Homestays in Saonek

The homestay owner contactes us prior to our arrival to check if we were finding our way (they also offered a taxi pick-up at the harbour) and welcomed us with open arms. The homestay has a nice small garden where we had breakfast. The owners also helped us to arrange our taxi next morning

The property is sectioned off into small apartment style blocks, it has a separate bathroom, living space and kitchen/bathroom. It’s clean, has working air conditioning and decent wi-fi.

Privilege Location, front beach with access to the most beautiful corals

The staff here really makes a difference! There are a couple of Catalan ladies (volunteer staff) who have been very responsive to every request I have made. The location is close to a very good reef for snorkeling. Comfortable over-the-water huts. Large bed with comfortable mattress and high mosquito net. Love the oversized knit hammock! Easy pick up for divers with Soul or Turtle or Yenbuba dive centers.

Basic homestay at the very end of the beach - A bed, a table, a chair, a toilet. Shared showers in the backyard. A bungalow under trees, shadow on the terrace. it's clean and right at the ocean. depending on tide it's zero to 5 meters from the terrace to the sea. beautiful beach. the food was good, you got tea and water for free 24/7. the owner is very friendly and warm, has a boat and can arrange trips around the islands and to snorkeling spots. He is speaking very basic English. right in front is a beautiful snorkeling reef, in the morning you can see baby sharks swimming at the beach. I stayed for 12 nights. don't expect any luxury, it's a basic bungalow.

We (a couple) stayed here for a whole week in January 2025 with two friends. Accommodation is very basic, however, it came with a toilet and private shower which wasn't offered at our other place we stayed on in Gam, so a+ for a toilet. The owners were friendly and very helpful with helping us fix/arrange anything we needed. For example, my husband had gotten food poisoning from something he ate in Bali and they helped us go to the hospital. A toilet seat was missing and they sorted it immediately. We went on three trips with them to these places: Friwen Wall, Yenbuba Jetty, Cape Kri (which is about 5 minutes away), Manta Point (twice), Melissa's Garden along with Piaynemo, and Sauwandarek village. The guide Afek was great and an amazing swimmer who could freedive quite deep. He pointed out anything he spotted and was very hospitable and accommodating. He was such a nice guy and although there was a language barrier, it was easy to tell he was really genuine. Prepare long sleeve clothes as we got swarmed by jellyfish at Cape Kri. Other things we liked: * You can pay using Wise for excursions which was helpful. * The data was a bit spotty, but mostly worked on the terrace. *The food was delicious! It was the best food we had in Raja Ampat. They ensured we had fresh fruit every day and each meal was more than filling and fresh. They had a common area where you can meet the others staying there which was great in the evening. *They cleaned the room each day which was nice too! *Lots of incredible sunsets!

I booked 8 days here. I went diving for three days on the Pulau Gam and snorkeled daily on Friwen. They are about a 10 mins boat ride. The Homestay is rustic. There are two beds covered with mosquito net. They are totally fine but somehow one would get in every night. It’s an island at the equator, there are mosquitoes. Also geckos! That’s part of the adventure. The room has an interior slide lock and there’s a clipping lock with a key for locking when you’re away. Honestly I never locked my place. The island seems very safe. Kids playing, most of the folks on the island are involved in tourism, though they don’t speak much English. It wasn’t an issue. I traveled solo and spent most afternoons in the hammock, reading, writing or napping. The food was amazing, delicious, the cook is very sweet and calls you to breakfast, lunch and dinner. The fresh fish is caught daily. Vegetables and rice, very delicious and all included. Large quantities. Box lunches are available if you are diving all day. Bananas are snacks. Unlimited instant coffee, tea, hot water. The island is stunning. Sunsets amazing. The reef has more life to see while snorkeling than most places (Europe, Caribbean, US, Latin America) have to see while scuba diving! I saw turtles, squid, dolphins playing, reef sharks and millions of coral. A not about cash and other fees: you will need ~140,000 to take a ferry from Sorong to Waisai. Then you’ll need 600,000 to ride each way from Waisai to Friwen (this can be divided with others, provided there are other riders.). On Waisai, you’ll have to buy a Marine Park pass and an entry pass, in total 1,000,000. So you’ll need around 2,250,000 in cash (be prepared bc the pass can be purchased online, or card but sometimes their system is down and you have to pay cash). In Sorong airport there are four ATMs, most of them don’t work well. There are ATMs on Waisai but you have to ride a motorcycle to them. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!