Katembe Private Island

It was a wonderful experience staying at the Katembe Private Island at every step, from picking up from the airport until dropping me back there after 2 weeks. Clean, authentic, artfully build bungalows with very comfortable beds like ones found at five star hotels, three course gourmet meals by chefs Yusuf and Abdi, beautiful setting at the gate of Kabui Bay with two beaches to swim, snorkel, and walk, close to many popular diving and snorkeling sites in Raja Ampat. The best part was the staff! Ridwan, Fadil, Yusuf, Abdi, and many others were very kind, gracious, and went all out to make your time enjoyable (thank you all!)! I went there planning to stay a week, ended up staying more than two weeks. I hope to go back and stay there one day with family and friends!

Came here for the first time in 2021 and came back in 2023. The name and some of the staff changed, but it remains an incredible place. Staff is exceptional, friendly, helpful, and enthusiastic to make sure every guest has a great stay. Location is amazing. Bungalows are clean and well-maintained for being open—air. Kayaks and snorkeling gear are always available. You are free to walk about the island and explore and use the beaches. There is beautiful coral right next to the bungalows, so the swimming and snorkeling is excellent. The food served was even better than the first time! I would come back here again and wouldn’t consider staying anywhere else in Raja Ampat.

Arriving at Katembe is a magical experience that only gets better with the amazing food, incredible views, and family atmosphere. You can spot sharks, stingrays & cool fish from your own porch! Everything was simply incredible about our stay. The only downside for us was that the tours are very expensive, but this comes with the location & was made up by the free kayaking available :)

The true paradise island experience! The island is amazing with great beaches, snorkeling from your own bungalow, incredible diving sites nearby and to top it all, amazing food all day long.

The bungalows are very cute and clean with comfy beds, and the meals are enjoyed together so it feels like one big family. All staff are super friendly and they will help you with anything. Ask anything from Sandra and she will make it happen ;)

Transportation from and back to the airport makes it easy to arrive, since there is no hassle with the taxis or ferries.

I can highly recommend this place for a relaxing holiday, especially for scuba divers but also for others. Hope to be back soon!

(Dropping 5 stars for this place is underrated)

Best decision: to stay in this place
Worst decision: to just stay for 4 nights (I wish I could stay more!)

I crazily impressed by both the exquisite hospitality and the impeccable service!

I was especially grateful for the room's sense of safety and the fact that it was amazing, simple, eco-styled, comfortable, gorgeous, everything you name it.

The adage "stay as family" was prophetic, and I ended up extending my stay from 2 to 3 nights then to 4 nights. Yes, I know that was too short to stay in such beautiful place.

The food was beyond delicious, much above my expectations and was so spoiled with the menu, so well-organized, the food tastes amazing, and the presentation is 5 stars. Chef Yusuf and Chef Ridwan, I already miss your "warung”!

To show my gratitude for all they've done to make this place as a heaven, I'll just name a few people: All of you—Surya, Ridwan, Pak Ben, Klief, Yusuf, Ronny and all other staff—are wonderful.

Folks, trust me—this place is 1000% recommended. Thank me later!

Heaven on earth! AMAZING place for our honeymoon. Super cute bungalow, all super clean, great service, super nice beaches with baby sharks and we didn’t expect that staying in Katembe would mean being on a gastronomic trip. The food was delicious every day! And the attention to details of the team is the best. We 100% recommend coming at least one week there to relax and do some excursions. We did Piangiemo with Melissa’s Garden dive, Kalibiru, Friwen with Mike’s Point dive and Sawandarek. We recommend them all! :) Thanks for hosting us in one of the best weeks of our lifes!

I stayed in almost 300 hotels in my life, but never left one with tears in my eyes. This place is one of the most unique and relaxing places I've ever been and for sure the place with the most heartwarming "staff". I put staff between brackets since it felt like staying with friends. Only downside is leaving and doubting you will ever find a place like this again. Another downside, the food is so delicious, you will gain weight 😁

The people where extremely nice and very helpful. The food from their master chef is delicious. We didnt even scuba dive, only did snorkeling and it was still amazing. Fadil is an awesome host. The overall experience was perfect. This place is magical! Will go back.

We don't even know where we want to start. We would love to give 10 stars. Doberai is simply a dream. We spent a total of 3 weeks here and did not want to leave. The saying Come as a guest become part of the family and leave as a friend. It is simply true! We feel like a part of the Doberai family.
It's not the island itself that is beautiful or the overwater bungalows. No, it's the staff that makes this island so special. Starting with Sandera the little sunshine. Sandra manages all bookings and excursions and tries to fulfill the guest every wish we have never met such a careful and helpful person. Next is the kitchen where Yousuf and Abdil conjure up simply delicious food. Thanks to them we now have a Doberai Belly. There were three times a day fantastic food with great dessert. Yousuf has conjured up super autenthic Indonesian cuisine. But also the bar staff spoiled us with great drinks.
The maids cleaned our bungalow every day and were very loving and attentive.
Many thanks also to Fadil for the great guest service. We have never met such a polite English speaking Indonesian.
But also the diving crew deserves just praise here. Thank you for the great dives with you.
Now we come to the essentials It must be remembered that it is an island in the middle of nowhere. But Doberai offers the best service. It should be clear that you will not find a perfect 4G here. In addition, everything there is a bit more faithful because everything must be used on the island. Also, there are overwater bungalows where it can simply become clammy once in the rain. Also there is no warm water but that everyone has his own bathroom is a rarity for Raja Ampat. Also the super food which is available here is rare to find in Raja Ampat.
To the diving. The divesites are simply breathtaking. We have never dived in more beautiful places than here. However, in our opinion rather nothing for beginners because of strong currents. The diving equipment is very good and up to date. We can only recommend Doberai to anyone who wants to relax and enjoy nature. We will definitely come back and would like to thank the whole Doberai family. We miss you guys.

Best rustic island experience in Raja Ampat! Down side was the lack of fresh water (available water is half salty), but the delicious Indonesian home style cuisine, idyllic setting and amazing friendly staff made up for it. House reef fairly good condition and neighbouring reef the resort (Urai island) were pristine. Would come back and stay again.

Simply divine - a pure paradise hideaway with all the comforts

I was very excited to go to Doberai for 4 nights to get away from my everyday life working and living on Arborek island, an hour's drive from the resort. The resort is hidden in between Gam and Waigeo, on a private island, and arriving by boat is a wonderful experience on its own. I had communicated with the resort manager, Sandra, before arrival and she was very helpful and quick with her replies.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the friendly staff Fadhil, who insisted on carrying our bags to the bungalow (much appreciated!). The bungalow is perfect: the beds are support comfy, the view from the bed is incredibly dreamy, the lounge beds on the balcony were very comfy, the shower has a nice pressure, and everything was very clean. I loved the little details, like the decorations shells here and there, plants on the balcony and the bedtime story! Those little things really make the resort stand out.

I loved that there were SUP boards and kayaks available, so you could explore the surroundings a bit more. And the food.... Yusuf cooks the most incredible meals, I was looking forward to all of them! Next to the restaurant there are a few stairs to a lovely little viewpoint, perfect for sunset. As the restaurant is set over a very shallow reef, there are lots of baby blacktop reef sharks around – I could watch them for hours. The staff were attentive to all our needs and checked in with us regularly to make sure everything was as wished. We dived with the knowledgeable dive guide Amanda, and visited two dive sites I had never been to so that was exciting!

I also celebrated my birthday at Doberai, and had friends coming over for dinner, which was not a problem and the staff made sure everything was in place; from enough food and beers and a beautifully set table to an incredible birthday cake. The resort was very flexible.

Altogether I had a wonderful stay, reading for hours on the balcony overlooking the beautiful bay, enjoying the great food and the stunning bungalow. I will definitely be back!

Me and a friend just got back and had the best time! Doberai is a fantastic resort located in the heart of Raja Ampat and offers everything you need. Comfortable and gorgeous bungalows, great food, beautiful views and above all a friendly and caring staff! You won't regret choosing Doberai!

I am a copywriter and it’s taken me a few days to be able to write a review because I didn’t know how to put in words what this place meant to us. Raja Ampat is a paradise (and I have done my fair share of traveling). The marine life it’s something you have never seen before. Better than Australia even. An even with such a paradise, for us, the best part of Raja Ampat wasn’t even the amazing places we saw… it was Katembe and it’s staff. I’ll start with the place. The cabanas right in front of the water it’s something you’ll never forget. Waking up and jumping to crystal clear water from your porch is priceless. The views from your bed will be incredible during the day and magical during the night where you’ll see starry skies and luminescent placton.
But let’s get to what stole our hearts: the people running Katembe. What a special bunch they are!!! You’ll arrive as a guest and leave as family. They are the nicest people. Always taking care of all your needs, preparing the tours with you, cooking the most amazing food, taking you to the best diving and snorkeling places… there’s something about this place and these people that will change you somehow for the better!!! Rest assured we will be back Katembe!

Julian, Gaby, Klief, Kevin, Julio, Gotlov, Rudy, Ambo and Jeky thanks for showing us your beautiful island under and above the water! Thank you for a constant great vibe!

Thank you Yusuf, Rizal, Edwin, Ridwan and Bendot for the most delicious food and drinks! For not letting us think about dieting while we were there!

Thank you Oka and Mince for keeping our room fresh and clean.

And of course, thank you Fadil for all you do! For the flawless experience we had and for running such a magical place.

Until we meet again!

A fabulous hidden gem tucked away from Wasai, 25min by boat. Surya and the staff created a magical weeklong honeymoon for my wife and I, complete with spectacular diving and AMAZING food. The overwater bungalows are situated over a beautiful cove and it feels like your own private island (it is). The staff were super attentive, the diving was world class and a special hat tip to Sandra and Surya for making the logistics of arrival/departure easy. This place is a must stay and a great way to experience raja ampat in all its glory. Wifi is limited to the restaurant, but this is not the place to spend your time on a laptop anyway, make sure to book some diving….Highly recommended for a once in a lifetime experience!

We were on the private island of Doberai for a week. It was perfect all around. The waterbungalow is very nice, we could linger for hours on the terrace.
All the staff was very friendly and helpful. The excursions were well organized and fun.
We would especially like to mention the excellent cuisine of the chef. We were spoiled every day with delicious food.
We would recommend Doberai to anyone visiting Raja Ampat.
Many thanks to the whole team!
Nives and Samuel

Location 5*… Staff 5*… Food 5*… Experience 5*! We would give it 10* if we could! There is no other word than paradise. From the very second you are greeted by Dill (potentially the poshest speaking Indonesian on the planet and an absolute gem!) at Sorrong harbour you know you are in for a glorious stay. A swift transfer on the Doberai boat leads you to your first glimpse at the island. Turquoise water, rustic overwater bungalows and a palm tree lined beach. Everything we were looking for. Sandra met us from the boat and we do not have enough good words to say about her. She is a true delight. We have no idea how someone can make running a secluded tropical island so effortless. Always smiling, full of energy and always organising. Every excursion was both a breeze and a joy. Adding to this, the team on the island are some of the happiest and most friendly people we have ever met, more like a family than a workforce. Granted, the rooms do not have hot water or air-con, but this would only take away from the experience of waking up in an open bungalow to the sound of the birds and the waves - we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. It was even more of an honest, tropical island experience than we hoped it would be. Thank you so much guys 🙌🏻 X

Room was perfect, huge comfortable bed and even an ensuite bathroom! Snorkeling straight from the deck was excellent too!
The staff were super friendly and the food was insanely good... We were expecting classic fish and rice for every meal but we got a very diverse and tasty selection over or 5 days.
Highly recommended!

Raja Ampat was always on my wishlist. But, to go there from Bali is quite a journey and same costs as going overseas. (Honestly, most Indonesian think going overseas is much more cool, without realizing how our country’s archipelago and culture has to offer - the reason tourists came here!)

I saw @doberaieco and their all inclusive package, make my trip plan so much easier - just book my flight and let them do the rest. Oh and the way they respond to your texts was so quick !

If you wish to learn how my journey to Raja Ampat, here is below:
- Flight from Bali to Makassar 20.30 - 22.00hrs (1,5hrs)
- Transit in Makassar just hang around in the airport for 5 hours
- Flight Makassar to Sorong 3.15 - 6.30 (2.15hrs - Sorong is 1hr ahead Bali/Makassar)
- Pick up in Sorong airport to harbour by @doberaieco only 10 minutes
- Ferry at 9am from Sorong to Waisai (Raja Ampat) for 2hrs, arrived at 11am (arranged by @doberaieco)
- Pickup in Waisai, greeted by Fadil, the staff of @doberaieco and going by boat to the island is 25 minutes

Once arrived in the resort, tiredness from the journey has just disappeared, my excitement has raised and the clear blue water right jn front of my room tempted me to jump !

This eco resort run their electricity by genset from 5pm-11pm, the rest, only ocean breeze and natural sun/moonlight. Hot ? Nope ! I loved it !

By just walking around in the restaurant, I saw reef sharks, colorful fishes and starfish. At night, I stargazed, saw firefly and bio-luminescent plankton (glowing plankton) in the water.

Food from breakfast till dinner time was always delicious, the team was so friendly and attentive.

I will definitely come back, even my mind is still there.

Special shout to Sandra the Resort Manager, who made the whole experience beyond remarkable!

Have been here for 5 days. Amazing resort.

Raja Ampat best resort.

Room is above the sea which a lot of fish surrounded. Clean and quite.

Very natural place, every morning hear some bird voice from forest.

Just surround of room we can snorkeling with beautiful coral and fish.
Diving also amazing. They have self oxygen compressor.

Dive, eat and rest.

3 time a day with delicious food
Western, asia and local. Best chef i think. He can combined east and west with beautiful panoramic restaurant.

All the crew is feel like family.

I give 5 star. Very recommended resort at Raja ampat

We adored our stay at Doberai. From the perfect island it’s situated on (which is beautifully clean btw), to the delicious food and exceptional staff. We felt so safe whilst diving and would recommend the dive centre to everyone. Special thanks to Dil who was amazing!! We miss you all so much already.