Meridian Adventure Marina Club & Resort

Look no further when travelling to Raja Ampat to dive. This resort has the state of the art fast zodiac boats purpose built for diving activities. The service is impeccable, you’ll never have to lift a finger to do anything. Everything is done for you, just dive!

My 7 nights stay in November was just perfect! I read the excellent reviews of the hotel before booking and I confirm that it is totally worth it. I took the hotel + dives package (6 days, 7 nights) and I would not change anthing if I had to go back again. About the dives: Speedboats from hotel are not even a minut away from the resort. Super convenient and practical. The fact that it is a high speed boat allowed us to reach dives sites very fast compared to ther dive boats I have experienced. Usually 20, 40 or 50 min max (except special day trips that bring you further). The gear is of very good quality, so is the very mordern boat. We were always diving in small group of 6-8 guests + 3 dive masters which made it very easy to just be diving all together without any wasted waiting time. The dive masters are adorable. They are a mix of different nationalities, including local. The captains (locals) are also always making sure you are fine having enough water and watermelon. Special thank you to Ronja & Joséphine (both interns) who are so kind, caring and very professional when you needed assistance during dives (I had ear issues and I got tured during a strong current dive). Big thank you to Yigit, Erkan, Abner (dive masters) for making the best out of our dives while making sure the good mood is there! It is a pleasure to see a diving team so enthousiatic about their work, even though they dive there every day. In general, everything is just super smooth as the boat is basically in front of the hotel and the team will bring and set up your gear for you. No need to mention that all diving spots were amazing! Coral is very healthy and fish diversity is incredible. I only repeated 1 dive spot out of 17 dives. Hotel itself: The rooms are as per the pictures: modern, clean, comfortable but small. It’s fine because you will spend most of the time outside. All the staff is very kind: special recognition to Rivon at the reception and the smiling waitresses at the restaurant. Food prices are a bit expensive but the variety (local + international) and quality was good. Hotel location is very practical as it is in front of the ferry port but still super calm. Going there solo: I was a solo traveller and I think I was the only one from the whole hotel which was full. Being everyday diving with people gave me the opportunity to socialize and make friends. Also the staff feels like family after some days spent in the hotel, as it is not big. I can recommend but don’t expect to have big shared tables with lots of solo travellers- at least when I was there. You will need to do a little effort on your side to join others in activities outside diving. Things to be aware of & areas of improvement: - The hotel doesn’t have beach fromt. It is by the sea, but it is a small hatbour with a few boats. - There is not much to do in Waisai except diving/snorkeling. I would not recommend if you are not passionated about sealife. Local restaurants are 25 min away walk

Have to give it a 1 sadly.  I say 'sadly' because Meridian, as a dive hotel, does have a really great dive team - one of the best I have come across - and great facilities (boats, gear, etc). And of course Raja Ampat is spectacular. We would however never stay at Meridian again as at least half of our stay there was made pretty unpleasant as the owner (who wasn't even staying in the hotel but on a yacht in the marina with friends and loads of their kids) seemed oblivious to the fact that all the kids were running riot around the resort when they were there.  Evening meals were like a Saturday lunchtime at McDonalds in terms of the noise and the kids running around uncontrolled, making it impossible to relax and enjoy a meal at what was a good restaurant with a good menu.  Had to walk out the first night it happened and ended up eating elsewhere after that - and several other guests that we spoke to who were also diving made comments about how noisy and unpleasant it had been during the evening because of the noise from the kids. Spoke to reception about it but they almost laughed it off as though it was the owner's perogative.  Afternoons after the morning dive/snorkelling trip were also not what we wanted them to be as, as soon as the kids and their parents got to the pool (which is small but understandably so for a small dive hotel), there was no space on loungers for paying customers and the kids were having fun in the pool (which kids do) leaving no space for the rest of us.  The whole situation left a very bad taste in our mouths. This is the owner's perogative of course and I know that kids will be kids as I have them too (although very rarely do you get kids in a dive hotel), but this is not what I (and several other guests at the time) expect of a hotel which is fairly expensive - particularly when it's the owner and his guests whose kids are causing all the noise and chaos, not even another guest!  Not very professional.  At least two other couples we spoke to said it had put them off the possibility of returning there even though they felt it was likely that they would return to Raja Ampat given how spectacular it was. Such a shame - could have been very different.

I spent a fantastic two weeks diving with Meridian Adventure Dive in Raja Ampat over the December Christmas period, and I can't recommend them highly enough. Doing my PADI open water course with Instructor Duan was a breeze—he's truly skilled and made my first diving experience comfortable and exciting. The diving setup here is impeccable; they take care of everything from well-maintained gear to the pamper of having your gear set up on you before you dive by the crew and collected afterwards, which meant I only needed to focus on my nerves as a first-time diver. The dive team ensures you're geared up and ready for the water effortlessly. Their top-notch guides lead incredible underwater adventures and point out all the exciting marine life, from macro creatures to cunning wobbegongs. The high-speed boats were surprisingly comfortable and fast, taking us to a variety of dive sites. Enjoying surface intervals at the stunning surrounding islands was an added delight. Staying at the hotel was a treat—cosy rooms, immaculate and serviced daily with air conditioning. But honestly, when in Raja Ampat, you'll want to be out exploring, not in your room! The onsite restaurant and bar made life all that much easier! There's nothing like a good cocktail at the pool after a day of diving. Massive gratitude to ALL the resort staff, local dive guides, and the fantastic interns—Alice, Margot, and Louie— I wish I could name them all, but you were all GREAT!! This experience with Meridian Adventure Dive in Raja Ampat has spoilt all my future diving trips because I don't think I will easily experience anything close to this! Leaving was tough, but I'm already eagerly anticipating my next visit!

The staff and the facilities are excellent. You will have the chance to dive the best dive sites around Kri island with excellent guides that will point out all the harder to spot aquatic life. I can recommend them highly enough.