Day in Sorong after Raja Ampat

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Thank you all for the great info!


Any complaints about the hotel?


Probably not the best gift for my mom then haha. Good to know what those are when I see them! Woodcarvings sounds nice.


Seems like an efficient way to reduce what goes to the landfill. Nice. I wasn't expecting to see feral pigs. My last dive trip was to Bonaire with feral goats and donkeys, so this seems to be becoming a trend for me. I think the most terrifying thing about you photo is that whenever I look at it, all I can think about is bacon!

I have no complaints about Swissbel. I was happy to have found it. If you arrive in the morning, you'll have a very long wait for your room, has been my experience. Fortunately, the lobby is large and comfortable and there's always others waiting too.
 
I will be there at the end of the month and also staying at the Swissbel.

Does anyone have any Sorong restaurant recommendations?
 
I will be there at the end of the month and also staying at the Swissbel.

Does anyone have any Sorong restaurant recommendations?
Same for me, we will be staying at Swissbel at 29th, did not have time to figure out what to do for the day. I read that hotel is pretty noisy, someone gave advice to get a room with odd number as even numbers are facing the busy street.
 
Same for me, we will be staying at Swissbel at 29th, did not have time to figure out what to do for the day. I read that hotel is pretty noisy, someone gave advice to get a room with odd number as even numbers are facing the busy street.

I've stayed there 3 or 4 times, I don't remember it being particularly noisy, except for one night when some young folk were acting up somewhere. I've also seen and heard fireworks but then I was there near Christmas and New Year's, not sure if that was a factor. I cannot recall any specific street noise. Perhaps it depends upon where the room actually is. Mine have always been near the back of the hotel but have been on both sides. Yes, there probably are rooms on the front side which is a busy street. I can't help more than that, sorry.
 
Downtown Sorong you will find tribal art shops or stalls. There was one 200m near to the Royal Mamberamo hotel (very nice seafood dinner here btw)
A koteka is I think the most original souvenir you can bring home to your friends (preferably masculine gender).
You wonder what is a koteka? Ok... it's a penis sheath.
Other than that you'll find plenty of woodcarvings at these shops.
So roughly where is downtown Sorong? Is the Royal Mamberamo hotel near downtown?

I have no complaints about Swissbel. I was happy to have found it. If you arrive in the morning, you'll have a very long wait for your room, has been my experience. Fortunately, the lobby is large and comfortable and there's always others waiting too.
It looks like check in time is 2pm. Do they have the option of storing bags until then so one could explore the city instead of waiting in the lobby? And would that even be a good idea to do then, or for luggage security reasons would it be best to not hand off luggage? I've never been to this part of the world before.

Oh, and is pretty much every taxi in Sorong 100,000 Rupiah? I keep seeing that amount listed. Certainly would make things easier if it actually is the standard price, and by US standards that is cheap at $7.32. Do the taxis normally speak enough English to understand where you want them to go? Like if we wanted to go from the Swissbel to the shopping area downtown, is there a particular drop off place we should ask to go by name? And would getting a taxi to go back to the hotel be easy? Are they clearly marked?

This actually brings me to another question. Is there a good thread or site somewhere you all would recommend I read with lots of good "know before you go" type information?
 
It looks like check in time is 2pm. Do they have the option of storing bags until then so one could explore the city instead of waiting in the lobby? And would that even be a good idea to do then, or for luggage security reasons would it be best to not hand off luggage? I've never been to this part of the world before.
If there is room available, they allow early check in, we arrived at 11am and were able to check in right away. We did walk to a cafe Google Maps in about 20 minutes. You need to have local currency, none of the ATMs were working with our cards. It is possible to exchange USD in the banks but not Euros. Below the cafe there is a supermarket where you can get the basics. In the evening we ate in the hotel. Hotel is sufficient for staying for a night but I was slightly grossed out with the general cleanliness of the room/bathroom but this is best you can get in Sorong I suppose. Hotel food was ok, we ate the dinner at the hotel. Be careful if you are walking around in the dark, there are tons of obstructions and pits on the sidewalk.
 
If there is room available, they allow early check in, we arrived at 11am and were able to check in right away. We did walk to a cafe Google Maps in about 20 minutes. You need to have local currency, none of the ATMs were working with our cards. It is possible to exchange USD in the banks but not Euros. Below the cafe there is a supermarket where you can get the basics. In the evening we ate in the hotel. Hotel is sufficient for staying for a night but I was slightly grossed out with the general cleanliness of the room/bathroom but this is best you can get in Sorong I suppose. Hotel food was ok, we ate the dinner at the hotel. Be careful if you are walking around in the dark, there are tons of obstructions and pits on the sidewalk.

I'm surprised ,as I hadn't noted that the SwissBel was any less cleanly than say a Sheraton near the Houston airport.
 
Yeah, I found the Swisshotel to be clean. No issues at all in that regard. I will be there again this weekend and will be sure to pay extra attention.

Anyone have any good restaurant suggestions in Sorong that is not the hotel?
 
I'm surprised ,as I hadn't noted that the SwissBel was any less cleanly than say a Sheraton near the Houston airport.
All silicone in the bathroom was covered with black mold colonies. It was sufficient to stay a night but I was happy to leave :).
 
All silicone in the bathroom was covered with black mold colonies. It was sufficient to stay a night but I was happy to leave :).

Gross!!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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