Location: Rote Island, Indonesia | View on Google Maps
Rates: From $800, all inclusive, through September 2026, with rates expected to increase as additional amenities become available.
Indonesia’s remote Rote Island, long known among intrepid surfers but still largely under the radar for international travelers, now has a new luxury beach resort. Nihi Rote & Hospitality Academy opened April 16, bringing a 21-villa oceanfront retreat and an unusual hospitality school concept to the country’s southeastern reaches, in Nusa Tenggara Timur.
The property is the sister resort to acclaimed surf and wellness retreat Nihi Sumba, known for its ocean-swimming horses and Sumba Foundation–led community programs that allow guests to teach English, serve school lunches, or play soccer with local kids. At this new beachfront retreat, guests stay in spacious villas with private pools, some overlooking Bo’a Beach, and spend their days surfing, boating, and dining on sustainably sourced island seafood.
But Nihi Rote also has a distinctive feature: Guests check in not at a traditional front desk, but at the Rote Hospitality Academy by Nihi, where students from Rote Island and neighboring Timor-Leste, an independent nation nearby, train in culinary arts, hospitality, and sustainability while helping run the resort.
A hospitality academy built into the resort
Nihi Rote’s Hospitality Academy aims to give local residents career opportunities through training and hands-on experience.
Photo by Joe Kelly
At Nihi Rote, the hospitality academy sits at the center of the guest experience. The program was developed with support from investment professional and surfer Michael Schwab, who helped back the academy as part of the resort’s mission to create career pathways for young people in the region. Students from Rote Island and Timor-Leste, selected with support from Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta, train while working at the resort, gaining hands-on experience in culinary arts, hospitality, and sustainability practices.
Much like Nihi Sumba’s Sumba Foundation connects guests with local community initiatives, Nihi Rote aims to create exchanges between visitors and students. The academy will “start small and evolve over time,” says Nihi Hotels CEO and cofounder James McBride. “The focus here is very much on the children of Rote and giving them a pathway into hospitality and a real opportunity for their future.”
For the island, one of Indonesia’s more remote destinations, the program also aims to support education, job creation, and economic development.
What travelers can expect at Nihi Rote
Nihi Rote is beside the white-sand Bo’a Beach.
Photo by Joe Kelly (L); courtesy of Nihi (R)
On Bo’a Beach, the zero-plastic resort consists of 21 one- and two-bedroom villas ranging from 1,400 to 2,900 square feet, all with private plunge pools. Built using Rotenese techniques, including coconut-leaf roofs and hand-carved wood, the villas combine local craftsmanship with contemporary comforts.
Nammo Beach Club serves charcoal-grilled local seafood, rotisserie dishes, and wood-fired pizzas.
The resort is opening in two phases: As of April, guests can book villas, dine on-site, and access beach and surf experiences, while additional amenities—including the main pool, spa, and a new restaurant, Ombak Restaurant & Bar—are slated to debut in September.
Experiences include fishing and diving trips to nearby islands and bays, guided hikes, and surf excursions, including a shuttle to Nemberala Beach, home to the long left-hand reef break known as T-Land. “Rote has long been quietly known among surfers for its remarkable waves,” says McBride.
Wellness offerings include daily movement classes ranging from strength training to yoga. A partnership with Bali-based Nirvana Life brings visiting practitioners for curated wellness retreats.
McBride says the goal is to preserve what makes the island unique. “Rote remains remote and authentic,” he says, “and it carries a warmth and softness that makes it very special.”
The resort is reachable via flights from Bali, Sumba, Jakarta, or Kupang to Rote (RTI), followed by a 90-minute drive along the coast.
