Between 2008-2014 I spend a lot of time on the island. I stayed longer and preferred a placed that was cheap & felt like “home” like Losmen Adhitya but there is something for everyones wishes. If you come to the island for peace and quiet avoid the weekends: karaoke & banana-boats (the favorite activity of local tourists) could be very disturbing, so check the table below. Because of a large financial input of from the Government after the “Indonesian Water games” were held at Derawan in 2008, there is a large choice of accommodations. So don’t all go to Losmen Danaken / Reza & Dira because it’s in the Lonely Planet ! It is very easy to get accommodation, except on the major holidays. No problem to arrange accomodation food & trips on arrival. Since 2011 there is 24hr power!
PLACES TO STAY @ Derawan (prices 2014-can go up fast following oil prices)
Losmen Adhitya , 200.000 IDR/room, 100000 3 meals, fan, western shared toilet, contact ibu Heldi +62 812 53800191
Derawan Dive lodge (price?), more luxurious than those below, western in room toilet, good place to arrange your diving & rent gear
Losmen Danaken, 200.000 IDR/room, fan, Indonesian toilet shared, ±clean
Reza & Dira Home stay 200.000 (on land)- 300.000 (on sea) IDR/room, ± clean, (contact Darjon +6281347955950, also for transport), karaoke
Mirroliz Pelangi 200000 fan, 300000 airco IDR/night, western toilet in room, ± clean, karaoke
Lestari, 200.000 IDR/room, Airco, western toilet in room, ± clean, karaoke
Derawan Beach Cottages, ± 400.000 IDR/room, airco, western toilet in room, ± clean, 3 meals 100.000, karaoke
Ilham, 150.000 IDR/room, fan, indonesian toilet shared, – clean ONLY ONE NOT ON WATERFRONT
Kiani Resort beach house, ± 1000.000 per cottage (3-6 pax), former president cottage, western toilet in room, – clean
Derawan Dive resort (> 400.000IDR/room), western toilet in room, ± clean, karaoke
for a comparison check this website
@ Maratua (1.5 hrs by 40hp speedboat from Derawan)
Nabucco Island resort, very nice, luxurous 3 course menus & great diving
Maratua Paradise resort, also upperclass but less idillic than Nabucco
hello Marjoli
do you have any idea how to contact the operators at Kiani Beach House for booking the bungalow?
from Sally
Dear Marjolijn,
Do you know the contact for derawan beach cottages?
thanks in advance
groetjes,
Lita
Hi… what is the best losmen in Derawan for backpacker then? I am looking for an accommodation for this July. as you said, for budget accommodation, lonely planet says losmen danakan. Thanks
@Sally, Kiani beach house might be nice but the houses are not as luxurious as you might expect. They are also on a less lively part of the Island.
@Lita, sorry, I do not know the phone number but I have never seen them full. You should be fine if you do not go on a weekend for sure
@Rini, Danaken is indeed in LP but there are many more of the same quality. I have a good relation with Wisma Aditia. It is also nice to go for one of the other because you will not be with people all on the same track through Kalimantan
Hi!!
Thank for this post, really useful!!
I’ll be arriving to Berau at 15:20 in the afternoon in august 3rd and I intend to arrive in Derawan the same day.. do you think that will be possible?
Do you know until what time in the afternoon do the speed boats run to the island?
Also, do you think it is possible to arrive in a weekend of august with no reservation?
thanks!
@Yalanda, you should be able to go to Tanjung Redep by car. There you can take a speedboat (this is far cheaper). It is a 2 hour ride so it might be tight to get a speedboat at that time. For safety I would stay in Berau for the night.
Accomodation is never a problem, so you should be fine any day.
I just got back from Derawan Archipelago and this blog helped me so much, thank you!
Some updates: We where there in Early May 2014, and Pelangi is still probably the most charming place to stay with it’s colorful bungalows on the water. That being said, Pulau derawan is these days so poluted that you can no longer swim or lye on the beach here since the beacj and surrounding wayers are covered by glass, plastic and garbage.
We planned to stay here for 6 days and left for Maratua ( which is paradise ) after just one day.
Some places including Pelangi has also started to add an extra fake 10% tax to all their bills.
@ Erik
Great to read that my blog was of help to you.
Indeed there is a lot of plastic on the beaches of Derawan, more than on Maratua island. However the amount of this depends on the season and the location of the island (the north-east tip tends to be a lot cleaner than in the middle of the village (around Pelangi). The situation will hopefully improve: regularly big clean up actions are organized but a lot of garbage is coming in also from the sea.
From last year every accommodation has to pay tourist tax to the local government, this tax is not fake (unfortunately).
I love Danakan! YAY!
Hiii..
Reading your blog really giving me confidence to go and really explore Derawan Island itself, since this trip of next year will be my first trip, therefore i am quite scared to go by myself and looking out for a good travel organizer.
But there are pros and cons if we are using the organizer, 1st of all its not flexible in terms of the timing, and its only for 4D3N.
Do u know how to get to derawan and the estimation cost if we travel by ourselves?Like the boat and the transports?
Thank you very much again for the info..yeayyy
Hi, I’m also looking to heading to Derawan for diving. Question on accommodation – are these relatively easy to find upon arriving in Derawan after a long day of travelling? Also, which would you recommend for a budget traveller?
Speedboat travel – is it 2H or 30min? I read from the dive lodge website that it is 30min speedboat ride? And is the speedboat leaving every now and then?
Hi
I’ll be in Derawan in Sept/Octo 2015.
What’s the situation with the rubbish, plastic ecc. on the beach and sea?
Derawan dive resort is a good position of the island? Clean of the beach/sea and good snorkeling are the key points of my holiday.
Thanks!
Daniele
This blog helped me so much, thank you!
But I still have a few questions. Please help. I’m going to land in Berau about 18:50, and probably no longer have the possibility of getting so late on Derawan. I see that cheap accommodation in Berau are in terrible condition. I found one a little more expensive but with good conditions. However, on the sidelines of the city and I do not know if I can get this place cheap transportation on Derawan the next day. I do not want to waste time bargaining in Berau and commuting to the center. And the second question concerns the place of sleeping on Derawan.I am in the middle of September I will be able to get good accommodation on site whether it is better to book before your arrival? Specifically, I’m talking about Derawan Dive resort but can not find any photos of rooms or booking options. On your website link is not working. Please help.
Hi, all info can be find here: http://penyu.nl/plan-your-derawan-trip/how-to-get-there/
Getting a spot on Derawan will not be an issue, I have never seen it full. Most of the time getting transport to the harbour from Berau is easy and there are nearly always speedboats. You can use the numbers I listed for trusted boatmen.
Hi, the Island is so small that you will always be no more then 10 minutes of walking from anything. The beaches are fairly clean. Around the houses it is less clean. There is no real waste disposal system on the island.
There is enough accommodation and it is really cheap. So you will be able to find one easily. Choose from my list what sounds good and it will likely have space. The boatride is 30 mins, it is 2 hours if you go from Berau. It is best to arrange transport before you go by calling one of the numbers on my site.
Hi, I made a guide on how to get to the island. It is easy and fun to go by youself. See it here http://penyu.nl/plan-your-derawan-trip/how-to-get-there/