Raja Ampat - Cove Eco vs. Papua Explorers?

[R4GiantM]

My wife and I are planning a land-based trip to Raja Ampat in 2025 (Jan. or Feb.) and are excited to see the coral reefs and hoping to see manta rays for the first time. We're favoring the resort option and are leaning towards Cove Eco Resort (CER) or Papua Explorers (PE). We've looked at others; Misool and Sorido Bay--too $$$; Raja Ampat Biodiversity Nature Resort (BNR) and Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (RAD)---have lower ratings... Regardless, CER and PE seem like the best fits. They are roughly comparable cost-wise and seem to offer similar guidance and access to dive sites. Both have good reviews and appear to have good house reefs, so is there an advantage to choosing one over the other? For example, does one have access to an incredible site that the other does not?, does one engage in more sustainable practices?, or does one have better food?, etc.

We also considered homestays like Besar Bay (Gam) & Turtle (Kri), but I have trouble sleeping in the heat/humidity (which I learned in Costa Rica), so an electric fan or AC would be helpful. It might sound trivial, but I've found that 3 or 4 sleepless nights can sour the remainder of your trip.

I also realize that there might not be a significant difference between CER, PE, or other resorts, but any insight or suggestions people have about accommodations in Raja Ampat would be a huge help.

Thanks!

 

[SavageSeaCow]

My wife and I are planning a land-based trip to Raja Ampat in 2025 (Jan. or Feb.) and are excited to see the coral reefs and hoping to see manta rays for the first time. We're favoring the resort option and are leaning towards Cove Eco Resort (CER) or Papua Explorers (PE). We've looked at others; Misool and Sorido Bay--too $$$; Raja Ampat Biodiversity Nature Resort (BNR) and Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (RAD)---have lower ratings... Regardless, CER and PE seem like the best fits. They are roughly comparable cost-wise and seem to offer similar guidance and access to dive sites. Both have good reviews and appear to have good house reefs, so is there an advantage to choosing one over the other? For example, does one have access to an incredible site that the other does not?, does one engage in more sustainable practices?, or does one have better food?, etc.

We also considered homestays like Besar Bay (Gam) & Turtle (Kri), but I have trouble sleeping in the heat/humidity (which I learned in Costa Rica), so an electric fan or AC would be helpful. It might sound trivial, but I've found that 3 or 4 sleepless nights can sour the remainder of your trip.

I also realize that there might not be a significant difference between CER, PE, or other resorts, but any insight or suggestions people have about accommodations in Raja Ampat would be a huge help.

Thanks!

I have stayed at pap ex and loved it. Food was good, ambiance beautiful. Over water bungalow with electric fan. Diving access to everything In the Dampier straight.

 

[Trilobite]

I was on a tour at Papua Explorers for eight days last October. I have never been to Cove Eco Resort, but here are some differences I noticed looking at their website.

1. Bungalows & Restaurant over the water: At Papua Explorers, the bungalows, restaurant, and main socializing areas are all over the water. I saw an amazing diversity of life in the water from these locations – much of it things that I did not see under the water (or did not see as well). There was a resident moray eel right under my bungalow, as well as two species of triggerfish, sea anemones, and once I saw a smallish great barracuda – but the highlight was one night I went out with a flashlight and a Raja Epaulette Shark came over to investigate. This is a beautiful shark and one of the star fish found only in Raja Ampat. I also saw it again from the restaurant. From the restaurant you could sometimes also see Blacktip Reef Sharks hunting rays in the evening. Everything at Cove Eco Resort seems to be on land except for a fairly short pier over the water – so I think that is a big plus for Papua Explorers.

2 Air Conditioning: Cove EcoResort has air-conditioned rooms. There is no air conditioning at Papua Explorers, but they do have ceiling fans and a portable electric fan in the bungalows. I used the laundry basket to prop up the electric fan so it blew on me while I slept, and that was comfortable for sleeping. The only time I missed air conditioning was when sealing my camera housing. I had some recurring minor issues with condensation after using the camera for an hour or so – having an air-conditioned room for camera purposes might have avoided that. So I think this is a small plus for Cove Eco Resort – but perhaps offset by the fact that having air conditioning contributes to global warming.

3. Private Transfer from Sorong: Papua Explorers provides private transfers from Sorong twice a week by a high speed boat. Cove Eco Resort relies on the public ferry for half the transfer trip (it looks to be about 15 miles further from Sorong than PE--so will be a longer transfer). I rode the public ferry back because I needed to leave Papua Explorers on a day they didn't offer the private transfer. The ferry ride itself was good and comfortable – but disembarking in Sorong was chaotic. Almost as soon as we docked, a flood of people crowded onto the boat – most of them seemed to be offering transportation services to those just arriving. But, in any event, it was difficult dragging your luggage through the mass of humanity. So the availability of private transfers is a definite plus for Papua Explorers as far as I'm concerned.

Couple of notes:

– We looked for mantas a couple of days, but they were not around when we were there. Both resorts mention a manta cleaning station, and I expect both visit the same area. The Cove Eco Resort website says that mantas do not use the cleaning station in January, so that would not be a good month to go if that is one of your main targets.

--PE is closer to Waigeo and other islands, so they can offer several land based excursions with minimal travel time.

Whatever you choose, it should be a great trip!

 

[Trilobite]

Just happened to glance at one of the reviews of Cove Eco Resort. It mentioned an issue with biting insects outside. If accurate, that would be another plus for PE. I did not encounter any biting insects while there--and there were no insects at all in the rooms.

 

[R4GiantM]

Thank you both so much for the feedback. Sounds like PE might be our choice. We definitely don't need AC. Fans should be fine. We hadn't fully considered the advantages of staying in bungalows over the water or the private transfer from Sorong. And we missed that the mantas wouldn't be at CER's cleaning station in January. Your comments were super helpful. Thanks again!

 

[Kendall Raine]

Thank you both so much for the feedback. Sounds like PE might be our choice. We definitely don't need AC. Fans should be fine. We hadn't fully considered the advantages of staying in bungalows over the water or the private transfer from Sorong. And we missed that the mantas wouldn't be at CER's cleaning station in January. Your comments were super helpful. Thanks again!

My wife and I will be at PE late March 2024 and I'll write it up. Look for it. I did a lot of research (SB and Undercurrent and emails with different places) before booking and thought PE was the best fit land based fit for us.

 

[R4GiantM]

My wife and I will be at PE late March 2024 and I'll write it up. Look for it. I did a lot of research (SB and Undercurrent and emails with different places) before booking and thought PE was the best fit land based fit for us.

Sounds great! I'll be sure to check your report.

 

[R4GiantM]

The case seems to be strong for Papua Explorers (PE). I saw that tropicalsnorkeling.com is even planning a new trip with PE as one of their stays in 2025. Outside of Misool (which is out of our price range), are their other resorts (BNR, RAD, or Raja4Divers, etc.) that people would choose first?

 

[DirtFish]

After many months of decision making we booked 2 weeks at Cove Eco for Feb. 2025. Heard great reviews from Dutch friends of ours. Cove Eco doesn't do a lot of advertising to the US market, more Euro. Our friends said bugs were no problem at all. They loved the rooms, (fans / air cond.) the food and said the diving and guides were incredible. Discount if you book a year in advance.
Good luck with your decision!

 

[R4GiantM]

After many months of decision making we booked 2 weeks at Cove Eco for Feb. 2025. Heard great reviews from Dutch friends of ours. Cove Eco doesn't do a lot of advertising to the US market, more Euro. Our friends said bugs were no problem at all. They loved the rooms, (fans / air cond.) the food and said the diving and guides were incredible. Discount if you book a year in advance.
Good luck with your decision!

Glad to hear it. We're still debating out choice. A few others have also commented about Cove Eco's Euro ties.