Ora Beach, Maluku Islands, Indonesia

4Ferdinand L 5:00 PM Apr 19, 2015

Never got bored taking photos
It took almost 5 hours to reach to the paradise from Ambon (exclude time for taking rest or lunch). So be prepared. Eat first (breakfast or lunch) after arriving in Amahai harbor (Masohi), because it is the last town to find good restaurant. Buy also some snacks and coffee in sachet or else, because Ora resort just provides strong coffee (Kapal Api, which is a favourite one for Indonesian)). Do not forget in Masohi to buy Telkomsel sim card (the only operator which has signal in Ora beach) if you need to communicate or socializing via cellular.After passing Masohi, we find lush green forest for around 2 hours driving. When it is the season of durian, we can buy some cheap durians jatuhan (rp 10,000/pc) along the way to the north part of Seram island. Or we can buy some rambutan or langsat (duku) as well. It is also interesting to see some trees that are not familiar to us such as durian, rambutan, pala (nutmeg), clove, avocado, banana, etc. Make sure you have the battery of camera and or mobile phone fully charged. Otherwise you will miss some interesting objects along the way or upon arrival at the resort. The farther room from the jetty is the quieter one. Bring some cable extension if you need to charge more than one gadget Electricity (from the generator) is available on 6 pm through 6 am. Try to fill the bucket with water because the outflow volume of water tap is little. No water heater is available. The water is fresh. It is better to buy some bottled mineral water for your spare drink in the room. Your snack might invites some ants, Put them in a sealed container.Or it them up after you open the packaging. The room has no safety box for your valuables. Simply close the door. Opening window and door of verandah during night time was not a problem for me. It let the breeze get into the room. Fan is available on the desk in case you need. The signal of telkomsel only shows one or two bars. So it was not easy to upload some photos to the social media but I found no problem in communicating through mobile. Lying down on the mattress or sofa in the verandah is relaxing. From the verandah , feeding the fish with bread was so fun, but may be it could generate pollution to the sea water and creature with the chemical content of the food. Staying for 3 or 5 days are enjoyable. Reading, fishing, snorkel, diving, exploring Air Belanda, sun bathing, playing sand, games are activities we can do. Do not forget to bring, goggles, fin or fishing rod, bait, underwater camera etc, because they do not provide it. A trip to other island to buy lobster or to view other attraction is also an option. Pay attention to the itinerary they gave to you not to miss the trip to air Belanda and to Tebing Batu. It's better consult with the management for arranging the time to go back to Ambon especially if you have a plane schedule to catch. So that they can prepare the boat, mini bus and buy the Ferry ticket. Every Sunday the Ferry has only one trip from Amahai to Tulehu. Do not miss it. Recently a local just built a hut beside Air Belanda which sells coffee, fried banana and cigarette etc . So we can spend more time in Air Belanda without worrying about lacking of food.

5guydebyl 5:00 PM Apr 9, 2015

a natural paradise.
The positive reviews I've read are very accurate and I won't repeat the same comments. One tip is to wear swimming boots when snorkelling. I noticed what seemed to be a stonefish. Several people in our group suffered cuts to their feet or stings from sea creatures. A lot of the coral in close by locations has been damaged, and I noticed what seemed to be one crown of thorns starfish. Ora is a paradise. The amenities were adequate and irrelevant in comparison to the overall experience. I would only stay there for perhaps 5 days as there is the danger that I would take the wonderful views for granted after a while. The fresh water river mentioned in one review is actually a fresh water spring. The "river" is actually only about 75 metres long and originates from several locations at the base of the mountain. Take powdered milk as the only milk available for breakfast or coffee/tea is tinned sweetened condense milk. Coffee saches were also useful as a break from the strong coffee powder provided. If you are offered a tour to see bats (flying foxes), bear in mind that the jetty through the mangroves is derelict and you will need to stumble your way through the mangrove swamp to see them. I was wearing good swimming foot protection and this saved my feet from being spiked by broken mangrove roots. My light footed guide however walked easily bare foot.