Yenros Homestay

Lovely peaceful homestay close to Waisai. The owner Melki is always kind, friendly and helpful. The reef is nice, in season there are dolphins and mantas right in front. The bungalows are fantastic, super.comfy and the food has really improved since I was here last year! Highly recommended

We stayed at Yenros for 7 days and 6 nights. Melki and his family took amazing care of us , and we were fortunate to meet some other wonderful guests during our stay 😍!

House Reef: Incredible diversity of corals and fish immediately outside of the room.

Rooms: Quaint but charming, I was lucky to get the room with the ensuite toilet/shower, which helped a lot. The beds were a bit damp because it's quite humid in Raja and nothing really dries unless it's directly in the sun. The mosquito nets are in good shape and the rooms are clean though! It took a bit of an adjustment but by the end of the week I was getting the hang of it!

Food: Super delicious and healthy home style cooking, complete with delicious snacks (coconut pandan cake), and a super cute wild cuscus who'd visit for bananas. For our last night, Melki threw a huge BBQ fish party for us on the beach, complete with a huge bonfire, drinks, dancing and even some YouTube karaoke. The fish was freshly caught by Melki's uncle (grouper, sweetlips, tuna) and everything was cooked by Melki's sister Sella. The food was definitely one of the highlights, and my favorite throughout my Indonesia trip.

Tours: I went diving for most of my stay, but we went on an excursion to Wayag (highly recommended!! It's far but seriously beautiful), and also did the birds of paradise tour. Melki, along with Hunter and Liz, took the non-divers in our group and showed them lots of cool spots around the area!

We were all sad to leave, and we are grateful for Melki's hospitality 🥺. We will be back 🫶💖!

I’ve just returned from my first amazing (definitely will be going back) trip to Raja Ampat and would like to share information about our excellent homestay Yenros on Gam Island.
Meilke picked us up from Waisai and helped with arrival levy. Landing at their beach felt like we had a deserted island to ourselves. I’d read reviews about his bungalows and as we had our pick, they are all good just different pluses. We took the one further up the hill for privacy and breeze, the one over the water is big and great for star gazing but bit further from toilet. The one on the beach has easy access to the water and close to toilet). They all good and have mattress on bed, not the case at all Homestays. We got a second hammock and loved our own paradise.
The meals were cleverly prepared by Sella, so much variety and taste and heaps of food, plus the best fried banana afternoon snack.
I am a diver but there was no need as snorkeling ticked all the boxes. The house reef was spectacular, especially at about 4pm when there was so much underwater action, it felt like we were in a Finding Nemo movie set.
We took a few snorkel boat trips with Uncle John and Rico to Friwen Wall, Batu Lima and High Island, all excellent. Everyone pays a high price for fuel, so the boat trips are more expensive that you might expect.
The family gave us a lovely balance of privacy and friendship.
Meilke has taken time to create a beautiful place and we thoroughly recommend you visit (so long as you don’t take our room when we want it 😁😜)

If you want more information at all, don’t hesitate to ask.
Vanessa

This was our first stop in Raja Ampat. Beautiful quiet place, incredible coral, no divers around, just a few other people in the water. We could snorkle for hours without getting bored. The family is super friendly, lots of activities on offer, easy to make appointments for activities as the owner speaks very good English and likes to take guests out. We just had a great time and feel sad we left this gem

Really good host, food was really good.
They take care of there guests, and listen to your needs. Even snacks at 16h.
I've stayed on 3 different places in Raja, and this was for me the best value/money.
We saw couscous, paradise birds,
walking sharks and a lot more.
For diving I recommend Tarzan divers, excellent equipment and Heike knows what's she's doing.

I stayed for a few days at the end of August. Melki and his family are great and welcoming hosts. The food was nice, fresh and varied and good for vegetarians. The huts are basic and comfortable with mosquito net over mattress. Bring earplugs if you are a light sleeper – lots of noisy insects at night, but none inside the mosquito net! Cuscus visits the dining area every evening – so cute, and fun to watch. Brings books and things to do inbetween day trips and snorkelling. They have two private beaches that are great for snorkelling. Lots of nice birds around.

We really loved this guesthouse, it is simple but comfortable, clean, and very well located near Batu Lima, Mios Kon, and Friwen wall. The toilet and shower were very nice and the deck where you will eat has great views. The house reef is good. There is a cuscus in the property and we saw black cacatou and papuan hornbill. Melki, the owner, was extremely helpful and professional and we had a chance to go to his village Yenbeser which is absolutely a must. He organized also a nice excursion to watch dugons and coconut crabs. His brother will cook amazing food and the quantity served is a lot so you will never be hungry. The whole property is kept clean and tidy.

Very nice stay! Beautiful and clean bungalows just 5 meters from sea. Two nice, quiet and empty beaches and wonderful snorkeling. Very quiet and romantic place. Also toilet and shower were very good. But what you will love the most is FOOD there! You will get a big breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks as well. You can any time grab a coffee or a tea in dinning room. We've also seen a lot of animals there - walking shark, turtle, kuskus etc. The owner took us also to see the village and for fishing tuna! I am recommending this place for everyone!

5 star homestay!

My husband and I stayed at this homestay for 4 nights last december. This place is really amazing! We are looking to go back next year.

We had a really warm welcome from Melki with all the information about our stay and the surroundings. The rest of the family is also very friendly and everybody works hard to keep the place clean and beautiful.

The beach is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen and we travelled a lot and seen many beaches already. The house reef is amazing with healthy coral, lots of fishes, sharks and even turtles. We saw dolphins in the distance.

The bungalow was clean and really nice, close to the bathroom and close to the beach. We had a matras on the floor with a good mosquito net and a small terras. There is nothing more you need in this paradise. If you want luxury you should go to an (expensive) resort. Good price quality at this homestay!

We heard the cuscus and saw lots of parrots and other birds who woke us up every morning.

The food is very good and there is a variety of things, so not the same everyday. The afternoon snack is a real treat, loved it! The terras where you eat is on top of a rock with amazing view over the clear ocean. In this "restaurant" you will find some books to read (Melki calls it his little library) and also information about sealife and the trips you can make.

We did several snorkeltrips with either Melki or his brothers. I felt very safe because they first check the current before they let you go into the water. The boat is always nearby. We also went on a trip to look for manta's but unfortunately didn't see them, but that's nature right (just like the jellyfish and the insects you may encounter in these waters and jungle).

Go here when you are not into mass tourism, feel like Robinson Cruiso on a private beach with waters cristal clear. Best place to be on Gam!

We spent really lovely 10 days in Yenros. It was our favourite of three homestays we visited during our trip to Raja Ampat.
The bungalows are very well made with solid mosquito nets and comfortable verandas.
We loved the dining area where you can admire the beautiful view of the sea, while having a tea or while waiting for the food. Speaking of food – it’s the best we’ve had on the islands. Large portions of fresh fish usually twice a day with rice and lots of vegetables. You literally don’t have a chance to even get a tiny bit hungry over there (we did in other homestays).
Also worth a mention are fried bananas that are served as an afternoon snack – they’re to die for, even after ten days we couldn’t get enough of them.
You are surrounded by lots of wildlife with birds passing by all the time (we have seen lots of parrots and eagles), monitor lizards crossing your path, cuscuses feeding on trees around bungalows (we have even seen two of them fighting!). The house reef is amazing! We snorkelled every day starting from the bigger beach and saw sharks and turtles almost daily. There’s a very accessible reef drop off where they all swim by. During the low tide we could also see a young walking shark in the shallow water that you can approach very closely without it getting scared. Also, thousands of fish, stingrays, eagle rays, starfish, giant clams.. Everything just a few meters away.

It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever stayed. It’s also a great spot for snorkelling and you can often see dolphins there. Delicious food and friendly hosts.

If you are looking for a Homestay that has it all (great food, reef, pricing, host) , save yourself the research time and just book here.....

I spent 3 months looking over every Homestay I could find, reading every review and weighing all of the pros and cons for each. We landed on 2 Homestays, Yenros being the first.

It's close location to waisai is a great perk for quick pickup and being close to the exit in case of emergency. While most house reefs are great, this one is a cut above. It has two beaches, Which means multiple entry points during low tide, so you can hop in anytime of day safely and ride the current in either direction... Something not all Homestays have. The quality of the reef is absolutely superb. Excellent drop-off, wide range of corals and fish. Excellent lighting morning and evening. Truly all you could ask for. Awesome sunrises and sunsets here as well.
They have a nice boat that can fit 6-8 people, plus gear comfortably. Very reasonable trip prices and An extensive knowledge of the area. Theres a wide range of options to visit because of their excellent location. They have a menu of options and trips so pricing is clear and there is no misunderstanding of where all you are going.
I love food and knew coming to Raja meant I would be leaving alot of my favorite things to eat behind. many Homestays have bad reviews because of their cooking, but not this one. I was releived to find Yenros house has awesome food! They mix things up, always have enough, great spices and flavors. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner are always prepared with love and delivered at the time promised. Paired with the stellar views from the dining area every meal is a treat.

The host family is WONDERFUL, Melki (your point of contact here) speaks clear English, is patient, kind, friendly, smart and open to teaching you about his culture and family. We have always felt VERY safe here and looked after. The property is private and in its own little corner of the land.

Melki, the family and this property have knocked the Raja Ampat experience out of the park!!! Which is hard to do considering the high expectations we came with. We loved it here so much we cancelled our other booking and extended our stay by an extra week.

Spent 9 nights at Yenros with Melki and his family, Melki is a great host who speaks good English, the food is delicious with 3 meals a day and afternoon snacks ie; banana fritters or cakes, I was never hungry. Comfortable bungalows with mosquito netting , a communal septic toilet. Shower on beach to rinse off after snorkeling the brilliant home reef. Plenty of fresh water for showering and unlimited drinking water to fill your bottles. Day trips are paid for on a share boat price payment method and very reasonable ,(prices available on website) they always have someone in the water with the snorkelers and a lookout in the boat to pick you up. Thanks again Melki, it's a shame I have to go home.

I spent a week in total with Melki and his family. This place is paradise.

The bungalows are clean so are the washrooms, which I cannot say about the other homestays I’ve stayed at. The shower floor had white coral debris compared to black coral debris at the other homestays I’ve been to. The food was delicious. Mama Melki, Cela and Nella proved their cooking skills by serving various dishes ranging from fried fish with sweet garlic sauce to steamed fish, cooked wild pig and always fresh vegetables such as watercress, sweet potatoes, carrots, kale and other local veggies. There was also papaya and bananas. In the afternoon there are sweet snacks including warm cake or fried bananas. Coffee and tee are always available.
One day I went to Wasai with the family to get fishing gear and explore the fruit market. Josh and I went to get gas from Yenbeser village and ventured out to fish for tuna and tangiri. We went spearfishing at night with a torch at the house reef and had an excellent BBQ.

if you want to be mindful, be aware that there is no waste disposal in Rajampat. Plastic is thrown in the ocean or burned. So if you bring or buy plastic, take it back to your country or burn it at the homestay. I left my stainless steel water bottle there because the local freshwater comes only in 4gallons or in 0.2l plastic cups which are sealed with plastic foil. You drink the freshwater with a plastic straw that is also sealed with plastic foil which deteriorates the environmental pollution even further. I didn’t know whom to give my reusable metal drinking bottle because everyone wanted it. Next time, I will bring more! I also bought a 12gb simcard (simpati) in Sorong for 150.000 IDR and gave everyone a hotspot so the kids could download Duolingo and learn English with me ( thank you for teaching me Indonesian and Papuan!).

At Yenros, there is full reception and 4G. I donated my mask and snorkel to the homestay since a lot of children there don’t have one although the ocean is part of their everyday life. We collected plastic and burned it at the beach. Unfortunately, that’s the only way to get rid of it.

On the last day, the family threw a farewell beach party for me with a huge campfire. We had speakers and danced. I have a family in West Papua now. Thank you, Mama Melki, Cela, Nella, Theaa, Melki, Joshua, Yulens, Mika, Noel, Fian and all others for your hospitality and kindness. I have only experienced this warm-heartedness in very few places in the world. I will definitely come back.

Several basic bungalows, clean and ideal setting. Gorgeous views, great "home reef" and relaxing in hammocks on a nice beach!

Nice people, wonderful wildlife, housereef goes on for miles, don't miss the passage ;)

Amazing place, the people are very kind and great hosts. I had an unforgettable time.

Amazing!

Paradise for nature lovers

Beautiful!