Where to Stay in the Derawan Islands

Updated: August 2026

Choosing a Derawan Islands resort comes down to one decision: whether you sleep on Derawan Island itself, beside the village and the turtle-filled shallows, or out on Maratua, two hours further into the Celebes Sea and closer to the wall dives. Indonesia Juara books guests into seven properties across the archipelago — Reza Derawan Resort, Alfit VIP Borneo Cottage, Sienna Resort, Maratua Paradise Resort, Arasatu Villa, Pratasaba Resort and Seheku Paradise — and the property you receive depends on your dates, your group size and whether you take the standard or premium tier.

This page explains where each of those stays sits, who each one suits, what a bed actually costs inside a private trip, and how accommodation choice changes the shape of your days on the water. For the full index of options across the archipelago, see the where to stay in Derawan category.

Derawan Island and Maratua Island are the two realistic bases for accommodation

The Derawan Archipelago sits off the Berau coast of East Kalimantan, and only a handful of its islands carry accommodation at all. Kakaban and Sangalaki are protected day-visit islands, not places to sleep — you reach them by boat from wherever you are based. That leaves two practical bases, and the choice between them is the single most consequential decision in your Derawan accommodation planning.

Derawan Island is the inhabited one. There is a village, a jetty, warungs, and green turtles grazing in the shallows directly under the stilted walkways — you do not need a boat to see them. It is the shorter transfer from the mainland and the easier option for families, first-time visitors and anyone who wants some life around them in the evening.

Maratua Island is the outer atoll: bigger, quieter, ringed by a barrier reef and a lagoon, and the base most divers ask for. It costs you roughly an extra 1.5 to 2 hours of speedboat time from Derawan, but it puts you on the doorstep of the channel and wall sites. If your trip is diving-led, read the Derawan dive sites breakdown before you lock in a base, and see the Maratua Island guide for the island itself.

Indicative boat times between the islands

These are planning figures, not guarantees. Sea state between April and November decides real crossing times, and your confirmed itinerary carries the timings for your specific dates.

The seven properties Indonesia Juara uses across the Derawan Archipelago

Rather than publish an open directory of every building with a bed, this page lists only the properties Indonesia Juara actually books guests into. That is a deliberate limit: we can describe location and fit honestly for these, and we will not invent room counts, star classifications or facility lists for properties we do not operate.

The island column reflects how each property is used in itinerary planning. Which specific property you receive is confirmed to you in writing, by name, before you pay anything — Indonesia Juara does not sell an unnamed “resort” and reveal it later. Dedicated pages cover individual properties in more depth, including Maratua Paradise Resort, the Derawan dive resort option and Nabucco Island Resort. If you are travelling on a tight budget, the Derawan homestay guide covers the village-stay end of the market.

Standard and premium tiers change your room, not your itinerary

Accommodation on a Derawan private trip is priced inside the package rather than booked separately, and it moves on two axes: how many people travel with you, and which tier you pick. The standard and premium tiers visit the same islands on the same schedule — the difference is the property and the room category you sleep in.

Rates below are from USD per person for the Private Trip Derawan 3D2N / 4D3N, and they fall sharply as the group grows because boat and guide costs are shared. Minimum party size is two people.

The cheapest position on the table is a nine-person party on the standard tier at from USD 281 per person; the most expensive is a couple on the premium tier at from USD 672 per person. Every figure is a starting point that depends on group size, tier and travel dates — none of them is a fixed price, and none of them is a discount. Full package detail sits on the Derawan island tour and Derawan trip pages.

What the accommodation rate covers, stated honestly

Being clear about the boundary matters more than a long list of promises. Here is what is structurally true of every quote:

• The rate is per person, quoted in USD, and calculated from the total group cost — it is not a per-room or per-night rate.
• The trip starts and ends at Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) in Berau, East Kalimantan. That is the meeting point.
• Flights to and from Kalimarau are not included. You arrange your own air travel into Berau; we meet you there.
• Accommodation is bundled into the package. You do not pay the property separately on arrival.
• The itinerary is private, not a shared group departure, and the minimum party is two people.
• A written inclusion and exclusion list specific to your itinerary length, tier and dates is issued with your quote. We do not publish a generic one, because a 3D2N standard trip and a 4D3N premium trip do not carry the same list.

If a page anywhere promises you a fixed all-in Derawan resort price without knowing your group size or your dates, treat it with suspicion.

The booking window for Derawan accommodation runs April to November

Indonesia Juara operates the Derawan private trip between April and November — an eight-month window. Outside it, crossings to the outer islands become unreliable enough that we do not sell them, which is also why bed availability on Maratua compresses hard in the middle months of that window.

Nine sites sit on the standard itinerary: Talisayan for whale sharks, Maratua, Kakaban with its stingless jellyfish lake, Sangalaki for manta rays, Goa Halo Tabung, Manta Point, Pasir Gusung Sanggalau, Laguna Kehe Daing and Labuan Cermin. Where you sleep determines how much of that list you reach comfortably in three days rather than four. Detail on the individual sites sits on the Kakaban Island, Sangalaki Island, Talisayan whale shark tour and Labuan Cermin pages.

Should you take a resort stay or a liveaboard?

A land base wins on comfort, cost and flexibility for most travellers; a boat wins on reach. If you are diving hard and want to be on site at first light without a long transfer, compare this page against the Derawan liveaboard option. If you want to sleep on land but still cover the archipelago properly, the Derawan island hopping tour is the format that does it.

Getting to your accommodation from the mainland

Every stay listed here is reached the same way: fly into Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) at Berau, transfer by road to Tanjung Batu, then cross by speedboat. Tarakan is the alternative gateway and changes the boat leg rather than the destination. Route-by-route detail sits on how to get to the Derawan Islands, Derawan via Berau and Derawan via Tarakan. Full logistics planning is grouped under plan your Derawan trip.

How to reserve a room in the Derawan Islands

Indonesia Juara, operating under Juara Holding Group since 2015, arranges the accommodation, boats, guides and transfers as one private itinerary. To check which of the seven properties is open for your dates and receive a written quote with the property named, email sales@indonesiajuara.asia with your travel dates, group size and whether you want the standard or premium tier.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best resort in the Derawan Islands?

There is no single best property — the right answer depends on whether you base on Derawan Island or Maratua Island. Indonesia Juara works with seven properties: Reza Derawan Resort and Alfit VIP Borneo Cottage on Derawan Island, and Sienna Resort, Maratua Paradise Resort, Arasatu Villa, Pratasaba Resort and Seheku Paradise on and around Maratua. Divers usually favour the Maratua side; families and first-time visitors usually favour Derawan Island for its shorter transfer and village setting.

How much does accommodation in the Derawan Islands cost?

Accommodation is bundled into the private trip, which starts from USD 281 per person for a nine-person group on the standard tier. A couple travelling alone pays from USD 580 per person on the standard tier and from USD 672 per person on the premium tier, because boat and guide costs are shared across fewer people. Every figure is a starting point that moves with group size, tier and dates — it is not a fixed rate.

Can you stay overnight on Kakaban or Sangalaki?

No — Kakaban and Sangalaki are day-visit islands within the itinerary, not overnight bases. You reach the jellyfish lake on Kakaban and the manta grounds off Sangalaki by speedboat from Derawan Island or Maratua Island, then return to your accommodation the same day. This is why your choice of base matters: it sets how long each of those boat legs takes and how much time you actually spend in the water.

What is the difference between the standard and premium accommodation tiers?

The two tiers share an identical itinerary and differ only in the property and room category assigned. Both visit the same nine destinations across the archipelago on the same schedule, with the same private-trip format and the same two-person minimum. The premium tier costs roughly USD 20 to USD 95 more per person depending on group size — for example, from USD 437 versus from USD 391 per person for a party of four.

When can you book a stay in the Derawan Islands?

The Derawan private trip operates between April and November, an eight-month window. Outside those months, crossings to the outer islands become unreliable and Indonesia Juara does not sell the trip. Availability on the Maratua-side properties tightens through the middle of that window, so if you need a specific property or an over-water room, request dates well before your intended travel month rather than close to departure.

Are flights to Berau included in the accommodation package?

No — flights to and from Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) in Berau are not included in the package rate. The trip begins and ends at Kalimarau Airport, which is the meeting point; you arrange your own air travel into East Kalimantan. Everything from the airport onward — road transfer to Tanjung Batu, the speedboat crossing, accommodation, boats and guiding across the islands — is arranged as one private itinerary by Indonesia Juara.