Resort or Liveaboard?

Resort or Liveaboard?

Resort or Liveaboard? – What is the best choice

When the time comes for choosing a resort or liveaboard, all sorts of questions can crop up, such as: Which has the best diving places?  Which has the most diving places? Can you arrange your own itinerary?  Or, do you have to stick to a pre-arranged route?  Which will offer me the most services?  These, and possibly other questions can arise before deciding between one of the two options but, we are going to answer all the questions that you may have in order to make this decision a bit easier.

First of all, you have to take into account the fact that in a Resort such as Raja Ampat Biodiversityyou get to enjoy the landscapes that will enchant you with their special flora and fauna and you will be able to enjoy all sorts of different activities at your own pace.  Whereas on a Liveaboard, which is a type of boat/hotel, (something similar to a cruise), you will be living on board throughout your trip and you will travel around different areas showcasing the beautiful Indonesian geography, following a pre-planned route on which you will visit the main diving areas.

The peace and privacy of a Resort versus sharing the experience on a Liveaboard

Perhaps one of the things that influences us most during our holidays and which may help us the most when the time comes to making the choice between a Resort or Liveaboard, is whether we are looking for relaxation, peace and privacy or conversely, we would prefer to share our space and our leisure time with new people

In a Resort, how we use our time and our space is completely up to us, thanks to the fact that there is plenty of room and a wide range of facilities.  This enables us to savour our time and our privacy in peace, as well as enjoying group activities which give us the opportunity to have new experiences, share the local beauty and make new friends.

On the other hand, on a Liveaboard, due to the reduced space, we are a bit more restricted and we have to share our time and space with other people we don’t know.  This does allow us to make new friendships and, of course, to have adventures that we can tell our friends about when we return home.  However, if what we are looking for is the chance to relax and, in some cases, enjoy the silence, on these boats it is a bit more difficult, not least because of the almost constant noise of the engines.

Diving from Resort or Liveaboard?

If the main objective is diving, we have to take two things into account. Are you hoping to have access to numerous different diving zones, bearing in mind there will be no possibility to go back and re-explore in more depth the places that you have liked the most, or, do you prefer being able to enjoy these wonderful Which areas have you visited while diving, without restrictions, but without having the option to visit all the diving zones in that particular area?

In a Resort, as we have said already, we are able to organise our time as we wish and this includes repeating dives as many times as we want in our favourite diving spots so that we have the chance to get to know these places we have fallen in love with in great detail.  But there will be areas that we won’t get around to seeing.

However, on a Liveboard, thanks to being on a boat, we will have access to all the diving zones in the area although it won’t be possible to go back and revisit any of the diving experiences which have really captivated us during our trip because of their particular beauty and biodiversity because we are on a pre-planned route.

Experiencing and enjoying a new culture in a Resort as opposed to the experience that is adapted to being on a Liveaboard

When making the decision, it is vital to consider whether we want to immerse ourselves in a new culture, exploring its customs, trying out its food, visiting new places and ultimately, broadening our horizons, or, on the other hand, would we prefer an experience that is pre-designed and more closely adapted to our usual habits.

In a Resort on land, we can get to know more about the local culture.  This will also enable us to visit new places, enjoy the local cuisine with fresh produce from the surrounding area, encounter new ways of thinking and of seeing the world.  All of this, without doubt, will enrich our visit and give it a new and different dimension.

Instead, on board a Liveaboard, it often seems that having spent all our time on a boat, we get the feeling of not having really travelled, of not having seen anything new and having learned nothing of another culture. Amongst other things, this is because any contact with the local way of life and customs is reduced to just a few scheduled activities or to the interaction with the boat’s crew.  In addition to this, in some cases, the food that is prepared will be Western or an adapted version of the local cuisine which is geared towards tourists and, because of the terrain, it is rarely possible to make stops where we can sample some of the fresh local produce

Freedom and Flexibility in the Resort or the Pre-Defined Route on Liveaboard

Another of the more problematic points, is if we want to organise our own time, have our own agenda and avoid having to stick to restrictive schedules or, if we prefer not planning anything and don’t feel the need to have every movement scripted throughout our stay

The ability to organise and book our own activities and tours in the Resort gives us the opportunity to enjoy our holiday without having to keep an eye on the clock.  We can have time to refresh ourselves in the crystal waters, sunbathe and stroll along the idyllic beaches.  In addition to this, we can revisit as many times as we like, the magical experiences that are on offer, exploring in more depth some of the truly unique diving zones.

On the other hand, the fact that a Liveaboard has a pre-planned route to follow and a schedule to keep, does not allow us to have as much freedom at the time of deciding what we want to do nor when we want to do it.  That’s fine if we haven’t had time to organise our trip and we are looking for everything to be done for us, but, if we want to get to know the area intimately and have our own ideas of what to do and what to see, this may not be the best option.


More activities in a Resort than on a Liveaboard?

When we are planning our perfect holiday, there are times when we want to experience lots of different things but on other occasions, we prefer to concentrate on a particular activity and of course, this is something to bear in mind at the time of deciding between these two options.

The activities that are available in a Resort are almost infinite as you can see from all the options that are on offer at Raja Ampat Biodiversity where you can enjoy incredible excursions to idyllic places such as the Fam Islands or go out in a kayak from which you can enjoy the sun and sea.

Liveaboard does offer us the chance to focus on diving.  If we are passionate about diving, we can perfect our skills and, as we have seen, enjoy lots of different diving zones.  But, if we want to enjoy other experiences as well or, we are travelling in a group and not everyone enjoys diving, then we should consider the other options that are available.

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Raja Ampat Biodiversity Eco Resort is a place to connect with nature in one of the best diving and snorkeling destinations in the world!

Apart from the marine life that you can enjoy diving or snorkeling , Raja Ampat offers many other activities that will allow you to explore this spectacular part of the planet; kayaks, cultural visits to the villages, excursions in the jungle, visits to the small islands, enjoy the fauna and birds of the area (many of them endemic) …

In this blog we will share some of our adventures with you.

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