Where a group sleeps the night before the boat

One late flight doesn't hold up one person. It holds up eighteen people, a sundeck and the start of the trip. A group that lands in the morning and boards the same day carries every delay straight onto the boat.

A night ashore fixes that. Friends who arrive late have somewhere to arrive to, the family gathers in one lobby rather than at three arrival gates, and the children sleep before the first sail. The organiser counts heads once, at breakfast.

It's also the evening to settle the small things: who is holding the passports, who is swapping cabins with whom, who is bringing the speaker. The cabin plan is already agreed in writing, so the evening is for packing and an early night, not for rearranging beds.

So fly into Labuan Bajo a day ahead of the boat. The boat leaves in the morning, and an extra night costs less than a missed boat.

A family of 14 needs seven double rooms, or five if the children share. The hotel should keep them together, on one floor if possible, with breakfast early enough for the pickup.

Large hotels such as Meruorah Komodo Labuan Bajo list 145 rooms, so a block of seven is an everyday request. Smaller places list 6 to 30 rooms, and a group of 14 or 18 can take one over completely. Ask, and we check with the hotel for your dates.

Send us the head count, the ages and the district you'd like. We request neighbouring rooms and one breakfast time, the hotel says what it can manage, and we forward its answer word for word. Nothing is promised until the hotel confirms.

Hotel nights aren't in the boat price, and nor are flights or tips.

Most groups have three things to book: flights to Labuan Bajo, a hotel and the boat. We keep the hotel and the boat in one WhatsApp thread and advise on the flights, which you buy yourselves. Tell us the starting airport (Bali, Surabaya, Jakarta or Lombok), the dates and your group size, and the pickup is set around the last arrival.

The organiser forwards the thread to the group, and the hotel, the pickup time and the boat are all in it.

On the 2-day and 3-day trips, pickup from your hotel comes before an 11:00 start and is included in the price. For a 4-day private charter, the time is fixed with your date. We confirm the hour the day before, so nobody stands in the lobby guessing.

Pack the night before. Passports or ID cards go in one bag or one pocket, shoes with grip go on your feet, and swimwear goes on under your clothes for the first stop. Luggage into the car, car to the harbour, group onto the boat together.

A bigger group needs a bigger vehicle, which gets its own quote, set down in writing before any money moves.

Lunch on the first day is on board, so nobody has to hunt for a restaurant, and the boat sets off for Kelor after it.

If someone's flight lands in the evening, tell us when you book. The hotel keeps the room and the pickup is set for the morning, so the late arrival meets the group in the lobby rather than at the pier.

For the flight home after a 3-day or 4-day trip, choose one that leaves after 14:00 on the last day. Those trips finish with the boat back in Labuan Bajo around midday, and the ride to your hotel or the airport is included.

On the 2-day trip the boat is back in Labuan Bajo on day 2, but the return time isn't fixed because the day depends on the sea. Book an evening or next-morning flight and leave some slack.

The simplest answer is a night in a hotel after the boat. Everyone showers, repacks and flies the next day, and nobody sprints through the airport with wet towels.