437jacquieb
23 de abril de 2023
I loved the holiday we have just had at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge. I went with 2 diving pals as a celebration of our 60th birthdays which happened in lockdown. We were so well looked after. Tony and the team ensured we had everything we needed - delicious food, cold drinks and a heavenly place to stay. We were thoroughly spoiled by all the dining room staff who were very happy to celebrate both my birthday and my 300th dive - the cakes were amazing!!! The buffet was varied every day - some more traditional Indonesian dishes with some less spicy stuff for my feeble English palate! It wasn't gourmet food, but there was a good choice and it was well presented. I was not ill at all while at the resort, while we all felt unwell after a meal out in Sorong on the way home. The staff are all so friendly and very helpful - they dont all speak English but they understand hello and all say good morning! The Wi-Fi was a little hit and miss - you had to get a code from reception each day but it didn't always work - I wouldn't rely on it for work, but it was absolutely fine for contacting home. My room in a beachfront bungalow - the opposite end of the resort to the dive centre so it was very peaceful - overlooked the beach and was absolutely beautiful. The shower room was clean and fresh, the mosquito net was handy too! The air conditioning worked really well, all the power sockets were very handy - take European adaptors. The little terrace was perfect to sit out and write up your dive log, sipping a cold drink and listening to the waves and the birds! The bar was delightful, out on the water - what a fantastic place to see the sunset! We had a couple of the delicious cocktails. It was a fun place to meet the other guests and compare notes! We had 2 massages in the spa - they were sooo relaxing I fell asleep - although that may have been jet-lag. All the resort was kept pristine, even after the storm we had one night! Truly a tropical paradise! We swam/snorkelled both off the beach(wear beach shoes!), which is very shallow at low tide, and off the jetty. We saw lots under the jetty including lionfish!! Be aware of current in the deeper water! The diving was out of this world! Considering a large number of my dives have been in a drysuit in the UK, being able to dive in a rash vest and shorts was very liberating. The boat we were assigned to - Bubara, was expertly handled by Lexi and crewman Hassan, who were so kind and knew exactly what help we needed. I loved entering the water backwards off the side of the boat - it's great fun!! Dive leaders Wayan and Dedy made sure that we saw the fantastic Manta Rays, as well as Wobbegongs, black-tipped reef sharks, sweetlips and so many other creatures I didn't know existed-such as the perfectly named flamboyant cuttlefish!! Dedy in particular was expert in finding the small stuff like the pygmy seahorse! Every dive showed us amazing fish, incredible reefs and the organisms which live there - I took so many p
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