Situju7, Indonesia

Very disappointing and poor value for money

We expected this liveaboard to be one of the highlights of our trip to Indonesia. Unfortunately, it became our biggest disappointment, and we decided to leave before the trip ended. At this price point, we expected a completely different standard. Our Premium Cabin had no curtains, so we woke around 5:30 every morning. The bed linen was old and heavily stained, the balcony cushions extremely worn, and the water pressure was so poor that we simply could not wash our hair. There was also considerable noise from the generator, something other reviewers have mentioned as well. The poor maintenance became even more obvious during heavy rain. Rusty pipes leaked water directly over our bed, while several other cabins were seriously flooded. Some guests returned to completely wet beds and soaked suitcases. The food was equally disappointing. Lunch and dinner were generally the same basic selection: overcooked white rice, some unidentifiable fried food, boiled vegetables and dry chicken or kebab-like meat. I genuinely wish I had taken a photo to upload with this review. We eat at good restaurants regularly and know good food, and in our opinion this was closer to the level of spaghetti with ketchup than what you would expect on a premium-priced liveaboard. Another important point for anyone considering this trip: do not assume that being on a liveaboard means you will travel further, reach more remote areas or see more than you can on day trips. In reality, we were sailing around the same waters and visiting the same general areas as the day-trip boats – just at a much slower pace. We actually felt we had a greater advantage staying at Komodo Resort. Because the resort is located on an island much further out, you already have a head start compared with the boats travelling all the way from Labuan Bajo each morning. For us, this felt more advantageous than being on the liveaboard. And we experienced considerably more on our resort day trips. We visited Komodo Island and saw Komodo dragons, visited Pink Beach and Padar Island, and spent several hours swimming with approximately 14–20 manta rays. On the liveaboard, Pink Beach and Padar Island were skipped despite being included in the advertised itinerary, and they were unable to find manta rays. We were told it was not manta season, which was difficult to understand considering we had just spent hours swimming with them and have around 20 GoPro videos of those encounters. We understand that weather and sea conditions can require itinerary changes. However, the programme we actually received was far from the one we believed we had purchased, something other reviewers have also pointed out. One genuine positive was our snorkeling guide, who was excellent – knowledgeable, enthusiastic and exceptionally good at spotting marine life. Having a dedicated snorkeling guide was a great concept. Ultimately, the biggest problem is value for money. Before the liveaboard, we stayed at Komodo Resort and Katamaran Hotel for approximately one-third of the daily price, with excellent accommodation, much better food and day trips where we actually experienced more. Had the liveaboard cost half, or one-third, of what we paid, our assessment would have been very different. At the price charged, however, the standard simply did not come close to our expectations. What we expected to be the highlight of our Indonesia trip became its biggest disappointment. We hope this review can help other travellers make an informed decision before spending such a significant amount of money and potentially ending up as disappointed as we were.

Recommended for

Ricky the snorkelguide. No more. No more.

05 Aug, 2026