Where eighteen people sleep the night before the boat

Arrive the day before. That is the whole advice, and it matters more for a party of fourteen than for a couple. A late flight with the grandparents, three suitcases of snorkelling kit and two sleepy children is a poor way to meet a boat that leaves at half past eight.

A night in town also gives the party its first meal together, and it gives us a day to settle the count. Names, ages and the cabin plan are confirmed in writing before you pay. The evening before is when the organiser can check them against the people standing in the lobby.

Hotel nights are never inside a charter price. The charter begins with the pickup and ends with the drop-off, and the nights on either side belong to you.

Fourteen guests are seven double rooms, and eighteen are nine, the same count as the cabins. Few small guesthouses have that many doors free on the same night in July, so ask first and ask early. A party that splits across two hotels a street apart still reaches the pier together, because one vehicle can collect from both.

Say what the rooms are for. A relative who needs a ground-floor room, a toddler who needs a quiet one, two teenagers happy to share: tell the hotel before the booking, not at reception on arrival. If the party has an odd head count, ask us how the cabins are shared on the boat, and plan the hotel rooms the same way.

Meals matter less than distance. Choose the hotel that puts the pier within a short drive, and let the rest of the choice follow the budget.

On an open trip the pickup is at 08:30 on the first morning, from your hotel or any place in the city area. A private charter's pickup hour is fixed together with the date, and the written confirmation precedes payment. Pickup, the harbour transfer and the drop-off in the city area are in the fare, so there is no taxi to arrange.

Be in the lobby with the luggage a few minutes early. For a large party we arrange a vehicle sized to the count, and a larger one is quoted separately. Tell us the hotel name and the lead guest's phone number, and the driver arrives knowing who to look for.

If your flight lands in the evening, the hotel is the safe answer. The boat does not wait for a late plane. If you land on the morning of the sailing, tell us the flight number. We plan the pickup around it and confirm the time in writing before you pay. Do not stack the connection tightly. A delay at the hub is the usual reason a party misses the first morning.

On the last day book your flight home for after 14:00. The standard three-day route returns to Labuan Bajo between 11:00 and 12:00. The longer charters end with Kelor on the last morning, and the captain gives the return time on the day. Flights reach Labuan Bajo from Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya and Lombok; we do not sell tickets, but we help you pick the flight that fits the pickup, and arriving the day before is the safe default. The drop-off is at the hotel, the airport or any place in the city area. A morning flight is the one thing that would cost you the last stop.