Walindi Plantation Resort
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Rooms starts from
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About Walindi Plantation Resort
Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
Accommodation Overview
Bungalow
Bungalows are free standing "bure" style accommodation, built in local timbers and materials. They are nestled in the tropical gardens of Walindi with ocean views. The bungalows are fan cooled and fully screened. They each have a private verandah and ensuite facilities and are accessed by paths winding through the rainforest gardens. Bungalows can be reserved as a single, twin, double or triple. Each Bungalow includes:
- 1 queen sized bed
- 1 single bed
- Ensuite bathroom
- Ceiling fans
- Fully screened and secure mesh windows
- Kitchenette with small refrigerator, tea and coffee making facilities
- Writing desk
- Private verandah
- Fresh towels, soap and conditioning shampoo are provided daily
- Daily laundry service included in the tariff
- Hairdryer available on request for the duration of your stay
- Power is 240 volt, with three pin Australian plugs
- Each Bungalow also has a double 240V international power point
Plantation House Room
Plantation House rooms at Walindi are built in blocks of four rooms, constructed with local timbers and materials. The rooms are situated amongst the gardens. Plantation House Rooms are fan cooled and fully screened. Each room has private ensuite facilities and similar features to the larger bungalow accommodation. Each block shares a common verandah. Plantation House rooms can be reserved as a single, twin or double. Each Plantation House Room includes:
- 1 queen sized bed OR 2 single beds
- Ensuite bathroom
- Ceiling fans
- Fully screened and secure mesh windows
- Tea and coffee making facilities, small refrigerator
- Writing desk
- Shared verandah
- Daily laundry service included in the tariff
- Fresh towels, soap and conditioning shampoo are provided daily
- Hairdryer available on request for the duration of your stay
- Power is 240 volt, with three pin Australian plugs
- Each room also has a double 240V international power point
Bungalow
Fan
En Suite Bathroom
Hot Water Shower
Wifi (free)
from
$210 pp/pn
Room price based on double occupancy
Plantation House Room
Fan
En Suite Bathroom
Hot Water Shower
Wifi (free)
from
$175 pp/pn
Room price based on double occupancy
How To Get There
Getting to Walindi Resort and MV FeBrina is a short flight from Port Moresby to Hoskins airport, West New Britain. Flights into Port Moresby generally leave major Asian international airports in the morning. Transfers are available to and from Hoskins Airport. These are charged PGK 180 per person, return.
Dive Overview
The coral reefs around Walindi are extraordinarily rich. A recent coral count of Kimbe Bay revealed an incredible 413 species of hard coral. This is over half the total world species in one Bay, a truly remarkable statistic which makes Kimbe Bay the "Coral Capital of the World". Over 900 species of fish have been recorded and this number will continue to grow as more research is done.
[Read More: Papua New Guinea Dive Travel Guide]
Food & Drinks
- The restaurant offers delicious and plentiful three meals daily (included in the tariff) in Western and Asian style, featuring local seafood, fruits and vegetables
- The bar is fully stocked with mixed drinks, beers, a selection of wine, soft drinks, bottled water and snacks and is open for most of the day
Dive Overview
Visibility ranges from 80-150 feet and water temperature is between 85 - 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The weather is tropical with little seasonal variation. Diving is generally good in Kimbe Bay in all months of the year. Some months are considered to have "peak" diving conditions and can vary between the different areas. The different dive sites offer opportunities to see and photograph a wide range of marine life, including many varieties of fish, crustaceans and invertebrate life. There are resident schools of barracuda, tuna and jacks, and a wide range of shark species that includes hammerheads and silvertips. Turtles, rays and a rich variety of macro critters can be found.
Walindi Plantation Resort Dive Sites
- Kimbe Bay - Kimbe Bay is home to some of the healthiest coral, as well as some of the largest diversion of both coral and fish anywhere on the planet. Prof Charles Veron, former chief scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Science had this to say - "The coral reefs of Kimbe Bay take me back forty years to a time when corals grew in lush profusion, untroubled by the problems that beset them today ..." Walindi Resort dives over 40 moored reefs in Kimbe Bay. MV Febrina visits a select number of reefs in Kimbe Bay on most itineraries.
- Witu Islands - Witu Islands are situated to the North West of Kimbe Bay and this area is visited by MV FeBrina at selected
- times during the year. A cross-section of diving includes seamounts and black sand bays around the islands.
- Fathers Reefs - A long extinct volcanic caldera, Fathers Reefs are a series of offshore reefs located along the northern coastline of New Britain to the east of Kimbe Bay and are visited by MV FeBrina at selected times during the year.
- South Coast - The reefs in the Gasmata and Lindenhaven areas on the Southern Coastline of New Britain are little-visited reefs featuring "critter diving". MV FeBrina dives in this area for limited departures, operation out of Rabaul.
[Read More: Papua New Guinea Dive Travel Guide]
Dive Center Information
Walindi Dive Overview
Walindi Dive runs three purpose-built day boats that take between 8-12 divers and on average most of the dive sites are about 30-40 minutes from the resort (the furthest dive site they regularly go to is just over an hour away). "Cheyne" and "Charmaine" are their two larger purpose built day dive vessels, complemented by "Ema", a slightly smaller vessel. They operate on a 2 or 3 dives a day basis, so the diving can be pre-booked as 2- or 3- dives a day, or 6- or 10- dive packages if guests want to have the flexibility of choosing how many dives per day once they are here. The boats depart at 8 am and will return to the resort at approximately 2 pm (if doing two dives) or approximately 4 pm (if doing three dives) with lunch being served on board.
Diving Facilities & Services
- Daily scuba diving and snorkeling excursions
- Night diving and shore diving
- Complete range of diver training courses
- Dive and snorkel gear hire services
- Dedicated underwater camera facilities
- Equipment repair and service shop
- Private charter service for any activity: birdwatching, diving, sightseeing or snorkeling
Resort features
Free Wifi internet at public places
Restaurant
Bar
On-site dive center: Walindi Dive Centre
Lounge and Library
Swimming Pool & Sun Deck
Resort boutique with a range of items for sale
Baby Sitting and Child Minding
Resort activities
Scuba Diving - Operates every day on a 2 or 3 tank per day basis. Comprehensive equipment available for hire from Walindi Dive Centre
Snorkeling - Equipment available for hire from the dive center
Swimming - Anywhere is suitable
the pool
jetty or along the beach
Walking - Casual walks with a guide are available
Birdwatching - Available with a guide
Customize your Stay
Diving, Meals & Extras
Practical information
Languages
Electricity
Time zone
Payment
Walindi Plantation Resort Reviews
LauraTaylor
We last visited Walindi Plantation Resort over 30 years ago and it is still charming and welcoming by the same family that established the resort.After a 1-hour Air Niugini flight from Port Moresby to Hoskins and a 50 minute drive, Walindi emerges out of the rainforest. The shore is lined with enormous fig trees and its grounds are lush but tamed by their busy team of landscapers.12 standalone bungalows with verandas face the sea, providing cooling breezes that supplement the ceiling fans. Rooms are fitted out with comfortable queen or twin beds, ensuite bathroom, tea and coffee station, wardrobe storage and long benchtops. There are also 2 groups of 4 Plantation rooms, smaller but similar style a bit further along the level garden path. These have shared walls and verandas.The main house has been renovated, overlooking a new infinity pool and Kimbe Bay beyond.Reception, bar, lounge, boutique, outdoor dining and an indoor airconditioned lounge and dining area make up the complex, where the resort’s WIFI can be used in a pleasant ambience.A continental breakfast buffet is served indoors, and eggs or pancakes are cooked to order. Brewed local coffee is excellent and available all day.An a la carte lunch menu is available for those not diving, while the divers have a simple lunch spread on the dive boat.The generous and tasty dinner buffet was presented outside, usually starting with a soup and bread course. There were a variety of protein choices and different flavours each night, including a beautifully presented whole fish, expertly boned and portioned, with plenty of vegetables and salad. Highly anticipated was the dessert of the night, always accompanied by fresh fruit salad and good quality vanilla ice cream.Walindi has a large dive operation, as well as being the home port for the MV FeBrina and MV Oceania liveaboards. The dive centre also houses a lockable camera room with several charging stations.There are 3 sized (S, M & L) dive boats tied up to the jetty which is aligned alongside a natural stream providing a calm area to load up gear, provisions and divers. At 7.45 am divers meet to check their gear already set up on a tank and Nitrox % before it is loaded onto their assigned boat, with their own crate of fins & mask etc. It is a somewhat meticulously guided process.The plan for the day is made in consultation with divers before dinner the previous night. Either 2 or 3 dives are planned out, with a preference for 3 dives if the boat is travelling to more distant dive sites. With groups and individual divers arriving every day, it is a quite the challenge to optimise diver preferences, sites, and boats to everyone’s satisfaction.The 2 larger boats were roomy and comfortable with good sun and rain shelter. There is plenty of water, tea or instant coffee, fruit, cookies, a picnic lunch, and a towel each on board. There were 1 or 2 freshwater crates for cameras. Smoking is allowed on the top deck of the boat and unfortunately can filter down into the cabin.Divers stepped off the back of the boats into the water and cameras were passed in. There was a good ladder to get back in the boat. Dive guide to guest ratio was 1:2-4; or a group of 8 would have a guide in the lead and tail. They were very observant of diver NDL, and air consumption and adjusted groups so similar profile divers were together.The guides knew the sites well and were very good spotters of both large and small marine life.See my review of our PNG Diving for more about the diving in Kimbe Bay.
Aragorn
Walindi Plantation is an excellent dive resort that provides exceptional value. Accommodations are simple but clean, set in beautiful gardens, and are serviced every day, along with included laundry service. The food is very good, with different choices at evening meals and ample quantities. The bar is always open and has a selection of soft drinks, a few beers and and a few wines. I think the staff excel and were exceedingly accommodating in meeting all our requests and taking us on outings. The dive staff took us to all the dive sites we requested, even those that required a significant boat trip. Diving at the seamounts (Bradford Shoals, Joelles, Inglis, etc) was exceptional, with large schools of barracuda, jacks, fusiliers, spadefish, and trevally, with the occasional tuna and sharks. Clown fish and macro life also impressed. This is a great resort for hard core divers, as well as families and couples. Several groups of birders visited during our stay.
Trudy Worme
I spent an amazing week at Walindi Resort, with fantastic diving, excellent service and delicious food. The marine life and health of the reefs was first rate, with a great variety of dive sites, all of which were excellent. The dive guides were very professional, knowledgeable and responsive to our needs. We saw a huge variety of marine life, including huge barrel sponges, Gorgonian fan corals, Whitetip Reef Sharks and Lemon Sharks, schools of Chevron barracuda, and Big-eye Trevally, as well as many smaller creatures such as nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, and pygmy frogfish. We did two dives every morning, flowed by a delicious buffet style lunch in the dive boat near Restorf Island, where we had opportunities to snorkel or swim after lunch. Dinner at night was also buffet style with a large array of different dishes, catering to all dietary needs and tastes.Highly recommended as a dive destination.
