Palau: PPR or The Carolines? Splash or Sam's or FishnFins?

[viva1]

We're planning a trip to Yap, Palau and PI for May, 2013. I'm still trying to figure some things out... On Palau (6-7 days there), we're considering either PPR or The Carolines--Both have their advantages--PPR--On the water, snorkeling right off the beach; Carolines--more jungle-y, birds, breakfast on deck in morning, can use beach at PPR. Cons: Carolines: inconvenience of getting to PPR.
PPR--bigger, more expensive, noisier?

We like quiet places--not a lot of "kid" noise and other noise. Comfortable is good, but doesn't have to be fancy. We're willing to pay more for PPR if people think it is worth it. Any thoughts? If we choose PPR, which is the quietest ocean-front rooms?

Also, I've read reviews of Sam's and FishnFins and have heard a little about Splash (at PPR--mainly Japanese there? more expensive?). Most reviews about the bigger operations are very good, but there are some bad ones as well. We're looking for excellent divemasters and fewer people on boats (if that is even possible!). Thoughts?

Thanks.

[Shasta_man]

THere is also a pretty good hike to get up to Carolines from PPR. PPR itself is not just Japanese if that is the question. I do liveaboards only so no feedback on the dive ops.

[Centrals]

F&F has a small liveaboard for six divers ONLY.
Liveaboard is the only way to dive Palau. Dive sites are too far away and operators are very reluctant to go to Peleliu.

[Magrone]

Liveaboard is the only way to dive Palau. Dive sites are too far away and operators are very reluctant to go to Peleliu.

I disagree. I thought diving with Sam's wasn't bad at all. Yea there are hour long boat rides twice a day but you are touring through the rock islands which are really beautiful+ they have a bar with good local beer on tap right at the dock when you return. Not to mention the excellent restaurants that you can eat at while in Koror.

Another option is staying at Dolphin Bay Resort on Peleliu Island and diving with Peleliu Divers. I did this a couple of years ago and thought it was great. Short boat rides to all of the big sites + the fantastic dives around the island. And if you are at all interested in WW2 history, exploring Peleliu Island on a bicycle is well worth it.

[Centrals]

I disagree. I thought diving with Sam's wasn't bad at all. Yea there are hour long boat rides twice a day but you are touring through the rock islands.........

Dived with Sam's nth years ago and it was the daily transfer that convinced me to try liveaboard on my next visit. We never made it to Peleliu with Sam's because the sea was too rough for a speed boat with 12-13 divers + at least 30 tanks. No such probelm with the liveaboard that I was on.
4 dives a day is normal on liveaboard but for land based operator I am not too sure. If I ever come back to the island, it would be liveaboard.

[dgrauman]

I also have the same question. We are a family that enjoys diving, but more like 2 dives a day max. We want to have other activities as well, and the liveaboard is not for us. Touring WWII sites, etc. makes Palau intriguing. We are looking for a place to stay that is more than a room to occupy in between dives. Are there enough varied things to do through any of the resorts, or is PPR the only resort to consider?

[Mossman]

The PPR is a corporate-run beach resort like you might see in Hawaii, just on a smaller scale. Rooms are large and comfortable, especially the automated Japanese toilets. There's an air-conditioned fine dining restaurant as well as a casual outdoors one with menu and buffet options, food is excellent at both. There's a pool bar and a lobby bar. A swimming pool and a gift shop. Wifi. Service is friendly and efficient. Except for the difference in the quality of the diving and the wood carvings available in the gift shop, you really might not notice that you're in Palau and not Kauai. It's a very comfortable place to stay before or after a liveaboard. It's also a very comfortable place to stay for day-boat diving, though it was too rough for the Neco Marine dive boats to pick us up at the PPR's dock, so we had to get a ride there. Adding a possible drive to a long boat ride makes for a long day of diving to get only 2-3 dives in per day, so I definitely prefer a liveaboard in Palau.

The Carolines resort is very "authentic" looking, but I was sweating profusely after hiking around the resort when we toured it - it's built on a steep hill and if you're in one of the bungalows further up, expect a hike up and down that's nearly as steep as the one you have to negotiate to get to Jellyfish Lake. It's probably quiet and secluded-feeling at night, but I'd rather stroll a flat paved PPR path after a night of dining and drinking than have to climb a mountain If you're there mainly for the diving and don't care whether you're sleeping in a hand-carved wood bungalow as long as the bed is comfortable and the A/C works, I think the PPR is a better option. If you want more of a cultural experience, are planning on touring on land (don't miss Peleliu), visiting the jail for storyboards, etc., and are in decent physical shape, the Carolines might be a better fit.

As for dive ops, I definitely got the feeling that Splash catered more to Japanese clientele, probably because I had to ask three different people before finding one who spoke enough English to rent me a tank. It may be more convenient, but unless you're fluent in Japanese, you'll probably have a more enriching experience with one of the dive ops that cater more to English-speaking divers. Compared to the rest of what Palau has to offer, the house reef is quite dead, so I wouldn't stay at the PPR for quality snorkeling. It sounds like snorkeling and shore diving might be better around Sam's dock from what I've heard, but I do like the PPR's pool.

The PPR is certainly more "noisy" than the Carolines, given that there are more people, a swimming pool, and bars. Still, given the largely Japanese clientele who aren't usually prone to being "loud", it's hardly the noise that you might find at an all-inclusive in the Caribbean, say. The only "loud" activity we noticed on my last trip was one day at lunch when there was a party of three American military from Guam on R&R, accompanied by three women that probably weren't their girlfriends or wives. They were drinking and getting a bit rambunctious with their lady friends while the more polite mainly Japanese crowd around them tried in vain to ignore the scene (on the contrary, I couldn't keep their eyes off them - like I said, I'm pretty certain the ladies were not their girlfriends or wives). As soon as they left, it was so quiet you could almost hear the sigh of relief sweeping over the tables. (On my previous trip, my buddy and I were at the bar every night drinking with an Australian vice cop and singing songs we requested from a pair of guitarists, so we were the loud ones - still, everything closes up by 10 pm or earlier.)

The resort is pretty spread out, so any people noise can easily be avoided by requesting a room away from the main complex, but as far as noisy hotels go, the PPR is pretty tame. Palau is pretty tame for that matter. It's a long trek for Americans and Europeans, so that tends to weed out most casual vacationers.

[dgrauman]

Thank you. That was a very helpful reply.

[peanut]

We used Fish and Fins on their liveaboard and I would recommend it to anyone. In all fairness we did stay in the master suite which was MUCH more expensive than the regular berths but we figured we were only doing this once. They were a great operation from beginning to end. They met us at the airport, took us to the hotel we were staying in over night before we boarded the boat, which they booked for us. Picked us up the next morning and the rest of the week was wonderful. We stayed an additioanl 3 days on the island at PPR, which F&F booked for us. The dropped us off at PPR the day we got off the boat. We even took a day long land tour with them, which we loved. PPR was great. Our room was in a building at the the very end of the property so fairly private. The food was o.k., nothing to write home about but we only ate there once. We met the captain of F&F liveaboard for dinner out one night and our tour guide (F&F divemaster) the next. I spent some time at the pool at PPR and had it all to myself. We did snorkle on the house reef, which was o.k. but after a week on a liveaboard anything would be anti-climatic. Would do the whole thing again if I had the money and time.

[altaskier]

I stayed at the Carolines for two days before going on the Ocean Hunter I, the smaller of the two Fish n Fins liveaboards. I thought Carolines was really neat, with the (somewhat?) authentic wood A-frame huts, and the view from high on a hill looking down over jungle and the ocean while you're having breakfast. I also walked down to PPR one day to use the internet, and of course it's very well done. But to me, PPR felt like going to Hawaii, while Carolines had much more of a Micronesian vibe.

Whenever I return to Palau, I'll certainly stay at Carolines.