Raja Ampat liveaboard plus luxury villa Feb 23rd – Mar 10th, 2024

This trip is in the books!  It was awesome

I like to leave the trip page up so that people can see what we did in the past, what stuff used to cost, and how it was planned.  It also helps new people that are thinking of joining us, knowing we aren’t just AI generated garbage, lol!

So many people put stuff on FB and YouTube now I’m just going to link some stuff.

Marjorie was on the trip and did a great series of FB posts.  Here is one with video.

My posts on Facebook

 

Raja Ampat liveaboard and week in Luxury Villa in Amed

Part I of this trip is the Raja Ampat liveaboard dive boat Damai I, from Feb 23 to Mar 2nd, 2024. The boat departs from Sorong, or SOQ. We can put you in contract with a local travel agent for domestic travel arrangements (recommended).

Part II of the trip is optional, that is a week in Villa Candi Matahari in Amed, Bali.  We’ll get picked up by the Villa near the main Bali Airport the next day and take the 2.5 trek up to Amed on Mar 3rd and stay until Mar 1oth when we transfer back to DPS for departure.

If you are going on the second part of the trip, we are going to need to organize travel from SOQ to DPS on 2nd of March, and stay in a hotel in Sanur, Bali on the night of the second.  As of 1/24 we have all this booked already, last spot we can help you if needed.

Who is this trip for?

People that want to do Indonesia in first class style. This trip is a bit on the Gucci side of the bell curve.  There are definitely cheaper ways to do Indonesia.  18 crew and 14 guests on the boat?  Messages?  4:1 ratio of dive guides?  dive whenever you want, just be back on board before the boat moves?  That is not how it is normally done, but I think I can get used to it.  There will be only 12 guests besides Matt and Sheila on board, so it will be a small group.

Then we head to Villa Candi Matahari.  Also on the extreme high end of the scale.  We are not including diving in this part of the trip. I think most of us will be ready for some infinity pool swim-up bar time.  But there is a dive shop right at the bottom of the hill (we have a van and driver at our disposal). A 10-dive package is approx $250.  I’ll be doing some diving, but not going hardcore. I don’t think I’m going to want to miss many dives on the Damai.  I can already envision Sheila on a day bed reading a book.  There are hiking and day trips worth checking out.  The Liberty wreck dive is however, a must-do.

Prices for the Raja Ampat liveaboard and luxury villa

Damai I from Feb 23rd to March 2nd

Cabins 1-4 and cabin 7: $4920 per person (8 nights)

Cabin 5: $5320 per person (8 nights)  biggest cabin, almost 500 sqft

Cabin 6: $5880 per person (8 nights) private balcony with panoramic views – tentatively reserved

Transfer cost to Denpasar (DPS) with hotel, approx $200 per person March 2nd to 3rd

Villa Candi Matahari luxury villa March 3rd to 10th

$1000 per person (there are only 10 spots available, first come first serve)  however, I can make arrangements for you to stay nearby and of course you’d be welcome to come up to the villa to hang out with your newest or old friends.

Who are Matt and Sheila?

Matt started Island Divers Hawaii back in 2001 and has been leading dive trips about the world since about that time.  Sheila and Matt started dating on one of those trips in about 2005 and she has been on just about every trip since.  Sheila and I decide where we think our dive travel friends would like to go, mixing in new places and old favorites.  Sometimes we are “told” where we are planning the next trip by the veterans.

There is always room for new faces and new friends, but generally, half of the people on a particular trip are not on their first trip with the group.  Coming diving with us on one of our trips doesn’t have to mean you just got adopted into a dive family, but that is what usually happens.  Matt and Sheila are the one constant on ALL the dive trips, but we’ve made life long friends running this dive travel program, and their is a good chance you will too.  Where to next!

Trip Insurance for a Raja Ampat dive trip

One thing I learned by going to DEMA in 2021 was about trip insurance and COVID.  At least if you buy trip insurance from DAN (I didn’t check others).  If you “fail” the required covid test prior to trip departure and can’t go, you trip is covered.  Since that can pretty much happen to anybody these days, it is hard to imagine that not protecting your trip with this kind of insurance.  Regardless, the boat will REQUIRE, trip medical insurance.  It is the smart choice I think.

Reserving this Raja Ampat Liveaboard luxury trip

$1000 per person to hold a spot after Feb 2022.  Another $1500 per person on Jul 1, 2023.  Final payment on Nov 1st 2023.  All payments are by check to Dive Travel Services at PO Box 30108 Honolulu HI 96820.  We can arrange for credit card payments, but add 3% to any payment made by credit card.  As always, we are acting as conduits for service providers, and once we collect funds we pass them on, so all payments are non refundable.  However, we will work to sell your trip to someone else if we can if something comes up.  No guarantees there of course, but we have had considerable success in the past helping people sell their spaces.  Proudly, in 2020 and 21 not a single person that had space reserved on one of our trips and ended up not being able to go on the rescheduled trips lost any money with us.