Palau (officially the Republic of Palau)
Palau is an island country in the Micronesia area of Oceania.
The country contains approximately 340 islands, forming the western chain of the Caroline Islands in Micronesia, and has an area of 466 square kilometers.
It’s an archipelago of pristine limestone and volcanic islands, blanketed in emerald forest, surrounded by a shimmering turquoise lagoon.
Palau enjoys a tropical climate all year round with an annual mean temperature of 28°C. Rainfall can occur throughout the year. The average humidity over the year is 82%, and although rain falls more frequently between July and October, there is still much sunshine.
Manilla airport (Click to enlarge)
The arrival - Covid....
We planned to come back in 2021, however due to Covid we were not able to travel.
So we had to postpone the trip (2 times) to 2022.
However, this was still not quite easy to do so.
Due to Covid restrictions we encountered some serious delays, especially in the Philippines.
But that was all forgotten when we arrived (as the first Europeans after covid) on Palau !!
The hotel
We booked the Sea Passion Hotel, the main reason was that it’s only a 5 mintes walk to Fish ‘n Fins dive center.
The following information is from the hotel’s website:
“The Sea Passion Hotel, is a tropical paradise located in the heart of Malakal. The 74 rooms offer a comfortable and modern retreat, complete with free tea and coffee, a television with cable channels, and a bathroom stocked with shower amenities, free toiletries, and slippers.
Take a stroll down to our private beach and be enchanted by the breathtaking view of the Rock Islands.
The Sea passion hotel (Click to enlarge)
The Sea passion hotel (Click to enlarge)
Relax by the pool, or dine in style at our open-air restaurant. The menu features a delicious array of Asian cuisine, perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
And with our commitment to using only the freshest and highest-quality ingredients, you can be sure that every bite will be nothing short of amazing.
he Team of Sea Passion Hotel believes that every guest should experience the passion for the sea and all its wonders. From the stunning scenery to the delicious food, the goal is to provide you with a memorable and truly special stay.”
As mentioned, the main argument choosing this hotel was because of the distance to our dive center Fish ‘n Fins.
When we arrived at the hotel we were the first (and only) guests…
The hotel opened again just a couple of days before we arrived.
It’s a Chinese owned hotel, and also some of the staff is Chinese.
The look’s and feel are very ‘posh’ , for example there are 2 or 3 very expensive (Roll’s Royce caliber) ‘hotel taxis’ standing in front of the hotel.
The check-in went smooth, and the staff was really nice.
Area map
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Front of the hotel
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The room
Our room was perfect, with one small comment that it’s better to choose an ‘ocean view’ room.
We were looking out at a rock covered in vegetation…
The room was very large and we had 2 double beds. We also had a small balcony, but as mentioned the view was not spectacular
Facilities
Since we were the only guests in the hotel, we haven’t seen much of the other facilities besides the pool and the (small) private beach.
The is a dock on the beach were you can rent some kind of waterscooters and kayaks.
There is also a bar with some tables and chairs, but this was still closed during our stay.
Some pictures
The Restaurant
To be honest we did only visit the restaurant one time for coffee and not for food.
The reason for that was simple, we now our way around this area, and now some very good restaurants.
There are actually 2 great restaurants / bars within a 5 minute walk from the hotel: ‘Kramers’ and the ‘Drop-off’.
They both serve great food and in a more ‘relaxing’ atmosphere than the hotel.
The restaurant
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The Drop-off
Kramers
We did however had one experience with the hotel food, and that was not a good one….
Normally we started our day at the dive center with breakfast. Because we had an early morning dive, the restaurant at the dive center was still closed, so we decided to make use of the hotel ‘take away’ breakfast and eat this at the dive center.
However, this breakfast included a boiled egg that was most likely from before Covid and thus completely rotten….
So that was our first and last encounter with the food in the hotel!
The dive center
Fish n Fins PADI Five Star Gold Palm IDC Centre
Fish ‘n Fins Dive center (along with the Ocean Hunter fleet of liveaboards) is owned and run by Navot & Tova Bornovski.
It’s a large dive center with over 40 crew members!
Fish ‘n Fins is recognized by divers, agents and magazines as one of the most professional diving center in the world!
The history of Fish 'n Fins
Established in 1972, they were the first dive center in palau and the true pioneer in dive operation.
Fish ‘n Fins started systematically exploring the reefs.
What they discovered was beyond their imagination. they actually discovered ‘Blue Corner’, the most famous dive site in the world.
They also discovered dive sites like Peleliu Corner and Ngemelis Wall.
In the 80’s they started finding and documenting a fleet of lost Japanese war ships, also known as the “Lost Fleet of the Rock Islands“. Together with author Klaus Lindemann they rediscovered over 30 Japanese WWII wrecks.
(Klaus Lindemann is known from the books “Hailstorm over Truk Lagoon” and “Desecrate 1: The shipwrecks of Palau” and many others)
The Blue corner
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In 1996, Fish ‘n Fins became the star of the Academy Award nominated IMAX documentary film, “The Living Sea,” which focuses on the incredible wonders in the living sea of Palau.
In 2000, Navot led a crew of technical divers in the discovery of the USS Perry, the only US shipwreck in Palau, continuing the Fish ‘n Fins tradition of pioneering the waters of Palau.
Tova and Navot have contributed their expertise and services to numerous projects in Palau, including research expeditions, articles and movies (Skin Diver, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, BBC), and conservation efforts.
Click on picture above to see the video ‘The living sea’
Tova and Navot also founded the Micronesian Shark Foundation in conjunction with an annual Shark Week festival at Fish ‘n Fins, aimed at gathering research and raising awareness to protect sharks throughout Micronesia.
The Micronesian Shark Foundation is a non-profit, non-government organization founded in Palau to advocate shark protection and research.
The foundation was established in 2002 by Tova Harel Bornovski, Navot Bornovski and Kenneth Johnny.
Click to enlarge
The Micronesian Shark Foundation is a non-profit, non-government organization founded in Palau to advocate shark protection and research.
The foundation was established in 2002 by Tova Harel Bornovski, Navot Bornovski and Kenneth Johnny.
The idea was to facilitate the study of sharks throughout Micronesian waters, particularly in Palau to further shark protection in Micronesia and other countries.
The Government of Palau, especially Koror State, has taken a lead role in conservation management and environmental protection and have supported the Foundation right from its start.
In its dedication to science and shark protection the Micronesian Shark Foundation teamed up with The National Geographic Society.
The dive center
Their dive center includes:
Dive Shop, Photo Shop, Repair Shop, Rinsing Facilities, Gear Room, hot showers and a great restaurant (bar racuda) !!
Hotel Pickups service is also available.
Like last time we had a very good experience with Fish ‘n Fins!
We originally requested to dive with Udi, he’s Tova and Novot’s son. However due to Covid Udi’s father came to visit him after quite some time so he was not able to dive with us.
So we dived with other guides who were also very good!
The dive center is very well managed, and you can see that the entire crew is one big team.
The center has a (large) dive Shop, a Photo Shop and a repair Shop.
They have excellent rinsing facilities, and a gear room where you can store your personal diving gear.
After the dives you can also enjoy a hot shower at the dive center !!
The restaurant serves great food and icecold drinks, great location to chill-out after a hard day of diving…..
Their boats are decent and fast! Lunch onboard is really good as well. Under each seat there a dry compound to store your stuff.
They also provide free Nitrox to all (certified) divers.
Personal touch...
Because Tova was feeling sorry for us that we were not able to dive with her son Udi, she personally invited us to her house for dinner.
Udi and his girlfriend were also there and he made fresh baked pizza from a real stone oven!
It was a great night and we had a lot of fun.
Our evaluation
Our ratings below are based on our personal experiences. They are also adapted to our needs as divers. Meaning that we’re less focused on additional features.
Therefore you should only pay attention to our ratings if you’re planning a diving holiday.
Where we base our score on:
Accommodation:
Room size, beds, cleaning, bathroom, location, environmentally friendly, etc.
Facilities:
Pool, sport activities, organized trips, TV, Internet, phone, etc.
Dive center:
Quality of equipment, boats, crew, dive guides, location, service, marine conservation, etc.
Conclusion:
The Sea passion hotel is nice hotel. Unfortunately we can’t be very objective because we were the first guests after covid and it seems that they were not quite prepared for us….
The rooms however are large and comfortable. Cleaning is done on a daily basis and done very good.
As mentioned we didn’t make use of any of the facilities the hotel offered because most of them were still closed (accept the pool).
Speaking of the pool, this is quite small for a hotel that has 74 rooms…. But hen again, who wants to be in a pool if you’ll have the entire ocean around you…
You can see that the hotel is Chinese based, even the stall doesn’t speak English very well.
But hey are very friendly and helpful.
Fish ‘n Fins
This is the dive center you always want to dive!
We knew about their reputation from previous trips, and is even getting better!
The personal involvement with each customer and the tremendous work they do on a conservation level is exceptional.
The new location is way better than the previous, and especially the addon of a ‘full scale’ restaurant with breakfast, lunch and dinner is great!
So, if you have a choice, we would absolutely recommend Fish ‘n Fins !
Our verdict:
Accommodation:
Facilities:
Dive Center:
Total score: