Sea Passion Hotel Palau Lately Anyone

[bubba105]

My presumption is you are on the 2:15 PM flight Honolulu-Guam on Continental?!? If this is the case you've got an early morning flight from Houston-Honolulu. I would recommend no Ambien on the way there. Reason being, you arrive in Palau at 10 PM, you'll get into your room by 11 PM. It's 12 noon at home a day after you left, in actual time. The sleep you get on the 2 planes isn't going to be substantial so 2 drinks or an Ambien will put you out. In the morning you're on Palau time, even if you need an alarm clock to wake you. Easy to get in the swing.

On the way home, Guam-Honolulu leaves at 6:30 AM. You haven't slept from last night. Actual time of the flight is about 7.5 hours but you get to Hon at 6 PM Hawaii time with 5 hours time change). That flight has Ambien written all over it. Don't know when your Hon-Houston flight is but that might be an Ambien flight also. You get in sometime in the morning. When you get home you have to stay away from all flat surfaces until at least 8 PM your time. Take an Ambien to get you to sleep & hope for the best. I got home at noon & fell asleep by 12:15 last year & it was hell for 8 days. This year I stayed awake until Ambien time & other than laying awake an hour or 2 at night the next 2 days, it was OK. Good luck, it's definitely worth every second of inconvenience, the place is awesome. We had 32 people this year, next trip will be 50.

After 9/11, our trips to Cozumel had interesting, weird TSA happenings. In Cozumel, on the way home, they went thru all our bags, carry-ons included. They took the checked bags & we went thru the X-ray machine. When we went to board they had brought the table we put our bags on to have them checked & the same guy was randomly checking carry-ons again. Of course, my luck being what it is, I got to have my bag torn apart again, by the same guy who had checked it already. This happened until 2005 or so.

 

[bbarada]

"After 9/11, our trips to Cozumel had interesting, weird TSA happenings. In Cozumel, on the way home, they went thru all our bags, carry-ons included. They took the checked bags & we went thru the X-ray machine. When we went to board they had brought the table we put our bags on to have them checked & the same guy was randomly checking carry-ons again. Of course, my luck being what it is, I got to have my bag torn apart again, by the same guy who had checked it already. This happened until 2005 or so.[/QUOTE]

Still doing much the same in Cozumel. We went in August and after Security, when you are boarding, they look through almost all carry-on luggage.

 

[Sorrows]

Yeah, our experience in Cozumel was pretty much the same. Weirdly ineffective.

But back to the Ambien question, Bubba. As I understand it, you are recommending NO ambien for the entire trip--DCA-Houston-Honolulu-Guam-Yap? The thing is, I don't really have trouble sleeping on a plane; it's just rather fitful sleep and I am uncomfortable. I was thinking an ambien (or something like it) that could put me out for (some of the) duration would make the travel a little less dreadful. Of course, I've never taken Ambien (or anything like it) so I don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing.

I'm just looking at our schedule now. We arrive in Yap (spending a few days there on the way out) at 9:30 p.m. By that time, we will have been traveling for a total of 48 hours (including time change), and flying for 23 hours and 35 minutes. Holy crap! How is this possible?

 

[Sorrows]

Forgot that I had another question for you, Bubba, since you just got back from Palau. Did you, by any chance, try the "house reef" in front of Sam's? I heard it's a good place to see Mandarin fish and other creatures that like the muck.

Did you do two or three boat dives a day and how does that work? A dive in the morning-lunch- a dive in the afternoon? Do they put the two dives and three dives people on different boats?

 

[bbarada]

You might check with Continental on your flights. I think the Yap flight arrives at 1:35 AM now. It was changed a while ago.

 

[bubba105]

No diving on the house reef ever for me. We seem to not get back in time. Heard it's pretty good though. Do it & let me know, maybe I'll do a night dive there next time. Lunch is done on the boat & lunch is your surface interval between 1st & 2nd dives. Depending on where you're diving they take you to one of the island beaches, Ulong from Survivor & 2 dog seemed to be our usual. We did 2 days of 3 dives with the 3rd dive both days being German Channel for mantas. Both days were exceptional with at least 5 mantas & a large baitball getting eaten both days. Beg if you have to, we were the only ones there both days.

Going there flight from Guam
CO 953 on 18SEP GUM/YAP/ROR 735P 1005P (gain 1 hour)

Back to Honolulu
CO 954 on 28SEP ROR/GUM 235A 530A (lose 1 hour)
CO 002 on 28SEP GUM/HNL 630A 555P (land on 27SEP)

I had the e-mail of our itinerary still in my in-box, these are right on the money from a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Sorrows]

I've heard that the house reef is a good place for a dusk dive and that there are mandarin fish there.

Bbubba, as I wrote in another thread, our flights--the flights--to Yap have been changed. The flights from Yap to Palau don't leave now until 12:55 a.m. (arrive 1 a.m.) But we could skip Yap and fly direct on the same day to Palau and arrive at a respectable 8:55 p.m. Right now that's the way we are leaning--which would give us a full 2 weeks in Palau. Do you think we'll get bored?

Is there a reason you only did 2 days of three dives? We thought we'd pretty much do three dives every day--is this too much? I know two dives with that much boat time can feel pretty tiring. Do they go to the same place for the 3rd dive each time?

Sorry to ask so many questions--and thank you for answering them!

 

[Travelnsj]

Sorrows....I do the house reef sometimes as a 4th dive...in the late afternoon before dusk and there are many Mandarin fish hanging out...just have to be careful when taking a photo the Damsel fish are territorial and will nip at ya!...plus if you go out a ways (the vis is not great) i've seen Eagle rays swimming by.

If you want to dive 3 dives a day at Sams....I would suggest booking and paying for it before you arrive. I've never dove the same place twice in Palau unless I requested it....and sometimes when the Blue Corner is really happening....love to dive it again!

 

[Sorrows]

Thanks, Travelnsj, that sounds like good advice. Do you do three dives every day? Do they put the 3 dive people on a different boat from the 2 dive people?

Btw, your dive schedule is amazing. Excuse me while I turn pea green with envy.

 

[farsidefan1]

Looking forward to seeing you in Feb travelnsj. Maybe we can do the house reef together.