Features
- English speaking
- Sleeps 10 or more
- Reef dropoff
- Good phone signal
- Coral
- Child discount
- Good house reef
- Free WiFi
- Calm beach
- Sandy Beach
- Has raised beds
- Western style toilet
- Near village
- IDR 400,000 to 500,000
- Diving available
Details
Mawar Homestay lies at the western tip of Pulau Arborek. Five private beach bungalows and five over water bungalows are offered.
The over-water bungalows sleep 2. Pillows, bolsters, sheets and mosquito nets and each room has a room light switch, power outlets and a small table. The beach bungalows are similar.
Note that as of July 31, 2025, bedding at two over-water and one beach bungalow was still mattresses on the floor.
Bungalow verandahs have a table and bench seating and Mawar has also strung some net hammocks between the coconut palms and provides a beachside shelter with table and benches.
Meals at Mawar Homestay are served in a dining shelter that also has sea views, and coffee, tea and drinking water are provided there free of charge.
All guests share Mawar’s four-room bathroom building. New in July 2025, the building has two western style toilets and two tiled bathrooms with showers and dip mandi (bucket) bathing.
Electricity is from village supply and is usually available at all times except from 0700 to about 1000. Telkomsel’s Arborek tower provides a strong 4G signal, and Mawar Homestay provides free wifi for guests.
Mawar Homestay is on the outskirts of Arborek village where basic supplies and cold drinks can be purchased and diving is available at Arborek Dive Shop.
English is spoken at Mawar Homestay.
Please read why you should take all your inorganic rubbish away with you.
Transport / Getting there
Transport between Waisai and Mawar Homestay costs between IDR 1,000,000 and 3,000,000 depending on the boat used.
For more information, see Mawar's February 2024 pricelist (PDF 448KB)
Read more about Raja Ampat boat transport prices here.
Activities
Arborek Island provides fabulous snorkelling and diving. It's a small island - nowhere is more than 10 minutes' walk away and in addition to village visits there are often cultural performances to enjoy.
Mawar Homestay can organise trips to other snorkelling spots (bring your own equipment) and is very close to Manta Sandy where you can snorkel with mantas.
A day trip to Piaynemo is offered and costs IDR 3,000,000 by speedboat (max 8 passengers) or IDR 1,500,000 by longboat which can accommodate up to four passengers. Cost is shared by passengers.
Pulau Arborek
See our Arborek Island page for an overview of the island and its attractions.
Mawar Homestay Location Map
Mawar Homestay Reviews
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207 Reviews
We stayed at Mawar Homestay for four nights in February 2026 and really enjoyed our stay. The staff was lovely and welcoming, and the food was very tasty coming in generous amounts and variety. The overwater bungalows arre nice with amazing sunsets.
A few small downsides: there were mosquitoes in the bathroom, and some bungalows have a mattress on the floor instead of a raised bed.
We highly recommend Arborek for its lively community, excellent snorkeling around the island, and a high-quality dive shop (Arborek Dive Shop).
Cons:
1. You dont get what you have booked and paid for. We had booked and paid in advance for 2 over-water bungalows but Naftali did only have one for us ehen we came and we got a very basic hut on the beach with a madras on the floor instead. He even tried to make us accept to keep it for two nights even though other guests left. We did not accept.Did not receive any compensation or other.
2. The over water bungalow had only matrass on the floor and we had rats in the bungalow during the night even though over water. The rats even bite through a wetbag in which there was an unopened packed of bisquits. So do NOT keep food in bungalow even though not opened yet.
3. food not served on time. Sometimes you wait 30 minutes and it meant that we did not get breakfast before our morning dives as we needed to be at the beach 7.30 (breakfast is supposed to be served @7.00)
4. bungalows not in good shape and very unstable.
Pros. the food is VERY good! The sunset views are fantastic.
Overall we Would not come back. There are better homestays on Arborek. But if food is very important maybe a good choice.
That’s disappointing Bjorg 🙁
We can’t find any record of you reaching out to us about the overbooking?
We guarantee that guests will get the room/s they booked. If you do not, then all you have to do is contact us as requested in your booking confirmation email, and we will refund you for every night you do not have the room you paid for.
Beatiful place ! 100% recommended
Un SUPER séjour passé chez Naftali ! Cette famille toujours souriante, qui répond à tes besoins.
On devait rester 4 nuits au final, on annulé une des îles pour y retourner 1 semaine tellement le spot et les bungalow sont incroyables! Et que dire de la nourriture ?? Excellente, varié et conséquente!
Arborek est une super île avec un snorkeling de fou vraiment faut absolument y aller
I spent 1 week at Mawar’s homestay and i really enjoyed this place. It has a perfect location, very quiet with amaizing sunset. People there are always smilling and willing to help to organize snorkeling with manta, diving or boating trip. You can’t get wrong with this place.
I spent 1 week at Mawar’s homestay and i really enjoyed this place. It has a perfect location, very quiet with amaizing sunset. People there are always smilling and willing to help to organize snorkeling with manta, diving or boating trip. You can’t get wrong with this place.
Perfekt stay.
Perfekt stay.
Good: The location is nice and the sunset views from the bungalows are phenomenal 🙂 It was also nice to spot all kinds of fish, stingrays etc from the bungalow’s jetty. Our bungalow was nice and quite big with a nice view towards the sunset. You can find a great snorkeling spot (Arborek jetty) in a walking distance. We also saw mantas in a snorkeling trip with a boat driver named Teis (ask for him, he is really good😊)
Improvements: The actual hosts were on holiday and the place was run by the relatives with whom the communication was difficult and a bit weird. The food wasn’t enough when there were more people. The bathrooms were a bit dirty and one of the showers was broken. The bungalo roof was leaking a bit. The wooden stairs of the bungalow jetty were broken which would be really easy to fix. It felt like the people who were working there didn’t care so much about running the place.
Good: The location is nice and the sunset views from the bungalows are phenomenal 🙂 It was also nice to spot all kinds of fish, stingrays etc from the bungalow’s jetty. Our bungalow was nice and quite big with a nice view towards the sunset. You can find a great snorkeling spot (Arborek jetty) in a walking distance. We also saw mantas in a snorkeling trip with a boat driver named Teis (ask for him, he is really good😊)
Improvements: The actual hosts were on holiday and the place was run by the relatives with whom the communication was difficult and a bit weird. The food wasn’t enough when there were more people. The bathrooms were a bit dirty and one of the showers was broken. The bungalo roof was leaking a bit. The wooden stairs of the bungalow jetty were broken which would be really easy to fix. It felt like the people who were working there didn’t care so much about running the place.
Great location in Arborek, sunset views from the front. Very good food each day. Clean bathrooms. Great snorkeling from the jetty and big variety of snorkeling trips.
Great location in Arborek, sunset views from the front. Very good food each day. Clean bathrooms. Great snorkeling from the jetty and big variety of snorkeling trips.
The place was nice, amazing sunsets and baby sharks each morning nearby! Unfortunately not enough food for all people and no contact with hosts during whole stay
The place was nice, amazing sunsets and baby sharks each morning nearby! Unfortunately not enough food for all people and no contact with hosts during whole stay
We stayed for 3 night at Mawar and it was a great, and pacefull experience. The on-water bungallow was new, really nice, simply but comfortable and from there the sunset was the best in Arborek.
The owner and family are friendly and meals was so tasty.
In Arborek the snorkel from the beach are nice. From the Jetty it’s really ease to get to the coral reef.
We stayed for 3 night at Mawar and it was a great, and pacefull experience. The on-water bungallow was new, really nice, simply but comfortable and from there the sunset was the best in Arborek.
The owner and family are friendly and meals was so tasty.
In Arborek the snorkel from the beach are nice. From the Jetty it’s really ease to get to the coral reef.
Had a lovely time staying with Naftali, our room had a beautiful view. There was always plenty of food for everyone. We also did a day trip to payinemo which was really good. The stay was made even better with the cutest 6 puppies!
Had a lovely time staying with Naftali, our room had a beautiful view. There was always plenty of food for everyone. We also did a day trip to payinemo which was really good. The stay was made even better with the cutest 6 puppies!
Je suis resté dans la homestay de naftali une semaine, une parenthèse inoubliable.
De sa homestay on peut tout organiser, excursions,plongées, ect…Naftali est super pour ça.
Arborek est central dans cette partie des Raja Ampat, c est un très bon compromis pour rayonner vers les centres d’intérêts .
Chez Mawar homestay,nourriture bonne est abondante ,et confort dans les bungalows.Vu imprenable sur les couchés de soleil.
Si je retourne un jour aux Raja,je reviens chez Naftali et sa famille.
Je suis resté dans la homestay de naftali une semaine, une parenthèse inoubliable.
De sa homestay on peut tout organiser, excursions,plongées, ect…Naftali est super pour ça.
Arborek est central dans cette partie des Raja Ampat, c est un très bon compromis pour rayonner vers les centres d’intérêts .
Chez Mawar homestay,nourriture bonne est abondante ,et confort dans les bungalows.Vu imprenable sur les couchés de soleil.
Si je retourne un jour aux Raja,je reviens chez Naftali et sa famille.
Nous avions prévu 4 nuits chez Naftali et sa famille et sommes restés au final 3 nuits de plus.
Le cadre est magnifique, nous étions sur le dernier bungalow sur l’eau.
La vue est dingue, les requins, raies et poissons en tout genre passent en dessous des bungalows, le coucher de soleil est pile en face, un vrai bonheur.
Les repas sont copieux, variés et très bon.
Poissons, poulet, legumes, nouilles (pimentés), riz, fruits comme bananes, fruits du dragons, papaye ou pastèques.
Tout est à moins de 10 min à pieds, les jetées , le village, les petits commerces.
Snorkling extraordinaire!!!!
Naftali et sa famille sont des gens très réservés mais d’une gentillesse exceptionnelle, n’hésitez pas à aller vers eux, ils sont vraiment adorable et serviable.
Nous n’avons manqué de rien ici et sommes énormément reconnaissant d’avoir fait leurs connaissance.
Merci à Naftali et sa famille pour leur hospitalité.
Nous avions prévu 4 nuits chez Naftali et sa famille et sommes restés au final 3 nuits de plus.
Le cadre est magnifique, nous étions sur le dernier bungalow sur l’eau.
La vue est dingue, les requins, raies et poissons en tout genre passent en dessous des bungalows, le coucher de soleil est pile en face, un vrai bonheur.
Les repas sont copieux, variés et très bon.
Poissons, poulet, legumes, nouilles (pimentés), riz, fruits comme bananes, fruits du dragons, papaye ou pastèques.
Tout est à moins de 10 min à pieds, les jetées , le village, les petits commerces.
Snorkling extraordinaire!!!!
Naftali et sa famille sont des gens très réservés mais d’une gentillesse exceptionnelle, n’hésitez pas à aller vers eux, ils sont vraiment adorable et serviable.
Nous n’avons manqué de rien ici et sommes énormément reconnaissant d’avoir fait leurs connaissance.
Merci à Naftali et sa famille pour leur hospitalité.
Nous avons passé 3 nuits dans des bungalows sur l’eau qui étaient basiques mais superbes. L’emplacement du homestay au bout de l’île est excellent, on peut voir des raies et des requins passer sous le ponton. Et on est à deux pas du village et du club de plongée.
L’île est petite mais le village est très joli.
Le meilleur snorkeling se fait depuis les jetées des 2 côtés de l’île, les fonds sont superbes et pleins de poissons.
Les repas au homestay étaient assez bons et copieux.
Attention aux tarifs des transferts proposés par Naftali, il nous a proposé un speedboat couvert pour aller à Rufas mais qui était bien plus cher que les tarifs pratiqués ailleurs et nous avons du demander à partir en longboat ce qui était parfait (il faisait très beau donc pas de problème).
Nous avons passé 3 nuits dans des bungalows sur l’eau qui étaient basiques mais superbes. L’emplacement du homestay au bout de l’île est excellent, on peut voir des raies et des requins passer sous le ponton. Et on est à deux pas du village et du club de plongée.
L’île est petite mais le village est très joli.
Le meilleur snorkeling se fait depuis les jetées des 2 côtés de l’île, les fonds sont superbes et pleins de poissons.
Les repas au homestay étaient assez bons et copieux.
Attention aux tarifs des transferts proposés par Naftali, il nous a proposé un speedboat couvert pour aller à Rufas mais qui était bien plus cher que les tarifs pratiqués ailleurs et nous avons du demander à partir en longboat ce qui était parfait (il faisait très beau donc pas de problème).
Nous avons eu la meilleure guesthouse ! A savoir en toute première ligne, c’était extra ! La nourriture était très très bonne et variée et conséquente. Arborek est une île village vraiment à voir.
Nous avons eu la meilleure guesthouse ! A savoir en toute première ligne, c’était extra ! La nourriture était très très bonne et variée et conséquente. Arborek est une île village vraiment à voir.
Loved Arborek island, happy village community, fantastic snorkelling on the jetty, it’s close to Manta Sandy where we were luck enough to swim with a couple of amazing mantas.
The homestay was really nice, the most amazing sunsets from our porch, good food and friendly hosts.
Glad to see a new toilet block being built too.
Loved Arborek island, happy village community, fantastic snorkelling on the jetty, it’s close to Manta Sandy where we were luck enough to swim with a couple of amazing mantas.
The homestay was really nice, the most amazing sunsets from our porch, good food and friendly hosts.
Glad to see a new toilet block being built too.
Another lovely Homestay on Arborek with naftali and his family. Being the only guest for my days, I got the best bungalow far out over the water and felt really privilaged. Just magical….
Another lovely Homestay on Arborek with naftali and his family. Being the only guest for my days, I got the best bungalow far out over the water and felt really privilaged. Just magical….
We enjoyed our stay with Naftali, his family members and his stuff. They took care of our needs and we consider staying here again.
Some points to be noted.
We stayed in an (first generation) overwater-bungalow, which was a rather typically built and equipped. There are now also some new over-water bungalows available.
The food in our opinion tasted very good. We love fish and we are happy to be served with excellent grilled fish every day.
The clean water supply for showering or rinsing equipment was good. Reliably available and not salty. The property was rather clean compared to other homestays.
The toilet and shower are end of lifecycle. Naftali is building new toilets and showers which are allegedly ready soon. That would be a necessary and very desirable upgrade.
We enjoyed the excursions to snorkeling spots and Pianemo. We compared the rates with other providers and think that the prices are fair. Naftali’s tour guide handled the boat very well, even if the sea was rather rough. We were guided to some hidden places which we enjoyed. Pick-up from and drop-off to other places worked well and was fairly priced.
A point we were missing compared to other homestays is a direct access to the riff. Due to the location of the homestay the riff is relatively far out and during low tide you cannot swim to it. On the other hand, it was just a few minutes walk to the piers of Aborek where one could conventiently swim to the riff, which is there very close to the beach. Further, because of the nice location you are rewarded with perfect sunset view and quiet nights.
Communication via whatsapp worked well.
We enjoyed our stay with Naftali, his family members and his stuff. They took care of our needs and we consider staying here again.
Some points to be noted.
We stayed in an (first generation) overwater-bungalow, which was a rather typically built and equipped. There are now also some new over-water bungalows available.
The food in our opinion tasted very good. We love fish and we are happy to be served with excellent grilled fish every day.
The clean water supply for showering or rinsing equipment was good. Reliably available and not salty. The property was rather clean compared to other homestays.
The toilet and shower are end of lifecycle. Naftali is building new toilets and showers which are allegedly ready soon. That would be a necessary and very desirable upgrade.
We enjoyed the excursions to snorkeling spots and Pianemo. We compared the rates with other providers and think that the prices are fair. Naftali’s tour guide handled the boat very well, even if the sea was rather rough. We were guided to some hidden places which we enjoyed. Pick-up from and drop-off to other places worked well and was fairly priced.
A point we were missing compared to other homestays is a direct access to the riff. Due to the location of the homestay the riff is relatively far out and during low tide you cannot swim to it. On the other hand, it was just a few minutes walk to the piers of Aborek where one could conventiently swim to the riff, which is there very close to the beach. Further, because of the nice location you are rewarded with perfect sunset view and quiet nights.
Communication via whatsapp worked well.
Parfait.
Merci à Naftali et toute sa petite famille qui sont adorable et attentif à votre plaisir.
Nous avons passé un excellent séjour dans ce homestay très bien situé à l’extrémité de l’île, au calme et avec un paysage fabuleux….. Le dernier paradis sur terre…. Le lieux en ai l’exemple parfait.
Très bonne nourriture, poisson grillé à tout les repas… Le top !!!
Parfait.
Merci à Naftali et toute sa petite famille qui sont adorable et attentif à votre plaisir.
Nous avons passé un excellent séjour dans ce homestay très bien situé à l’extrémité de l’île, au calme et avec un paysage fabuleux….. Le dernier paradis sur terre…. Le lieux en ai l’exemple parfait.
Très bonne nourriture, poisson grillé à tout les repas… Le top !!!
Homestay très bien situé, face au coucher du soleil.
Communication facile avec Naftali.
La nourriture était très bonne et en quantités suffisantes.
Les sanitaires étaient plutôt bien entretenus.
Nous recommandons !
Homestay très bien situé, face au coucher du soleil.
Communication facile avec Naftali.
La nourriture était très bonne et en quantités suffisantes.
Les sanitaires étaient plutôt bien entretenus.
Nous recommandons !
My stay was great. The bungalow is spacious and beautiful over the water.
Food is good but sometimes a little bit poor on quantity.
And sometimes difficult to speak in english.
My stay was great. The bungalow is spacious and beautiful over the water.
Food is good but sometimes a little bit poor on quantity.
And sometimes difficult to speak in english.
The stay itself is good, the location is great with the sunset view, and the bungalows themselves are like all the others.
The food was lacking, we only got fish, whereas in the previous homestay we got chicken for every second meal. The fruits were rare and very few, they were not enough to share beteween all the people. The problem was the amount of food, it was okay in the beginning but when more guests came the portions stayed the same, so there was not enough food for everyone, we had to ask multiple times for extra.
The reason for the bad review is that Naftali is dishonest, he tried to scam us and some other guests about the boat trip price back to Mawari. We agreed on 1.5M rupees for a 5 person boat, and then we found out that he already charged 1M from 2 people, so we confronted him saying that we’ll only pay the missing 0.5M, and sort out the money evenly between the 5 passengers. Instead of admitting that he tried to get more money out of us, he started coming up with excuses why it’s actually more expensive. And the worst was that 2 more of his people came on the boat for free, meaning we should’ve shared the price by 7, even though he said that it’s a “5 person boat”.
Would not recommend Mawar homestay and Naftali, find some other accomodation on Arborek where people are honest and don’t try to take you for a fool.
Terimakasih kasih Sergio sudah tinggal bersama kami,, maaf atas kekurangan kami dalam pelayanan kami,,kami akan perbaiki,,,untuk
transportasi saya tidak menipu kamu untuk cari untung,,saya punya beberapa perahu untuk
antar, mulai dari 1.000.000
sampai 3.000.0000,dan yg ikut
di boat bersama ke Waisai
adalah staf saya,, Untuk
belanja,
The stay itself is good, the location is great with the sunset view, and the bungalows themselves are like all the others.
The food was lacking, we only got fish, whereas in the previous homestay we got chicken for every second meal. The fruits were rare and very few, they were not enough to share beteween all the people. The problem was the amount of food, it was okay in the beginning but when more guests came the portions stayed the same, so there was not enough food for everyone, we had to ask multiple times for extra.
The reason for the bad review is that Naftali is dishonest, he tried to scam us and some other guests about the boat trip price back to Mawari. We agreed on 1.5M rupees for a 5 person boat, and then we found out that he already charged 1M from 2 people, so we confronted him saying that we’ll only pay the missing 0.5M, and sort out the money evenly between the 5 passengers. Instead of admitting that he tried to get more money out of us, he started coming up with excuses why it’s actually more expensive. And the worst was that 2 more of his people came on the boat for free, meaning we should’ve shared the price by 7, even though he said that it’s a “5 person boat”.
Would not recommend Mawar homestay and Naftali, find some other accomodation on Arborek where people are honest and don’t try to take you for a fool.
Terimakasih kasih Sergio sudah tinggal bersama kami,, maaf atas kekurangan kami dalam pelayanan kami,,kami akan perbaiki,,,untuk
transportasi saya tidak menipu kamu untuk cari untung,,saya punya beberapa perahu untuk
antar, mulai dari 1.000.000
sampai 3.000.0000,dan yg ikut
di boat bersama ke Waisai
adalah staf saya,, Untuk
belanja,
Nice and welcoming people, rather easy communication with Naftali. Tasty and plentiful food (could be more varied at breakfast for our taste), nice bungalows over the water. It does get very hot around the bungalow and on the jetty in the afternoons but the sunsets are gorgeous. We did see a couple of baby sharks in the evenings and liked the corals on the western end of Arborek.
The only downsides was that our bed was quite narrow, the mattress worn out, the mosquito net had a couple of holes and was attached at only one point in the middle which made the space feel even smaller.
Nice and welcoming people, rather easy communication with Naftali. Tasty and plentiful food (could be more varied at breakfast for our taste), nice bungalows over the water. It does get very hot around the bungalow and on the jetty in the afternoons but the sunsets are gorgeous. We did see a couple of baby sharks in the evenings and liked the corals on the western end of Arborek.
The only downsides was that our bed was quite narrow, the mattress worn out, the mosquito net had a couple of holes and was attached at only one point in the middle which made the space feel even smaller.
Le Mawar homestay est situé en bout d’ile donc au calme et avec une vue magnifique sur le coucher de soleil. Les repas étaient bons et variés mais la quantité manquait lorsque nous étions une grande table.
Le logement est basique (matelas directement sur le sol mais confortable et juste une petite table) mais la présence du ventilateur est un plus.
L’accès au centre de plongée est rapide et facile mais pensez à réserver vos plongées bien avant votre arrivée au risque de ne pas avoir de place.
Dommage que nous ayons terminé le séjour sur une mauvaise note. Naftaly n’a pas été honnête concernant le montant du transfert, malgré que le tarif soit réglementé, nous avons payé 2 fois le prix et avons embarqué avec deux personnes supplémentaires (qui je pense ont voyagé gratuitement) alors que le bateau n’était fait que pour 5 personnes.
Le Mawar homestay est situé en bout d’ile donc au calme et avec une vue magnifique sur le coucher de soleil. Les repas étaient bons et variés mais la quantité manquait lorsque nous étions une grande table.
Le logement est basique (matelas directement sur le sol mais confortable et juste une petite table) mais la présence du ventilateur est un plus.
L’accès au centre de plongée est rapide et facile mais pensez à réserver vos plongées bien avant votre arrivée au risque de ne pas avoir de place.
Dommage que nous ayons terminé le séjour sur une mauvaise note. Naftaly n’a pas été honnête concernant le montant du transfert, malgré que le tarif soit réglementé, nous avons payé 2 fois le prix et avons embarqué avec deux personnes supplémentaires (qui je pense ont voyagé gratuitement) alors que le bateau n’était fait que pour 5 personnes.
Nice spacious bungalows with a sun bed on the terrace, overlooking the sunset.
I had a misfortune to be there when 2 bigger storms happened so I was changing bungalows because the roof was leaking and my mattress got soaked in both bungalows.
Naftali was fast on fixing the roofs and offering on changing the bungalows. It was great that there was availability to do that, otherwise it wouldn’t be so pleasant.
Food was good and the bathrooms were clean and Arborek was nice experience.
Nice spacious bungalows with a sun bed on the terrace, overlooking the sunset.
I had a misfortune to be there when 2 bigger storms happened so I was changing bungalows because the roof was leaking and my mattress got soaked in both bungalows.
Naftali was fast on fixing the roofs and offering on changing the bungalows. It was great that there was availability to do that, otherwise it wouldn’t be so pleasant.
Food was good and the bathrooms were clean and Arborek was nice experience.
Quiet, clean Homestay with a beautiful view of the sunset. We also organised a manta snorkelling trip with Mawar on the way to our next homestay and it was awesome!
Quiet, clean Homestay with a beautiful view of the sunset. We also organised a manta snorkelling trip with Mawar on the way to our next homestay and it was awesome!
Great homestay on Arborek! Beautiful view from the bungalow and very good food!
Great homestay on Arborek! Beautiful view from the bungalow and very good food!
We had a wonderful stay at Mawar Homestay on Arborek Island. Communication was smooth and easy, and everything was well-organized.
Accommodation
The rooms were simple yet comfortable, and having a fan was a great bonus for the warm nights. Electricity runs from 18:00 to 06:00
Food
The meals were absolutely delicious and plentiful. We were always well-fed with a variety of tasty local dishes—a true highlight of our stay!
Activities
While Mawar doesn’t have a dive center, Arborek Dive Shop is the only option on the island for diving, and it’s best to book in advance. Snorkeling around the island was excellent, with vibrant coral reefs and marine life just off the shore.
Sunset Views
One of the best parts of staying at Mawar was the stunning sunset. The views from this homestay are easily the best on Arborek and made each evening unforgettable.
Final Thoughts
Mawar Homestay is a great choice for a peaceful stay on Arborek. With amazing snorkeling, great food, and unbeatable sunset views, it’s perfect for travelers looking to relax and enjoy island life.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
We had a wonderful stay at Mawar Homestay on Arborek Island. Communication was smooth and easy, and everything was well-organized.
Accommodation
The rooms were simple yet comfortable, and having a fan was a great bonus for the warm nights. Electricity runs from 18:00 to 06:00
Food
The meals were absolutely delicious and plentiful. We were always well-fed with a variety of tasty local dishes—a true highlight of our stay!
Activities
While Mawar doesn’t have a dive center, Arborek Dive Shop is the only option on the island for diving, and it’s best to book in advance. Snorkeling around the island was excellent, with vibrant coral reefs and marine life just off the shore.
Sunset Views
One of the best parts of staying at Mawar was the stunning sunset. The views from this homestay are easily the best on Arborek and made each evening unforgettable.
Final Thoughts
Mawar Homestay is a great choice for a peaceful stay on Arborek. With amazing snorkeling, great food, and unbeatable sunset views, it’s perfect for travelers looking to relax and enjoy island life.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
We spent 3 nights in Mawar homestay and it was amazing! The views from the overwater bungalow were stunning as it is set in a really privileged area (at the end of the island). The food was also soo good and they made a vegetarian menu for us 🙂 If you pay attention and you are lucky you can see many creatures from your bungalow (like babysharks, water snakes, walking sharks, stingrays, cuttlefish…) and the best sunsets 🙂 The family was nice and friendly. We would love to go back again some day!
We spent 3 nights in Mawar homestay and it was amazing! The views from the overwater bungalow were stunning as it is set in a really privileged area (at the end of the island). The food was also soo good and they made a vegetarian menu for us 🙂 If you pay attention and you are lucky you can see many creatures from your bungalow (like babysharks, water snakes, walking sharks, stingrays, cuttlefish…) and the best sunsets 🙂 The family was nice and friendly. We would love to go back again some day!
We had a great experience there and our bungalow was the best one for sunset view
We had a great experience there and our bungalow was the best one for sunset view
Super homestay situé tout au bout de l’île ! Il est parfaitement situé pour le coucher du soleil, aucun autre homestay à l’horizon.
Les excursions proposées par l’hôte sont superbes et pas chères.
Nous avons passé un superbe séjour.
Super homestay situé tout au bout de l’île ! Il est parfaitement situé pour le coucher du soleil, aucun autre homestay à l’horizon.
Les excursions proposées par l’hôte sont superbes et pas chères.
Nous avons passé un superbe séjour.
Le meilleur homestay pour les couchers de soleil. Super bien placé, pas de homestay devant. La vue est très belle ! Les pilotis sont vraiment au dessus de l’eau.
2 hamacs, 1 miroir dans la cabane des vrais avantages.
Très bonne nourriture !
Par contre, pas de wifi dans cet homestay.
Le meilleur homestay pour les couchers de soleil. Super bien placé, pas de homestay devant. La vue est très belle ! Les pilotis sont vraiment au dessus de l’eau.
2 hamacs, 1 miroir dans la cabane des vrais avantages.
Très bonne nourriture !
Par contre, pas de wifi dans cet homestay.
We stayed at Marwar Homestay for 10 days and loved it. There were three of us and we were the only guests. No other guests, no western music, no partying, and no smokers. Nothing but peace, quiet, wind and wave. It was glorious. The food was basic and delicious at every meal. The shower worked and the toilet was a western design but with a bucket and scoop. There is a cat who comes to visit at lunch and dinner sometimes. I named him Freddy the Freeloader. He’s been socialized and he’s a good boy so be nice to him!
We stayed at Marwar Homestay for 10 days and loved it. There were three of us and we were the only guests. No other guests, no western music, no partying, and no smokers. Nothing but peace, quiet, wind and wave. It was glorious. The food was basic and delicious at every meal. The shower worked and the toilet was a western design but with a bucket and scoop. There is a cat who comes to visit at lunch and dinner sometimes. I named him Freddy the Freeloader. He’s been socialized and he’s a good boy so be nice to him!
+ Situé dans une zone très calme de l’île, et c’est un super endroit pour regarder les couchers de soleil. Le cadre est magnifique.
+ Les excursions sont très bien et peu chères.
– La nourriture est bonne mais manque parfois en quantité.
– Quelques améliorations pourraient être apporter facilement : ajouter une cuvette aux toilettes, nettoyer les espaces communs un peu plus souvent, ne pas mettre le matelas directement au sol.
+ Situé dans une zone très calme de l’île, et c’est un super endroit pour regarder les couchers de soleil. Le cadre est magnifique.
+ Les excursions sont très bien et peu chères.
– La nourriture est bonne mais manque parfois en quantité.
– Quelques améliorations pourraient être apporter facilement : ajouter une cuvette aux toilettes, nettoyer les espaces communs un peu plus souvent, ne pas mettre le matelas directement au sol.
We stayed at Mawar for three nights and honestly wish we had stayed longer. Everything was perfect for us, including the food, bungalows and amenities. Naftali and his family were extremely helpful. We even organised a piaynemo and snorkeling trip which was amazing!! Definitely recommend
We stayed at Mawar for three nights and honestly wish we had stayed longer. Everything was perfect for us, including the food, bungalows and amenities. Naftali and his family were extremely helpful. We even organised a piaynemo and snorkeling trip which was amazing!! Definitely recommend
Perfect location on Arborek, close to the jetty and the central village, but quiet and with an amazing sunset view. Food was really good and the owners are sweet and helpful!
Perfect location on Arborek, close to the jetty and the central village, but quiet and with an amazing sunset view. Food was really good and the owners are sweet and helpful!
Mawar homestay is on the westernmost tip of Arborek Island and the overwater bungalows offer the most beautiful sunsets. Sometimes in the morning we saw small sharks swimming under the houses. The bathroom is quite ok but the toilet was really gross. Food was ok, water, coffee, tea available. The owner Naftali was helpful with organizing tours and pick up back to Waisai. It was more complicated with the electricity – it doesn’t apply what is written that it doesn’t work only in the morning – sometimes it didn’t work all day and only worked in the evening – but it wasn’t anything that bothered us, we understand the essence of the island that enchanted us. Naftali took us snorkeling with manta rays – amazing experience – thank you. The day trip to Piaynemo and then snorkelling around was amazing. If you want to snorkel right at Arborek, just walk to the big jetty in the middle of the village, there is a beautiful reef there. And then you can relax there with a chilled Bintang.
Mawar homestay is on the westernmost tip of Arborek Island and the overwater bungalows offer the most beautiful sunsets. Sometimes in the morning we saw small sharks swimming under the houses. The bathroom is quite ok but the toilet was really gross. Food was ok, water, coffee, tea available. The owner Naftali was helpful with organizing tours and pick up back to Waisai. It was more complicated with the electricity – it doesn’t apply what is written that it doesn’t work only in the morning – sometimes it didn’t work all day and only worked in the evening – but it wasn’t anything that bothered us, we understand the essence of the island that enchanted us. Naftali took us snorkeling with manta rays – amazing experience – thank you. The day trip to Piaynemo and then snorkelling around was amazing. If you want to snorkel right at Arborek, just walk to the big jetty in the middle of the village, there is a beautiful reef there. And then you can relax there with a chilled Bintang.
We originally planned to stay at Mawar Homestay for 4 nights but extended to 5 nights as we loved it so much. Nice spacious bungalows over the water, comfortable hammock and clean bathroom facilities. Best view of sunset on the whole of Arborek. Good 4G connection. We also found boat transfers very reasonably priced too compared to some other homestays in Arborek. Food was varied and well flavoured (best we’ve had in Raja Ampat), however towards the end of our stay some meals we had no protein (fish, egg etc) so rice and veggies only. Also very difficult to plan trips without Naftali around as the family speak very little English so we missed out on seeing some Mantas. Despite this, we had a lovely stay and it was one of our favourites during our 2 week trip.
We originally planned to stay at Mawar Homestay for 4 nights but extended to 5 nights as we loved it so much. Nice spacious bungalows over the water, comfortable hammock and clean bathroom facilities. Best view of sunset on the whole of Arborek. Good 4G connection. We also found boat transfers very reasonably priced too compared to some other homestays in Arborek. Food was varied and well flavoured (best we’ve had in Raja Ampat), however towards the end of our stay some meals we had no protein (fish, egg etc) so rice and veggies only. Also very difficult to plan trips without Naftali around as the family speak very little English so we missed out on seeing some Mantas. Despite this, we had a lovely stay and it was one of our favourites during our 2 week trip.
We stayed at Mawar homestay for 8 days in Dec 2023. We came back to this homestay as we enjoyed it 5 years ago and this time it was great as well: sunsets, good food ( plenty of fish and fruits, what we liked), clean and quiet. Snorkelling trips were excellent, many mantas and beautiful corals at Manheym bay (SW tip of Gam island).
Wifi was not available all the time, but who cares in such an environment!
We liked in particular the Naftali’s family, they were so kind and original.
We stayed at Mawar homestay for 8 days in Dec 2023. We came back to this homestay as we enjoyed it 5 years ago and this time it was great as well: sunsets, good food ( plenty of fish and fruits, what we liked), clean and quiet. Snorkelling trips were excellent, many mantas and beautiful corals at Manheym bay (SW tip of Gam island).
Wifi was not available all the time, but who cares in such an environment!
We liked in particular the Naftali’s family, they were so kind and original.
We have spent five days with Naftali and his family. The bungalows are on the front line for the fantastic sunsets. They are clean and spacious. The bathrooms and shower need more cleaning and daily maintenance. The food was generous and varied. the breakfasts were sweet. Wi-Fi and lights work intermittently. We did the excursion to Manta Sandy for 500K and it was incredible to swim with them at a point where we were alone. We also went to Piaynemo with them and we were surprised that they initially asked us for 2.5 million for the excursion when the price on the website is 1.5 million. We talked to him and we solved it. In general the site is incredible although the maintenance of the facilities needs to improve a little.
We have spent five days with Naftali and his family. The bungalows are on the front line for the fantastic sunsets. They are clean and spacious. The bathrooms and shower need more cleaning and daily maintenance. The food was generous and varied. the breakfasts were sweet. Wi-Fi and lights work intermittently. We did the excursion to Manta Sandy for 500K and it was incredible to swim with them at a point where we were alone. We also went to Piaynemo with them and we were surprised that they initially asked us for 2.5 million for the excursion when the price on the website is 1.5 million. We talked to him and we solved it. In general the site is incredible although the maintenance of the facilities needs to improve a little.
We really enjoyed our stay at Mawar Homestay. The sunset view is beautiful, the bungalow was very clean and the food so good!
I highly recommend to stay here while you visit Arborek island and around.
We really enjoyed our stay at Mawar Homestay. The sunset view is beautiful, the bungalow was very clean and the food so good!
I highly recommend to stay here while you visit Arborek island and around.
Mawar Homestay is set in a perfect position to admire the astonishing sunset. All the facilities (food, toilette) are good, toilette well kept and food good and in good amount.
Mawar Homestay is set in a perfect position to admire the astonishing sunset. All the facilities (food, toilette) are good, toilette well kept and food good and in good amount.
We have spent 5 perfect days on Arborek. Naftali and his family were super nice and helpful in every way. Food was good and enough for everyone. Bungalows are prime spot for sunset. Toilets and Bathroom were keept clean. Naftali offers snorkeltrip around Arborek.
We have spent 5 perfect days on Arborek. Naftali and his family were super nice and helpful in every way. Food was good and enough for everyone. Bungalows are prime spot for sunset. Toilets and Bathroom were keept clean. Naftali offers snorkeltrip around Arborek.
Great in every way. Naftali and his family were amazing, meals, wonderful and a very laid-back atmosphere. The island and the reef are marvelous, too. We will come again for sure! On our way back to Kri, Naftali toot us to see mantas in Manta Sandy, just for the cost of the transport to Kri. We can just say thank you, and we will be so happy if we can come again!
Great in every way. Naftali and his family were amazing, meals, wonderful and a very laid-back atmosphere. The island and the reef are marvelous, too. We will come again for sure! On our way back to Kri, Naftali toot us to see mantas in Manta Sandy, just for the cost of the transport to Kri. We can just say thank you, and we will be so happy if we can come again!
Highly recommend Mawar Homestay. This place is amazing very cute bungalows sat on the waters overlooking sunset. Clean, spacious rooms and extremely comfortable beds. The family are very welcoming, friendly and accommodating to all needs. They served delicious food for all meals. (I am vegetarian and they provided a nice variety of dishes for myself and my friend who is not veggie). Portion sizes were generous, we left every meal with a fully belly. Nice variety of fruits available all day long, along side tea and coffee. We also did a 4 day tour with Mr Naftali and had an amazing time, his trip was the highlight of our time in Raja. Please contact him for any tour as it went beyond our expectations. Love this family and would recommend to anyone wanting to visit Raja Ampat.
Highly recommend Mawar Homestay. This place is amazing very cute bungalows sat on the waters overlooking sunset. Clean, spacious rooms and extremely comfortable beds. The family are very welcoming, friendly and accommodating to all needs. They served delicious food for all meals. (I am vegetarian and they provided a nice variety of dishes for myself and my friend who is not veggie). Portion sizes were generous, we left every meal with a fully belly. Nice variety of fruits available all day long, along side tea and coffee. We also did a 4 day tour with Mr Naftali and had an amazing time, his trip was the highlight of our time in Raja. Please contact him for any tour as it went beyond our expectations. Love this family and would recommend to anyone wanting to visit Raja Ampat.
This was not our first visit to Arborek but this time we stayed 17 nights and decided for MAWAR homestay since in spring 2019 all the guests raved about the food.
Well this homestay must have gone a bit downhill since then since we had very mixed feelings about our stay there. The bungalow we stayed in (last one to the west) was really nice – basic but with a good mattress & great view.
Main thing was the food: quantity & quality were often really disappointing. No grilled fish, not much variety, no fruit except bananas. Food was most of the times cold even when we were on time (precooked, not fresh). Complaining (which we did from time to time) helped for 2 to 3 days but who wants to complain ALL the time? There were a lot of flies in the eating area, the tables were not cleaned with water after the meals and were dirty. Food was left out for hours. The tableware was dirty and the cutlery was rusty.
There was also a general unfriendly vibe about this place. Nobody smiled much nor did they seem to care very much.
For us Mawar didn’t live up to its previous reviews. When I returned I stayed in an other homestay and it was a far better experience.
Terima kasih banyak Tina,sudah percayakan mawar homestay untuk menginap,dan saya sebegai pemilik mawar homestay meminta maaf yang sebesarnya atas pelayanan kami yanag kuranag memuaskan,kami akan memperbaiki pelayanan kami,saya minta maaf lagi tina.
Saya minta maaf,karena yang masak adalah adik sy dan mama sy,karena mereka tidak tahu bahasa inggris sehingga mereka tdk senyum atau salaman,kalau istri saya yang masak makanannya enak enak. Dan saya sebagai pemilik homestay selalu senyum dan selalu salaman
This was not our first visit to Arborek but this time we stayed 17 nights and decided for MAWAR homestay since in spring 2019 all the guests raved about the food.
Well this homestay must have gone a bit downhill since then since we had very mixed feelings about our stay there. The bungalow we stayed in (last one to the west) was really nice – basic but with a good mattress & great view.
Main thing was the food: quantity & quality were often really disappointing. No grilled fish, not much variety, no fruit except bananas. Food was most of the times cold even when we were on time (precooked, not fresh). Complaining (which we did from time to time) helped for 2 to 3 days but who wants to complain ALL the time? There were a lot of flies in the eating area, the tables were not cleaned with water after the meals and were dirty. Food was left out for hours. The tableware was dirty and the cutlery was rusty.
There was also a general unfriendly vibe about this place. Nobody smiled much nor did they seem to care very much.
For us Mawar didn’t live up to its previous reviews. When I returned I stayed in an other homestay and it was a far better experience.
Terima kasih banyak Tina,sudah percayakan mawar homestay untuk menginap,dan saya sebegai pemilik mawar homestay meminta maaf yang sebesarnya atas pelayanan kami yanag kuranag memuaskan,kami akan memperbaiki pelayanan kami,saya minta maaf lagi tina.
Saya minta maaf,karena yang masak adalah adik sy dan mama sy,karena mereka tidak tahu bahasa inggris sehingga mereka tdk senyum atau salaman,kalau istri saya yang masak makanannya enak enak. Dan saya sebagai pemilik homestay selalu senyum dan selalu salaman
This was not my first visit to Raja Ampat and I found my week on Arborek and Mawar disappointing. The previous reviews are all pretty good (and that’s why I chose here), but I think this homestay might have gone a bit downhill since.
I texted Mawar when I got to Sorong and they had no idea I was arriving (isn’t SRA meant to send them a text reminder before arrival?). The owner told me he had ‘lost’ my booking, so I had to spend the first two nights not in the bungalow I had reserved. Leaving the homestay wasn’t much better – even having discussed my departure with the owner the previous night, we had to get him out of bed to find out where the boat transfer was leaving from.
There was also a general unfriendly vibe about this place. Nobody smiled much nor did they seem to care very much. The food was OK, but dirty plates and food were left out for hours. The bungalow was fine and the bathroom facilities were standard for RA.
There is a fridge in dining area that you can put beer and other drinks in. There are two shops on the island where you can get a can of beer (for 60k I think!) – one 5 minutes from Mawar, just follow the path towards the village. The other is at the end of the jetty.
I came here for the snorkelling and there were some good spots around the island. Entry and exit could be a problem, especially at low tide – probably best to enter at the jetty. Plenty of fish, sharks, mantas, sea snakes and turtles around. The reefs close to the jetty looked a little tired. The area directly out from Mawar was probably the best spot. Currents could be a problem, especially on the opposite side of the island to Mawar, where the current direction could change at different points along the reef.
I visited here between Xmas and New Year and there was an odd tradition on the island at this time of year where a man walks through the village banging a drum relentlessly. On one occasion this carried on right through the night making sleeping a little difficult!
So perhaps I stayed here a couple of days too long – I should have probably island hopped to another resort, but I’m afraid Mawar didn’t live up to its previous reviews.
Werghie,terima kasih sudah stay bersama mawar homestay,saya minta maaf atas pelayanan kami yang tidak memuaskan,pelayanan sedikit menurun karena staff lain yang masak,kami akan perbaiki pelayanan kami,terima kasih.
” by Naftali
This was not my first visit to Raja Ampat and I found my week on Arborek and Mawar disappointing. The previous reviews are all pretty good (and that’s why I chose here), but I think this homestay might have gone a bit downhill since.
I texted Mawar when I got to Sorong and they had no idea I was arriving (isn’t SRA meant to send them a text reminder before arrival?). The owner told me he had ‘lost’ my booking, so I had to spend the first two nights not in the bungalow I had reserved. Leaving the homestay wasn’t much better – even having discussed my departure with the owner the previous night, we had to get him out of bed to find out where the boat transfer was leaving from.
There was also a general unfriendly vibe about this place. Nobody smiled much nor did they seem to care very much. The food was OK, but dirty plates and food were left out for hours. The bungalow was fine and the bathroom facilities were standard for RA.
There is a fridge in dining area that you can put beer and other drinks in. There are two shops on the island where you can get a can of beer (for 60k I think!) – one 5 minutes from Mawar, just follow the path towards the village. The other is at the end of the jetty.
I came here for the snorkelling and there were some good spots around the island. Entry and exit could be a problem, especially at low tide – probably best to enter at the jetty. Plenty of fish, sharks, mantas, sea snakes and turtles around. The reefs close to the jetty looked a little tired. The area directly out from Mawar was probably the best spot. Currents could be a problem, especially on the opposite side of the island to Mawar, where the current direction could change at different points along the reef.
I visited here between Xmas and New Year and there was an odd tradition on the island at this time of year where a man walks through the village banging a drum relentlessly. On one occasion this carried on right through the night making sleeping a little difficult!
So perhaps I stayed here a couple of days too long – I should have probably island hopped to another resort, but I’m afraid Mawar didn’t live up to its previous reviews.
Werghie,terima kasih sudah stay bersama mawar homestay,saya minta maaf atas pelayanan kami yang tidak memuaskan,pelayanan sedikit menurun karena staff lain yang masak,kami akan perbaiki pelayanan kami,terima kasih.
” by Naftali
We highly recommend to stay at Mawar! The Bungalows are perfectly situated just over the water and with a perfect sea-view (spectacular sundown!). The Manta spots are “just around the corner”. Snorkeling around the jetty is spectacular and you can also easily go diving.
Naftali is a very well and super sympathetic host. He also makes good prices for transfers.
Good food with a relatively huge choice of different plates.
The nearby villages is charming.
Thanks to Naftali and his crew for this fantastic time!
Terima kasih stevan sudah tingal bersama kami mawar homestay
We highly recommend to stay at Mawar! The Bungalows are perfectly situated just over the water and with a perfect sea-view (spectacular sundown!). The Manta spots are “just around the corner”. Snorkeling around the jetty is spectacular and you can also easily go diving.
Naftali is a very well and super sympathetic host. He also makes good prices for transfers.
Good food with a relatively huge choice of different plates.
The nearby villages is charming.
Thanks to Naftali and his crew for this fantastic time!
Terima kasih stevan sudah tingal bersama kami mawar homestay
We spent 4 nights in Arborek. The sunsets on over water bungalows are incredible. The rooms and toilets are clean and simple. No towels provided.
Unfortunately the food is very basic and not so good compared to other Homestays in the area (a lot of flies in dining room).
Terima kasih florent sudah tinggal bersama kami mawar homestay,maaf karena lupa untuk memberikan handuk,handuk kami ada,dan minta maaf kerana staf lain yg masak jadi makanan mungkin tidak enak,kalau istri saya yang masak makanan sangat enak,
Terima kasih banyak Tuhan berkati kita semua,
We spent 4 nights in Arborek. The sunsets on over water bungalows are incredible. The rooms and toilets are clean and simple. No towels provided.
Unfortunately the food is very basic and not so good compared to other Homestays in the area (a lot of flies in dining room).
Terima kasih florent sudah tinggal bersama kami mawar homestay,maaf karena lupa untuk memberikan handuk,handuk kami ada,dan minta maaf kerana staf lain yg masak jadi makanan mungkin tidak enak,kalau istri saya yang masak makanan sangat enak,
Terima kasih banyak Tuhan berkati kita semua,
We visited Arborek to go diving with Gita at Arborek Dive Shop, which was incredible! And we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Mawar Homestay.
The sunsets!!! You could stay here just for the sunsets. The verandah was a great spot to relax in the hammock, read, and watch the tide drift in and out.
The food was tasty, and there was always plenty of it.
We arranged for Naftali, our host, to take us to our next homestay, but they were not there when we arrived. Naftali went out of his way to help us figure out what to do next. He helped us contact the owners of the next place for us to arrive a couple of days early and then took us there even though it was late in the day. We really appreciated his efforts. Thanks, Naftali! And your family is gorgeous 🙂
Arborek was great! Sensational diving! It was great to be further west to have access to those extra diving spots that are a bit further away from the Kri dive shops. It was so much fun swimming at the local jetty with the kids who were having such a great time and were so delightful to be around.
The snorkeling around the jetties was amazing. The amount of fish life was incredible and it was great to have that available any time of day.
Megan dan jason,makasi banyak sudah stay bersama kami,kami berharap kamu bisa datang ke mawar homestay lagi.
By Naftali.mawar
We visited Arborek to go diving with Gita at Arborek Dive Shop, which was incredible! And we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Mawar Homestay.
The sunsets!!! You could stay here just for the sunsets. The verandah was a great spot to relax in the hammock, read, and watch the tide drift in and out.
The food was tasty, and there was always plenty of it.
We arranged for Naftali, our host, to take us to our next homestay, but they were not there when we arrived. Naftali went out of his way to help us figure out what to do next. He helped us contact the owners of the next place for us to arrive a couple of days early and then took us there even though it was late in the day. We really appreciated his efforts. Thanks, Naftali! And your family is gorgeous 🙂
Arborek was great! Sensational diving! It was great to be further west to have access to those extra diving spots that are a bit further away from the Kri dive shops. It was so much fun swimming at the local jetty with the kids who were having such a great time and were so delightful to be around.
The snorkeling around the jetties was amazing. The amount of fish life was incredible and it was great to have that available any time of day.
Megan dan jason,makasi banyak sudah stay bersama kami,kami berharap kamu bisa datang ke mawar homestay lagi.
By Naftali.mawar
L’ile d’Arborek est très sympathique, le homestay très bien avec une vue magnifique des cabanes sur l’eau splendides, Naftali et sa famille sont très gentils. Repas matin midi et soir très copieux et très bon.
Arnaud makasi sudah stay bersama kami,kami berharap kamu kembali ke mawar homestay lagi
By Naftali mawar
L’ile d’Arborek est très sympathique, le homestay très bien avec une vue magnifique des cabanes sur l’eau splendides, Naftali et sa famille sont très gentils. Repas matin midi et soir très copieux et très bon.
Arnaud makasi sudah stay bersama kami,kami berharap kamu kembali ke mawar homestay lagi
By Naftali mawar
MAGNIFIQUE. Jolis bungalows sur pilotis faces à la mangrove, le matin de bonne heure on peut apercevoir des bébés requins et/raies passer devant. Le soir le coucher de soleil est incroyable. Au départ du ponton s’étend un récif de corail qui longe toute l’île. Parfait pour les snorkelers ! La famille est très gentille et parle anglais.
Violaine,terima kasih banyak sdh stay bersama mawar homestay,kami berharap kmu datang ke mawar homestay lagi
By naftali mawar
MAGNIFIQUE. Jolis bungalows sur pilotis faces à la mangrove, le matin de bonne heure on peut apercevoir des bébés requins et/raies passer devant. Le soir le coucher de soleil est incroyable. Au départ du ponton s’étend un récif de corail qui longe toute l’île. Parfait pour les snorkelers ! La famille est très gentille et parle anglais.
Violaine,terima kasih banyak sdh stay bersama mawar homestay,kami berharap kmu datang ke mawar homestay lagi
By naftali mawar
Nous rentrons juste de Raja Ampat, on a passé 5 nuits chez Mawar, c’est un endroit que je recommande car on y est bien. Super emplacement pour le couché de soleil, c’est calme et la nourriture est bonne et varié. Pour plonger vous avez le Dive shop prêt de la jetée à 5 min à pied. Super snorkeling prêt de la jetée (j’y ai vu une Manta à moins de 5 mètre).
Nous rentrons juste de Raja Ampat, on a passé 5 nuits chez Mawar, c’est un endroit que je recommande car on y est bien. Super emplacement pour le couché de soleil, c’est calme et la nourriture est bonne et varié. Pour plonger vous avez le Dive shop prêt de la jetée à 5 min à pied. Super snorkeling prêt de la jetée (j’y ai vu une Manta à moins de 5 mètre).
Really a hidden gem on Arborek Island. It’s on the northwest corner and you don’t see any other homestays around, so nice and quiet. As the island is only a 10 minute walk from east to west, everything is close by.
The food at the Homestay comes three times a day on strict times: 07:00, 12:00 and 19:00 and is very delicious!!! Fresh fish, fresh veggies, chicken, baked patatoes, rice. Always plenty of food! At the Homestay is Bintang beer available for a reasonable price.
The bungalows are clean and nice. Overlooking the water, where you see every now and then a baby shark, sea snake or other fish.
The best thing about the Homestay is maybe Naftali, the owner. He speaks reasonable English and wants to do everything for you, also for a fair price. He has his own speedboat, so he picked us up from Waisai and we did a Parasise Bird trip with him and brought us also to Kri. Oh yes, a last thing, but can be handy. You can pay by credit card.
Thanks Naftali for the pleasant stay!
Tom and Lucy
Hi tomi dan luci,terima kasih banyak sudah memilih tinggal bersama kami mawar homestay,saya sebagai pemilik mawar homestay minta maaf apabila ada kekurangan dalam palayanan,dan kami berharap kamu datang lagi ke mawar homestay
Really a hidden gem on Arborek Island. It’s on the northwest corner and you don’t see any other homestays around, so nice and quiet. As the island is only a 10 minute walk from east to west, everything is close by.
The food at the Homestay comes three times a day on strict times: 07:00, 12:00 and 19:00 and is very delicious!!! Fresh fish, fresh veggies, chicken, baked patatoes, rice. Always plenty of food! At the Homestay is Bintang beer available for a reasonable price.
The bungalows are clean and nice. Overlooking the water, where you see every now and then a baby shark, sea snake or other fish.
The best thing about the Homestay is maybe Naftali, the owner. He speaks reasonable English and wants to do everything for you, also for a fair price. He has his own speedboat, so he picked us up from Waisai and we did a Parasise Bird trip with him and brought us also to Kri. Oh yes, a last thing, but can be handy. You can pay by credit card.
Thanks Naftali for the pleasant stay!
Tom and Lucy
Hi tomi dan luci,terima kasih banyak sudah memilih tinggal bersama kami mawar homestay,saya sebagai pemilik mawar homestay minta maaf apabila ada kekurangan dalam palayanan,dan kami berharap kamu datang lagi ke mawar homestay
Naftali is the best host we had in RA! The food is lovely and the huts are really nice, over the water and with a lovely sunset.
He has a freezer with ice cold bintang in it.
Naftali came to the rescue when we had booked a trip for 12 people to Wayag and the person who booked it tried to charge 7million IDR more the night before. He contacted his friends who brought a bigger, better boat on time the next morning for a reasonable price.
He was very reliable with organising local trips in his speed boat also. The coolest, friendliest homestay owner ever! Thanks Naftali!!
Naftali is the best host we had in RA! The food is lovely and the huts are really nice, over the water and with a lovely sunset.
He has a freezer with ice cold bintang in it.
Naftali came to the rescue when we had booked a trip for 12 people to Wayag and the person who booked it tried to charge 7million IDR more the night before. He contacted his friends who brought a bigger, better boat on time the next morning for a reasonable price.
He was very reliable with organising local trips in his speed boat also. The coolest, friendliest homestay owner ever! Thanks Naftali!!
– Amazing sunset views from Overwater Bungalows!
– Clean Bungalows!
– Naftali was very helpful…
Terima kasih jein dan mike,sudah tinggal dengan kami mawar homestay maaf bila ada kekurangan dalam pelayanan kami,,,kami berharap kamu bisa datang lagi ke mawar homestay.by Naftali
– Amazing sunset views from Overwater Bungalows!
– Clean Bungalows!
– Naftali was very helpful…
Terima kasih jein dan mike,sudah tinggal dengan kami mawar homestay maaf bila ada kekurangan dalam pelayanan kami,,,kami berharap kamu bisa datang lagi ke mawar homestay.by Naftali
We spent 7 fabulous nights in the Mawar Homestay in late December. We were a large group of 14 so mostly had the the place to ourselves and felt very at home!! The accomodation was great with 4 stilted over water wooden bungalows and 4 bungalows behind with mattress, towel and mosquito net supplied for everyone. There were some holes in the mosquito nets so would suggest taking spare string and tape to temporarily fix or just take another net with you in case (they are cheap to buy and take up no space). The two long drop toilets and bucket bathing areas were kept super clean with plenty of fresh (brackish) water tapped in from the Island well. The food was great, spicy hot and fresh and the staff were always happy to change things up and accomodate requests (within reason!) – definitely a rice, veges and fish part of the world. The breakfasts were somewhat interesting – cakes, steamed green buns, sweet deep fried banana, donuts……but the ample lunch more than made up for this. Some fruit was provided by the homestay but we bought extra from the markets in Waisai before we headed to Aborek which worked well as there is none to buy on the island. There was always plenty of boiling water available and tea and coffee to be had during the day. Arborek has power that comes on each evening until the early hours of the morning (no generator noise at Mawar) and the bungalows all have electricity sockets so very easy to charge up phones, cameras etc each night. There is a chest freezer in the dining area and cold Bintang Beer available to buy. Other soft drinks and necessities such as toilet paper are also available to buy in the three small village shops. Mawar is in a great location, a quick walk into the village and well positioned for (we think!) the best sunsets on the island. We would highly recommend Mawar – Naftali and his team should be proud of the great homestay they have created.
Hello
I would love to discuss with you over the phone or via WhatsApp about your impression of the homestay and Arborek Dive Shop
Would you have time for me ?
Thanks in advance
Loriane
Terimah kasih sudah tinggal bersama kami mawar homestay,saya harap kamu datang lagi
We spent 7 fabulous nights in the Mawar Homestay in late December. We were a large group of 14 so mostly had the the place to ourselves and felt very at home!! The accomodation was great with 4 stilted over water wooden bungalows and 4 bungalows behind with mattress, towel and mosquito net supplied for everyone. There were some holes in the mosquito nets so would suggest taking spare string and tape to temporarily fix or just take another net with you in case (they are cheap to buy and take up no space). The two long drop toilets and bucket bathing areas were kept super clean with plenty of fresh (brackish) water tapped in from the Island well. The food was great, spicy hot and fresh and the staff were always happy to change things up and accomodate requests (within reason!) – definitely a rice, veges and fish part of the world. The breakfasts were somewhat interesting – cakes, steamed green buns, sweet deep fried banana, donuts……but the ample lunch more than made up for this. Some fruit was provided by the homestay but we bought extra from the markets in Waisai before we headed to Aborek which worked well as there is none to buy on the island. There was always plenty of boiling water available and tea and coffee to be had during the day. Arborek has power that comes on each evening until the early hours of the morning (no generator noise at Mawar) and the bungalows all have electricity sockets so very easy to charge up phones, cameras etc each night. There is a chest freezer in the dining area and cold Bintang Beer available to buy. Other soft drinks and necessities such as toilet paper are also available to buy in the three small village shops. Mawar is in a great location, a quick walk into the village and well positioned for (we think!) the best sunsets on the island. We would highly recommend Mawar – Naftali and his team should be proud of the great homestay they have created.
Hello
I would love to discuss with you over the phone or via WhatsApp about your impression of the homestay and Arborek Dive Shop
Would you have time for me ?
Thanks in advance
Loriane
Terimah kasih sudah tinggal bersama kami mawar homestay,saya harap kamu datang lagi
We stayed in Mawar homestay in one of the four overwater bungalows for 9 days and had a great time. This homestay has a really a marvellous location. It lays within the coconut grow, with picturesque green mangroves in front. The views towards Pianemo and Gam during the day are great and sunsets are amazing. As there is constant breeze at the overwater bungalows, mosquitos are driven away and constant cooling is provides during the heat.
The bungalows are comfortable and spacious. The food is served in a big dinning area which gives good opportunities to communicate with other guests. Meals were delicious, different vegetables, rice, noodles, fresh fish and sometimes chicken – always enough choice also for vegetarians. Breakfast was always sweet, every day different. Hot water, coffee and tee were always available. There is additional luxury: a freezer with cold Bintang beer for a reasonable price (60.000 rfs), which we enjoyed very much.
The family is really nice and helpful. Just let them know if you need anything (the owner Naftali speaks good English). We joined the trip to Manta Sandy and it was paid off. We saw nice coral gardens, mantas and also napoleon wrasse.
We did diving with Arborek Dive Shop, but for those who prefer snorkelling, Marwar has an excellent location. From the homestay to the Arborek jetty the reef is rich and colourful. We saw a turtle, sting and eagle rays, blacktip reef sharks, snakes etc. Early morning during calm weather we observed from the terrace a group of great humphead parrotfish (ca 1m long) and plenty of mantas (it was a manta season!), just beyond the sand at the beginning of the coral reef. Go to the water early morning and you may enjoy swimming with coral reef mantas! On the way towards the jetty don’t miss a group of colourful giant clams.
The homestay sometimes hosts guests on organized trips to Pianemo and Wayag and if there is enough space on the boat, you may join in. Just ask Naftali, if you’re interested. All services and the homestay may now also be paid by credit card (as there is quite a new communication tower on the island).
Transfer to Waisai port was perfect, everything was going on as previously agreed. Before our leave to Sorong, Naftali was so kind to take us to the Waisai downtown and accompanied us to the souvenir shop.
Overall we highly recommend this homestay.
Thank you Naftali for good organisation and our wonderful stay in your homestay!
PS: If you can, bring with you a snorkelling mask for the kids and donate it to the Arborek school. And do not leave any used plastic items (bottles etc.) on the island as they will end up in the sea. This could be your best contribution to the protection of the marine environment.
I would like to discuss with you in private if possible so you could share your experience with me
I have plenty of questions regarding the homestay et the diving
Thanks for your support
Sure, please send me an e-mail to: melanija.lesnjak@gmail.com and I may give you my phone number.
Regards, Melanija
We stayed in Mawar homestay in one of the four overwater bungalows for 9 days and had a great time. This homestay has a really a marvellous location. It lays within the coconut grow, with picturesque green mangroves in front. The views towards Pianemo and Gam during the day are great and sunsets are amazing. As there is constant breeze at the overwater bungalows, mosquitos are driven away and constant cooling is provides during the heat.
The bungalows are comfortable and spacious. The food is served in a big dinning area which gives good opportunities to communicate with other guests. Meals were delicious, different vegetables, rice, noodles, fresh fish and sometimes chicken – always enough choice also for vegetarians. Breakfast was always sweet, every day different. Hot water, coffee and tee were always available. There is additional luxury: a freezer with cold Bintang beer for a reasonable price (60.000 rfs), which we enjoyed very much.
The family is really nice and helpful. Just let them know if you need anything (the owner Naftali speaks good English). We joined the trip to Manta Sandy and it was paid off. We saw nice coral gardens, mantas and also napoleon wrasse.
We did diving with Arborek Dive Shop, but for those who prefer snorkelling, Marwar has an excellent location. From the homestay to the Arborek jetty the reef is rich and colourful. We saw a turtle, sting and eagle rays, blacktip reef sharks, snakes etc. Early morning during calm weather we observed from the terrace a group of great humphead parrotfish (ca 1m long) and plenty of mantas (it was a manta season!), just beyond the sand at the beginning of the coral reef. Go to the water early morning and you may enjoy swimming with coral reef mantas! On the way towards the jetty don’t miss a group of colourful giant clams.
The homestay sometimes hosts guests on organized trips to Pianemo and Wayag and if there is enough space on the boat, you may join in. Just ask Naftali, if you’re interested. All services and the homestay may now also be paid by credit card (as there is quite a new communication tower on the island).
Transfer to Waisai port was perfect, everything was going on as previously agreed. Before our leave to Sorong, Naftali was so kind to take us to the Waisai downtown and accompanied us to the souvenir shop.
Overall we highly recommend this homestay.
Thank you Naftali for good organisation and our wonderful stay in your homestay!
PS: If you can, bring with you a snorkelling mask for the kids and donate it to the Arborek school. And do not leave any used plastic items (bottles etc.) on the island as they will end up in the sea. This could be your best contribution to the protection of the marine environment.
I would like to discuss with you in private if possible so you could share your experience with me
I have plenty of questions regarding the homestay et the diving
Thanks for your support
Sure, please send me an e-mail to: melanija.lesnjak@gmail.com and I may give you my phone number.
Regards, Melanija
Very nice homestay
Naftali is a great host
Nice beach bungalow
Perfect food
Nice sunset
We will comeback
Very nice homestay
Naftali is a great host
Nice beach bungalow
Perfect food
Nice sunset
We will comeback
We stayed at Mawar homestay for 5 nights and had a wonderful time. The bungalows are clean, comfortable and spacious and the food was great, plentiful and tasty and served in the communal dining area so we could all eat together. The sunset views are breathtaking. Naftali and his family are lovely and we had no problems arranging a transfer back with them. It is a short walk to Arborek dive shop and there are shops nearby for beer and snacks. Would definitely stay there again.
Terima kasih patricia,sudah tinggal bersama kami,,kami harap kamu bisa kembali ke mawar homestay lagi
We stayed at Mawar homestay for 5 nights and had a wonderful time. The bungalows are clean, comfortable and spacious and the food was great, plentiful and tasty and served in the communal dining area so we could all eat together. The sunset views are breathtaking. Naftali and his family are lovely and we had no problems arranging a transfer back with them. It is a short walk to Arborek dive shop and there are shops nearby for beer and snacks. Would definitely stay there again.
Terima kasih patricia,sudah tinggal bersama kami,,kami harap kamu bisa kembali ke mawar homestay lagi
1. We like the food in this place a lot. Abundant and various, and with spices. In fact it is the only of the 5 homestays we visit so far who cooks with spices what comes much closer to the fantastic indonesian food in the non-tourist places in indonesia.
The kitchen crue from mama juni always had a smile for us, thank you!
2. Nice snorkelling on the northwestern tip of arborek, a long way to swim out and can have some current but nice hard and soft corals with many sharks.
We need to say something about the prices. The owner claims the prices on the website are not up to date, asking 400 pp per night and 3 million for the pyanemo trip. Going to manta was 500 after bargaining (bring the raja ampat card, we did not know). We think he just tried to charge higher prices.
The bathrooms facilities and the room are not new, smelly, the matrace very small (In one night not fully booked the staff gave us a second from another room, that was nice), the moskito net has big holes.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and for the update Mona and Georg. We have an easy system set up so that homestays can advise us of price changes – all it takes is a phone call or SMS message. It’s a shame Mawar does not use it! It’s also a shame that they do not invest a little in maintenance 🙁
Thank you for your answer. We hope now where the right prices are on the webside there will be less confusion.
1. We like the food in this place a lot. Abundant and various, and with spices. In fact it is the only of the 5 homestays we visit so far who cooks with spices what comes much closer to the fantastic indonesian food in the non-tourist places in indonesia.
The kitchen crue from mama juni always had a smile for us, thank you!
2. Nice snorkelling on the northwestern tip of arborek, a long way to swim out and can have some current but nice hard and soft corals with many sharks.
We need to say something about the prices. The owner claims the prices on the website are not up to date, asking 400 pp per night and 3 million for the pyanemo trip. Going to manta was 500 after bargaining (bring the raja ampat card, we did not know). We think he just tried to charge higher prices.
The bathrooms facilities and the room are not new, smelly, the matrace very small (In one night not fully booked the staff gave us a second from another room, that was nice), the moskito net has big holes.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and for the update Mona and Georg. We have an easy system set up so that homestays can advise us of price changes – all it takes is a phone call or SMS message. It’s a shame Mawar does not use it! It’s also a shame that they do not invest a little in maintenance 🙁
Thank you for your answer. We hope now where the right prices are on the webside there will be less confusion.
I spend a great week on Arborek ! I stayed at Mawar homestay and went diving with Arborek Dive Shop (friendly and professional).
I had one of the 4 beach bungalows, just above the sea, with an amazing view especially for sunset !!! There are shared toilet and bathroom, Indonesian style with bucket shower (there was not always toilet paper so I recommend to bring your own, and bring your own towel too). The place is pretty basic but really fine, I loved it and enjoyed a lot the hammock in front of my bungalow !!
The food was good and often changing, we had bananas almost every day, there was always drinking water available in the dining area, and they just bought a freezer to sell cold beers.
The owner Naftali speaks basic English but we could easily understand eachother, at first I thought he was not really talkative and friendly but I think it’s because he is a shy man, he is actually a nice person as long as you try speaking with him. His family is friendly too, they don’t speak English but we always found a way to communicate.
The homestay is a short walk from the village where you can find a few shops. If you like fruits, maybe better to buy some in Sorong or Waisai !
You can also organize island transfer and day trips with Naftali.
I definitely recommend this homestay and Arborek !!
I spend a great week on Arborek ! I stayed at Mawar homestay and went diving with Arborek Dive Shop (friendly and professional).
I had one of the 4 beach bungalows, just above the sea, with an amazing view especially for sunset !!! There are shared toilet and bathroom, Indonesian style with bucket shower (there was not always toilet paper so I recommend to bring your own, and bring your own towel too). The place is pretty basic but really fine, I loved it and enjoyed a lot the hammock in front of my bungalow !!
The food was good and often changing, we had bananas almost every day, there was always drinking water available in the dining area, and they just bought a freezer to sell cold beers.
The owner Naftali speaks basic English but we could easily understand eachother, at first I thought he was not really talkative and friendly but I think it’s because he is a shy man, he is actually a nice person as long as you try speaking with him. His family is friendly too, they don’t speak English but we always found a way to communicate.
The homestay is a short walk from the village where you can find a few shops. If you like fruits, maybe better to buy some in Sorong or Waisai !
You can also organize island transfer and day trips with Naftali.
I definitely recommend this homestay and Arborek !!
We stayd 3 nights in one if the private bungalows on the water and enjoyd beautiful sunsets and good food in Mawar homestay. The pick up from Kri worked very well. Since the only english speaking man was not there when we arrived, it was a challenge to find out when meals where served and how to get somewhere. A Board with some informations at the eatingplace would be helpfull. But there are so many Homestays and People to ask on this small island. You just need to be initiativ.
The matrace size of 1.2m for two person in this hot climat was a challenge for the two of us rather tall people. But when we found out that the locals just sleep on der mats on the ground, we where just thankfull for the rather thin and small matrace at all.
The Bathrooms diserve some more attention from my point of view. The Watertanks where without lid so there where a lot of moskitos there and the bins with the used toilettpaper did not have lids nor where they emptied, what was great for flies and bugs but not supporting hygiene. It just would need some little ajustment. What was great on Arborek was that they had rubish bins everywhere along the streets. A good and importent first part to deal enviromentfriendly with garbige.
We stayd 3 nights in one if the private bungalows on the water and enjoyd beautiful sunsets and good food in Mawar homestay. The pick up from Kri worked very well. Since the only english speaking man was not there when we arrived, it was a challenge to find out when meals where served and how to get somewhere. A Board with some informations at the eatingplace would be helpfull. But there are so many Homestays and People to ask on this small island. You just need to be initiativ.
The matrace size of 1.2m for two person in this hot climat was a challenge for the two of us rather tall people. But when we found out that the locals just sleep on der mats on the ground, we where just thankfull for the rather thin and small matrace at all.
The Bathrooms diserve some more attention from my point of view. The Watertanks where without lid so there where a lot of moskitos there and the bins with the used toilettpaper did not have lids nor where they emptied, what was great for flies and bugs but not supporting hygiene. It just would need some little ajustment. What was great on Arborek was that they had rubish bins everywhere along the streets. A good and importent first part to deal enviromentfriendly with garbige.
Hello,
We’re planning to visit Arborek next June 2019 and staying at the home stay for 6 nights with 6 yo child. Just to reconfirm, is the Mawar homestay near the village and safe location (season wise) for June Trip.
Do you have any recommendation ‘things to do for kid” 6 yo around your homestay? Is there any local kids around that would be happy to play together around?
Many thanks in advance,
Best,
Ray
Hi Ray
Yes – Mawar Homestay is very close to Arborek village and fine for a June trip. There are plenty of kids in Arborek village to play with, but, as everywhere in Raja Ampat, there is not a lot else for a six year old to do unsupervised.
Hello,
We’re planning to visit Arborek next June 2019 and staying at the home stay for 6 nights with 6 yo child. Just to reconfirm, is the Mawar homestay near the village and safe location (season wise) for June Trip.
Do you have any recommendation ‘things to do for kid” 6 yo around your homestay? Is there any local kids around that would be happy to play together around?
Many thanks in advance,
Best,
Ray
Hi Ray
Yes – Mawar Homestay is very close to Arborek village and fine for a June trip. There are plenty of kids in Arborek village to play with, but, as everywhere in Raja Ampat, there is not a lot else for a six year old to do unsupervised.
I found PERFECTION!
I got the phone number from my homestay owner on Manyaifun and booked by SMS the day before my arrival, no idea what I was getting into. Approaching Arborek from the Northwest I thought: Wow, those huts are a dream! Imagine my delight when I discovered the nicest of them was the one I booked and I had the entire homestay to myself.
The two over the water bungalows are brand new, fitted with a thick mattress, mozzie net, bench and table in- and outside, a large plastic food storage box and the most comfy hammock I encountered in Raja Ampat. They also provide a water bucket to wash the sand off your feet.
The views over the turquoise lagoon towards Pianyemo are breathtaking and I got regular visitors from other Homestays taking sunset pictures from my bungalow. At high tide blue spotted stingrays play around the shallows below the bungalows.
Maybe the nicest thing is the constant sea breeze. I got used to the fact that all my belongings were constantly humid in other places. Here your stuff dries in minutes, laundry time. The wind means no mosquitoes and provides natural AC, the only spot on my travels I actually used my sweater.
Last but not least the staff is very friendly and helpful. They speak basic English, but like all around R4 it is an advantage if you speak a little Bahasa. The food was excellent, with generous amounts of fresh fish and veggies. Hot water and tea/coffee where always replenished on time (not the case in all homestays). The family lives in the nearby village, meaning you have complete privacy at night, but can always call them if you need anything.
Of course the 2 new bungalows are vastly superior to the older ones further back, so mention this when you are booking. The shared mandi/toilet is a bit inland, so don’t forget your repellent.
Snorkeling is awesome around Arborek. I snorkeled around the entire perimeter of the reef, which is huge compared to the tiny island. Only recommended for experienced snorkelers and use a tide table to calculate the currents. On the other hand I saw impressive hard and soft coral, turtles, black tips, walking sharks, eagle and manta rays. The reef right out front swimming westwards is among the best areas. At low tide it is better to enter the water at the jetty though. Enjoy!!!
I found PERFECTION!
I got the phone number from my homestay owner on Manyaifun and booked by SMS the day before my arrival, no idea what I was getting into. Approaching Arborek from the Northwest I thought: Wow, those huts are a dream! Imagine my delight when I discovered the nicest of them was the one I booked and I had the entire homestay to myself.
The two over the water bungalows are brand new, fitted with a thick mattress, mozzie net, bench and table in- and outside, a large plastic food storage box and the most comfy hammock I encountered in Raja Ampat. They also provide a water bucket to wash the sand off your feet.
The views over the turquoise lagoon towards Pianyemo are breathtaking and I got regular visitors from other Homestays taking sunset pictures from my bungalow. At high tide blue spotted stingrays play around the shallows below the bungalows.
Maybe the nicest thing is the constant sea breeze. I got used to the fact that all my belongings were constantly humid in other places. Here your stuff dries in minutes, laundry time. The wind means no mosquitoes and provides natural AC, the only spot on my travels I actually used my sweater.
Last but not least the staff is very friendly and helpful. They speak basic English, but like all around R4 it is an advantage if you speak a little Bahasa. The food was excellent, with generous amounts of fresh fish and veggies. Hot water and tea/coffee where always replenished on time (not the case in all homestays). The family lives in the nearby village, meaning you have complete privacy at night, but can always call them if you need anything.
Of course the 2 new bungalows are vastly superior to the older ones further back, so mention this when you are booking. The shared mandi/toilet is a bit inland, so don’t forget your repellent.
Snorkeling is awesome around Arborek. I snorkeled around the entire perimeter of the reef, which is huge compared to the tiny island. Only recommended for experienced snorkelers and use a tide table to calculate the currents. On the other hand I saw impressive hard and soft coral, turtles, black tips, walking sharks, eagle and manta rays. The reef right out front swimming westwards is among the best areas. At low tide it is better to enter the water at the jetty though. Enjoy!!!
We stayed a week at Mawar Homestay from 03/16 – 03/24 and we had a fantastic time.
The bungalows are as described; basic but very clean (and very soft mattresses). The hammocks are very nice to spend a lazy day and watch the sunset. More comfortable chairs on the veranda would be great. We had a bungalow over the water. We expected many mosquitoes, but there is a steady brise, so only a few. I agree with the previous comment: if there is a storm, you will feel it pretty much on the island and especially inside the bungalow. However, for us it is always part of the adventure.
The food was very good (we are vegetarians). While we were by ourselfs it was plenty. It could have been more when more guests arrived. Breakfast was medium. I don’t know why there is this misperception of all westerners loving very very sweet food in the morning 🙂
The communication with Naftali was ok. A little bit more communication before our arrival would have been nice, but it might be due the lack of internet at the time of our stay.
Diving and snorkeling (group of 18 bumpheads in front of our bungalow) in and around the island and especially on the jetty was amazing. Arborek has a unique position were you can get very shortly to many great divesites. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the best and safest experiences with Arborek dive shop.
Thank you Naftali for the wonderful time!
Dear Jan and Jana, Great to see the 5 stars for Mawar. We are planning our holiday so wondering what your negative experience was with Arborek Dive? Safety is a big concern/priority for us. Thanks
Hi Jan
Thank you for your review. I’m wondering about your negative comment about arborek dive shop, what you mean safest experiences and the best dives. I still remember when you guys leaving u said this is the best diving experience ever.
can u mentioned ?
cheers
We stayed a week at Mawar Homestay from 03/16 – 03/24 and we had a fantastic time.
The bungalows are as described; basic but very clean (and very soft mattresses). The hammocks are very nice to spend a lazy day and watch the sunset. More comfortable chairs on the veranda would be great. We had a bungalow over the water. We expected many mosquitoes, but there is a steady brise, so only a few. I agree with the previous comment: if there is a storm, you will feel it pretty much on the island and especially inside the bungalow. However, for us it is always part of the adventure.
The food was very good (we are vegetarians). While we were by ourselfs it was plenty. It could have been more when more guests arrived. Breakfast was medium. I don’t know why there is this misperception of all westerners loving very very sweet food in the morning 🙂
The communication with Naftali was ok. A little bit more communication before our arrival would have been nice, but it might be due the lack of internet at the time of our stay.
Diving and snorkeling (group of 18 bumpheads in front of our bungalow) in and around the island and especially on the jetty was amazing. Arborek has a unique position were you can get very shortly to many great divesites. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the best and safest experiences with Arborek dive shop.
Thank you Naftali for the wonderful time!
Dear Jan and Jana, Great to see the 5 stars for Mawar. We are planning our holiday so wondering what your negative experience was with Arborek Dive? Safety is a big concern/priority for us. Thanks
Hi Jan
Thank you for your review. I’m wondering about your negative comment about arborek dive shop, what you mean safest experiences and the best dives. I still remember when you guys leaving u said this is the best diving experience ever.
can u mentioned ?
cheers
Mawar homestay was great. We stayed at the bungalow above water ant it was amazing – lying in the hammock above the sea:-) The food in Mawar was nice and plentiful, exept for smaller breakfast. We enjoed it. It was much better than we had at Yenkoranu on Kri.
The owner, Naftali, is helpful but quite difficult to catch and there is noone else who speaks english, so sometimes it was a bit complicated and not organised.
Mawar is on the western end of the island which makes great sunsets and it is secluded and calm (but 3 minute walk to the village and abou 6-10 to the jetty).
But if you enjoy comfortable big beds and long showers, Mawar (and probably whole Raja Ampat) is not for you. There is a small soft (120cm) mattress on the ground which is not comfy at all. And every night we were woken up by huge wing ad coming storm and the bungalow was shaking and you could feel the wind inside which made it impossible to sleep. But this is Raja Ampat, this is not a mistake of Mawar!
The bathroom is realy simple and nothing to look forward to but it is enough for couple of days.
The snorkeling around the jetty is really nice and great sites are close. You can use dive centers boat and share the boat costs there realy easily. Or Naftali has a boat for hire which we used for private trip to Pianemo, which was amazing and I can only recommend – they evend prepared us lunch, which we ate on a secluded island:-)
Mawar homestay was great. We stayed at the bungalow above water ant it was amazing – lying in the hammock above the sea:-) The food in Mawar was nice and plentiful, exept for smaller breakfast. We enjoed it. It was much better than we had at Yenkoranu on Kri.
The owner, Naftali, is helpful but quite difficult to catch and there is noone else who speaks english, so sometimes it was a bit complicated and not organised.
Mawar is on the western end of the island which makes great sunsets and it is secluded and calm (but 3 minute walk to the village and abou 6-10 to the jetty).
But if you enjoy comfortable big beds and long showers, Mawar (and probably whole Raja Ampat) is not for you. There is a small soft (120cm) mattress on the ground which is not comfy at all. And every night we were woken up by huge wing ad coming storm and the bungalow was shaking and you could feel the wind inside which made it impossible to sleep. But this is Raja Ampat, this is not a mistake of Mawar!
The bathroom is realy simple and nothing to look forward to but it is enough for couple of days.
The snorkeling around the jetty is really nice and great sites are close. You can use dive centers boat and share the boat costs there realy easily. Or Naftali has a boat for hire which we used for private trip to Pianemo, which was amazing and I can only recommend – they evend prepared us lunch, which we ate on a secluded island:-)
Lovely homestay, nice food, super nice family! Definitely recommend! Best sunset of Raja Ampat. Try to get one of the 2 beachbungalow’s.
Lovely homestay, nice food, super nice family! Definitely recommend! Best sunset of Raja Ampat. Try to get one of the 2 beachbungalow’s.
I have been at Mawar Homestay for one week in february 2018 and didn’t want to leave on my last day. Had an overwater bungalow with a new, big hammock. You can see lots of fish from there allready an most of the time there’s a cooling wind at that corner of Arborek, what is more than welcome.
Everything was perfect:
Food: I do really think, they cook the best food on the island – everyday something different. Also they do offer meat every 2-3 days! Not only rice, as well there’s different kinds of vegetables, fresh fish, chips etc. Also breakfast isn’t the same every day.
Bungalows: They are basic as everywhere and very clean. The hammocks on each terrace is a big plus.
Place: Small nice beach. Of course you can only swim at high tide. But then the colourful reef begins only a few meters in front of your bungalow! There’s enough shadow under trees and palms.
Family: A nice place without nice people isn’t worth anything. Here they are all fantastic. At school-free times there are also the children of the familiy hanging around at the homestay. Jane, Venecia and the others are soooooo lovely!
Naftali and his wife help you in case of problems and like to spend some time together if you do like that also. Transportation from and to Wasai was perfect. Naftali picked me up with his speedboat on Sunday, alltough it was around the time, people of Arborek are used to visit church normally. But if you can you should avoid arriving on Sunday!
Diving: It takes around 5 minutes walk to the Dive Shop which is run from Githa and Marcel with a lot of enthusiasm. They try to show you mantas as well as the nicest nudi branches and other stuff. Diving around the island is wonderful. They also bring you to divesites which are not so close at Arborek like Melissa’s Garden or Chicken Reef. Two Mantapoints are directly at Arborek. You are always diving in small groups of max. 4 divers. They check out the sea conditions and currents every morning before choosing the dive site so you are in good, responsable hands. Loved diving with them very much!
Harry from Austria
I have been at Mawar Homestay for one week in february 2018 and didn’t want to leave on my last day. Had an overwater bungalow with a new, big hammock. You can see lots of fish from there allready an most of the time there’s a cooling wind at that corner of Arborek, what is more than welcome.
Everything was perfect:
Food: I do really think, they cook the best food on the island – everyday something different. Also they do offer meat every 2-3 days! Not only rice, as well there’s different kinds of vegetables, fresh fish, chips etc. Also breakfast isn’t the same every day.
Bungalows: They are basic as everywhere and very clean. The hammocks on each terrace is a big plus.
Place: Small nice beach. Of course you can only swim at high tide. But then the colourful reef begins only a few meters in front of your bungalow! There’s enough shadow under trees and palms.
Family: A nice place without nice people isn’t worth anything. Here they are all fantastic. At school-free times there are also the children of the familiy hanging around at the homestay. Jane, Venecia and the others are soooooo lovely!
Naftali and his wife help you in case of problems and like to spend some time together if you do like that also. Transportation from and to Wasai was perfect. Naftali picked me up with his speedboat on Sunday, alltough it was around the time, people of Arborek are used to visit church normally. But if you can you should avoid arriving on Sunday!
Diving: It takes around 5 minutes walk to the Dive Shop which is run from Githa and Marcel with a lot of enthusiasm. They try to show you mantas as well as the nicest nudi branches and other stuff. Diving around the island is wonderful. They also bring you to divesites which are not so close at Arborek like Melissa’s Garden or Chicken Reef. Two Mantapoints are directly at Arborek. You are always diving in small groups of max. 4 divers. They check out the sea conditions and currents every morning before choosing the dive site so you are in good, responsable hands. Loved diving with them very much!
Harry from Austria
We stayed again 6 nights at the Mawar Homestay. He picked us up from Waisai and we drove to Arborek. Everything was fine. He built now a second Waterbungalow and has new hammrocks, wich is great.
The food was good. We dived with Diveshop Arborek, which was great. Love this place, would come back again.
Natascha & Vesna
Makasi banyak,sudah tinggal bersama kami,kami harap kamu kembali lagi
We stayed again 6 nights at the Mawar Homestay. He picked us up from Waisai and we drove to Arborek. Everything was fine. He built now a second Waterbungalow and has new hammrocks, wich is great.
The food was good. We dived with Diveshop Arborek, which was great. Love this place, would come back again.
Natascha & Vesna
Makasi banyak,sudah tinggal bersama kami,kami harap kamu kembali lagi
Super awesome bungalows with nice evening breeze. Huge heaping piles of food. Very nice people. The best snorkeling areas are a bit far from shore, but totally worth working to get there.
Naftali was very accommodating and has created an excellent getaway.
After being disappointed on Kri, it was a relief to have this pleasant place to stay in. I just wish there were more fresh fruits available! There are so many coconuts on the island and none of them seemed accessible to us!
Terima kasih sudah stay bersama kami.kami berharap kamu bisa datang lagi.
Super awesome bungalows with nice evening breeze. Huge heaping piles of food. Very nice people. The best snorkeling areas are a bit far from shore, but totally worth working to get there.
Naftali was very accommodating and has created an excellent getaway.
After being disappointed on Kri, it was a relief to have this pleasant place to stay in. I just wish there were more fresh fruits available! There are so many coconuts on the island and none of them seemed accessible to us!
Terima kasih sudah stay bersama kami.kami berharap kamu bisa datang lagi.
I stayed in Mawar homestay for a week January 9-15, it was a great experience staying in the island, place is clean, Napthali was very accomodating, food was good, they manage to serve chicken, i love the fish every day, vegetable and fruits. toilet is clean. He even climb a coconut tree for a fresh coconut juice.
He always make sure everything was doing well
Thank you so much, i hope you are coming again
I stayed in Mawar homestay for a week January 9-15, it was a great experience staying in the island, place is clean, Napthali was very accomodating, food was good, they manage to serve chicken, i love the fish every day, vegetable and fruits. toilet is clean. He even climb a coconut tree for a fresh coconut juice.
He always make sure everything was doing well
Thank you so much, i hope you are coming again
The owner Naftali is an UNRELIABLE LIAR who has had an incomprehensible, unacceptable and incorrect behavior. I had a booking and when I arrived in sorong I organized the pickup from waisai. After organizing the pick-up I kept in constant contact with Naftali who kept on confirming he was coming. Actually when I arrived in Waisai no one was there to pick me up. A guy at the stayrajaampat.com desk in Waisai harbor took contact with Naftali who continued telling that he was arriving, making me waiting for hours. When dark was coming the guy who was helping me, suggested me to spend the night in a hostel in Waisai and set for me a new appointment for the day after at 6 am. Naftali didn’t come again, and, again, he never admitted he wasn’t coming, we did several phone call and he was always confirming my pick-up was on the way. Finally I found a lift from Waisai to another island, but I was not able to reach arborek before 2 more days. Because of Naftali unbelievable behavior I lost 3 days of my vacation, a whole one (yes a whole day, 24 f***ing hours) waiting for him in Waisai, and 2 more days staying in a place I would never have chosen, trying to reschedule my trip around raja ampat. I could understand you have some problems and you cannot come to pick me up, but I really cannot accept you lie and keep lying for hours, during dozen of phone calls and sms while I’m waiting for you, why you don’t just tell that you are not coming!?!?????? I hate this man and I hope he will pay consequences for his crazy behavior.
Wow. Just wow. So sorry this happened to you Chiara. It’s completely unacceptable and there will be consequences.
We’ll be strongly recommending to the Association that Mawar (and any other homestay that dishonours a booking) is suspended from the website.
Stay Raja Ampat would not exist if we had not had an identical experience when we first visited in 2011. There’s no way this should still happen!
Saya minta maaf atas kekurang saya.saya akan perbaiki semuanya
The owner Naftali is an UNRELIABLE LIAR who has had an incomprehensible, unacceptable and incorrect behavior. I had a booking and when I arrived in sorong I organized the pickup from waisai. After organizing the pick-up I kept in constant contact with Naftali who kept on confirming he was coming. Actually when I arrived in Waisai no one was there to pick me up. A guy at the stayrajaampat.com desk in Waisai harbor took contact with Naftali who continued telling that he was arriving, making me waiting for hours. When dark was coming the guy who was helping me, suggested me to spend the night in a hostel in Waisai and set for me a new appointment for the day after at 6 am. Naftali didn’t come again, and, again, he never admitted he wasn’t coming, we did several phone call and he was always confirming my pick-up was on the way. Finally I found a lift from Waisai to another island, but I was not able to reach arborek before 2 more days. Because of Naftali unbelievable behavior I lost 3 days of my vacation, a whole one (yes a whole day, 24 f***ing hours) waiting for him in Waisai, and 2 more days staying in a place I would never have chosen, trying to reschedule my trip around raja ampat. I could understand you have some problems and you cannot come to pick me up, but I really cannot accept you lie and keep lying for hours, during dozen of phone calls and sms while I’m waiting for you, why you don’t just tell that you are not coming!?!?????? I hate this man and I hope he will pay consequences for his crazy behavior.
Wow. Just wow. So sorry this happened to you Chiara. It’s completely unacceptable and there will be consequences.
We’ll be strongly recommending to the Association that Mawar (and any other homestay that dishonours a booking) is suspended from the website.
Stay Raja Ampat would not exist if we had not had an identical experience when we first visited in 2011. There’s no way this should still happen!
Saya minta maaf atas kekurang saya.saya akan perbaiki semuanya
We stayed 4 nights at Mawar Homestay in the waterbungalow. From the terrace we had a great view at the sunset. We had a very good time. Naftali speaks english and is very friendly and helpful. Lunch and dinner was always fresh cooked and good (fish, different vegtables, eggs, nudels….). Bathroom and toilett is basic but clean. Diving was great with Arborek Diveshop (Githa and Marcel) . They did a great job. We can recommend this place and would come again.
We stayed 4 nights at Mawar Homestay in the waterbungalow. From the terrace we had a great view at the sunset. We had a very good time. Naftali speaks english and is very friendly and helpful. Lunch and dinner was always fresh cooked and good (fish, different vegtables, eggs, nudels….). Bathroom and toilett is basic but clean. Diving was great with Arborek Diveshop (Githa and Marcel) . They did a great job. We can recommend this place and would come again.
First we wanted to stay 5 nights which became 2 weeks. We had the bungalow above the water, which is at the most western point of the island and in our opinion the best location! The sunsets were just fantastic. We also enjoyed babysharks, baby rays, sea snakes, walking sharks and dolphins watching from the terrace. The food was sensational, there was more than enough and very varied, fresh food!
We did not have a single encounter with rats and we were able to use the restroom as a western toilet. Naftali, who speaks English, and his family were very friendly and helpful and we highly recommend their homestay. (It can even be paid by card)
First we wanted to stay 5 nights which became 2 weeks. We had the bungalow above the water, which is at the most western point of the island and in our opinion the best location! The sunsets were just fantastic. We also enjoyed babysharks, baby rays, sea snakes, walking sharks and dolphins watching from the terrace. The food was sensational, there was more than enough and very varied, fresh food!
We did not have a single encounter with rats and we were able to use the restroom as a western toilet. Naftali, who speaks English, and his family were very friendly and helpful and we highly recommend their homestay. (It can even be paid by card)
A fantastic choice to stay at Mawar Homestay. There was one over water bungalow and another 4 next to the beach. Incredibly clean and well cared for by the proud and very friendly owners, the food was excellent. It’s a 5 minute walk to the village where you can buy the basics, even cold Bintang.
A fantastic choice to stay at Mawar Homestay. There was one over water bungalow and another 4 next to the beach. Incredibly clean and well cared for by the proud and very friendly owners, the food was excellent. It’s a 5 minute walk to the village where you can buy the basics, even cold Bintang.
We stayed 4 nights here at Mawar Homestay. Very nice and friendly family, especially the kids!! Dodo and Yoda were a delight to be around. Well mannered and happy boys! They will be the guides of Mawar in the future! Nice food and the best doughnuts for breakfast!! The snorkeling was amazing and so was our trip to manta point. The only negative point were the numerous amounts of mice at night. If they could get maybe 5 or 6 cats to patrol the area, i think it would control the situation ;). Thank you to the family for having us and we will see you again soon! To my little brothers Dodo and Yoda…..keep doing what you guys are doing. Fabulous kids with amazing hearts. You two are incredible and hold a special place in my heart. I can’t wait to see you two again! Best of luck to everyone at Mavar! David and Lizette (Spain)
We stayed 4 nights here at Mawar Homestay. Very nice and friendly family, especially the kids!! Dodo and Yoda were a delight to be around. Well mannered and happy boys! They will be the guides of Mawar in the future! Nice food and the best doughnuts for breakfast!! The snorkeling was amazing and so was our trip to manta point. The only negative point were the numerous amounts of mice at night. If they could get maybe 5 or 6 cats to patrol the area, i think it would control the situation ;). Thank you to the family for having us and we will see you again soon! To my little brothers Dodo and Yoda…..keep doing what you guys are doing. Fabulous kids with amazing hearts. You two are incredible and hold a special place in my heart. I can’t wait to see you two again! Best of luck to everyone at Mavar! David and Lizette (Spain)
I did not stay here but loved the jetty snorkeling. I think it would be worth staying to swim at the jetty
Terimah kasih
I did not stay here but loved the jetty snorkeling. I think it would be worth staying to swim at the jetty
Terimah kasih