Kolonia , FSM - Diving at The Village Resort (June 23 to 26 )
After Leaving Majuro we flew to Phonpei, Kolonia in the Federated States of Micronesia and spent the weekend at the Village Resort.
We were supposed to go diving Saturday morning but due to a storm we had to postpone it until the afternoon. Everyone else cancelled their trips except a co-worjer and I who wanted to dive since we lugged all our gear from Manila. After going out the seas were really rough and my mask wouldn't seal properly which was a bit frustrating. We got to see some manta rays, schools of baracuda and a few little sharks which ate a trumpet fish in half.
I was kept awake both nights from animals making noise in the woods as well as mosquito's buzzing around my bed which had a mosquito net over it and I luckily had a can of deep woods off. haha. Well other than that we spent the rest of the time eating good dinners at the resort and working during the day.
Here is the link to the below description. It is the third resort on the page.
THE VILLAGE RESORT HOTEL
The island of Pohnpei and The Village Resort Hotel - one a creation of Nature and the other of man influenced by Nature. Both lie beyond the realms of the most idealistic imagination - yet together they exist. The combination is so striking and yet so subtle that is powerful environmental message is delivered gently, eloquently, but without equivocation.
ENCHANTMENT IN A RUSTIC ENVIRONMENT
Bob and Patti Arthur, an entertaining American couple who have written themselves and their hotel into Pohnpeian folklore, built the entire considerable complex of local materials and using timeless Pohnpeian carpentry techniques. Built on and atop a steeply sloping lagoon front site, The Village Hotel is amazing in its simplicity, yet unbelievably comfortable and elegant.
The construction techniques may be rustic, primitive even, but the results - understated luxury (remembering that luxury is relative) of comfortable, individual huts built almost entirely from local materials and mostly kept level on the steep hillside by stilts on at least one corner.
The extremely spacious huts contain two king-sized canopy waterbeds, white wicker furniture, swirling wooden fans and attractive island print fabrics. The timber bathrooms, a far cry from the offering of some far off marbleized metropolitan Hilton Hotel are nonetheless en suite and comfortably elegant. Waist to ceiling windows take up three of the walls and the view is mostly of the jungle less than a metre away. The windows are covered only with insect screens but huge eaves extending from the thatched roof ensure that the Pohnpeian rainfall does not intrude. In fact, there is little that will beat sitting in the room and reading a good book during a midday shower of tropical rain.
Keeping alive the legend of how Irish castaway James F. O'Connell had himself tattooed back in 1828 and entertained natives with an Irish gig to save his life, the village hotel called its imaginative bar and restaurant complex, the largest thatched roof structure in Micronesia, "The Tattooed Irishman". Completely open to the elements, this complex is the hub of all social activity at the village. A rustic sunken bar occupies one corner and it is possible to order a drink or a snack or meal at just about any time. The menu at the village changes regularly and the food is a clever interpretation of tasty Pacific rim cuisine, designed to appeal to both eastern and western pallets.
The Village Hotel provides a full tour service to its guests, specializing in day trips to Nan Madol and neighbouring islands, cultural dances and land trips as requested - including certified scuba and snorkel guides. For scuba activities, please bring certification card, regulator, and buoyancy compensator.
The Village is a hotel built to fit the times, the people, the local economy and, above all the romantic mood of Micronesia's most beautiful island. So much is it part of Pohnpei that it won the OPIC's inaugural 1991 Ecotourism Award - for tourism projects, undertaken with sound environmental values, ensuring environmental sustainability and preventing environmental degradation. Guests may be tempted to never leave the hotel, however the inland site, the lagoon and cultural treasures will undoubtedly lure visitors to experience Pohnpei's delights.
We were supposed to go diving Saturday morning but due to a storm we had to postpone it until the afternoon. Everyone else cancelled their trips except a co-worjer and I who wanted to dive since we lugged all our gear from Manila. After going out the seas were really rough and my mask wouldn't seal properly which was a bit frustrating. We got to see some manta rays, schools of baracuda and a few little sharks which ate a trumpet fish in half.
I was kept awake both nights from animals making noise in the woods as well as mosquito's buzzing around my bed which had a mosquito net over it and I luckily had a can of deep woods off. haha. Well other than that we spent the rest of the time eating good dinners at the resort and working during the day.
Here is the link to the below description. It is the third resort on the page.
THE VILLAGE RESORT HOTEL
The island of Pohnpei and The Village Resort Hotel - one a creation of Nature and the other of man influenced by Nature. Both lie beyond the realms of the most idealistic imagination - yet together they exist. The combination is so striking and yet so subtle that is powerful environmental message is delivered gently, eloquently, but without equivocation.
ENCHANTMENT IN A RUSTIC ENVIRONMENT
Bob and Patti Arthur, an entertaining American couple who have written themselves and their hotel into Pohnpeian folklore, built the entire considerable complex of local materials and using timeless Pohnpeian carpentry techniques. Built on and atop a steeply sloping lagoon front site, The Village Hotel is amazing in its simplicity, yet unbelievably comfortable and elegant.
The construction techniques may be rustic, primitive even, but the results - understated luxury (remembering that luxury is relative) of comfortable, individual huts built almost entirely from local materials and mostly kept level on the steep hillside by stilts on at least one corner.
The extremely spacious huts contain two king-sized canopy waterbeds, white wicker furniture, swirling wooden fans and attractive island print fabrics. The timber bathrooms, a far cry from the offering of some far off marbleized metropolitan Hilton Hotel are nonetheless en suite and comfortably elegant. Waist to ceiling windows take up three of the walls and the view is mostly of the jungle less than a metre away. The windows are covered only with insect screens but huge eaves extending from the thatched roof ensure that the Pohnpeian rainfall does not intrude. In fact, there is little that will beat sitting in the room and reading a good book during a midday shower of tropical rain.
Keeping alive the legend of how Irish castaway James F. O'Connell had himself tattooed back in 1828 and entertained natives with an Irish gig to save his life, the village hotel called its imaginative bar and restaurant complex, the largest thatched roof structure in Micronesia, "The Tattooed Irishman". Completely open to the elements, this complex is the hub of all social activity at the village. A rustic sunken bar occupies one corner and it is possible to order a drink or a snack or meal at just about any time. The menu at the village changes regularly and the food is a clever interpretation of tasty Pacific rim cuisine, designed to appeal to both eastern and western pallets.
The Village Hotel provides a full tour service to its guests, specializing in day trips to Nan Madol and neighbouring islands, cultural dances and land trips as requested - including certified scuba and snorkel guides. For scuba activities, please bring certification card, regulator, and buoyancy compensator.
The Village is a hotel built to fit the times, the people, the local economy and, above all the romantic mood of Micronesia's most beautiful island. So much is it part of Pohnpei that it won the OPIC's inaugural 1991 Ecotourism Award - for tourism projects, undertaken with sound environmental values, ensuring environmental sustainability and preventing environmental degradation. Guests may be tempted to never leave the hotel, however the inland site, the lagoon and cultural treasures will undoubtedly lure visitors to experience Pohnpei's delights.
posted by Newbster at 3:44 PM
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