Agusta Eco Resort

Mi esposa y yo nos alojamos en Agusta durante una de las dos semanas que acabamos de pasar en Raja Ampat. Nos alojamos en otros dos resorts y en una casa de familia, y acordamos que la próxima vez que vayamos a Raja Ampat, deberíamos quedarnos en Agusta todo el tiempo. Le dijimos al propietario, Marco, que de todas las islas que visitamos en excursiones de un día, eligió la más bonita, con las mejores playas de toda la isla, y los huéspedes de Agusta tienen toda la isla y sus arrecifes para nosotros solos. Quedamos muy impresionados con todos en Agusta, desde Marco (que todavía bucea todos los días con sus invitados), hasta los guías de buceo, el personal del barco de buceo, el gerente del resort, el personal del restaurante y todos los demás que mantienen el resort funcionando y luciendo genial. Todas las personas con las que interactuamos fueron amables, serviciales y realmente parecían disfrutar de estar allí. Un saludo especial para Helen, quien es la mano derecha de Marco en la organización y planificación de las inmersiones para el día siguiente. Descubrimos que Helen era increíblemente receptiva y perspicaz al hacer las preguntas correctas para descubrir qué sitios de buceo disfrutarían los invitados. Cuando la elogiamos por su sentido arácnido, nos dijo que un buen guía de buceo debe anticipar las necesidades de sus clientes bajo el agua, a veces incluso antes de que los buzos se den cuenta. Esa mentalidad de Helen, además de la amplia experiencia y el conocimiento de Marco de los sitios de buceo de Raja Ampat, funcionó muy bien para descubrir qué buzos (con varios niveles de experiencia, intereses y personalidades) trabajarían bien con qué guía de buceo y sitio de buceo, y teniendo en cuenta cuenta el tiempo, las corrientes y las mareas del día siguiente. No puede ser fácil armar este rompecabezas todos los días, pero Marco y Helen lo hacen admirablemente bien. Las cabañas eran las más bonitas que encontramos en Raja Ampat: en la playa, a pasos del agua clara, con electricidad confiable, aire acondicionado excelente, duchas con agua caliente, mini refrigerador, área de descanso, obras de arte y muchos detalles agradables en toda la cabaña de lujo que en los que nos alojamos. Estas comodidades pueden parecer estándar en la mayoría de los lugares, pero Raja Ampat es REMOTO, y no sé cómo se las arreglan para mantener todo en marcha. Nos encontrábamos al final de cada día, viendo la puesta de sol desde el muelle después de una serie de increíbles inmersiones, pellizcándonos y preguntándonos: "¿hay algo mejor que esto?"

I just spent eight nights at Agusta Eco Resort.. I loved every minute. I highly recommend staying here while in Raja Ampat. The bed was super comfortable, I slept so well. I stayed in a superior cottage just metres from the waters edge. The bedroom and bathroom are clean, well maintained and spacious. The air conditioning works really well. This is my third trip to Rajaampat, and I find air-conditioning and comfort necessary ! Full marks! Crystal white sand an island you can walk around in about 30 minutes is a dream. The food was fantastic, a good variety, plentiful and really tasty. I have a sweet tooth and the deserts were brilliant, thank you to the kitchen team and the waiting staff for their wonderful service with a smile. The Dive team, led by Riccardo was fantastic and really made sure I was looked after at all times, Dives and locations were organised with our consultation and wishes. I got my advanced open water certification under the guidance of Riccardo. Riccardo loves the ocean and all forms of life above and below the water, and he shares this with passion. I learnt so much. Safety was a high priority and well-being and comfort of the guests was taken into consideration at all times. The guides and crew made the dives fun and genuinely cared to show us as much as they could during the dives. It was sad to say goodbye and leave my Agusta friends. Thank you Mara and Marco for building your dream in such a remote area. Full marks for everything you have done and for running a professional business here. Everything you see, has been brought out by boat or built on the island. Incredible. Oh…. And I almost forgot, world class diving! Fish and coral galore, and beauty above and below the water everywhere you look. :-)

We spent 9 nights at the resort and did 18 dives and 17 snorkeling for those who snorkel. Let me start with the good. Reservation process and communication was easy and informative. Met by Ella at Sorong airport and helped into a regularly scheduled ferry to Waisai. The process of getting on and off the ferry is not as ideal due to the local rule and process I suppose. Then the resort team too us from Waisai to the Agusta resort by their own boat. I wonder if a more private transaction can be arranged for transfer from Sorong to Waisai. This option could be a nice additional option. The restaurant team was very nice and friendly. The pasta dishes were good even if it was a lot of fish and by the time we left, I wanted little to do with fish dishes :). The pizza crust for me specifically was doughy and needed a lot more time in the oven. There was a fish tartar that was not a favorite of anyone. Even the resort personnel agreed that the dish was a dud. I would recommend mor option for Indonesia dish during dinner as intro to visitors to the country. While we got 2 maybe, having more options would have been nice since there are so many local options. Divings were amazing. We were guided by Nando for diving and the snorkeling were guided by Henrik. Both groups couldn't say enough nice thing about them. Akon was in charge of transportation. All three were like a family by the time we left the resort. Gia from the office was always ready to answer our questions and offer help. We stayed at the far left bungalow ( if you are facing the restaurant. We had 2 rooms for myself, my wife and our daughter. This was the family unit. Now let's talk about what can be improved The bathroom can use an upgrade. Especially the sink area. While it is cute to have the soap and shampoo in those 2 little jars, I think of it were in some kind of push container so we don't have to waste more than needed would be very eco friendly. My wife accidentally locked the bathroom and we couldn't get into it from both sides. They don't have a spare key to open the doors. While the maintenance was amazing in their resolve to finally open it, it involved ripping the netting and refixing it. They could rekey all the door to a single master key so there could be a spare. I needed a "star" screw driver to check into my dive computer, the dive shop didn't have that tool and I missed mine because I switched some bag when packing. I promised Richardo that I would somehow mail him a set. I might have a spare set at home.