About Devita’R Cruise
The first morning, I woke before dawn to the soft clink of the anchor chain and the smell of strong Indonesian coffee drifting from the galley. We were just off Padar, the sky still indigo, and a few of us gathered on the upper deck wrapped in thin blankets. The captain had positioned Devita’R Cruise perfectly you could see the scalloped ridges of the island turning from black to rust-red as the light crept in. By the time the sun cleared the peaks, casting sharp shadows across the bays, I already felt like wed seen something most people only glimpse in photos.
DevitaR Cruise is 30 metres of no-fuss comfort not over-the-top luxury, but everything worked and felt lived-in in the right way. There were five cabins total, and we were on a shared 3D2N trip with 12 guests, so the boat never felt crowded. My Superior Ocean View cabin had a real window (not a porthole), a surprisingly firm mattress, and AC that didnt quit even at anchor. The shared bathrooms were cleaned twice daily, and there was always hot water a small thing, but one I noticed after other trips where that wasnt guaranteed.
We started Day 1 with a landing at Kelor Island around 3 PM a short hike up the hillside gave us that classic layered view of turquoise and sandbars, then a late snorkel in calm, clear water just off the beach. Back on board, the crew fired up the barbecue on the back deck. Dinner was grilled mahi-mahi, spicy eggplant, and fried bananas, served at the indoor dining table with ceiling fans turning overhead. Later, a few of us soaked in the jacuzzi under a scatter of stars, talking quietly while the boat moved silently toward Padar for the next day.
Day 2 was the big one: sunrise at Padar, then the Komodo ranger station at Loh Liang. The dragon walk was surreal we saw six of them, including one tearing apart a dead deer near the trail. After that, Pink Beach was almost a relief soft coral-pink sand, shallow water good for swimming. We snorkeled at Manta Point in the afternoon. I saw three mantas, one passing so close I could see the pattern on its back. The boat moored near Kalong Island by evening, and we watched the sky fill with fruit bats streaming out from the mangroves at dusk.
On Day 3, we stopped at Taka Makassar first sandbar, blue water, perfect for one last swim. Then Kanawa, where we jumped off the back into deeper water and floated over reef patches with parrotfish and clownfish. We got back to Labuan Bajo around 3 PM. The check-out was fast, and they helped us arrange a taxi to the airport. No pressure to tip, but I did the crew had earned it.
