Both pictures are taken on the beach of Patuno Resort. You can clearly see the difference between a sunny and a rainy day in the atmosphere.
Showing posts with label Wakatobi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wakatobi. Show all posts
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Sunshine and Rainy Day
Both pictures are taken on the beach of Patuno Resort. You can clearly see the difference between a sunny and a rainy day in the atmosphere.
Patuno Resort, Wakatobi
Would’ve loved to get around Wakatobi, but since I was only there for a day, I only made my trip to Patuno Resort, a relatively new four-star resort located in Wangi-wangi Island, approximately 5 km from Matahora Airport.
Three types of rooms: Standard (IDR 500,000/night), Deluxe (IDR 750,000/night) and Executive (IDR 1,000,000/night). The rooms are clean and fully air-conditioned, bathrooms are supposed to have hot water but apparently it didn’t work, but it’s clean nevertheless. Expect power outages to happen, because the island is having electrical problems as a whole.
Food is great. They have a select of local and western food, but don’t expect the western food too much, because they have a hard time with the ingredients stock - must be due to difficult logistics. I tried the Nasi Goreng Tomia and the Kakap Merah Goreng/Bakar. Price is mid-range.
The resort offers a range of recreational activities, i.e. diving, snorkeling, sightseeing, etc. A word of advice, don’t snorkel right away after you have lunch. An idiot tried to do that and gave the food that she ate to the fishes due to seasick. Yes, that idiot would be me.
Too bad the weather was very cloudy and rainy, otherwise the visibility of the corals would be perfect. Maybe next time I should prepare my visit by looking at the weather predictions beforehand. Well, I know it might not work - nobody can predict the weather nowadays but it’s worth a try.
The Patuno Resort is indeed expensive, since it is targeted for the mid-upper class range anyway. I was lucky that I stayed there for free, and if I do come to Wakatobi I’d rather go the budget range (read: my range). But the place is perfect for those of you who do want leisure and relaxation - plus, they have honeymoon packages! The area also doesn’t have any cellphone coverage - perfect for those of you who are indeed having their getaway (but not for those who needs to be on call 24/7).
Info: contact for resevation - patapulogroup@hotmail.com. Patapulo Makassar: (0411) 442021/440409, Patapulo Kendari: (0401) 330883/331082/3131883, Patapulo Wakatobi: 08114002221/085241806574 (with Ani).
Three types of rooms: Standard (IDR 500,000/night), Deluxe (IDR 750,000/night) and Executive (IDR 1,000,000/night). The rooms are clean and fully air-conditioned, bathrooms are supposed to have hot water but apparently it didn’t work, but it’s clean nevertheless. Expect power outages to happen, because the island is having electrical problems as a whole.
Food is great. They have a select of local and western food, but don’t expect the western food too much, because they have a hard time with the ingredients stock - must be due to difficult logistics. I tried the Nasi Goreng Tomia and the Kakap Merah Goreng/Bakar. Price is mid-range.
The resort offers a range of recreational activities, i.e. diving, snorkeling, sightseeing, etc. A word of advice, don’t snorkel right away after you have lunch. An idiot tried to do that and gave the food that she ate to the fishes due to seasick. Yes, that idiot would be me.
Too bad the weather was very cloudy and rainy, otherwise the visibility of the corals would be perfect. Maybe next time I should prepare my visit by looking at the weather predictions beforehand. Well, I know it might not work - nobody can predict the weather nowadays but it’s worth a try.
The Patuno Resort is indeed expensive, since it is targeted for the mid-upper class range anyway. I was lucky that I stayed there for free, and if I do come to Wakatobi I’d rather go the budget range (read: my range). But the place is perfect for those of you who do want leisure and relaxation - plus, they have honeymoon packages! The area also doesn’t have any cellphone coverage - perfect for those of you who are indeed having their getaway (but not for those who needs to be on call 24/7).
Info: contact for resevation - patapulogroup@hotmail.com. Patapulo Makassar: (0411) 442021/440409, Patapulo Kendari: (0401) 330883/331082/3131883, Patapulo Wakatobi: 08114002221/085241806574 (with Ani).
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Getting to Wakatobi
Wakatobi is an acronym of the four main islands that consists it, which are Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko. Initially it was named Tukangbesi Islands, because of the people who lived in Binongko Island who are mainly blacksmiths (tukang besi in Bahasa Indonesia) by profession. Nowadays Wakatobi is famous for their underwater national park.
When I went to Wakatobi, I flew from Jakarta to Kendari (the capital city of Southeast Sulawesi province), arrived at Haluoleo Airport and then took a smaller plane to Matahora Airport (Wangi-wangi Island). Garuda Indonesia flies to Kendari daily from Jakarta with a stop in Makassar. Other airplanes fly to Kendari also, such as Merpati, Lion Air, Batavia Air, Sriwijaya Air, and Express Air. As of now, only Express Air flies to Wakatobi. You can also go by speed boat from Kendari with a transit to Bau-bau (5 hrs), travel by car to Lasalimu (2 hrs), then speed boat from Lasalimu to Wanci in Wangi-wangi (1 hr).
I was very excited when I flew over Wangi-wangi, and no longer than 30 minutes, I already arrived in Matahora Airport. Don’t be surprised by the very minimum facilities in the Airport, such as the manual labor baggage claim. Would love to go to Wakatobi again, because I only spent one night there. Maybe next time I’ll go by boat, for the added adventure. :)
When I went to Wakatobi, I flew from Jakarta to Kendari (the capital city of Southeast Sulawesi province), arrived at Haluoleo Airport and then took a smaller plane to Matahora Airport (Wangi-wangi Island). Garuda Indonesia flies to Kendari daily from Jakarta with a stop in Makassar. Other airplanes fly to Kendari also, such as Merpati, Lion Air, Batavia Air, Sriwijaya Air, and Express Air. As of now, only Express Air flies to Wakatobi. You can also go by speed boat from Kendari with a transit to Bau-bau (5 hrs), travel by car to Lasalimu (2 hrs), then speed boat from Lasalimu to Wanci in Wangi-wangi (1 hr).
I was very excited when I flew over Wangi-wangi, and no longer than 30 minutes, I already arrived in Matahora Airport. Don’t be surprised by the very minimum facilities in the Airport, such as the manual labor baggage claim. Would love to go to Wakatobi again, because I only spent one night there. Maybe next time I’ll go by boat, for the added adventure. :)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Kendari-Wakatobi Trip, May 2010
I had the opportunity to accompany my college friend to do some work on local elections in South Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi in early May for three days. Since it was a short trip (and was on a very tight work-related schedule), I only went around to several places but managed to do some "scouting" if I were to visit Kendari and Wakatobi next time around.
Getting to Kendari: Garuda Indonesia flies to Kendari daily from Jakarta with a stop in Makassar. Other airplanes fly to Kendari also, such as Merpati, Lion Air, Batavia Air, Sriwijaya Air, and Express Air. You will arrive at Haluoleo Airport (which was then Wolter Monginsidi Airport), located in South Konawe regency (and apparently also in the air force compound), and it is approximately 30 minutes to Kendari. I'm not sure about the public transportation or taxi from the airport to the city, so better to arrange your airport pickup beforehand.
Where to stay: we were fortunate to stay in the better hotels in Kendari, which was Hotel Horison Kendari. It was relatively new, with clean and bright rooms with hot showers, and breakfast included with a choice of Western/Indonesian food. The only thing I find odd was that it was located near a shop-house compound (ruko) which was not common for a hotel location as far as I know. Also, if you are a non-smoker, the lobby doesn't have a strict no-smoking policy so be prepared to share the air with those nicotine addicts. When we went there, recently Swiss Belhotel also opened a hotel in Kendari, with a better location facing the mangroves of Kendari Bay. I assume the price range would be for middle class and up-market if not targeted for business purposes. There are cheaper options for accommodation but you need to look around for more.
Where to eat: Alamo seafood restaurant in Jl. Sultan Hasanuddin. President SBY, during his campaign for the 2009 Indonesian elections, ate at the restaurant (along with his Democrat entourage) so I assume it is pretty famous among the locals (or local politicians). Try the grilled kakap merah (red snapper), squid, and shrimps. They have the make-your-own sambal with fresh tomatoes, chilis, limes and peanut sauce (yes, peanut sauce!) to tantalize your grilled seafood. If you are very hungry then please be patient - they take quite a while so don't expect the service to be snappy.
Getting to Kendari: Garuda Indonesia flies to Kendari daily from Jakarta with a stop in Makassar. Other airplanes fly to Kendari also, such as Merpati, Lion Air, Batavia Air, Sriwijaya Air, and Express Air. You will arrive at Haluoleo Airport (which was then Wolter Monginsidi Airport), located in South Konawe regency (and apparently also in the air force compound), and it is approximately 30 minutes to Kendari. I'm not sure about the public transportation or taxi from the airport to the city, so better to arrange your airport pickup beforehand.
Where to stay: we were fortunate to stay in the better hotels in Kendari, which was Hotel Horison Kendari. It was relatively new, with clean and bright rooms with hot showers, and breakfast included with a choice of Western/Indonesian food. The only thing I find odd was that it was located near a shop-house compound (ruko) which was not common for a hotel location as far as I know. Also, if you are a non-smoker, the lobby doesn't have a strict no-smoking policy so be prepared to share the air with those nicotine addicts. When we went there, recently Swiss Belhotel also opened a hotel in Kendari, with a better location facing the mangroves of Kendari Bay. I assume the price range would be for middle class and up-market if not targeted for business purposes. There are cheaper options for accommodation but you need to look around for more.
Where to eat: Alamo seafood restaurant in Jl. Sultan Hasanuddin. President SBY, during his campaign for the 2009 Indonesian elections, ate at the restaurant (along with his Democrat entourage) so I assume it is pretty famous among the locals (or local politicians). Try the grilled kakap merah (red snapper), squid, and shrimps. They have the make-your-own sambal with fresh tomatoes, chilis, limes and peanut sauce (yes, peanut sauce!) to tantalize your grilled seafood. If you are very hungry then please be patient - they take quite a while so don't expect the service to be snappy.
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