Question Solomons, PNG, Vanuatu...?

[CJS]

Uepi Island resort in Marovo Lagoon is a very special little place that I hope to return to one day. They have recently upgraded all the rooms. Their website also seems to be under renovation but check out The Island Life of Us .

 

[NYCcowgirl]

Uepi Island resort in Marovo Lagoon is a very special little place that I hope to return to one day. They have recently upgraded all the rooms. Their website also seems to be under renovation but check out The Island Life of Us .

I looked at Uepi - it looks fantastic & has great reviews but their renovation came with very inflated rates, unfortunately. Once you add in diving, it's probably about double the cost of the resorts I'm considering in PNG.

 

[lermontov]

two very cool places - Leru cut - Mirror lake

 

[CJS]

I looked at Uepi - it looks fantastic & has great reviews but their renovation came with very inflated rates, unfortunately. Once you add in diving, it's probably about double the cost of the resorts I'm considering in PNG.

Ouch! I was there a long time ago. It may be a long time before I am there again, if that is the case.

 

[happyfeed]

Have a look at Wallindi Plantation resort in PNG. Ticks all your boxes.
Kimbe Bay is stunning diving and lots of History and local color. Easy to get to from Moresby I'm struggling to decide between MV Febrina vs MV Oceania. There's a promotion currently where MV Febrina's price is half of MV Oceania. Keen to hear any feedback.

I'm struggling to decide between MV Febrina vs MV Oceania. There's a promotion currently where MV Febrina's price is half of MV Oceania. Keen to hear any feedback.

 

[rmorgan]

I'm struggling to decide between MV Febrina vs MV Oceania. There's a promotion currently where MV Febrina's price is half of MV Oceania. Keen to hear any feedback.

Having sailed on Oceania, and taken a good look (from the water and the dock) at the Febrina, I think getting what you pay for applies. First, Oceania. A large, fairly new catamaran, with all the cabins on the same level as the dive deck, so it takes 2-10 seconds to get to the stern in case there is a need to get the hell out of Dodge. Because of the shallow draft afforded by the twin-hull design, lots of the diving is directly off the stern. The cabins are a nice size, and when we were aboard (May '23) everything worked on the whole boat, which is quite well maintained. There is a decent-sized camera table on the dive deck (we were part of a photography group, and everyone managed fine). Each cabin has one or two large windows. The boat and dive crew were great. The owner/skipper/cruise director, Dan Johnson, is a character, as you'd expect, but he worked his tail off, including returning to port overnight, in a building typhoon, to get a sick passenger to the airport and still having us to suitable divesites in the morning. Febrina is considerably older. All the cabins are below decks, and I think they're pretty tight, with a small porthole. I may be wrong, but I think believe that the between-deck ladders are, if not fully vertical, close to it. There are shelves between the dive-deck bleachers for cameras. And her skipper is notoriously (I daresay, proudly) cantankerous. If, and hopefully when, we go back, it'll be to Oceania.

 

[happyfeed]

Having sailed on Oceania, and taken a good look (from the water and the dock) at the Febrina, I think getting what you pay for applies. First, Oceania. A large, fairly new catamaran, with all the cabins on the same level as the dive deck, so it takes 2-10 seconds to get to the stern in case there is a need to get the hell out of Dodge. Because of the shallow draft afforded by the twin-hull design, lots of the diving is directly off the stern. The cabins are a nice size, and when we were aboard (May '23) everything worked on the whole boat, which is quite well maintained. There is a decent-sized camera table on the dive deck (we were part of a photography group, and everyone managed fine). Each cabin has one or two large windows. The boat and dive crew were great. The owner/skipper/cruise director, Dan Johnson, is a character, as you'd expect, but he worked his tail off, including returning to port overnight, in a building typhoon, to get a sick passenger to the airport and still having us to suitable divesites in the morning. Febrina is considerably older. All the cabins are below decks, and I think they're pretty tight, with a small porthole. I may be wrong, but I think believe that the between-deck ladders are, if not fully vertical, close to it. There are shelves between the dive-deck bleachers for cameras. And her skipper is notoriously (I daresay, proudly) cantankerous. If, and hopefully when, we go back, it'll be to Oceania.

Thanks @rmorgan I've booked Oceania. Very excited for this trip in November! Thanks for sharing the info. Will be flying there a day earlier as I heard the planes are dodgy at times

 

[rmorgan]

Perfect time for it. I'm so jealous that you can get there in a few hours! A couple of travel thoughts. We had a flight delay in Brisbane--an Air Niugini flight, but not their fault--someone checked bags but did not board, so the airline had to extricate the luggage. This put us into POM just as our Hoskins flight departed, so we had to spend the night. We ended up at a motel about 15 minutes away (the Shady Rest) which gave us a chance to see how how overcrowded and impoverished Port Moresby is. We had no problems. We spent a week at Walindi before boarding the boat, and a couple of days afterward; the resort is excellent, especially in light of its remoteness, with great dives and boats (and comfortable cabins and good food). Feel free to PM any questions I might be able to help with.