Walindi Plantation Resort
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.