Features
- Reef dropoff
- Quiet hideaway
- Good phone signal
- Coral
- Good house reef
- IDR 600,000 to 700,000
- Has raised beds
- Western style toilet
- Near village
Details
Yenbainus Homestay is a finely built and nicely decorated homestay near Yenbeser village in eastern Gam.
Three over water bungalows are available. The bungalows sleep two on a raised bed. An extra single mattress can be provided if needed.
Meals are served in an over water dining room, and there is an over-water sun deck at the front of the homestay. A table and long bench with a backrest and an accompanying wooden recliner make the most of the ocean views to Pulau Friwen.
Guests share a tiled floor bathroom building that hugs the low cliffs behind the bungalow. The bathroom is accessed via a short boardwalk and has two rooms. A western style toilet occupies one, and bucket bathing and a shower is provided in the other.
Electricity is from the village supply, and is available all night. In an emergency, you can charge small devices during the day from a low output solar supply.
Yenbainus Homestay receives a reasonably strong mobile phone signal, and a good internet connection is usually available.
Very little English is spoken at Yenbainus Homestay, so bringing a phrasebook is a good idea if you don’t speak Bahasa Indonesia.
Yenbeser village can be accessed on foot at low tide. It takes about 15 minutes to get to Yenbeser, and only basic supplies of the kind used by local people are available in the village shops.
As everywhere else in Raja Ampat, you need to take any inorganic waste away with you when you leave. Especially plastic! The lack of recycling (or even safe landfill) in Raja Ampat means that you’ll only be contributing to the trashing of paradise if you leave it behind.
Transport / Getting there
Transfers between Yenbainus Homestay and Waisai are by longboat and cost IDR 600,000 each way if less than 3 passengers, or IDR 700,000 for 3 to 5 passengers. The transfer cost is shared among boat passengers (5 max).
Read more about Raja Ampat boat transport prices here.
Activities
Be sure to bring snorkelling gear with you, as the reefs at Yenbainus Homestay are a delight.
Turtles are quite common and dugongs also occasionally make an appearance. The inshore shallows are safe for children, but be aware of tidal currents if you venture out to the dropoff where all the action is. When the tide's running, it's easy to spend far too long spellbound at the rich marine life there, only to raise your head and find you have a long swim back to the homestay!
Yenbainus Homestay can arrange snorkelling and sightseeing tours to anywhere you want to go. See our Gam Island guide for some suggestions.
The jungle behind the homestay is rich in bird life and can be explored from Yenbainus. Sturdy footwear and a guide is highly recommended.
Pulau Gam
See our Gam Island page for an overview of Gam and its attractions.
Yenbainus Homestay Location Map
Yenbainus Homestay Reviews
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68 Reviews
I loved our stay at Yenbainus. It was authentic and beautiful. I felt like we were staying where James Bond hangs out between missions. Truly hidden away and so peaceful. The home reef was wonderful, on our first day we were show round by a resident turtle, a magical experience. Every meal was delicious. Thank you so much to Mercy, Nabid and there parents for making us feel so welcome and for looking after us so well.
I loved our stay at Yenbainus. It was authentic and beautiful. I felt like we were staying where James Bond hangs out between missions. Truly hidden away and so peaceful. The home reef was wonderful, on our first day we were show round by a resident turtle, a magical experience. Every meal was delicious. Thank you so much to Mercy, Nabid and there parents for making us feel so welcome and for looking after us so well.
We stayed here for 4 nights and absolutely loved it. It is seriously off-grid living but the family are very sweet and thoughtful and made our stay special. It is basic living – we took all our rubbish away with us and were very careful not to use any soaps or shower gel which could damage the reef. Amazing house reef for snorkelling and we used the fantastic Tarzan dive centre for all our dives – they picked us up daily. We’d come back in a shot.
We stayed here for 4 nights and absolutely loved it. It is seriously off-grid living but the family are very sweet and thoughtful and made our stay special. It is basic living – we took all our rubbish away with us and were very careful not to use any soaps or shower gel which could damage the reef. Amazing house reef for snorkelling and we used the fantastic Tarzan dive centre for all our dives – they picked us up daily. We’d come back in a shot.
Beautiful place on the water, perfect for snorkeling and relaxing in a quiet environment. Havent done any of the tours with them, they did offer to go snorkeling. My experience with the homestays is you have to push a little and the language barrier makes it hard.
Nice dining area and lovely food. More than I could eat.
After 1800 electricity and wifi. Which made my life easier for planning the rest of my travels (other homestays i was didnt have).
The place could use a small renovation and a hammock at the cabins would make the stay more comfortable and perfect.
Beautiful place on the water, perfect for snorkeling and relaxing in a quiet environment. Havent done any of the tours with them, they did offer to go snorkeling. My experience with the homestays is you have to push a little and the language barrier makes it hard.
Nice dining area and lovely food. More than I could eat.
After 1800 electricity and wifi. Which made my life easier for planning the rest of my travels (other homestays i was didnt have).
The place could use a small renovation and a hammock at the cabins would make the stay more comfortable and perfect.
After spending time at 4 other Home-stays I can honestly say this was a bad experience. We left one day earlier. Leaking roof, damp and smelly bed (partly because of that), glasses and cutlery were dirty, mediocre and often the same food in comparison to what we got served at other homestays, breakfast just 3 thin slices of cake, dog hairs everywhere and we saw one of the dogs urinating on the chairs we sit on in the middle of the eating deck.
The family is withdrawn and sleeping most of the day. As this place is (beautifully but in need of renovation) built on stilts over water with nothing else around you’re reliant on them with tours if you want to see the nature of Gam, but they don’t seem to want to do any tours for their guests. We actually missed the birds of paradise because of them.
On a positive note the location is beautiful and the reef is nice.
After spending time at 4 other Home-stays I can honestly say this was a bad experience. We left one day earlier. Leaking roof, damp and smelly bed (partly because of that), glasses and cutlery were dirty, mediocre and often the same food in comparison to what we got served at other homestays, breakfast just 3 thin slices of cake, dog hairs everywhere and we saw one of the dogs urinating on the chairs we sit on in the middle of the eating deck.
The family is withdrawn and sleeping most of the day. As this place is (beautifully but in need of renovation) built on stilts over water with nothing else around you’re reliant on them with tours if you want to see the nature of Gam, but they don’t seem to want to do any tours for their guests. We actually missed the birds of paradise because of them.
On a positive note the location is beautiful and the reef is nice.
Great location with turquoise waters surrounding the overwater bungalows and dugongs nearby. However, the bungalows are in need of renovation; the roofs leak during rain, leaving the beds wet, and some bungalows lack doors. Communication is only possible through one person, who is not always on-site. On the positive side, the food is absolutely delicious, and there is always plenty of it.
Great location with turquoise waters surrounding the overwater bungalows and dugongs nearby. However, the bungalows are in need of renovation; the roofs leak during rain, leaving the beds wet, and some bungalows lack doors. Communication is only possible through one person, who is not always on-site. On the positive side, the food is absolutely delicious, and there is always plenty of it.
We spent two nights in Yenbainus. We were amazed by the beauty of the place: the bungalows over water, threads of shells hanged for ornaments, hammock and benches. The reef is great and you can also reach beautiful places in a little boat time like Friwen Wall. There is a village near Yenbainus and you can reach it by foot, where you can find some basic things to buy.
The meals were really good (but always spicy).
The family who own the place don’t speak english so the communication wasn’t always easy.
Thank you for the hospitality!
We spent two nights in Yenbainus. We were amazed by the beauty of the place: the bungalows over water, threads of shells hanged for ornaments, hammock and benches. The reef is great and you can also reach beautiful places in a little boat time like Friwen Wall. There is a village near Yenbainus and you can reach it by foot, where you can find some basic things to buy.
The meals were really good (but always spicy).
The family who own the place don’t speak english so the communication wasn’t always easy.
Thank you for the hospitality!
I stayed here for 4 nights at the beginning of September, the place is beautiful, the room is very spacious, with a very comfortable bed and mosquito net. They hang me a hammock outside and I was very happy! The food was delicious, varied with vegetables, rice and fish, especially the tempeh, very good! And for breakfast baked cakes!
The not so good things is that the family, who just took the Yenbainus in August, was not very familiar with having guests (my impression) and I lacked a little initial explanation of how the house works, the toilett, meals, activities, fresh water. As they don’t speak English we could hardly communicate with each other, only using the translator when internet was available. The first few days there was no internet but I was very grateful that they let me use their data, then the wifi worked and everything was great. Of course, they immediately tried to help me with anything I needed. The snorkelling and the reef under the bungalow was wonderful. I definitely spent some amazing days in the hammock reading, and doing activities, I recommend the sandbar.
I stayed here for 4 nights at the beginning of September, the place is beautiful, the room is very spacious, with a very comfortable bed and mosquito net. They hang me a hammock outside and I was very happy! The food was delicious, varied with vegetables, rice and fish, especially the tempeh, very good! And for breakfast baked cakes!
The not so good things is that the family, who just took the Yenbainus in August, was not very familiar with having guests (my impression) and I lacked a little initial explanation of how the house works, the toilett, meals, activities, fresh water. As they don’t speak English we could hardly communicate with each other, only using the translator when internet was available. The first few days there was no internet but I was very grateful that they let me use their data, then the wifi worked and everything was great. Of course, they immediately tried to help me with anything I needed. The snorkelling and the reef under the bungalow was wonderful. I definitely spent some amazing days in the hammock reading, and doing activities, I recommend the sandbar.
Une adorable guesthouse ! Il y a deux atouts à Yenbainus, la famille la plus adorable (avec Biryei) qu’on ait eu aux Raja Ampat sur 5 semaines de voyage et les bungalows les mieux décorés. On voit que les 3 soeurs sont aux manettes, entre les plantes vertes et les décorations de coquillages, tout est superbe. La nourriture est satisfaisante, excepté le petit dejeuner trop juste en quantité. Merci pour le cumi cumi qui nous a regalé et qui est passé de la mer à l’assiette, miam.
Il y a de belles excursions à faire dans le coin, en particulier Friwen wall.
Il y a juste un point noir avec des toilettes exigues et qui ne sentent pas la rose. Il peut parfois manquer d’eau douce.
Encore 1000 mercis à toute la famille !
Une adorable guesthouse ! Il y a deux atouts à Yenbainus, la famille la plus adorable (avec Biryei) qu’on ait eu aux Raja Ampat sur 5 semaines de voyage et les bungalows les mieux décorés. On voit que les 3 soeurs sont aux manettes, entre les plantes vertes et les décorations de coquillages, tout est superbe. La nourriture est satisfaisante, excepté le petit dejeuner trop juste en quantité. Merci pour le cumi cumi qui nous a regalé et qui est passé de la mer à l’assiette, miam.
Il y a de belles excursions à faire dans le coin, en particulier Friwen wall.
Il y a juste un point noir avec des toilettes exigues et qui ne sentent pas la rose. Il peut parfois manquer d’eau douce.
Encore 1000 mercis à toute la famille !
We stay at yenbainus While 3 nights.
It s amazing place. Very beautiful and people is very hepfull.
La suite en français : accueil chaleureux, toute la famille est très gentille la cuisine est bonne et en bonne quantité. Le snorkeling depuis la chambre est exceptionnel. Tput est propre. A réserver sans hesitez.
We stay at yenbainus While 3 nights.
It s amazing place. Very beautiful and people is very hepfull.
La suite en français : accueil chaleureux, toute la famille est très gentille la cuisine est bonne et en bonne quantité. Le snorkeling depuis la chambre est exceptionnel. Tput est propre. A réserver sans hesitez.
Our stay at Yenbaynus homestay was incredible.
We were picked up from wasai via longboat and stayed in the home with a double bed. The views are just incredible, the waters are crystal clear and it is such a pretty, homely place to stay. We got up every morning to watch the sunrise from the deck or the jetty, and we loved snorkelling the house reef in front of the homestays. Apart from plenty of different fish, we saw a baby black tip from our deck, and on the last morning snorkelling saw a turtle.
The homes have mosquito nets over the beds and electrical sockets for when the power comes on, usually around 6/7pm-6am ish. The sofa, table and chairs and sun lounger were lovely to relax on.
Unfortunately during our stay, the owners had to go to hospital, but this did not affect our stay in anyway. The food was always plentiful and delicious, and we were able to take packed lunches with us on the days we were out all day for diving. The owners speak english, but as they were away we used google translate and this was no issue for us. We were glad to see them return on the last day, and that they are getting better. – we wish you all the best, and thankyou again for a magical time staying at your homestay 😁
Our stay at Yenbaynus homestay was incredible.
We were picked up from wasai via longboat and stayed in the home with a double bed. The views are just incredible, the waters are crystal clear and it is such a pretty, homely place to stay. We got up every morning to watch the sunrise from the deck or the jetty, and we loved snorkelling the house reef in front of the homestays. Apart from plenty of different fish, we saw a baby black tip from our deck, and on the last morning snorkelling saw a turtle.
The homes have mosquito nets over the beds and electrical sockets for when the power comes on, usually around 6/7pm-6am ish. The sofa, table and chairs and sun lounger were lovely to relax on.
Unfortunately during our stay, the owners had to go to hospital, but this did not affect our stay in anyway. The food was always plentiful and delicious, and we were able to take packed lunches with us on the days we were out all day for diving. The owners speak english, but as they were away we used google translate and this was no issue for us. We were glad to see them return on the last day, and that they are getting better. – we wish you all the best, and thankyou again for a magical time staying at your homestay 😁
Excellent house reef, nice over water views, and good food. The rooms are extremely comfortable and you can walk down the stairs from your room straight into the water. The kids can show you the way to the village and do an informal village ‘tour’ of the school, pier, and shop 🙂
Excellent house reef, nice over water views, and good food. The rooms are extremely comfortable and you can walk down the stairs from your room straight into the water. The kids can show you the way to the village and do an informal village ‘tour’ of the school, pier, and shop 🙂
We had a wonderful 4-nights-stay in Yenbainus. The food was very very delicious (the best we had in Raja Ampat), the family running the homestay is sooo friendly and warm and the place is decorated in a very lovely way. The bungalows have everything you need (hooks, small shelf, moscito net around the bed and lines for the wet clothes) and the terrace and the view is just breathtaking. The corals and fishes at the house reef are beautiful! We totally enjoyed our stay here and fell a bit in love with this wonderful place!
We had a wonderful 4-nights-stay in Yenbainus. The food was very very delicious (the best we had in Raja Ampat), the family running the homestay is sooo friendly and warm and the place is decorated in a very lovely way. The bungalows have everything you need (hooks, small shelf, moscito net around the bed and lines for the wet clothes) and the terrace and the view is just breathtaking. The corals and fishes at the house reef are beautiful! We totally enjoyed our stay here and fell a bit in love with this wonderful place!
Lovely place, kind people, nice decoration and perfect food.
Lovely place, kind people, nice decoration and perfect food.
We stayed at this cute homestay for four nights. The entire place is stilted over the water including both rentable cabanas, the dining space and fun lounge space (both decorated with numerous live plants and playful strands of seashells; the vinyl loveseat in the lounge space could use some repair), and the family’s living quarters, with boardwalks between. It all backs up to a sheer rock wall and looks out over an amazing coral reef.
The cabanas were rustic and simple but had everything you need for basic living including shelves, tables, hooks, lines for hanging wet clothing, bug nets over the beds, and some rudimentary seating. The larger cabana, closest to the dining space, has a double bed, and the smaller/further cabana has two twin beds. The larger cabana has a termite’s nest at the apex of the ceiling, so you get a constant raining of very fine sawdust over everything (including the bed, even with the mosquito net drawn), but we’re not sure how the family would eliminate this problem other than by ordering, transporting, and building with treated lumber which would be quite a financial burden given the extremely remote nature of the location. Both cabanas and all of the boardwalks have some sway to them so we moved about slowly to avoid straining the structures, but we never had any problems with the instability and it was actually kind of fun. Each cabana had a water spigot on the deck for rinsing off with, there was a communal bathroom with a toilet and shower, and there was an open-air shower on the jetty. We did use quite a bit of water because the couple we were travelling with had dive gear they needed to rinse out after the liveaboard we’d been on just prior, and the water did run out on our last day there (not sure if it’s from rainwater collection?). We hope we didn’t use up the family’s personal supply!
The family was VERY kind. The adorable young son with a great smile assisted his grandfather when driving the speed boat, to help avoid obstacles and tie ropes off upon docking, and he also served us all of our food, which was cooked by the mom. The food! It was delicious and abundant! They even roasted us some peanuts to enjoy as snacks during our stay and sent us with some cakes for our travel as we departed at the end! There was a coffee/tea station, as well as unlimited drinking water to fill our reusable bottles with.
We took a trek to see the Birds of Paradise do their mating dances and calls. If you do the same ask the family to arrange it for you rather than contacting someone yourself because they know a local with a really great spot where lots of birds come regularly. It has a well maintained trail and they loan you hiking sticks to use. It’s a 45-60 min moderately strenuous hike and there’s a nice bench installed for viewing from. We also did some snorkeling right from our cabanas. The reef there is beautiful, filled with all sorts of corals, anemones, fishes, lobsters, sharks, shrimp, and sea stars. We even briefly spotted a dugong momma and baby!! Going at high tide allows you to float over the whole coral bed without damaging anything.
The only difficulty we had during our stay was that we were there within the week after New Year’s. Apparently it is a cultural tradition for people in the nearby village to enjoy dancing and music all night long for at least a week after New Year’s (and maybe after other holidays as well?). Historically this hasn’t been a problem for the homestay, but the village recently purchased a PA system so the music was quite loud. It started around 10pm and lasted until about 6am every single night of our stay, breaking only if there was rain. We had booked the place because it was advertised as being peaceful and quiet, so if that’s what you’re looking for maybe avoid the weeks surrounding holidays.
All in all though, this was a fantastic place to end our month-long journey in Indonesia and we would highly recommend it to anyone!
We stayed at this cute homestay for four nights. The entire place is stilted over the water including both rentable cabanas, the dining space and fun lounge space (both decorated with numerous live plants and playful strands of seashells; the vinyl loveseat in the lounge space could use some repair), and the family’s living quarters, with boardwalks between. It all backs up to a sheer rock wall and looks out over an amazing coral reef.
The cabanas were rustic and simple but had everything you need for basic living including shelves, tables, hooks, lines for hanging wet clothing, bug nets over the beds, and some rudimentary seating. The larger cabana, closest to the dining space, has a double bed, and the smaller/further cabana has two twin beds. The larger cabana has a termite’s nest at the apex of the ceiling, so you get a constant raining of very fine sawdust over everything (including the bed, even with the mosquito net drawn), but we’re not sure how the family would eliminate this problem other than by ordering, transporting, and building with treated lumber which would be quite a financial burden given the extremely remote nature of the location. Both cabanas and all of the boardwalks have some sway to them so we moved about slowly to avoid straining the structures, but we never had any problems with the instability and it was actually kind of fun. Each cabana had a water spigot on the deck for rinsing off with, there was a communal bathroom with a toilet and shower, and there was an open-air shower on the jetty. We did use quite a bit of water because the couple we were travelling with had dive gear they needed to rinse out after the liveaboard we’d been on just prior, and the water did run out on our last day there (not sure if it’s from rainwater collection?). We hope we didn’t use up the family’s personal supply!
The family was VERY kind. The adorable young son with a great smile assisted his grandfather when driving the speed boat, to help avoid obstacles and tie ropes off upon docking, and he also served us all of our food, which was cooked by the mom. The food! It was delicious and abundant! They even roasted us some peanuts to enjoy as snacks during our stay and sent us with some cakes for our travel as we departed at the end! There was a coffee/tea station, as well as unlimited drinking water to fill our reusable bottles with.
We took a trek to see the Birds of Paradise do their mating dances and calls. If you do the same ask the family to arrange it for you rather than contacting someone yourself because they know a local with a really great spot where lots of birds come regularly. It has a well maintained trail and they loan you hiking sticks to use. It’s a 45-60 min moderately strenuous hike and there’s a nice bench installed for viewing from. We also did some snorkeling right from our cabanas. The reef there is beautiful, filled with all sorts of corals, anemones, fishes, lobsters, sharks, shrimp, and sea stars. We even briefly spotted a dugong momma and baby!! Going at high tide allows you to float over the whole coral bed without damaging anything.
The only difficulty we had during our stay was that we were there within the week after New Year’s. Apparently it is a cultural tradition for people in the nearby village to enjoy dancing and music all night long for at least a week after New Year’s (and maybe after other holidays as well?). Historically this hasn’t been a problem for the homestay, but the village recently purchased a PA system so the music was quite loud. It started around 10pm and lasted until about 6am every single night of our stay, breaking only if there was rain. We had booked the place because it was advertised as being peaceful and quiet, so if that’s what you’re looking for maybe avoid the weeks surrounding holidays.
All in all though, this was a fantastic place to end our month-long journey in Indonesia and we would highly recommend it to anyone!
Hello, what are the dive center options around eastern Gam. Preferably those that are within walking distances from Yenbaynus Homestay?
Hi Santi.
There are only 4 homestay dive centers on Gam. To quickly find those, go to the accommodation page, select the “Gam” Location and “On site dive center” Activity filters, scroll to the bottom of the filter list and hit “Apply Filters”. (Don’t think any of those can be reached by foot from Yenbaynus, though.)
Hello, what are the dive center options around eastern Gam. Preferably those that are within walking distances from Yenbaynus Homestay?
Hi Santi.
There are only 4 homestay dive centers on Gam. To quickly find those, go to the accommodation page, select the “Gam” Location and “On site dive center” Activity filters, scroll to the bottom of the filter list and hit “Apply Filters”. (Don’t think any of those can be reached by foot from Yenbaynus, though.)
We stayed for three nights at Yenbaynus in January (sorry for not writing earlier). The boat transfer from the previous homestay worked very well; we arranged a pickup time and the boat came some minutes earlier. Our over-water bungalow was the most beautiful we have ever had in Raja Ampat. It is roundish built, decorated in such a lovely manner that we marvelled again and again. We even had our own water dispenser, airy curtains, a mirror and a very comfortable bed.
The family was lovely, and they told us when dolphins were passing by. One evening they brought a wooden bench, which they had carpentered just before, and put it at the and of the jetty. Quickly it became a favourite place to watch the sunrise. We had our own stairs which lead down to the ocean. The house reef is rich and colourful – we loved it. Food was very good and diverse. We also got fruits and fresh cucumber. A lovely place we can recommend.
We stayed for three nights at Yenbaynus in January (sorry for not writing earlier). The boat transfer from the previous homestay worked very well; we arranged a pickup time and the boat came some minutes earlier. Our over-water bungalow was the most beautiful we have ever had in Raja Ampat. It is roundish built, decorated in such a lovely manner that we marvelled again and again. We even had our own water dispenser, airy curtains, a mirror and a very comfortable bed.
The family was lovely, and they told us when dolphins were passing by. One evening they brought a wooden bench, which they had carpentered just before, and put it at the and of the jetty. Quickly it became a favourite place to watch the sunrise. We had our own stairs which lead down to the ocean. The house reef is rich and colourful – we loved it. Food was very good and diverse. We also got fruits and fresh cucumber. A lovely place we can recommend.
I spend 2 weeks in Raja Ampat, tried 5 differents homestays and definitely this one is my favorite! The view is awesome, the family is super nice and helpful, the food is good, the corals around the jetty are colorful and there are plenty of fish. This homestay is a little bit more expensive than the others but very more comfortable, clean and nice decorated. I love it!
And thanks to StayRajaAmpat for this excellent website and all of your advice!
Update :
My net was holes everywhere, my hammock wasnt well tied (and I fell down), and the toilets are not very clean.
And it was very very complicated to organize boat trip (they say yes, and then no, and then yes for 7 people and then yes but just for 4, so everything was cancelled and we did nothing).
I spend 2 weeks in Raja Ampat, tried 5 differents homestays and definitely this one is my favorite! The view is awesome, the family is super nice and helpful, the food is good, the corals around the jetty are colorful and there are plenty of fish. This homestay is a little bit more expensive than the others but very more comfortable, clean and nice decorated. I love it!
And thanks to StayRajaAmpat for this excellent website and all of your advice!
Update :
My net was holes everywhere, my hammock wasnt well tied (and I fell down), and the toilets are not very clean.
And it was very very complicated to organize boat trip (they say yes, and then no, and then yes for 7 people and then yes but just for 4, so everything was cancelled and we did nothing).
This homestay is amazing!!! The private bungalows over the water are so great, and you wake up to the best views. Watching sunsets on the bungalow decks is divine. There is a lot of attention to detail in the decoration of this place, plant and shell displays etc, it’s all built and designed very creatively with lots of recycled materials. It’s gorgeous and lush.
The family are lovely. They don’t speak too much English, but we easily got by with miming and a phrase book.
There is excellent snorkelling right at your door step, and steps out of the ocean going up to your door in the private bungalows, with a tap and shower on your deck. Amazing!
Whales we’re constantly swimming past, so close, right at the end of the jetty, incredible.
They took us on a snorkelling day tour: Aborek for mantas, Yenbuba jetty, Cape Kri… they were all amazing snorkelling spots.
Another day they took us over to Friwan, which is super close. It was really fun on Friwan beach and at high tide all the local kids are swinging off rope swings. There are swings to sit in on the ocean too. Great arvo.
Food was excellent at this homestay! And lots of it.
They heard it was my birthday while we were there and they set up a surprise bday party with a disco ball, party lights, bday songs playlist, green love heart bday cake with sprinkles, and the family sang happy bday. It was very cute. They are good company and look after their guests.
Highly recommended homestay!!!
This homestay is amazing!!! The private bungalows over the water are so great, and you wake up to the best views. Watching sunsets on the bungalow decks is divine. There is a lot of attention to detail in the decoration of this place, plant and shell displays etc, it’s all built and designed very creatively with lots of recycled materials. It’s gorgeous and lush.
The family are lovely. They don’t speak too much English, but we easily got by with miming and a phrase book.
There is excellent snorkelling right at your door step, and steps out of the ocean going up to your door in the private bungalows, with a tap and shower on your deck. Amazing!
Whales we’re constantly swimming past, so close, right at the end of the jetty, incredible.
They took us on a snorkelling day tour: Aborek for mantas, Yenbuba jetty, Cape Kri… they were all amazing snorkelling spots.
Another day they took us over to Friwan, which is super close. It was really fun on Friwan beach and at high tide all the local kids are swinging off rope swings. There are swings to sit in on the ocean too. Great arvo.
Food was excellent at this homestay! And lots of it.
They heard it was my birthday while we were there and they set up a surprise bday party with a disco ball, party lights, bday songs playlist, green love heart bday cake with sprinkles, and the family sang happy bday. It was very cute. They are good company and look after their guests.
Highly recommended homestay!!!
We had book one month before our arrival and ask for the big bungalow with one bed we had send mail one month before another mail 2 weeks before and last mail 3 day before , finally when we arrive we slept on the kitchen for the same price and a second day on the little bungalow with 2 bed . The manager didn’t care about this and just laugh . We finally have the bungalow you see on the picture with one bed the third night. The previous guest had the same experience, first night on the kitchen second night on the little bungalow with two separate bed. The snorkeling it’s also very bad , all corail is died and just perroq fish, and perroq fish , the breakfast is ok, the dinner very bad and food at night correct. Very bad energy also there and atmospher. For relax you can easy go to the village the people is very nice . We travel a lot and was very bad experience for us.
Readers, please note that Karim’s booking was not a paid Stay Raja Ampat booking.
If you pay for a booking on Stay Raja Ampat, we guarantee our support in the (unlikely) event that you encounter a double-booking situation. Refunds will be paid and transport provided for relocation if the room you paid for is unavailable.
We had book one month before our arrival and ask for the big bungalow with one bed we had send mail one month before another mail 2 weeks before and last mail 3 day before , finally when we arrive we slept on the kitchen for the same price and a second day on the little bungalow with 2 bed . The manager didn’t care about this and just laugh . We finally have the bungalow you see on the picture with one bed the third night. The previous guest had the same experience, first night on the kitchen second night on the little bungalow with two separate bed. The snorkeling it’s also very bad , all corail is died and just perroq fish, and perroq fish , the breakfast is ok, the dinner very bad and food at night correct. Very bad energy also there and atmospher. For relax you can easy go to the village the people is very nice . We travel a lot and was very bad experience for us.
Readers, please note that Karim’s booking was not a paid Stay Raja Ampat booking.
If you pay for a booking on Stay Raja Ampat, we guarantee our support in the (unlikely) event that you encounter a double-booking situation. Refunds will be paid and transport provided for relocation if the room you paid for is unavailable.
Yenbaynus homestay apears to have changed somewhat. The two bungalows that were not allowed to be rented out are in fact in use by tourists. It was disappointing to find that even though we booked months in advance that there were insufficient rooms available. Enough rooms for 10 guests now but on our arrival there were 12 guests. Had to “draw straws” to see who got offloaded to another homestay. Found out from other guests already there that they had booked much later than us.
The two shared rooms in the bungalow are very small. Smallest of the 10 homestays we have stay in and very cramped.
The wooden recliner and hammock no longer exist in front of the bungalow pictured.
Mosquitoe nets either had large holes or didn’t exist at all. Luckily we encoutered few mosquitoes.
Price for pick up asked was 1,000,000 not the 500,00 on Stayrajaampat. We disputed this and got the price lowered
The food provided was plentiful and excellent.
The reef is very good, sharks, turtles many varietis of fish and good coral.
Yenbaynus homestay apears to have changed somewhat. The two bungalows that were not allowed to be rented out are in fact in use by tourists. It was disappointing to find that even though we booked months in advance that there were insufficient rooms available. Enough rooms for 10 guests now but on our arrival there were 12 guests. Had to “draw straws” to see who got offloaded to another homestay. Found out from other guests already there that they had booked much later than us.
The two shared rooms in the bungalow are very small. Smallest of the 10 homestays we have stay in and very cramped.
The wooden recliner and hammock no longer exist in front of the bungalow pictured.
Mosquitoe nets either had large holes or didn’t exist at all. Luckily we encoutered few mosquitoes.
Price for pick up asked was 1,000,000 not the 500,00 on Stayrajaampat. We disputed this and got the price lowered
The food provided was plentiful and excellent.
The reef is very good, sharks, turtles many varietis of fish and good coral.
Avantages :
– Very nice location
– Very good food
– Snorkeling amazing ( in front of the bungalow)
Cons :
– Average cleanliness in the bungalow
– Average cleanliness in the shared toilet
– Activities are too expensive
– Prices change according to customers
We found the cleanliness to be more than OK and the prices comparable to many other homestays. More importantly we had some adrenaline boat rides through high waves but we always felt safe with our “captain”. What we liked the most was the feeling of being a part of the family. It was one of the best experiences in our life and we are still in touch with them.
Avantages :
– Very nice location
– Very good food
– Snorkeling amazing ( in front of the bungalow)
Cons :
– Average cleanliness in the bungalow
– Average cleanliness in the shared toilet
– Activities are too expensive
– Prices change according to customers
We found the cleanliness to be more than OK and the prices comparable to many other homestays. More importantly we had some adrenaline boat rides through high waves but we always felt safe with our “captain”. What we liked the most was the feeling of being a part of the family. It was one of the best experiences in our life and we are still in touch with them.
I stayed at this place for 5 days in September 2019 and I really loved it. As I was in Raja Ampat for some weeks, i can say that the cook is the best at this place. The house reef is wonderfull with lots of fish and verry healthy corals. If you stay there, go for some snorkelling allso to friwenwall, wich is just some minutes by boat.
I stayed at this place for 5 days in September 2019 and I really loved it. As I was in Raja Ampat for some weeks, i can say that the cook is the best at this place. The house reef is wonderfull with lots of fish and verry healthy corals. If you stay there, go for some snorkelling allso to friwenwall, wich is just some minutes by boat.
Amazing homestay with wonderful people. The whole place is so nicely decorated with shells. Bungalows are clean, comfortable and provided with mosqito nets and some shelves to store your things. Mam’s cooking is very delicious. Not to speak about her singing; she has an amazing voice!! Almost every night we had a karaoke party. We had an english speaking guide with us so the communication was very easy. The homestay can arrange you a boat escursion to near islands (Monsuar, Kri, Friwen Wall, Pasir Timbul…). We really hope to come back some day.
Amazing homestay with wonderful people. The whole place is so nicely decorated with shells. Bungalows are clean, comfortable and provided with mosqito nets and some shelves to store your things. Mam’s cooking is very delicious. Not to speak about her singing; she has an amazing voice!! Almost every night we had a karaoke party. We had an english speaking guide with us so the communication was very easy. The homestay can arrange you a boat escursion to near islands (Monsuar, Kri, Friwen Wall, Pasir Timbul…). We really hope to come back some day.
We stayed here for 10 days in July 2019 and loved it. The place is beautifully located, and only 20-30 minutes boat ride from Waisai, with a rich coral reef just outside where you can snorkel with hundreds of reef fish, reef sharks, turtles and so on. The family is so kind and helpful and the mother made amazing food every day with fresh fish, rice and spices.
We stayed here for 10 days in July 2019 and loved it. The place is beautifully located, and only 20-30 minutes boat ride from Waisai, with a rich coral reef just outside where you can snorkel with hundreds of reef fish, reef sharks, turtles and so on. The family is so kind and helpful and the mother made amazing food every day with fresh fish, rice and spices.
Hola, saben como ir de waisai al yenbainus homestay?
All explained here Simon.
To request a Waisai pickup, when completing the booking form, tick the box that says “check this box if you need Waisai pickup”. The method of transport and price is shown on each homestay’s page in the Transport/Getting there section.
Note that you only need a Waisai pickup from the first place you stay at. After that, just ask your host to transfer you to your next accommodation.
Hola, saben como ir de waisai al yenbainus homestay?
All explained here Simon.
To request a Waisai pickup, when completing the booking form, tick the box that says “check this box if you need Waisai pickup”. The method of transport and price is shown on each homestay’s page in the Transport/Getting there section.
Note that you only need a Waisai pickup from the first place you stay at. After that, just ask your host to transfer you to your next accommodation.
Hi,
We booked this homestay via booking.com before we found this website. I have a couple of question if you don’t mind:
1- Is it possible for homestay to offer snorkelling excursions to Kri and Mansuar?
2- Should we contact a dive center seperately? If yes, which would be logical in terms of transport?
3- Also on booking.com page, room pictures show normal beds (not mattress on the floor). I am bit confused now reading above.
Hello Yesim
1 – Yes.
2 – If you want to dive, then it would be more convenient (and cheaper) to stay at a homestay with an on-site dive center. You will find those linked from this page. The ones on Kri are the closest to Yenbaynus.
3 – It is possible that Yenbaynus has upgraded its rooms and has not let us know yet, but it is also possible that listings on other websites are incorrect. (In most cases, listings on the large booking aggregators are not managed by the homestay owner and, in some cases, have been placed by an agent without the owners’ knowledge or permission.)
Hi,
We booked this homestay via booking.com before we found this website. I have a couple of question if you don’t mind:
1- Is it possible for homestay to offer snorkelling excursions to Kri and Mansuar?
2- Should we contact a dive center seperately? If yes, which would be logical in terms of transport?
3- Also on booking.com page, room pictures show normal beds (not mattress on the floor). I am bit confused now reading above.
Hello Yesim
1 – Yes.
2 – If you want to dive, then it would be more convenient (and cheaper) to stay at a homestay with an on-site dive center. You will find those linked from this page. The ones on Kri are the closest to Yenbaynus.
3 – It is possible that Yenbaynus has upgraded its rooms and has not let us know yet, but it is also possible that listings on other websites are incorrect. (In most cases, listings on the large booking aggregators are not managed by the homestay owner and, in some cases, have been placed by an agent without the owners’ knowledge or permission.)
Was the most wonderful stay, the creativite innovation of the family really filled the homestay, the walls of the shower, the jetty, the reception area all covered in glorious found shells, the sink a clam shell upturned.
This home craft and innovation was superb, the fact that the building itself was built with the family as a team speaks volumes, they are so happy and their laughs are infectious you feed of their happiness.
The food is wonderful again very creative each day Unusual, fresh, home caught – home cooked, was so deliciouswith a staple rice and treats throughout the day, we actually had to ask to have less,
we stayed prio at bio Divercity resort which you can book a diving course with to pass away the time,
this homestay reallt blew us away .
THe humble charm of this family, with love and life running through our time there,
The little daughter LARA was so adorable, and THOMAS too, both so cheeky, happy and adorable they both also knew parameters which was amazing, we welcomed her to play and listen to music with us though.
The little ginger cats x2 knew not to say hi unless we welcomed them, which we did.
Both no flees and well looked after with love.
NOTES-
COMMS: google translate was so helpful although father knows English WAwoo doesn’t yet she mines and is very confident with this.
Bring a saying book if you need to go offline. A must do, they also love to chat which is a delight, of course only if you want they really are respectful of you having the best time there.
TODO: the suns very hot so during the day bring something to pass the time to play, read, write with.
The local villiage is off a beaten path up a hill, so not for the faint hearted also then tide creeps in so probably take the canoe if you fancy it?
Bring snorkels we saw DuGongs which are massive!!! Also the clams around the homestays are wonderful to see alongside all the fish and crab communities that live there.
GO STAY WE LOVED IT
Was the most wonderful stay, the creativite innovation of the family really filled the homestay, the walls of the shower, the jetty, the reception area all covered in glorious found shells, the sink a clam shell upturned.
This home craft and innovation was superb, the fact that the building itself was built with the family as a team speaks volumes, they are so happy and their laughs are infectious you feed of their happiness.
The food is wonderful again very creative each day Unusual, fresh, home caught – home cooked, was so deliciouswith a staple rice and treats throughout the day, we actually had to ask to have less,
we stayed prio at bio Divercity resort which you can book a diving course with to pass away the time,
this homestay reallt blew us away .
THe humble charm of this family, with love and life running through our time there,
The little daughter LARA was so adorable, and THOMAS too, both so cheeky, happy and adorable they both also knew parameters which was amazing, we welcomed her to play and listen to music with us though.
The little ginger cats x2 knew not to say hi unless we welcomed them, which we did.
Both no flees and well looked after with love.
NOTES-
COMMS: google translate was so helpful although father knows English WAwoo doesn’t yet she mines and is very confident with this.
Bring a saying book if you need to go offline. A must do, they also love to chat which is a delight, of course only if you want they really are respectful of you having the best time there.
TODO: the suns very hot so during the day bring something to pass the time to play, read, write with.
The local villiage is off a beaten path up a hill, so not for the faint hearted also then tide creeps in so probably take the canoe if you fancy it?
Bring snorkels we saw DuGongs which are massive!!! Also the clams around the homestays are wonderful to see alongside all the fish and crab communities that live there.
GO STAY WE LOVED IT
We stayed in this lovely Homestay last year 2017 in August and came back for a few more weeks in February and March 2018. This location on eastern Gam Island is convenient, short trip from Waisai. In front of Homestay is a rich coral reef stretching for hundreds of meters where you can observe turtles, reef sharks, dugongs, lots of dolphins and lots of parrots flying above.
Rooms are nicely decorated and clean. The view of the Friwen and surrounding islands is spectacular. Enjoyed beautiful sunrise with early morning yoga exercises.
Ibu Wawu and Pak Melki are nice and caring hosts, the food is delicious.
We give definitely 5 stars and we will be back.
Thank you and good on you guys.
George and Dorothea.
We stayed in this lovely Homestay last year 2017 in August and came back for a few more weeks in February and March 2018. This location on eastern Gam Island is convenient, short trip from Waisai. In front of Homestay is a rich coral reef stretching for hundreds of meters where you can observe turtles, reef sharks, dugongs, lots of dolphins and lots of parrots flying above.
Rooms are nicely decorated and clean. The view of the Friwen and surrounding islands is spectacular. Enjoyed beautiful sunrise with early morning yoga exercises.
Ibu Wawu and Pak Melki are nice and caring hosts, the food is delicious.
We give definitely 5 stars and we will be back.
Thank you and good on you guys.
George and Dorothea.