Travelling to the Togian Islands is no easy feat, getting there involves at least three days travel depending on your departure point. The Togian Islands had been one of my primary reasons for visiting Sulawesi in Indonesia coupled with the Australian rite of passage, "The trip to Bali"
On Palau Kadidiri Island there are three resorts all sharing the same slice of pristine beach! In no particular order there is, Paradise Resort, Black Marlin Cottages & Pondok Lestari. Two of the resorts, Black Marlin & Paradise are similarly priced resulting in a competitiveness that has been noted over the years in the Lonely Planet Guides as a "No love lost affair". This struck me as quite odd and perhaps a little sad that a small stretch of sand on an Island could have any animosity dwelling on its shores. Perhaps the “never the twain shall meet” arrangement the resorts share is a positive for tourists who will no doubt benefit from the competitiveness between Paradise & Black Marlin Resort.
I had read about the three resorts on the island and it wasn't until I had met a friend who used to be an employee at the Black Marlin Resort did I finally make up my mind where I was staying.
The Lonely Planet lists Black Marlin first with reference to the British Run Dive Outfit making this resort a popular choice for divers. I chose to stay there under recommendations however I was a little disappointed with the style of the cottages when I approached the Island as they a concrete style bungalow (not what I had in mind). There are no shops or restaurants on the island so all three resorts include your meals in their tariffs. When we all arrived from Wakai at Black Marlin Resort we were shown to whatever available rooms they had. A couple had reserved a deluxe room in advance only to get there and find it was booked out and another fellow who came over on the black Marlin Boat didn’t even have a room available for him. As a temporary solution they "let" him stay in a closet style room full of equipment. This also brings to mind why the resort scouts that bring you to Kadidiri from Wakai don’t have a list of available rooms with them. It would appear that gathering guests for your resort without being able to back it up with available rooms is nothing short of greed, especially if you choose to stay in another resort once you arrive as you than must pay for the boat ride regardless.
The question of the price of the room was asked and here I was to get my second disappointment with Black Marlin. The price of the room is 180000rp per person. So if you are a couple, you can share and pay 360 000rp. Now as an independent traveller I was in a room by myself. I was told by the Britt owner that I could pay 180 000rp until more people come and in the event that I don't want to share my room, I would have to pay an additional 50 000rp (This is called a single supplement, I would call it a single penalty) This would take my accommodation to 230 000rp per day. Now I could understand this if I wanted a dorm style room to myself but my room had only one bed so there was no option to share anyway. Exactly what was he suggesting? What caused me to be sour on this arrangement was the manner it was sold to me.
Firstly, I was told that they would be missing out on money by having only one person in the room instead of two. I did explain that I was going to stay for two weeks however that didn't compute and I was left feeling very disadvantaged because not only was I an independent traveller but I was also NOT a diver. It was like two strikes, you’re out. If you are an independent traveller and you don’t dive than you don’t exist. Maybe that wasn’t what was intended, but that’s how it was received and after such a long journey, such arrogance didn’t sit well with me at all.
After a very rough journey in the boat to Kadidiri, we arrived completely soaked only to find out that Black Marlin only has water on for two hours in the morning & two hours at night. This would have been no problem however we arrived outside those times and large bucket provided in your room to have fresh water on hand for in between times was completely empty. Needless to say, we ended up jumping in the sea. A welcome offer of fresh water would have been nice even to wash our faces.
At dinner that night, it was served buffet style and whilst all the existing guests all clambered for the food, the new arrivals and myself hung back and went second only to find the food had run out. This was my third disappointment and for me, it was now three strikes and THEY are out. The penny dropped as to why everyone was in a hurry when the food was brought out in the first place. I remembered reading a forum about the Black Marlin Resort some time ago regarding this very topic, not enough food! Come morning I was migrating to Paradise Resort!
Paradise Resort was more the style of resort I was expecting at Kadidiri. Timber Bungalows which are beach front as well Bungalows facing a garden and lagoon. The resort is set among plenty of trees and has a natural appeal that blends into the Jungle backdrop that falls as a curtain behind the resort. The price of my room was 150000rp with no supplement/penalty for being on my own. Meals are plentiful and often go back to the kitchen with food to spare. Apart from the rice which was served at every meal the dishes varied every night I was there. Water is on all day and the power comes on at 5pm till 11pm. My room was ocean front and had all the amenities Black Marlin had except for some room decor. When you have a spectacular ocean view at your front door do you really care if your bed has a bed runner at the end of it? I will give the Black Marlin credit for the cleanliness of their rooms in comparison to Paradise Resort. Upon moving into my new room, I went about immediately to sweep it out, wipe down the dust & wash the bathroom floor down. What I couldn't remove was the musty odour. My only gripe with Paradise is they have an absolutely beautiful resort however they don't put enough effort into the general housekeeping. I did stay in an older bungalow and there are newer ones on the beach front that may have been tidier than mine.
All three resorts have different tariffs for different rooms and .I stayed in a standard room which has no fan. I couldn’t see the sense in a fan as the power came on only in the evening and in this time most of the guests are in the communal areas, not in their room. Should you choose a fan room you will pay 200000rp per person. Paradise does have a luxury bungalow which is set out onto the water with your own private deck and deck chairs facing the sunset. There are steps that come off your deck into the water for your own private entry point into the reef below. The room is large, clean and tastefully decorated. The price of the room at time of writing was 350000rp (low season) per person I presume.
Make sure you have a look at a few options of rooms, even if they are the same price as they do differ.
A friend I met on the ferry stayed at the third resort Pondok Lestari. From a distant these little timber & bamboo bungalows are exactly what I envisioned would be on the island. Closer up you can see that the bungalows are quite rustic & worn. The bungalows are beach front also and you can expect to pay 85000rp to 100000rp per person including all meals. Even though the rooms are rustic, they would have been ok for me except one little demand I have on my journey and that is to have my own toilet & bathroom. At Lestari it is a shared mandi style bathroom and squat toilet. My friend also told me that the meals were very basic. In this case, you get what you pay for! Lestari have a great reputation for entertaining their guests and providing a little more than a beach to sit on. Each day something is on offer as far as an activity, going to Wakai to see the waterfall, going fishing for your dinner, snorkelling reef trip, island hop etc. All these trips were free for the guests. They were active with cutting the coconuts for snacks and even managed to show the guests the ever elusive coconut crab.
In my opinion, Black Marlin has a great reputation among the diving community and this has led to a constant stream of guests and a well fed financial income. Has it led the Britt owner to step into the ring of arrogance? He certainly treated me with arrogance and I had travelled far & wide to visit not only the island but also his resort. Did he appreciate that? If he did, he certainly didn't display any gratitude for the distance all of the travellers made to get to Black Marlin, Kadidiri that day. It was unfortunate that my first day on this splendid island was met with confusion & disappointment however, once I settled into Paradise Resort I felt all my previous concerns disappear. The weather toned down and the bay returned to its peaceful lake-like existence as I became very well acquainted with my hammock & view.
Please remember that this resort overview is based on my personal experience and will no doubt conflict with many as well ring true with others.
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