Komodo Yacht Charter: Luxury Phinisi Alternative to a Motor Yacht
Most people searching for a Komodo yacht charter end up on a phinisi, and the reason is structural rather than aesthetic. Komodo National Park rewards deck space, shade and overnight capacity far more than it rewards speed. Lady Grace is a 34-metre ironwood-and-teak phinisi with ten en-suite cabins for 22-24 guests, a sundeck jacuzzi and an open-air dining deck, chartered whole at IDR 94,000,000 (2D1N), IDR 123,000,000 (3D2N) or IDR 157,000,000 (4D3N) for up to ten guests. This page sets out where a phinisi beats a fibreglass motor yacht here, and where it does not.
Rate note. Every rupiah figure on this page is the operator’s published rate read on 31 July 2026. Komodo National Park fees are set by government regulation, are not included, and change without notice. Ask the booking desk to confirm the current total in writing before you pay a deposit.
Phinisi, motor yacht, speedboat: an honest comparison
These are three different products, not three price points of the same product.
| Traditional phinisi | Motor yacht | Speedboat day trip | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cruising speed | 6-9 knots | Faster; passage times shorter | Fastest; built for day returns |
| Overnight cabins | Yes – Lady Grace has 10 en-suite | Yes, usually fewer cabins for the same length | No |
| Open deck and shade | Large sundeck and open-air dining, the format’s core strength | More enclosed, air-conditioned saloon | Minimal |
| Guests carried | 22-24 on Lady Grace | Typically fewer per metre | Varies, day capacity only |
| Padar sunrise access | Yes, anchored overnight nearby | Yes, if chartered overnight | No – arrives after sunrise |
| 2026 charter band, per boat per night | IDR 60,000,000-120,000,000+ at the luxury end | Generally the same band or above | Not comparable, day rate |
| Best for | Multi-day island itineraries with lots of water time | Guests prioritising interior comfort and passage speed | A single day from a Labuan Bajo hotel |
Why 6-9 knots is the right speed here
Speed sells on paper and matters less than expected in this park. The itinerary is built around overnight repositioning: the boat moves between anchorages while guests sleep, so the passage time is spent unconscious rather than waiting. A faster hull does not create more daylight – it just arrives earlier and waits.
Where speed does help is a compressed one-night trip, which is why the 2D1N itinerary drops the far south-eastern sites regardless of hull. Across three or four days the difference largely disappears, and the phinisi’s advantages – deck area, shade, cabin count for the same length – become the deciding factors.
What is on board
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length overall | 34 m |
| Beam | 6.3 m |
| Hull and deck material | Ironwood and teak |
| Guest cabins | 10 |
| Guest capacity | 22-24 |
| Main engine | Mitsubishi 8M21 |
| Generators | Mitsubishi PS120 x 2 |
| Average cruising speed | 6-9 knots |
| Fuel capacity | 5 tonnes |
| Freshwater capacity | 12 tonnes |
| Navigation | AIS, GPS, Radar SART |
| Emergency communication | EPIRB |
| Guest areas | Sundeck, jacuzzi, open-air dining area |
| Cabin fit-out | Air conditioning, en-suite bathroom |
The sundeck is the room people actually live in on a Komodo charter: a jacuzzi, open seating and 360-degree sightlines, with dining in open air rather than a saloon. Below, all ten cabins are air-conditioned with en-suite bathrooms, running off two generators so the air conditioning holds overnight at anchor. Navigation and safety equipment is listed openly – AIS, GPS, Radar SART and an EPIRB.
Where a phinisi genuinely loses
An honest page has to include this. A traditional wooden hull is not the choice if you want the fastest passage between two points, a fully enclosed air-conditioned interior, or a contemporary superyacht finish with a tender garage and water-toy inventory. Those are motor yacht strengths, and there are motor yachts in Indonesian waters that do them well. The phinisi case is deck life, hardwood craftsmanship, cabin count per metre and a format built around the exact rhythm of this archipelago.
Charter rates
| Duration | 1-10 guests | 11-20 guests | Each additional guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2D1N | IDR 94,000,000 | IDR 100,000,000 | IDR 4,000,000 |
| 3D2N | IDR 123,000,000 | IDR 129,000,000 | IDR 5,500,000 |
| 4D3N | IDR 157,000,000 | IDR 165,000,000 | IDR 7,000,000 |
For up to ten guests the rate is flat, so a group of six pays the same as a group of ten. Full charter mechanics, cabin allocation and itinerary flexibility are covered on the private phinisi charter page.
What is included
What the rate includes
- Accommodation on board for the full itinerary
- All meals prepared on board
- Mineral water, coffee and tea
- English-speaking guide
- Snorkelling gear and life vests
- Premium photo and video coverage with drone, GoPro and mirrorless camera (raw footage handed over)
- Hotel or airport pickup and drop-off within the Labuan Bajo mainland area near the harbour
What it does not include
- Komodo National Park entrance and conservation fees (government-regulated, subject to change)
- Flights to and from Komodo Airport, Labuan Bajo
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages beyond water, coffee and tea
- Personal snacks
- Drone ticket, quoted by the operator at approximately IDR 2,100,000, with the permit requested seven days ahead
- Crew gratuities
Who charters this way
- Groups of eight to twenty-four who need cabin count more than passage speed.
- Couples taking the whole boat for a milestone trip – the case for that, and the two balcony-jacuzzi suites, is on the honeymoon cruise page.
- Photography and content teams – the drone, GoPro and mirrorless coverage is included, with raw footage handed over.
- Anyone who has done the day-boat version and wants the sunrise and the sunset instead of the middle of the day.
Background on how this operation is run day to day is on our expertise page, and the category overview with every duration is the luxury Komodo cruise page. If you want to compare hulls before committing, other phinisi in the same fleet are listed by the operator.
Book Lady Grace
Tell the desk your dates, guest count and whether cabins or deck space matters more. They will tell you honestly whether Lady Grace is the right hull for your group.
WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 [email protected]
Lady Grace is operated by Komodo Luxury, Labuan Bajo. Quotes, availability and payment terms are issued by the operator in writing.