Palau/Yap?

My girlfriend and I are going to bein Palau/Yap over the holidays. Has anyone stayed at Carolines Resort in Palau and/or at Manta Ray Resort in Yap? I'd appreciate any comments. Also,

Carolines: we're told guests have access to Palau Pacific Resort (PPR) facilities/beach. Is PPR walking distance from Carolines? Can you rent scooter in town to boot around island (and Babeldaob?) on non-dive days? What about places to eat - any suggestions? Fresh fruit to buy?

Yap: is Traders Ridge a lot nicer than Manta Ray Resort? Restaurants? I know manta ray has a restaurant but I would rather not eat at same place all week.

Diving: we both have our advanced open water but haven't used reef hooks - is this going to be a problem or are the hooks user-friendly?

Thanks.

Hi KJ,

Guests at Carolines Resort do indeed have priviledges at Pala Pacific Resort. PPR is quite a walk from Carolines, but there is shuttle service between the two as well as into Koror. Fish & Fins has scooters available at their location, be sure and mention that Papa Mike sent you, they promised a special rate for readers of my Palau Handbook. Lots of good restaurants in Koror, Monday night spaghetti feed at Kraemer's on the dock in Malakal. Reef Restaurant at Etpison Museum, Taj Restaurant in Koror, Carp Restaurant for Fish in Malakal. Get your fresh fruit at Yano's next to the WCTC shopping center.

Have a great trip!

Papa Mike

www.mikehollywood.com

Thanks. Great tips on Palau. Any tips on Yap? How about Carp Island or Peleliu for a night?

KJ,

Sorry have not visited Yap. Due to transportation restraints, Carp Island is probably a better choice. They have a daily boat to Carp, where as ferry service to Pelileu is not daily. Both are worth the trip, so check ferry schedule.

Have a good trip!

Papa Mike

www.mikehollywood.com

Caroline's was being refurbished September 2005, so should be great.

The Taj is a fantastic restaurant - one of the best Indian's I've come across anywhere

Don't forget the paintball & mini golf on the road to Sam's Tours - who will do you a first class kayak trip

The restaurant in the main drag between the desekel motel & the bank is a great cheap eat place

As for reef hooks they're not difficult, but if you dive with a camera I would strongly recommend you take a clip to attatch it to your bc - if the current runs over Blue Corner (Sam's do ths trip on a regular basis) you want your hands free to attach the hook

Basically you deflate over the corner plateau, find a crack, slip the hook in, then partially inflate, playing out a couple of meters - bit like water skiing. You'll get full instruction, but it's not difficult, unless you're one handed, trying to keep your camera off the deck as I was.

Enjoy.

Thanks for the info - can't wait to get there.

Hi All,

My Dad and I are doing a week long liveaboard, April '08, in Palau. I believe he's decided on Big Blue Explorer ... I don't care, I just want to get wet!

Following the liveaboard, we're spending 3-4 days diving Yap. Can anyone suggest a very nice/reasonable, not necessarily fancy five star, hotel on the beach in Yap that offers beach activities. I don't think I want to be in the 'middle' of it all, if there's even such a thing on Yap, but not off the beaten path either. Maybe a short cab ride to dive shop, restaurants, etc ... Lastly, who's a good dive operator on Yap?

Please feel free to drop me an e-mail @ skrumbein@hotmail.com
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.

Susan

No, there is no such thing as the middle of it all in Yap. And there really aren't any beaches, at least in town. There was a small "resort" around the island from Kolonia, but I don't know what the state of it is after last years hurricane which really destroyed parts of Yap. And that is quite off the beaten path. Traders Ridge is new since we were there so we have no opinion- we have stayed many times at Manta Ray, and have enjoyed it. Pathways is pictureseque, but the restaurant gets terrible reviews. There are a couple of restaurants within easy walking distance. Yap is a small place and most of the tourist facilities are in a very small area, so where ever you are you will be near most everything. There is a pleasant one on the dock, looking out over the Chinese junk, if it is still there. It is a simple place, so don't go expecting fancy. There aren't beach activities. But do take a tour through some of the local villages, including the villages of the outer islanders, and to see the stone money.

Fresh local fruit is quite limited in Palau as the rats and bats eat everything before it ripens. And not a lot grows there, despite it being the tropics. Yannos is great for local produce- taro and tapioca, papaya, breadfruit in season. The occassional pineapple, rambutan, and soursop.

As far as Carp/Peliliu- Carp is a get away. Peliliu is very full of history. If you have any interest in WWII remains, it is well worth the trip over. And the flight itself is stunning- over the rock islands. And landing on a grass WWII Japanese airfield is an experience. It is the site of one of the bloodiest battles of WWII, and there are tanks and an airplane cemetary and a small and dear little museum. As far as scootering on Balbedaob- I spent several days there last summer and never saw a single scooter. (As a matter of fact I don't remember seeing any in Koror, although I know they are trying to hype them.) One problem is the the sudden and often hard rains can make it unpleasant to scooter around, and the distances are surprisingly long in Balbedaob. And it is quite easy to get lost, even with the compact road which may or may not be open at any particular time because of mud slides. Rent a car with air con.

Thanks 5Waldos. We're leaning towards a week long liveaboard on Big Blue followed by five days at Manta Ray. As you did, another person told me Manta Ray is quite nice. I hear the owner spent two million dollars on renovations ... I just hope it was after last year's hurricane damage. I was also told he owns the dive shop in the hotel and runs a good operation. Thanks for the info about rest. in Yap.

KJ, did you make your trip yet? Please post/PM me ... I would love to hear your feedback.

Sharks Rule!
Susan

Susan,

The trip was fantastic. I agree with 5Waldos comments on Manta Ray.

Manta's renovations were post-hurricane and the resort is in good shape. Not all of the hotel had been renovated when we were there, but by '08 I'd think reno's would be completed - just in case though you should make sure to ask for a room in the renovated section or Rm. 301 which has a private roof-top hot tub. The new pool is small but nice to relax by but, like 5Waldos says, there are no nearby beaches. While Yap does have some beaches, it is definitely not a beach destination. Manta Ray arranged for us to go to a beach on one of our non-dive days - the beach was just OK.

The dive shop at Manta Ray is top notch. We never got to speak with Bill Acker, the owner, who spent most of the week with a writer/editor from one of the leading dive magazines (forget which one). Unfortunately, we were unlucky with our diving - worse weather than normal messed with the visibility and made some of Yap's non-manta dives inaccessible. The dive guides said it would have been better diving in February/March which is in the heart of manta mating season. That said, I thought the diving was still better than a place like Roatan, but after the phenomenal diving in Palau even fairly good diving seems average. Seems petty to complain though when we saw 7 mantas within 5-15 feet on 1 dive.

The only other hotel I saw on Yap was Traders' Ridge. I'd think it'd be the place to stay for non-divers - it does have a small dive shop but seems to be more focused on cultural tours, etc. While I usually hate cultural tours, Yap is a unique place and I enjoyed the village tour that was arranged by Manta Ray. Colonia is the main town but it has a v. slow pace and an interesting mix of outer islanders in traditional clothes and the more modern people from the main island. The accommodations at Traders Ridge were very nice and more up-scale than Manta, but Manta was fine. While the Traders Ridge restaurant was nice, I preferred the Mnuw at Manta Ray - more laid-back. There were more options for lunch at Traders Ridge, but Manta's dinners were as good or better.

Palau: if you love sharks, you'll love Palau. Tremendous underwater action. Blue Corner lived up to the hype - so much to see. Also had great dives at New Drop Off, Big Drop Off and Ulong Channel. Liked Siaes Corner too. My first dive and a half at German Channel didn't compare, but we got lucky for the last 30 min of the second dive when we were visited by 3 or 4 mantas that were doing loops overhead. Had Samstours take us for 1 day of diving off Peleliu - great wall diving and the island looked well worth the visit if you have an extra day, though we only stopped there briefly.

Wish I was still there,

KJ

Me too KJ- but I ususally would like to be in Palau. And wow- never saw any mantas in Palau, even being there 3 years! In German Channel we mostly saw barracuda.

And for those used to the shark stories off Oz and the states- the sharks over all are quite uninterested in people in Palau. I never heard of a single incidence with one, and we swam with many. It is a bit intimidating at first- but then one just gets used to peaceful sharks.

"outer islanders in traditional clothes" meaning blue or yellow thules for men (cloth strategically wrapped) and striped lava lave's, also strategically wrapped around the waist, for women. In town it is required for the outer islanders- unfortunately, to keep them in their place. Yap is a very strictly classed society. High clans and low clans and outer islanders. And I am sure that there are further distinctions, but I was never able to sort it out.

THANKS KJ! The trip is over a year from now, yet I'm SO excited! Jealous too ... my Dad is diving in Bonaire this week ... poor thing, he's missing the big snow storm in Chicago.

YES, we are BIG shark enthusiasts! We've been to many dive destinations around the world simply based on Mr. Big action. Can't wait to dive with Giant Mantas ... I would love to be there during mating season ... hopefully they'll still be feeling amourous during the month of April!

Your day trip to Peliliu with Sam's Tours ... did you go by boat or air? My Dad is a big WWII enthusiast and based on 5Waldos rec I was thinking of doing a land tour. Would you rec diving instead? How long did it take to get there? Cost? Please feel free to chime in 5Waldos.

Thanks for all the info ... take good care.

Susan

Susan, Sams tooks us on one of their dive boats to Peleliu. I believe the boat ride took about 60-70 minutes - about 15-20 minutes past usual dive sites. The last 1/4 of the ride was choppy (because of strong winds and currents) and left me a little green, but I'd defer to anyone who's been there more than once about whether that's the norm. I know there was an extra cost charged by Sams for the longer boat ride but I don't remember how much - I guess that must mean it wasn't too much more than cost of usual dive-day.

It sounds like your dad would enjoy Peleliu. I didn't do the land tour, but I spoke to a couple who were WWII enthusiasts as well and they were impressed. I loved the diving off of Peleliu as well, but the land-tour would no doubt be worthwhile on non-dive day. Tough call if it comes down to a choice between the two, but I'd say do both if you can.

Thanks for the more detailed info on Yapese society, 5Waldos. While I tried during my short stay, I couldn't sort out the distinctions either.

You might also consider a private boat. And yes, I do have a recommendation, but PM me, as I don't want to be seen as advertising. We flew to Peliliu, spent a day and night, and then got picked up there and spent the day snorkeling. The tour around really is a treat.

A story about some of the remains: there are a number of "ducks" there that were left just after the war, having delivered fuel to the island. A dear old friend of mine saw some of my pictures after we returned. He nearly dropped his drink- he had been the captain on the ship out of Guam just after the war that delivered these ducks. He couldn't believe that they were still there now more than 50 years later.

Small world.

Visitors to Pelelliu, especially war buffs, should (must?) read about the major battle that took place there. "Peleliu" by Bill Ross, and at least the section on Peleliu in the book "With the OLd Breed" by E. B. Sledge are a couple of good ones.

Last time I was there, we ran into a group of Japanese that were collecting the bones of their soldiers. They then performed a very moving cremation ceremony. Meet the last living survivor of about 40 Japanese soldiers that had hid on the island for many months after the war was over. Tojo's grandaughter also was in the group.

Dick

Hi Ricky,

Thanks again for contacting me. I forwarded your e-mail to my Dad ... wouldn't ya know ... he already has those two books. He's such a WWII buff, he doesn't miss a thing!

He's also in the early stages of researching/planning our '09 dive trip to the Solomon Islands ... but I'm pushing for the Maldives or Seychelles. Guess I have to check those forums and say hi/get feedback too.

Hope everyone is well! Sharks Rule!!

Susan