Ayana

Lako di’a has nine bedrooms onboard, including a master suite with private deck, and can carry 150 guests on her teak decks. ayana.com •