As an add on to our one night boat cruise to Rinca and Komodo Islands we decided to spend a night at Kanawa Island, at the Kanawa Resort. What a mistake it turned out to be….culminating with us being rescued at sea.
We paid 3.2 million Rupiah for two bungalows which is US$240. This is super expensive for this part of the world. We assumed it would be rustic and were willing to pay that amount given that the options for staying on islands are limited. However, nothing can prepare you for just how TERRIBLE this resort is.
The situation is stunning, the coral and beach are amazing, but the accommodation, food and management are the worst we have ever encountered anywhere in the world. The huts are falling down, doors and windows are hanging off, bathrooms are outdoor and in a dreadful state of repair, water does not run in some taps and showers, and the place is filthy. The staff are completely dis-interested and unhelpful.
Despite the shambolic standard of the resort we had a pleasant afternoon. We swam in the sea (in the rain!) and snorkelled over the stunning reef, which is world class.
After a cold trickling shower, which did nothing to remove any sand, we went for dinner at the restaurant.
The food was worse than awful. Dinner that night, was defrosted fish cakes, badly fried chips, and a potato omelette that was so crusty it could have been used for construction purposes!
We spent a damp chilly night in our huts. It was raining and the various holes throughout the huts let in water!
Next morning we ventured to breakfast. The menu consisted of eggs, banana pancakes and toast. We were informed there were only two portions of egg and there was no bread for toast. We ordered pancakes, and were then told there was no bananas! The pancakes were packet mixture, totally dry, and cold. We left everything.
We were the only people staying at the resort. It had been empty for 5 days before we arrived, and was empty after we left.
The worst of our experience was yet to come…
Our “speedboat” transfer back to the mainland had been booked with the resort for 1pm. There was rain and wind in the morning so we asked to switch to a slower but bigger boat because the sea was rough. After initially agreeing to this, two hours later we were told that the engine was broken on the bigger boat, their larger speed boat was broken, and so we would be going in a small open top dory boat. This was a tiny plastic boat that we dubbed ‘the bathtub’. We protested that this was unsafe given the sea condition because it’s a thirty minute journey on open sea. The resort manager insisted it was perfectly safe and it was our only option.
We tried to arrange a bigger speed boat to come and collect us from Labuanbajo but we were unable to do this in the time now left before our flight in the afternoon.
There was a slight break in the weather so with further assurances and guarantees from the resort manager we set off in the dory. We managed to find some life jackets which we tied around everybody as they were missing the necessary clips. All our luggage was wrapped in black bin liners because of the heavy rain that continued to fall.
Half way through our journey the engine of the boat failed. We were left drifting, in rough seas. The boatman tried in vain to restart the engine but it was broken. The boys were very scared, shouting and crying at the same time. There were no other boats on the water. The boatman was getting more stressed as he continued to try and start the engine, spraying diesel all over the boat in the process. It is very frightening being adrift in a dark choppy sea.
Luckily we had cell reception. We made several distress calls (ourselves) to our tour operator on the mainland. They contacted Kanawa resort who refused to do anything! Fortunately our tour operator understood the danger and went to the harbour to find a speedboat that would come out for us.
They eventually found us after forty five minutes of drifting, which seemed like a lifetime. It was a great relief to see the bow waves of a boat heading directly for us from the horizon. By this time the boys had been hysterical with fear as the tiny boat rode out the seas.
We were soaking wet and cold from the wind and the rain. The speedboat pulled up alongside our tiny plastic boat and we all transferred to the larger rescue speedboat. Our backpacks were tossed in beside us. We were extremely lucky that the weather did not return to how it had been just one hour before departing, otherwise the consequences would likely have been much worse.
And that is how we were rescued at sea.
Kanawa resort needs to be shut down as the practices they follow are unsafe and dangerous. We are contacting the local authorities to campaign that this resort has its licence to operate revoked.
BOAT SAFETY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Nothing is ever 100% safe but here are a few tips for travelling by boat in the developing world.
Traveling by boat in the developing world requires extra vigilance, as countries often don’t have as stringent regulations as in developed countries. It is common for boats to be filled past capacity, or for old, unseaworthy boats to continue to sail. Boats frequently do not to carry basic safety equipment like life jackets.
Avoid fast boats; take larger, slower boats. They might take longer to get somewhere but they are generally more stable and less likely to flip.
Avoid sailing in bad weather. If you’re planning a trip to a part of the developing world with lots of boats, like Indonesia, you may want to time your trip to high season, when it rains less often.
Avoid night sailings. Stick to daytime sailing.
If you’re taking a tour or trip, read reviews first. Trip advisor is a good place to start. We use it religiously. We wished we had investigated Kanawa Resort before making a snap decision to stay there. Our issue had been that we had been without wifi whilst travelling overland through Flores. If we’d read the reviews we’d never have gone there.
Insist on having a lifejacket. Don’t get on the boat unless you have one. Ensure they are fastened tight enough to stay in place upon impact with water, especially for young children.
Learn how to swim before you start traveling. We can all swim. It is something I have always insisted upon. All those hours spent at Abergavenny Leisure Centre whilst the boys did swimming lessons were certainly worthwhile.
Bring a dry bag. Dry bags are useful when travelling by boat as they keep all your valuables dry even if they end up in the water.
2 Comments.
The travel agents who sold you the package have probably never been there really scary for you ,at least you’re all safe xxxxx
We are all fine although it was a very scary experience at the time. It wasn’t part of a package but we are now trying to find a way to alert the authorities to the dreadful state of the resort, but more importantly to the dangerous boat practices that they follow.