Features
- Sleeps 10 or more
- Reef dropoff
- Hiking available
- Coral
- Child discount
- Good house reef
- Calm beach
- Sandy Beach
- Has raised beds
- Western style toilet
- IDR 400,000 to 500,000
- Has ensuite bathroom/toilet
- In village
- Diving available
Details
Napoleon Sawandarek Homestay lies at the edge of Sauwandarek village, which is on the south coast of Pulau Mansuar.
Napoleon Sawandarek offers three VIP bungalows with ensuite bathrooms, and one over water private bungalow.
Two of the VIP bungalows are located on the beach, and one is set back from the beach on land. All ensuite bathrooms have western style toilets and bucket bathing.
An over-water private bungalow is also offered. A western style toilet and bucket bathing is provided in a bathroom building on land.
All bungalow bedrooms have real beds, and extra mattresses can be provided if needed. Bedding includes sheets, pillows, bolsters and mosquito nets. Bedrooms have light switches and power outlets, as well as a small table and cupboard. All bungalows have covered verandahs with a table and chairs provided.
Meals are served in an over-water dining room that has panoramic ocean views. Drinking water and tea and coffee making supplies are always freely available there for guests.
Electricity is supplied by generator, and is available from sunset to around midnight.
Only a weak signal is available at Napoleon, especially if it’s rainy. The best reception is out on the beach. WhatsApp will usually work, but you should be prepared to be offline at Sauwandarek.
Only a little English is spoken at Napoleon Sawandarek Homestay, so a phrasebook or a translation app will prove handy if you don’t speak Bahasa Indonesia.
As everywhere in Raja Ampat, only very basic supplies are available in village shops, and there is no way to properly dispose of inorganic waste at Sauwandarek. To avoid contributing to the trashing of paradise, all homestays ask that you take all your inorganic trash away with you when they leave.
PLEASE NOTE: Sauwandarek is a Seventh Day Adventist community, and the village strictly observes the Sabbath on SATURDAYS.
This means that, with the exception of meal preparation and Waisai transfers for incoming and outgoing guests, no activities that require homestay staff to work are available on Saturdays.
No diving is available on Saturdays at Sauwandarek homestay dive centers.
Snorkelling, or sightseeing trips can only be provided on Saturdays by advance arrangement with your hosts. (Your hosts will organise a boat from another village for you.)
The Sauwandarek community also hope that you will help in their observance of the Sabbath by postponing all your private activities and quietly relaxing until noon, when church services finish.
Transport / Getting there
Transport between Napoleon Sawandarek Homestay and Waisai is as below.
1 to 4 passengers:Longboat, IDR 1,200,000 shared by passengers
5 to 10 passengers: Speedboat, IDR 2,500,000 shared by passengers
Read more about Raja Ampat boat transport prices here.
Activities
Napoleon Sawandarek Homestay has fabulous snorkelling at the door.
Easy access to the water is provided by the village jetty, which also shelters large schools of fish and many colourful soft corals. Healthy coral reef stretches right along Mansuar's southern shore, where rich upwellings attract plenty of marine life.
Long hikes are available on Mansuar. Follow the path leads north from Sauwandarek, and you will pass by a lake in the center of the island, before coming to the north shore village of Yenbekwan, where more great snorkelling is available. From Yenbekwan, it's possible to follow a jungle path eastward, all the way to Yenbuba village on Mansuar's eastern tip. If you're really keen (and the tide is low), from Yenbuba you can cross the sandbanks to Kri.
Napoloeon Sawandarek Homestay can also provide snorkelling and sightseeing trips to anywhere you might like to go. Do be aware that Sauwandarek village is of the Seventh Day Adventist faith, and that the day of rest there is Saturday. Apart from providing transport to Waisai if needed, your hosts will not be available for boat trips or other guided activities on Saturdays.
Diving
Diving is available by arrangement with neighbouring Erens Guest House.
Pulau Mansuar
See our Mansuar Island page for an overview of the island and its attractions.
Napoleon Sawandarek Homestay Location Map
Napoleon Sawandarek Homestay Reviews
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47 Reviews
I chose to stay at Napoleon because of the appeal of Sauwanderek and draw of a walk through Mansuar.
It was a little strange when we arrived, because even though I spoke Indonesian, we didn’t know that lunch was being prepared, was introduced to anyone or have any kind of welcome!
From lunch onwards, we felt very welcome. Yoram and his sister Louise look after the homestay – with Louise cooking and tidying and Yoram and his sons organising and operating diving. Yoram will check in every night to make sure you have plans for the next day. Yoram will offer distant dives as well – we went to Arborek and Piaynemo with him!
The dives seem to be a little bit more expensive than other islands – although we were renting gear. Myself and my Dad are both reasonably new to diving and Yoram took us to great spots for our skill level.
Mansuar has reasonable phone reception in the morning and evenings and is a fun village. There were two kiosks and many places to relax. People always happy to chat, or if you don’t know indo, just say hello.
If you aren’t diving, you can also walk (30-60mins depending on skill) to the lake or a viewpoint called ‘sunset’ which is a little platform at the peak of a mountain giving you views of the lake and the village. Some children i was talking to were bored and were happy to take us there. We also trekked to Yenbuba with snorkling gear. It took us 5hrs and we had to ask directions often because the path goes through water, forest and villages – but was a great adventure. The walk was challenging and we weren’t up for walking back so we messaged Yoram and he arranged a boat back for us. It would also be possible to stop and snorkel at yenbekwen village which was a nice halfway point.
I was staying with my dad in one bungalow and it was enough for the two of us. Everything worked and was clean. We loved seeing turtles and blacktips in the morning and evening while relaxing on the veranda.
Overall we had a great time at Napoleon.
I had a realy wonderful stay at the homestay. It’s just like a little paradise 🥰 on the lovely beach of Sauwandarek. In front of the homestay you have a wonderful reef, which is great for snorkeling. You will meet sharks, turtels and many more fish for shure. Juran, the host, is very friendly and caring. If you want to go diving, you are at the right place👌👌👌. I had wonderful dives with those guys🐳🐟🐠🪸. They take you to all the awesome dive spots arround Mansuar and Kri and the guiding is excellent 👍🤩. So, if you realy want to have a wonderful time on Mansuar, you have to go to Napoleon homestay. It’s just a lovely place with lovely people and I can highly recommend it 😃😊🍀😍
I had a realy wonderful stay at the homestay. It’s just like a little paradise 🥰 on the lovely beach of Sauwandarek. In front of the homestay you have a wonderful reef, which is great for snorkeling. You will meet sharks, turtels and many more fish for shure. Juran, the host, is very friendly and caring. If you want to go diving, you are at the right place👌👌👌. I had wonderful dives with those guys🐳🐟🐠🪸. They take you to all the awesome dive spots arround Mansuar and Kri and the guiding is excellent 👍🤩. So, if you realy want to have a wonderful time on Mansuar, you have to go to Napoleon homestay. It’s just a lovely place with lovely people and I can highly recommend it 😃😊🍀😍
We spend 5 nights there. We were staying in three bungalows on the beach.
First night we weren’t sure about the place as was dark when we arrived and didn’t see much but then we adapted very quickly, fallen in love with it and didn’t want to leave. You have to understand that this place is run by local people, so do not expect European/western style of accommodation, but everything was clean and ready for guests. Once you get to know the people, owners and locals, mainly Yoram, who helped us with all sorts of things like cleaning up the bungalows during our stay such as – mosquitoe spray, organising diving trips, trip to Pianemo and Bintang view for good prices! Just don’t hesitate to ask, they are helpful.
Ps. We also went to the church with locals on Saturday and cleaned the beach with kids one day! Unforgettable memories.
We spend 5 nights there. We were staying in three bungalows on the beach.
First night we weren’t sure about the place as was dark when we arrived and didn’t see much but then we adapted very quickly, fallen in love with it and didn’t want to leave. You have to understand that this place is run by local people, so do not expect European/western style of accommodation, but everything was clean and ready for guests. Once you get to know the people, owners and locals, mainly Yoram, who helped us with all sorts of things like cleaning up the bungalows during our stay such as – mosquitoe spray, organising diving trips, trip to Pianemo and Bintang view for good prices! Just don’t hesitate to ask, they are helpful.
Ps. We also went to the church with locals on Saturday and cleaned the beach with kids one day! Unforgettable memories.
L’endroit est paradisiaque (même s’il y avait quand même quelques déchets en fonction des marées..) et parfait pour le snorkelling ou même plongée bouteille (requins pointes noires, tortues vertes et imbriquées, banc de maquereaux qui chassent, orphies, poissons clown, bref, la vie sous marine est magnifique !!! Et le spot pour les raies mantas est tout proche et les personnes (Noldi) au club de plongée sont des crèmes.
Néanmoins, nous avons eu un bungalow sur le ponton, vétuste et très modeste, nous étions sensés avoir notre propre salle d’eau mais vu l’état et la propreté nous avons préféré abandonner cette option.
Le bungalow n’était pas vraiment étanche lors de fortes pluies, et en plus de nous, il abritait des rats, qui devaient loger dans notre matelas au vu des trous présents, qui ont grignoter nos affaires et dansaient la java la nuit en même temps que les moustiques qui passaient par les nombreux trous de la moustiquaire en se délectant de notre sang..
Également, l’attitude de Yoram, désagréable et nonchalant n’a rien arrangée en plus du fait qu’il nous a fait payé le trajet Sawandarek/Wasai bien plus cher que d’autres voisins (1,5 millions au lieu de 1million)..
Mon amie Lou qui voyageait avec nous est restée une nuit et est repartie le lendemain tellement elle ne pouvait supporter ces conditions, surtout sanitaires.. Yoram a refusé de rembourser ou de nous aider à nous faire rembourser les 3 nuits qu’elle n’a pas passées à nos côtés.
N’hésitez pas à venir à cet endroit car le site est merveilleux et proche d’autres spots de plongée tels que Manta Point mais pas à Napoléon Homestay !
N’hésitez pas à demander conseil à Noldy Karundeng qui tient le club de plongée et a un facebook et répondra à toutes vos questions et est la gentillesse incarnée.
We’re sorry to hear of this experience, Vo Fanny. How very disappointing 🙁
We do wish you had contacted us about these problems when you encountered them, because then we could have done our best to negotiate an acceptable solution for you.
We are very responsive by email, and booking confirmation emails contain local support numbers to call in the event of problems like these at homestays.
L’endroit est paradisiaque (même s’il y avait quand même quelques déchets en fonction des marées..) et parfait pour le snorkelling ou même plongée bouteille (requins pointes noires, tortues vertes et imbriquées, banc de maquereaux qui chassent, orphies, poissons clown, bref, la vie sous marine est magnifique !!! Et le spot pour les raies mantas est tout proche et les personnes (Noldi) au club de plongée sont des crèmes.
Néanmoins, nous avons eu un bungalow sur le ponton, vétuste et très modeste, nous étions sensés avoir notre propre salle d’eau mais vu l’état et la propreté nous avons préféré abandonner cette option.
Le bungalow n’était pas vraiment étanche lors de fortes pluies, et en plus de nous, il abritait des rats, qui devaient loger dans notre matelas au vu des trous présents, qui ont grignoter nos affaires et dansaient la java la nuit en même temps que les moustiques qui passaient par les nombreux trous de la moustiquaire en se délectant de notre sang..
Également, l’attitude de Yoram, désagréable et nonchalant n’a rien arrangée en plus du fait qu’il nous a fait payé le trajet Sawandarek/Wasai bien plus cher que d’autres voisins (1,5 millions au lieu de 1million)..
Mon amie Lou qui voyageait avec nous est restée une nuit et est repartie le lendemain tellement elle ne pouvait supporter ces conditions, surtout sanitaires.. Yoram a refusé de rembourser ou de nous aider à nous faire rembourser les 3 nuits qu’elle n’a pas passées à nos côtés.
N’hésitez pas à venir à cet endroit car le site est merveilleux et proche d’autres spots de plongée tels que Manta Point mais pas à Napoléon Homestay !
N’hésitez pas à demander conseil à Noldy Karundeng qui tient le club de plongée et a un facebook et répondra à toutes vos questions et est la gentillesse incarnée.
We’re sorry to hear of this experience, Vo Fanny. How very disappointing 🙁
We do wish you had contacted us about these problems when you encountered them, because then we could have done our best to negotiate an acceptable solution for you.
We are very responsive by email, and booking confirmation emails contain local support numbers to call in the event of problems like these at homestays.
Great place to stay! The housereef is in good condition and you see a lot of turtles, sharks and big fish everytime we went snorkeling. Would highly recommend.
Great place to stay! The housereef is in good condition and you see a lot of turtles, sharks and big fish everytime we went snorkeling. Would highly recommend.
Highly recommended! Read this if you are in a *Diving Trip*
Napoleon Homestay is named after the Napoleon fish that swims around the area and is owned and run by Yorum (dive master) and his lovely family (Ludya in the kitchen, Xeloo as the boat captain).
Before I jump into details, you have to understand that the lifestyle in Mansuar island is different from anywhere else and you have to adapt yourself to it and embrace the culture.
Also, Mansuar is surrounded by many diving/snorkeling spots , and you can easily travel by speedboat to other islands which makes it a strategic location to start.
With that said, let’s start:
The place is clean, cabins are well constructed, and there are two options: One with the cabin in the pier (toilet and shower in land) or the land cabin, with its own bathroom. I had this one and was pretty comfortable. Note that it’s a bucket shower.
Food is super tasty and it’s served 3 times a day. The schedules are somewhat flexible, so breakfast between 6:30-7:30 am, lunch 12:30 – 2pm and dinner 6:30-7:30pm.
Locals are used to have a sweet breakfast so they usually serve any combination of these: Donuts, pink pancakes with sprinkles, toast with chocolate or fried banana.
Lunch and Dinner: Best tuna fish ever or boiled eggs in a sweet garlic spicy sauce with veggies, morning glory, rice or fried noodles and fruit.
It’s usually enough food but if you are a good eater as I am, you might consider asking paying an extra to have your own meals served with more food.
There are also 3 or 4 little stores around that sell the basic things (shampoo, soap, juice, cookies, noodles, etc).
This part of the island has a nice village (with a primary school, a church, a big lake) with some locals living there, so it’s nice to see people around. They are extremely friendly and make you feel at home. Other parts of the island don’t have locals living there but just the home stays and the staff working there.
The electricity in the island only comes after 6pm. Charge your batteries during the night.
And finally, this spot is great for snorkeling and diving. You can see the coral after 10-15m from the shore. The water is crystalline and has a great visibility.
If you wake up by 5:30-6 am, you might see the turtles and blacktip sharks swimming close to the shore chasing and fishing. It’s a delightful experience.
Then, from 7:30am, many boats start heading to this spot to go diving. Usually 3-8 boats.
The coral and variety of fishes is amazing. It’s worth the trip. There are multiple diving spots around Mansuar. You pay 500K IDR per dive but if you go further, you need to pay 600K per dive plus the boat ride cost.
As a example of this, I break down the following tour:
I met a couple that wanted to go to Pyanemo as I do, so we went to Melissa Garden and Famola to dive and we split the cost of the boat ride in 3, so at the end, I paid 1.2Million IDR for both dives, plus 500k IDR for the boat. Best deal ever! Place was a 5+
There’s also an option of doing night dives but we didn’t do it cause none of us have a torch and Yorum doesn’t have one neither.
Finally, the only down side of the experience is that the diving planning was a little bit slow. After breakfast it could pass 2 up to 3 hours until the master and his team is ready to leave. So, be prepared for waiting or take a break and go snorkeling before.
Also, people here speak a different dialect so it might be a little bit difficult to communicate with them or get a lot of information during the briefings. Yorum and his brother Eddy known very well the area and the marine diversity found here, in 10 dives I saw many gigantic turtles, nudibranch fishes, 2 types of clown fish, barracuda, napoleon fish, jack fish, sweet lips fish, lobster, angel fish, 4 types of pufferfish, 4 types of starfish, even a dolphin and more…
I felt very welcomed here and peaceful. I’d love to be back someday.
Note: Use coral reef sunscreen adapted and Bring mosquitoes repellent.
Since it’s a remote island, you need to arrange the boat ride with Yorum, 1Million IDR to go and 1M to get back. If there are other passengers traveling to the same place, you can split cost with the rest of them, but be aware that sometimes you need to pay the total amount since ppl come and go in different days during the week and nobody might do it in the same day you do. If you don’t request Yorum to pick you up, you can see at the office where you pay the international visitor tax if there’s someone going to Mansuar or the next door island (Kri) so you share the boat price and once there you call him for him to pick you up there.
Also consider the 1Million IDR you need to pay as an international visitor at the port for the sustainability program of Raja Ampat.
Highly recommended! Read this if you are in a *Diving Trip*
Napoleon Homestay is named after the Napoleon fish that swims around the area and is owned and run by Yorum (dive master) and his lovely family (Ludya in the kitchen, Xeloo as the boat captain).
Before I jump into details, you have to understand that the lifestyle in Mansuar island is different from anywhere else and you have to adapt yourself to it and embrace the culture.
Also, Mansuar is surrounded by many diving/snorkeling spots , and you can easily travel by speedboat to other islands which makes it a strategic location to start.
With that said, let’s start:
The place is clean, cabins are well constructed, and there are two options: One with the cabin in the pier (toilet and shower in land) or the land cabin, with its own bathroom. I had this one and was pretty comfortable. Note that it’s a bucket shower.
Food is super tasty and it’s served 3 times a day. The schedules are somewhat flexible, so breakfast between 6:30-7:30 am, lunch 12:30 – 2pm and dinner 6:30-7:30pm.
Locals are used to have a sweet breakfast so they usually serve any combination of these: Donuts, pink pancakes with sprinkles, toast with chocolate or fried banana.
Lunch and Dinner: Best tuna fish ever or boiled eggs in a sweet garlic spicy sauce with veggies, morning glory, rice or fried noodles and fruit.
It’s usually enough food but if you are a good eater as I am, you might consider asking paying an extra to have your own meals served with more food.
There are also 3 or 4 little stores around that sell the basic things (shampoo, soap, juice, cookies, noodles, etc).
This part of the island has a nice village (with a primary school, a church, a big lake) with some locals living there, so it’s nice to see people around. They are extremely friendly and make you feel at home. Other parts of the island don’t have locals living there but just the home stays and the staff working there.
The electricity in the island only comes after 6pm. Charge your batteries during the night.
And finally, this spot is great for snorkeling and diving. You can see the coral after 10-15m from the shore. The water is crystalline and has a great visibility.
If you wake up by 5:30-6 am, you might see the turtles and blacktip sharks swimming close to the shore chasing and fishing. It’s a delightful experience.
Then, from 7:30am, many boats start heading to this spot to go diving. Usually 3-8 boats.
The coral and variety of fishes is amazing. It’s worth the trip. There are multiple diving spots around Mansuar. You pay 500K IDR per dive but if you go further, you need to pay 600K per dive plus the boat ride cost.
As a example of this, I break down the following tour:
I met a couple that wanted to go to Pyanemo as I do, so we went to Melissa Garden and Famola to dive and we split the cost of the boat ride in 3, so at the end, I paid 1.2Million IDR for both dives, plus 500k IDR for the boat. Best deal ever! Place was a 5+
There’s also an option of doing night dives but we didn’t do it cause none of us have a torch and Yorum doesn’t have one neither.
Finally, the only down side of the experience is that the diving planning was a little bit slow. After breakfast it could pass 2 up to 3 hours until the master and his team is ready to leave. So, be prepared for waiting or take a break and go snorkeling before.
Also, people here speak a different dialect so it might be a little bit difficult to communicate with them or get a lot of information during the briefings. Yorum and his brother Eddy known very well the area and the marine diversity found here, in 10 dives I saw many gigantic turtles, nudibranch fishes, 2 types of clown fish, barracuda, napoleon fish, jack fish, sweet lips fish, lobster, angel fish, 4 types of pufferfish, 4 types of starfish, even a dolphin and more…
I felt very welcomed here and peaceful. I’d love to be back someday.
Note: Use coral reef sunscreen adapted and Bring mosquitoes repellent.
Since it’s a remote island, you need to arrange the boat ride with Yorum, 1Million IDR to go and 1M to get back. If there are other passengers traveling to the same place, you can split cost with the rest of them, but be aware that sometimes you need to pay the total amount since ppl come and go in different days during the week and nobody might do it in the same day you do. If you don’t request Yorum to pick you up, you can see at the office where you pay the international visitor tax if there’s someone going to Mansuar or the next door island (Kri) so you share the boat price and once there you call him for him to pick you up there.
Also consider the 1Million IDR you need to pay as an international visitor at the port for the sustainability program of Raja Ampat.
While Sawandarek was a nice village to stay in, I would not recommend this particular homestay. The snorkelling is excellent; we regularly swam with sharks, turtles and large schools of fish, though during the day – as others have mentioned – the bay is a liveaboard factory, so it is best to enjoy the water before and after they arrive. The lake was also a nice walk and an enjoyable swim.
The owner of Napoleon, Yoram, was almost permanently absent from the facilities, making it very difficult to organize anything with him. When we did manage to organize things, he cancelled at the last minute every time, leaving us in a lurch.
The facilities are run by a few women who do all the work. It feels that very little of the money we spent went into maintaining or improving the homestay, both for guests as well as the infrastructure for the women, who were working out of a very broken, and difficult kitchen space.
Out of 4 rooms that our group rented, 3 were not of an acceptable standard. The ones over the water were rickety and moved with the waves. One on land reeked of dead fish and uncleaned toilet upon arrival. The larger house was nice, but the bathroom appeared to never be cleaned. Our shower drained directly into the sea, without going through even a basic rock filter, sending our waste water and soap out the door.
It also felt that very little of the money was spent on food, which was often not enough for our group and the others staying there. One evening we had cabbage, rice and half a boiled egg each.
All in all, it feels that Yoram is in business to get money and keep it, not to do anything to provide a nice experience for either guests or staff. There are several other nice homestays worth looking at as alternatives.
So sorry to hear of your experience here Noelle, and thank you for taking the time to leave a review alerting us and other guests. We guarantee basic standards at homestays, and if you had reported these conditions to us when you encountered them, we could have organised suitable alternate accommodation and transport at no cost to you, or offered a full refund. Hopefully receiving this feedback will prompt Napoleon Sawandarek to rectify these problems.
I can confirm everything you mentioned
While Sawandarek was a nice village to stay in, I would not recommend this particular homestay. The snorkelling is excellent; we regularly swam with sharks, turtles and large schools of fish, though during the day – as others have mentioned – the bay is a liveaboard factory, so it is best to enjoy the water before and after they arrive. The lake was also a nice walk and an enjoyable swim.
The owner of Napoleon, Yoram, was almost permanently absent from the facilities, making it very difficult to organize anything with him. When we did manage to organize things, he cancelled at the last minute every time, leaving us in a lurch.
The facilities are run by a few women who do all the work. It feels that very little of the money we spent went into maintaining or improving the homestay, both for guests as well as the infrastructure for the women, who were working out of a very broken, and difficult kitchen space.
Out of 4 rooms that our group rented, 3 were not of an acceptable standard. The ones over the water were rickety and moved with the waves. One on land reeked of dead fish and uncleaned toilet upon arrival. The larger house was nice, but the bathroom appeared to never be cleaned. Our shower drained directly into the sea, without going through even a basic rock filter, sending our waste water and soap out the door.
It also felt that very little of the money was spent on food, which was often not enough for our group and the others staying there. One evening we had cabbage, rice and half a boiled egg each.
All in all, it feels that Yoram is in business to get money and keep it, not to do anything to provide a nice experience for either guests or staff. There are several other nice homestays worth looking at as alternatives.
So sorry to hear of your experience here Noelle, and thank you for taking the time to leave a review alerting us and other guests. We guarantee basic standards at homestays, and if you had reported these conditions to us when you encountered them, we could have organised suitable alternate accommodation and transport at no cost to you, or offered a full refund. Hopefully receiving this feedback will prompt Napoleon Sawandarek to rectify these problems.
I can confirm everything you mentioned
My friends and I spent 7 nights in beach front cottages and had a comfortable and memorable experience. It was a joy to be able to snorkel the drop off reef just in front of our cottages several times a day even as early as 6 am. The reef is filled with healthy colorful coral and thousands of fish and sea creatures. One of the resident turtles took me on a 30 minute tour of the reef allowing me to swim with a meter of it. The cottages face east and the sun rises are spectacular. Our cottages had a en-suite mandi shower with a Western style toilet. The food is tasty and plentiful. The cooks can easily cater to vegetarian diets. There is electricity starting at 6 pm throughout the night. This place is a bit of paradise.
My friends and I spent 7 nights in beach front cottages and had a comfortable and memorable experience. It was a joy to be able to snorkel the drop off reef just in front of our cottages several times a day even as early as 6 am. The reef is filled with healthy colorful coral and thousands of fish and sea creatures. One of the resident turtles took me on a 30 minute tour of the reef allowing me to swim with a meter of it. The cottages face east and the sun rises are spectacular. Our cottages had a en-suite mandi shower with a Western style toilet. The food is tasty and plentiful. The cooks can easily cater to vegetarian diets. There is electricity starting at 6 pm throughout the night. This place is a bit of paradise.
I had 4 nights at Napoleon and it was very good. Comfy cabin, Yoram was very helpful and I did day trips on the boat which was good. There was great phone signal there so don’t worry about no communication. Having my own bathroom was a treat. I had a real love/hate relationship with the Sawandarek reef. Lots of sharks, turtles, big fish, friendly fish but the corals were not as colourful. The worst part was the day trippers, boatloads of them dropping off snorkelers and picking up divers and hogging the jetty. But I learnt to work around them and be in the water before and after they got there and have the amazing marine life to myself. You really do see a lot of sharks there and the fish are bigger overall. It does upset me that there does not seem to be regulation about how may day trippers/ liveaboards can arrive Do they pay enough to the village? The food at Napoleon’s was great, huge amounts and the women looked after us very well. The dining room is fabulous being over the water. Sawandarek village is very clean and lovely and I had an amazing experience being part of a Biak ceremony there, given lovely shell beads, straw hat and dancing. So I definitely recommend a stay here. You will be well rewarded and every time you snorkel here you will be surprised.
I had 4 nights at Napoleon and it was very good. Comfy cabin, Yoram was very helpful and I did day trips on the boat which was good. There was great phone signal there so don’t worry about no communication. Having my own bathroom was a treat. I had a real love/hate relationship with the Sawandarek reef. Lots of sharks, turtles, big fish, friendly fish but the corals were not as colourful. The worst part was the day trippers, boatloads of them dropping off snorkelers and picking up divers and hogging the jetty. But I learnt to work around them and be in the water before and after they got there and have the amazing marine life to myself. You really do see a lot of sharks there and the fish are bigger overall. It does upset me that there does not seem to be regulation about how may day trippers/ liveaboards can arrive Do they pay enough to the village? The food at Napoleon’s was great, huge amounts and the women looked after us very well. The dining room is fabulous being over the water. Sawandarek village is very clean and lovely and I had an amazing experience being part of a Biak ceremony there, given lovely shell beads, straw hat and dancing. So I definitely recommend a stay here. You will be well rewarded and every time you snorkel here you will be surprised.
We had an enjoyable four night stay here in spite of a mix-up with the booking. We ended up in an over water cabin without a bathroom but enjoyed it nonetheless. Electricity from sunset until sunrise. The house reef is wonderful, with turtles and sharks. Yenbuba is an easy must-do snorkeling excursion.
We had an enjoyable four night stay here in spite of a mix-up with the booking. We ended up in an over water cabin without a bathroom but enjoyed it nonetheless. Electricity from sunset until sunrise. The house reef is wonderful, with turtles and sharks. Yenbuba is an easy must-do snorkeling excursion.
Can fully echo Alfred and Michelle’s review. Great bungalows and an amazing reef. For me the Sawandarak village was the best part of the stay, people are so friendly and loved playing football with the kids in the afternoon.
Would love to come back!
Can fully echo Alfred and Michelle’s review. Great bungalows and an amazing reef. For me the Sawandarak village was the best part of the stay, people are so friendly and loved playing football with the kids in the afternoon.
Would love to come back!
We just left after a WONDERFUL five day stay at Napoleon Sawandarek. We stayed in one of the two beach bungalows that are located closest to the village. They are of quality construction with an excellent clean private bathroom including shower. The reef was absolutely AMAZING! Snorkeled twice a day and saw something new each time. Lots of sharks, giant sea turtles, hundreds of species of fish, dolphins, and a huge oceanic manta ray. We felt no need to go elsewhere. The owner, Yoram and his staff were responsive to WhatsApp messages and anything we needed. We walked around the village several times. Very friendly people. There are two small stores if you’d like to get something. The village was very tidy. Far cleaner than what we experienced in Kri. We came across the garbage in the forest that the previous comment referenced. Not ideal but there are no services taking it away. I wonder if she took away her personal garbage as tourists only contribute to the problem. As far as dogs. The only one we came across was an older puppy. We experienced playfulness. No aggression whatsoever. So glad we got to experience this place. We wished we could have stayed longer.
We just left after a WONDERFUL five day stay at Napoleon Sawandarek. We stayed in one of the two beach bungalows that are located closest to the village. They are of quality construction with an excellent clean private bathroom including shower. The reef was absolutely AMAZING! Snorkeled twice a day and saw something new each time. Lots of sharks, giant sea turtles, hundreds of species of fish, dolphins, and a huge oceanic manta ray. We felt no need to go elsewhere. The owner, Yoram and his staff were responsive to WhatsApp messages and anything we needed. We walked around the village several times. Very friendly people. There are two small stores if you’d like to get something. The village was very tidy. Far cleaner than what we experienced in Kri. We came across the garbage in the forest that the previous comment referenced. Not ideal but there are no services taking it away. I wonder if she took away her personal garbage as tourists only contribute to the problem. As far as dogs. The only one we came across was an older puppy. We experienced playfulness. No aggression whatsoever. So glad we got to experience this place. We wished we could have stayed longer.
We think that 2 nights are enough to stay at the Homestay which unfortunately, at this stage, does not offer snorkeling trips around Mansuar for example. Same thing in the village. No Internet to try to find solution to enjoy more ! Finally people arrive by boat in Sawandarek and leave after snorkeling or diving. Snorkeling near the jetty is excellent.
We were supposed to stay 4 nights (paid) but we cut our stay short and returned to Kri.
We think that 2 nights are enough to stay at the Homestay which unfortunately, at this stage, does not offer snorkeling trips around Mansuar for example. Same thing in the village. No Internet to try to find solution to enjoy more ! Finally people arrive by boat in Sawandarek and leave after snorkeling or diving. Snorkeling near the jetty is excellent.
We were supposed to stay 4 nights (paid) but we cut our stay short and returned to Kri.
The snorkling at Sawandarek jetty was excellent. Enormous Napoleon Fish, many black tip sharks and huge turtles.
However being close to the village we explored into the jungle and hiked across Mansaur to the other side. We witnessed the villagers dumping wheelbarrows filled with trash in the rainforest. The entire rain forest is a trash heap.
There was also a lot of pine nut trading, chewing and selling happening in the kitchen of the homestay which made it uncomfortable to be in a swimsuit or to change in our bungalow.
I got bitten by an agressive dog that came out of nowhere in the village and had a major legion in my calf. Additionally the hammock on our verandah snapped leaving me with a broken coccyx and no medical care.
This was one of three areas of Raja Ampat we visited and by far my least favourite. We left the homestay 3 days earlier than planned because it was not a safe/comfortable space to be in. When we asked to leave the owner came to introduce himself for the first time in 3 days. Luckily we got off the island and had a wonderful 5 days in Kri.
Personally I feel, nearby Kri was much cleaner, more professional and prettier under the water too.
The snorkling at Sawandarek jetty was excellent. Enormous Napoleon Fish, many black tip sharks and huge turtles.
However being close to the village we explored into the jungle and hiked across Mansaur to the other side. We witnessed the villagers dumping wheelbarrows filled with trash in the rainforest. The entire rain forest is a trash heap.
There was also a lot of pine nut trading, chewing and selling happening in the kitchen of the homestay which made it uncomfortable to be in a swimsuit or to change in our bungalow.
I got bitten by an agressive dog that came out of nowhere in the village and had a major legion in my calf. Additionally the hammock on our verandah snapped leaving me with a broken coccyx and no medical care.
This was one of three areas of Raja Ampat we visited and by far my least favourite. We left the homestay 3 days earlier than planned because it was not a safe/comfortable space to be in. When we asked to leave the owner came to introduce himself for the first time in 3 days. Luckily we got off the island and had a wonderful 5 days in Kri.
Personally I feel, nearby Kri was much cleaner, more professional and prettier under the water too.
Very good stay at Napoleon, comfortable house with bathroom, tasty and plenty food, very kind staff and host, who allowed us to change our arriving date. Everything was ok, thanks a lot!
Very good stay at Napoleon, comfortable house with bathroom, tasty and plenty food, very kind staff and host, who allowed us to change our arriving date. Everything was ok, thanks a lot!
Nous avons adoré notre séjour de 3 jours à Napoléon sawandarek. Le bugalow au dessus de l’eau est magique. Le récif au pied du bungalow est incroyable !! Tortues, requins, petites raies, des tonnes de poissons et de magnifiques coraux.
Nous n’avons pas eu besoin de faire de sorties, tellement nous ne nous laissions pas du lieu.
C est également très chouette d’être proche du village, pour la découverte de la vie locale… Et les parties de foot endiablées.
Les chambres sont grandes… Et la nourriture variées et excellente.
Il ne reste plus qu’à revenir !!
Nous avons adoré notre séjour de 3 jours à Napoléon sawandarek. Le bugalow au dessus de l’eau est magique. Le récif au pied du bungalow est incroyable !! Tortues, requins, petites raies, des tonnes de poissons et de magnifiques coraux.
Nous n’avons pas eu besoin de faire de sorties, tellement nous ne nous laissions pas du lieu.
C est également très chouette d’être proche du village, pour la découverte de la vie locale… Et les parties de foot endiablées.
Les chambres sont grandes… Et la nourriture variées et excellente.
Il ne reste plus qu’à revenir !!
Abbiamo trascorso 8 notti al Napoleon. Eravamo nel bungalow sulla spiaggia. Alloggio molto spartano. Se ci andate portatevi una pila. E uno specchio per farvi la barba. Letto comodo con zanzariera. Posizione incantevole con ottimo snorkelling di fronte. Abbiamo fatto delle escursioni a piaynemo, manta sandy e cape kri con il padre di yoram e suo fratello. Tutti molto gentili e sorridenti. Cibo un poco monotono ma buono e sufficiente, non abbiamo avuto disturbi intestinali. Grazie yoram
Abbiamo trascorso 8 notti al Napoleon. Eravamo nel bungalow sulla spiaggia. Alloggio molto spartano. Se ci andate portatevi una pila. E uno specchio per farvi la barba. Letto comodo con zanzariera. Posizione incantevole con ottimo snorkelling di fronte. Abbiamo fatto delle escursioni a piaynemo, manta sandy e cape kri con il padre di yoram e suo fratello. Tutti molto gentili e sorridenti. Cibo un poco monotono ma buono e sufficiente, non abbiamo avuto disturbi intestinali. Grazie yoram
On our first day at this homestay we dropped our bags at the bungalow and jumped into the water for a snorkel and…. OMG WOW!!!! The snorkeling at Sawandarek is out of this world! The best for us from all that we saw in Raja Ampat. 😉 Lots of turtles (big ones as well), sharks, huge barracuda, lots and lots of big fish everywhere!
And the homestay is right there! And all in all we had a great time at Napoleon Sawandarek. Yoram and his dad helped us with everything we needed (snorkel rental, transfer to Waisai and snorkeling trip) and the women cooked delicious food. We however recommend to take an Indonesian dictionary or app with you as the owner and his family does not speak so much English.
We stayed at the over-water Bungalow and really enjoyed it as it was quite big and we could see so many sharks and turtles and fish just looking down into the water from our room.
We really enjoyed the village life here as well. Everyone greets you when you walk through the village and there is a nice little shop with a fridge to buy some drinks and snacks.
We also tried walking to other villages via the path through the forest but without success as the path has become really destroyed and at some point we lost the way.
All in all we loved this homestay (in terms of location probably our favourite so far in Raja Ampat) and can really recommend it!
On our first day at this homestay we dropped our bags at the bungalow and jumped into the water for a snorkel and…. OMG WOW!!!! The snorkeling at Sawandarek is out of this world! The best for us from all that we saw in Raja Ampat. 😉 Lots of turtles (big ones as well), sharks, huge barracuda, lots and lots of big fish everywhere!
And the homestay is right there! And all in all we had a great time at Napoleon Sawandarek. Yoram and his dad helped us with everything we needed (snorkel rental, transfer to Waisai and snorkeling trip) and the women cooked delicious food. We however recommend to take an Indonesian dictionary or app with you as the owner and his family does not speak so much English.
We stayed at the over-water Bungalow and really enjoyed it as it was quite big and we could see so many sharks and turtles and fish just looking down into the water from our room.
We really enjoyed the village life here as well. Everyone greets you when you walk through the village and there is a nice little shop with a fridge to buy some drinks and snacks.
We also tried walking to other villages via the path through the forest but without success as the path has become really destroyed and at some point we lost the way.
All in all we loved this homestay (in terms of location probably our favourite so far in Raja Ampat) and can really recommend it!
Encore un endroit idyllique que nous avons découvert dans notre périple au Raja Ampat…Nous avons eu le privilège de loger dans le grand bungalow ombragé sur pilotis face à la mer avec les sanitaires à l’interieur. Juste un bémol, le matelas n’était vraiment pas top mais après en avoir parlé à Yoram, je sais qu’il fera le nécessaire pour le bien être de ses hôtes à venir.
Nous avons adoré être à Sawandarek pour sa vie de village, les enfants…nous avons même participé au culte du samedi avec ses chants émouvants. À la sortie tout le monde s’est serré la main, s’est remercié d’être présent…et nous avons même eu droit à la photo de famille.
Yoram et sa famille sont vraiment adorables, à l’écoute…
Nous avons très bien mangé.
En partant du ponton, il était très facile de découvrir la multitude de poissons avec masque et tuba. Nous avons même nagé avec une énorme tortue.
Cet endroit est réputé pour la plongée, de nombreux bateaux à voiles viennent y mouiller et les zodiacs amènent leurs clients plonger.
Le père de Yoram nous a accompagnées une après midi découvrir le lac qui se trouve à l’intérieur de l’île. Très belle ballade!
Nous avons séjourné au Napoleon 3
nuits à partir du 10 fevrier 2023.
Nous savons que si l’occasion nous en est donnée, nous retournerons avec grand plaisir saluer Yoram et sa belle petite famille.
Dany et Anna
Encore un endroit idyllique que nous avons découvert dans notre périple au Raja Ampat…Nous avons eu le privilège de loger dans le grand bungalow ombragé sur pilotis face à la mer avec les sanitaires à l’interieur. Juste un bémol, le matelas n’était vraiment pas top mais après en avoir parlé à Yoram, je sais qu’il fera le nécessaire pour le bien être de ses hôtes à venir.
Nous avons adoré être à Sawandarek pour sa vie de village, les enfants…nous avons même participé au culte du samedi avec ses chants émouvants. À la sortie tout le monde s’est serré la main, s’est remercié d’être présent…et nous avons même eu droit à la photo de famille.
Yoram et sa famille sont vraiment adorables, à l’écoute…
Nous avons très bien mangé.
En partant du ponton, il était très facile de découvrir la multitude de poissons avec masque et tuba. Nous avons même nagé avec une énorme tortue.
Cet endroit est réputé pour la plongée, de nombreux bateaux à voiles viennent y mouiller et les zodiacs amènent leurs clients plonger.
Le père de Yoram nous a accompagnées une après midi découvrir le lac qui se trouve à l’intérieur de l’île. Très belle ballade!
Nous avons séjourné au Napoleon 3
nuits à partir du 10 fevrier 2023.
Nous savons que si l’occasion nous en est donnée, nous retournerons avec grand plaisir saluer Yoram et sa belle petite famille.
Dany et Anna
This homestay is a great place to experience life in a small village and get in contact with the local people. Napoleon Homestay is just a short walk from Sauwandarek village at the end of the bay. Yoram and his family are very friendly and are great hosts. They take very good care of the place, everything is clean. Yoram’s English is good, so talking to him is really easy. He helps with everything (e.g. snorkelling trip). His wife Ina and all the women in the kitchen do a great job. Food was always delicious and plenty, Lots of different vegetables, fish and chicken, and even fresh fruits were served.
Thank you Yoram and Ina for your hospitality!
This homestay is a great place to experience life in a small village and get in contact with the local people. Napoleon Homestay is just a short walk from Sauwandarek village at the end of the bay. Yoram and his family are very friendly and are great hosts. They take very good care of the place, everything is clean. Yoram’s English is good, so talking to him is really easy. He helps with everything (e.g. snorkelling trip). His wife Ina and all the women in the kitchen do a great job. Food was always delicious and plenty, Lots of different vegetables, fish and chicken, and even fresh fruits were served.
Thank you Yoram and Ina for your hospitality!
I stayed 4 days at Napoleon Sauwandarek Homestay and enjoyed my stay verry much. The 4 Bungalows have all ensuit bathrooms, wich is very nice to have. The Rooms are clean and big, might be you have to ask for a hamock wich you will get. As the owner is very helpfull his doing his best to feel you make comfortabel and his english is good. The Food was allways good and plenty. The village and the locals are all very nice and smiling.
There is no phone signal ore internet even with Telcomsel Card, but I`m shure the owner is going to help you with other reservations, because he has a older mobile wich works.
The owner is also dive instructor (but no scuba diving available), but he knows the best spots for snorkelling and finding Mantas.
You will anyway will find big groups of big and small fish just in front of your bungallow. So yes, I will come back to this very nice homestay.
I stayed 4 days at Napoleon Sauwandarek Homestay and enjoyed my stay verry much. The 4 Bungalows have all ensuit bathrooms, wich is very nice to have. The Rooms are clean and big, might be you have to ask for a hamock wich you will get. As the owner is very helpfull his doing his best to feel you make comfortabel and his english is good. The Food was allways good and plenty. The village and the locals are all very nice and smiling.
There is no phone signal ore internet even with Telcomsel Card, but I`m shure the owner is going to help you with other reservations, because he has a older mobile wich works.
The owner is also dive instructor (but no scuba diving available), but he knows the best spots for snorkelling and finding Mantas.
You will anyway will find big groups of big and small fish just in front of your bungallow. So yes, I will come back to this very nice homestay.