Corepen Homestay

We had the best time at Corepen. The bungalows are nice and clean, over the ocean and have everything you need. The food was nice and plenty. The best was the diving. Maria, Sandi, Ray and the others were simply amazing. We are real beginners and we always felt safe with them. They are super accommodating and always try their best to make sure everyone has options that fit their experience and wishes. There are always several divemasters with the group so we always had someone taking great care of us! :) Really good people, in diving and in life. We’ll come back in a heartbeat if we come to dive again in Raja Ampat.

Me and my girlfriend stayed at this homestay and also went diving with them. People in Raja Ampat seem to be extremely generous and friendly and they are certainly not the exception. We had an awesome experience with them. The food is great and they have great knowledge about the creatures that live in the area and where to find them. Maria has the greatest FISH ID book collection I’ve ever seen on a dive shop. This came extremely handy on a Sunday morning when we rested from the diving. Something really cool about them is that every night they come after dinner to meet with the guests and discuss the options for diving the next day. (Not that choosing where to dive makes a massive difference in terms of what you can see ☺) Thank you very much for a brilliant experience.

We stayed 1 week in raja ampat visited 3 homestays and this one was the best by far. We would definitely come back here.
The bungalows are built on the sea and thus stay cool at night, they are spatious and the view is wonderful. We had 2 hammock on the balcony to chill.
The diving was super well organised and ne the divemaster are uber pro and can handle difficult situations ( esp if you are a beginner of afraid of the strong currents in raja)
The food was delicious and in great quantity.
The corals in front are beautiful and you can do superb snorkeling right in front ( even see some dugong if you are lucky)
Overall everybody was super nice and helpful and we had a great time.
Book in advance !

Amazing and very friendly homestay.

Super friendly, well equiped and managed dive gears, all dive itineraries are professionally handled in the world class dive sites.
The homestay is cozy enough and you can enjoy the peace and the vibe the island offers.
You can even see dugongs right in front of the hometsay, if you are lucky.
I've seen some rare birds in the homestay, but i got no clue what the specific specie it is.
And above all, the food is absolutely amazing. As a picky eater when traveling abroad, I was suprised that I had no trouble but rather ate super healthy and super appetized on all the local dishes that were provided.
I miss so much about the time I spent here diving in Raja Ampat.

If you are also the kind of people super concerned about this, there is no rat in the homestay, which was the reason why I chose this homestay over the homestays in Kri.

This is the best homestay with a diveshop in raja ampat. Maria, Sandy and Ray are great divemasters and they know the sites. It was a great experience. The bungalows are right by the ocean and the food was excelent. If you are looking for good dives and a local atmosphere this is the place. Thanks guys, we will be back :)

Are you overwhelmed with the amount of homestays available and can’t figure out which one to book? Look no more. My review is all you need. I stayed 5 nights at Corepen in July 2023 and it was truly amazing. The bungalow is well built, great bed, mosquito net and stunning views. The meals were always delicious and in very big amounts. I felt so welcomed and everyone was very flexible to my schedule whether for diving, my late waking up or for meals. The dive masters know where to bring you and make sure your dive has the best wows/hour rate! Don’t hesitate any longer and book that dream trip.
Again, thank you so much Maria and all the crew, you guys were amazing! <3

We stayed at Corepen for 6 nights and would come back anytime! Maria is a warm and attentive host and a excellent macro spotter. She provided us with indescribable diving experiences during our stay. The cabins are comfortable, clean and right on the beach. The food is also phenomenal and super tasty! Thank you Maria for making our start in Raja Ampat unforgettable!

One of the best places I stayed in 2 months travelling in Raja Ampat. Maria is a kind, beautiful, lovely human being and you can feel her care in every aspect of the homestay even though really she runs the dive operation! All the staff are super friendly, the cabañas are really comfortable with great views of sunrise and Kri and Batanta. The food is amazing! So much fruit and veg and not deep fried, lots of grilled fish , just delicious and healthy. The jungle is fun to explore and easily accessible, with hornbills, cockatoo, parrots. The diving is spectacular. Sandi was away when I came , but Maria is a fantastic guide and really caters to individual guests. If you have a lot of experience, expect long dives, many nudis and tiny stuff and a lot of freedom. If you are a beginner, expect detailed briefings, great safety and very attentive guides. Equipment is good, boat is good. You couldn't find a better place to dive central R4. If you come only for the snorkelling, the house reef is not the greatest I saw for coral and fish ( though I did see a dugong!!) but Maria is very accommodating to snorkellers on the dive boat so thee are many options for you too. Really just fantastic in every way, I can't wait to come back

Excellent location, beautiful views, and very good food! Our bungalow was simple, comfortable, and clean. The diving was awesome, equipment was all good, guides Sandi and Maria were great and we got to see tons of new-for-us sea life with their help. The other staff were all awesome as well and flexible with what we wanted to do on our non diving days.

Excellent homestay with great food and snacks. Maria organised everything we needed incredibly well. Quality is a lot higher than most homestays. It is quiet and the hammocks are amazing. Shared bathroom is simple, but does the job. The diving we did was incredible and very well organised. We went to all divesites up to mayhem/mangroves. Would recommend to anyone who wants to dive around gam/kri/mansuar/arborek.

Amazing! Great diving and food! Sandi and Maria are wonderful hosts and very accommodating. Everything is kept clean, they even rake the pathways.

Postcard perfect view from your bungalow. The beach is isolated and very peaceful. Can't wait to go back 😊

We checked out a few homestays in Raja and can honestly say that Corepen is the best. This October 2022 was our third stay here, and we always enjoyed it. We‘ve never been to a place where guests are coming back so regularly as there, and I guess this says a lot.
Maria and Sandi (and in the past Hary) are the best guides; they know precisely when and where to jump in and respond to the individual wishes of the customers (Nudinerds, Shark lovers, Photographers, Non-Photographers). They love diving and the underwater world. We always felt safe.
And the dive sites are one of a kind. The homestay is clean, offers a great view, and the food is delicious. We will coming back for sure!

This is the best place you could imagine staying in Raja Ampat. I know everyone says great things about Sandy and Maria, but they are even more kind and amazing than you could imagine! The villas are simple, but have beautiful views and everything you need. The diving with Sandy and Maria is the best you could imagine. They're incredible guides.

Corepen homestay lived up to its reputation. The homestay were very well built modest grass huts with a raised bed and clean sheets. There is power in each bungalow so you can charge your cameras and other devices at night while the generator runs. Homestay’s are modest living, but Corepen adds to the comfort with 2 western style toilets, and a elevated water pipe to shower from. All means are included at Corepen homestay and they do not disappoint! Meals consisted of rice, sometimes fried, a delicious vegetable dish and a protein (fish mostly but sometimes chicken.). The flavors were amazing and there were always bananas to snack on.

I went to Corepen for the diving and Sandi And Maria were amazing guides. Aruna Dive center is their dive shop, conveniently located on the homestay grounds.

Their knowledge of the current and fish migrations at each location made for excellent dives every time. I only stayed 5 days but in those 5 days was able to see Mobula Rays, white and black tip shark, walking shark, crocodile fish, lobster and the most impressive schools of fish to be found anywhere in the world.

Don’t cut yourself short, one week is not enough! And when you leave you will feel like you are leaving family. Can’t wait for next year! Let’s go!!!

THE best place we stayed in Raja Ampat. Where to start?

The bungalows - comfortable and serene, the only place we stayed with raised beds, and right over the water when the tide is high. Mosquito nets in perfect condition.

The food - best we had in Indonesia. Dani the cook is amazing. Everyday the food is different, always vegetables and fruits, sometimes egg, tempe, fritters, fish, chicken and always with delicious sauces (the pecel was to die for).

The dive shop - again, best in the islands. Sandi and Maria are experts. Daily our groups consisted of super experienced photographers to novice divers and they made sure everyone had a great experience. Sandi gives an informative briefing before every dive, something we found to be rarely done at dive shops in Raja. Maria will find the tiniest, most beautiful creatures for you like pygmy seahorses and colourful nudibranch.

In conclusion, these are really good people. They charge fair prices, we never had to worry about being overcharged for transport or diving. They take good care of their two dogs who are sweet and healthy. When we come back to Raja we will simply stay at Corepen for the whole trip. Thanks to Sandi and Maria and the whole family for hosting us!

Unrelated to Corepen but if you are coming to Raja Ampat to dive I recommend bringing a dive light with you! For really cool night diving but also to see the colours during the day at depth. Also, if you can bring some mange medicines like NexGuard or Bravecto for the dogs on other islands (Sandi and Maria's dogs are very healthy), it would help them a lot. Enjoy!

Stayed 8 nights with Sandi and Maria and I can confidently confirm the rumors are true. They are incredible people. Very loveable and professional. I've dived all over the world and they are among the best dive masters I've ever experienced.

The homestay is great as well. Phone signal is good almost all the time. Food was nice. The beach the homestay is on is pretty, tropical birds and parrots in the coconut trees above. You can also go into the jungle a bit, snorkeling there is decent and interesting.

Bungalows are well built, with chairs and hammocks. Blankets and towels provided. Bathrooms are cement floored and kept clean, but are dark. It might be a good idea to cut out a bit of the roof near the bottom to let some light in. It was still fine after you adjusted to the light though but not great for shaving. Oh, on that note, a mirror somewhere would be a great addition.

The two dogs at the homestay are awesome! Very cute and cuddly. All in all, a very nice place to be. We will be back.

Me and my friends spent 5 nights in Sandi’s homestay and we had a wonderful time. The beach bungalows with their small terrace are comfortable and air flows in during the night so it doesn’t get too hot.
I also could not recommend more the diving with Sandi, Harry and Maria. They are all very experienced divers, always in a good mood and will make sure you have a great time under water. In front of the homestay there is a rich reef with no current which is great for both day and night snorkeling.
Food was also good and abundant! I would definitely go back if I was to come back to Raja Ampat :)

Have been five times there, and can't wait for the next visit. Very good food (and a lot of it), perfect location to watch the sunrise. Maria and Sandi are so good hosts, and the perfect dive guides for every kind of experience.
The true gem of Raja Ampat!

The best! Good food, good location near many dive sites, sweet staff (including Olin the boat driver, guys who help with preparing the dive gear, the cook, all nice people). Had a lot of fun with Sandy and Maria who are both very precise in caring for their guests and give great dive quality and safety. The house reef in front of the bungalows is fine for snorkeling or night dives, the coral and fish abundance is a bit richer if you swim about 100 meters to the left. It is possible to see walking sharks in the house reef neer the floodline (at night), as wel as the occasional turtle and blacktips. We also saw some dolphins from the beach, but you have to be lucky. There is a sandy area good for swimming but as always beware of rays or stonefish. There is a trail to the jungle where you can see cool birds - bring a phone as it's possible to get lost. There are western as well as indonesian toilets, a mandi and a regular hose shower. Each bungalow has a hammock and mosquito net (few mosquitos when we were there). It's a bit smaller than it has been before, about 6 bungalows, so really cosy and personal. There is no village here, but Mari goes to Waisai now and then and can shop for you there if you need anything. Other payment methods than cash are also possible, contact them for info. Sandy and Maria both speak good English.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! Maria (dive operation owner) is the best guide and host I have ever met. Her passion for scuba diving and conservation really shows. Her attention to detail and care for each guest is above and beyond.

The homestay isn't luxurious but it will get the job done and with some of the best food and meals I've ever eaten in Indonesia.

Sandy is a savior for learning English to accommodate all the tourist and westerners. He was able to arrange and manage aspects of dives, equipment, and boat rides...even despite having issues with boat drivers. He made everything seem so easy to run such a demanding business catering to typical (pretentious) western needs.

Maria and Sandy are highly attentive and safety is a top priority.

If you come, please learn how to say thank you in Indonesian. The small amount of effort goes a long way when visiting Indonesia.