Land based resort in Raja Ampat

[pclark2]

I'm looking into a return visit to Raja Ampat and would love some advice. My wife and I stayed at Sorido Bay in 2022 and loved it, but they are understandably booked for the time period we are looking (Jan-Mar 2026).

We are looking for a place with air conditioning, good location, ability to do excursions such as Fam, helpful/friendly staff, ok food, attached private bathroom, etc. Of those, of course air conditioning is the main limiting item. From what I can tell, Raja Ampat Dive Lodge and Cove Eco Resort would be the main options (not counting Sorido or Misool due to availability), and I think Raja Ampat Dive Lodge seems a little better.

Is Raja Ampat Dive Lodge the best choice? Or is there a better option I missed? It is hard to find as much information for them online as it was for Sorido back when I visited there, but the reviews I've seen look good. Has anyone stayed both there and Sorido and can give a good comparison between the two on how everything operates?

Thank you!

 

[Will Rogers]

Perhaps check out Agusta Eco Resort?

Haven't been, but are going there next March for 5 nights before our liveaboard.

 

[Living4Experiences]

I have stayed at Sorido Bay, Raja Ampat Dive Lodge, and Cove Eco, plus a liveaboard on the Damai II. Here are my trip reports.

Trip Report Thread 'Raja Ampat, Live Report, Nov. 7-Dec. 7, 2023'

Nov 13, 2023

This is my first trip to Asia and first time to Raja Ampat (RA). I’m going to try to do this as a live report to the extent I have an internet connection. This was a complicated trip to plan and execute because I’m doing a 10-night stay at Sorido Bay Resort (SBR) (as an individual booking) followed by a 12-day liveaboard with Damai II (Bluewater Travel group trip), and I needed to stay within the 30-day visa limit for Indonesia. I did most of the planning myself, but my agent at Bluewater guided me through the process.

Getting to Indonesia. As everyone knows, this...

• Living4Experiences
• Replies: 187
• Forum: Indonesia

• 

Trip Report Thread 'Raja Ampat Dive Lodge-March 2025'

Apr 5, 2025

This is week number two for me in Raja Ampat. I stayed a week at Cove Eco (CE) on Yeben Island and this week was spent at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (RADL) on Mansuar Island, an hour north of Yeben. I posted a trip report for Cove Eco, so I won’t repeat that content, but I will do a comparison of the two stays.
I was transferred by boat from CE to RADL. I arrived in the morning and my cabin was ready for me. The grounds are well manicured with lots of flowers and plants and are quite beautiful. They...

• Living4Experiences
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Indonesia

• 

Trip Report Thread 'Raja Ampat-Cove Eco-February 2025'

Mar 27, 2025

About Me. I am on a two-month dive trip to four countries, flying with nine airlines. I’m a solo traveler with 600+ dives, and this is an independently planned trip with the help of Bluewater Travel for dive and stay package pricing. In order of travel by country: Indonesia (Raja Ampat), Philippines (Puerto Galera), Western Australia (Exmouth/Ningaloo & Perth), and Fiji (Viti Levu). In Raja Ampat, my stays were one week at Cove Eco (Yeben Island), one week at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (Mansuar Island), and one week on White Manta liveaboard round trip from Sorong.

For context...

• Living4Experiences
• Replies: 20
• Forum: Indonesia

• 

 

[Luko]

From what I can tell, Raja Ampat Dive Lodge and Cove Eco Resort would be the main options (not counting Sorido or Misool due to availability), and I think Raja Ampat Dive Lodge seems a little better.

Is Raja Ampat Dive Lodge the best choice? Or is there a better option I missed? It is hard to find as much information for them online

You will find a few unbiased reports on Cove Eco resort (ie. NOT fueled by someone's frustration who had to pay a mere supplement for something she forgot to read in the general conditions) as well as other reports on RADL.

Personally I've been to both Cove Eco and RADL, I rate Cove Eco higher in terms of comfort and dive operation, I have been to Agusta too which is even more comfortable and benefits from an any arrival day policy/min duration 4 days.
On the comfort scale I would say Agusta deluxe bungalows > Cove Eco >> RADL.
On the food scale I would state Agusta >=Cove Eco >>>>>> RADL

Cove Eco is closer to Fam but IIRC only does it on wednesdays. Agusta daytrips are on request, depending on the customers they might do it everyday. Agusta and RADL are close to Kri/MAnsuar area while Cove Eco will not dive this area unless speial request and hefty supplement, on the other hand Cove Eco have their special manta cleaning station where you won't dive with any other divers and you won't be parked like in a zoo as the awful Manta sandy.

 

[pclark2]

I have stayed at Sorido Bay, Raja Ampat Dive Lodge, and Cove Eco, plus a liveaboard on the Damai II. Here are my trip reports.

Trip Report Thread 'Raja Ampat, Live Report, Nov. 7-Dec. 7, 2023'

Nov 13, 2023

This is my first trip to Asia and first time to Raja Ampat (RA). I’m going to try to do this as a live report to the extent I have an internet connection. This was a complicated trip to plan and execute because I’m doing a 10-night stay at Sorido Bay Resort (SBR) (as an individual booking) followed by a 12-day liveaboard with Damai II (Bluewater Travel group trip), and I needed to stay within the 30-day visa limit for Indonesia. I did most of the planning myself, but my agent at Bluewater guided me through the process.

Getting to Indonesia. As everyone knows, this...

• Living4Experiences
• Replies: 187
• Forum: Indonesia

• 

Trip Report Thread 'Raja Ampat Dive Lodge-March 2025'

Apr 5, 2025

This is week number two for me in Raja Ampat. I stayed a week at Cove Eco (CE) on Yeben Island and this week was spent at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (RADL) on Mansuar Island, an hour north of Yeben. I posted a trip report for Cove Eco, so I won’t repeat that content, but I will do a comparison of the two stays.
I was transferred by boat from CE to RADL. I arrived in the morning and my cabin was ready for me. The grounds are well manicured with lots of flowers and plants and are quite beautiful. They...

• Living4Experiences
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Indonesia

• 

Trip Report Thread 'Raja Ampat-Cove Eco-February 2025'

Mar 27, 2025

About Me. I am on a two-month dive trip to four countries, flying with nine airlines. I’m a solo traveler with 600+ dives, and this is an independently planned trip with the help of Bluewater Travel for dive and stay package pricing. In order of travel by country: Indonesia (Raja Ampat), Philippines (Puerto Galera), Western Australia (Exmouth/Ningaloo & Perth), and Fiji (Viti Levu). In Raja Ampat, my stays were one week at Cove Eco (Yeben Island), one week at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (Mansuar Island), and one week on White Manta liveaboard round trip from Sorong.

For context...

• Living4Experiences
• Replies: 20
• Forum: Indonesia

• 

Thank you very much! I've read some of your reports already, but will review them again!

You will find a few unbiased reports on Cove Eco resort (ie. NOT fueled by someone's frustration who had to pay a mere supplement for something she forgot to read in the general conditions) as well as other reports on RADL.

Personally I've been to both Cove Eco and RADL, I rate Cove Eco higher in terms of comfort and dive operation, I have been to Agusta too which is even more comfortable and benefits from an any arrival day policy/min duration 4 days.
On the comfort scale I would say Agusta deluxe bungalows > Cove Eco >> RADL.
On the food scale I would state Agusta >=Cove Eco >>>>>> RADL

Cove Eco is closer to Fam but IIRC only does it on wednesdays. Agusta daytrips are on request, depending on the customers they might do it everyday. Agusta and RADL are close to Kri/MAnsuar area while Cove Eco will not dive this area unless speial request and hefty supplement, on the other hand Cove Eco have their special manta cleaning station where you won't dive with any other divers and you won't be parked like in a zoo as the awful Manta sandy.

Thank you for this. This is the reverse of what I was thinking, so very good to know! How did the sites up by Cove compare in your mind? I loved Cape Kri and the others around that area, but I assume there are similarly amazing sites up north?

Question for you both. Did any of the resorts allow snorkelers to join divers on the same boats, especially for excursions? It was nice having my wife able to join me when at Sorido Bay.

Since my wife and I are planning on having kids, I am operating on the assumption that this will be our last (only second) trip to Indonesia, at least for a very long time.

 

[Living4Experiences]

I know Cove Eco has snorkeling excursions, but I'm not sure about putting snorkelers on dive boats. When I was there, it was only divers on the boat. Don't know about RADL...again, only divers on the boat.

 

[pclark2]

Doing some research, it looks like Cove may have more limited availability. It looks like 7 nights may be the best option for them, while I was hoping for 10. Or, I just go a smidge later. I may want to research dates a little closer. I was aiming for January - March, but maybe April would work.

For Agusta it looks like I need to reach out for availability and pricing, so I haven't done that part yet. I want to make sure I know all the questions to ask before contacting them.

 

[Luko]

Question for you both. Did any of the resorts allow snorkelers to join divers on the same boats, especially for excursions?

For Agusta I am sure 100% you can. We occasionally shared a boat with a small group of snorkelers who had their own guide.
For Cove Eco I'm quite sure they did, I remember a family of 5 with teens who I wasn't sure they dived but snorkeled. You may ask them directly, they are very reactive to questions, they're also quite flexible on their dive operation : with a family of 3 or 4 people you're likely to get a boat for yourself, they have quite a lot of boats available.
For RADL I can't say, since at the time I stayed we were only 4 customers diving for the whole resort and no snorkelers (there were other customers coming from a same company liveaboard that had their own program waiting for their LoB pick up). I even had 3 days diving on my own boat and 2 guides for me !

How did the sites up by Cove compare in your mind? I loved Cape Kri and the others around that area, but I assume there are similarly amazing sites up north?

Typically the closer sites to Cove Eco are their manta cleaning station (snorkelers welcome they even see more mantas than divers!) and the Mayhem/CItrus ridge area, Fam is closer too but as I wrote before only once a week on wednesdays OR twice for Melissa's if you dive more than 15 dives OR you can request it with a supplement.
I must say I prefer in general the dives sites around Mansuar/Kri but Mayhem and Citrus Ridge are part of my favorites too.
Similarly you can request Cove Eco diving Dampier with a supplement too.

 

[boletus1973]

you won't be parked like in a zoo as the awful Manta sandy.

I did this experience ten days ago… not very fun… I was in full fisheye mode and before the dive they start with.. no flashes and lights.. don’t move at all… no GoPro sticks…… we did 40minutes stuck to the sand with 3 black manta play around the cleaning station at 10m distance with bad viz… if I know that before I skip the dive in favor of a second cape kri..

 

[Luko]

no flashes and lights.. don’t move at all… no GoPro sticks……

Add on top the cleaner wrasses biting your ear every minute