A few minutes’ walk from the Donghu, on quiet Fenyang Road, Fenyang Garden Boutique Hotel is the other way to spend these days: a Spanish-style historic building wrapped around a 2,000-square-metre garden lawn, carefully refreshed in 2019, with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music just down the street.

Same neighborhood, same easy reach of Huaihai Middle Road — a slightly different character. More garden estate than grand mansion, and a gentler rate; some travelers prefer the Donghu’s history, others Fenyang’s lawn.

You mentioned liking a kitchen or kitchenette when you travel — a place where you can make breakfast, have a little more space, and occasionally feel like you’re living somewhere rather than simply staying there.

For Flores, we’ve made a slightly different trade-off.

Because you’ll be leaving Labuan Bajo for the Wae Rebo trek and the overnight boat, having a hotel that can store your luggage while you travel light becomes unusually useful. The stays are also short and the days are active, so there is less opportunity to make the most of a kitchen than there would be on a longer, more settled stay.

We’ve therefore prioritized a comfortable, clean hotel with reliable luggage storage here. If having a kitchen remains important to you, an apartment-style stay is absolutely worth exploring directly — particularly if you prefer that more residential feeling.

Your first night in Flores is intentionally easy.

After the flight from Shanghai, there’s no need to launch straight into an adventure. Settle in, sleep well, and let Flores begin tomorrow.

Why we like it: The hotel confirmed that a Suite is the best configuration for three, with an extra bed available for Mirabelle. They’ll also store your luggage securely while you’re away on the Wae Rebo trek and overnight boat — so you can travel light when the journey gets more adventurous.

The Parlezo group’s Dintor property — its cottage stay in the highlands, rather than its Labuan Bajo hotel. Small cabins with a garden, a terrace and an on-site restaurant, positioned where the Wae Rebo trail begins.

The trade-off: the cabins are simple. What you’re buying here is position — waking up at the start of the trek rather than spending the day traveling to it.

A small guesthouse with strong guest feedback on cleanliness, comfortable beds, modern bathrooms, and helpful hosts. Reviews also mention reliable hot water, which is valuable in the cooler highlands.

The first night of the Eastern journey ends in Ruteng, and this is the sort of place that makes a long day of driving feel finished — a calm, well-kept house with a simple fresh breakfast, rather than a hotel corridor.

A small family-run hotel set on a little hill above Bajawa, with a panoramic view over the town that guests consistently single out. Rooms are described as clean, spacious and comfortable, with a terrace and restaurant on site.

After the long highland day from Ruteng, this is the kind of place that lets the evening slow down — quiet, away from the main streets, with staff known for helping arrange whatever comes next.

A small country house on the Moni–Kelimutu road, with a garden, mountain views and family rooms with private bathrooms and balconies. Guests rate it superb for its setting and its quiet.

The appeal here is position: you sleep close to Kelimutu, so the pre-dawn start for the three-colored lakes is as short as it can be.

A small, well-run hotel on a quiet lane in Ende, repeatedly described as the best stay in town — clean rooms, hot water, good English at the front desk, and a ground-floor restaurant serving breakfast and dinner.

For the last night before the onward flight, the practical details matter: a free airport shuttle, staff who go out of their way when flight schedules shift, and an early breakfast from 6 a.m.