Yenaiwon Homestay, located in East Arefi Village on Yenaiwon Island, North Batanta District, Raja Ampat, is a family-owned self-help business initiative by Natalius Karolis Rumbewas, established in 2024. It offers accommodation and nature/marine reserve tourism packages in North Batanta. The homestay features a local structural design with private beachfront bungalows on the Raspapir Island promontory, offering views of the sea, coral, seagrass beds, and the mangrove forest.
Operations are managed by Natalius Karolis Rumbewas and three staff members (a longboat driver, a cook, and a housekeeper). The homestay also provides a list of one-day tour packages, mostly for snorkeling, to sites like Dayan, Pulau Wai, Yenbuba, Arborek, and a Top View Panorama trip to Pyainemo.
Rooms
2 x On beach – VIP bungalow
A single room bungalow with ensuite bathroom and toilet. Sleeps max. 2 persons / room.
Rates
Twin share from IDR 411,766 per person / night including 3 meals daily
Single occupancy from IDR 647,060 per person / night including 3 meals daily
Features
- Sorong transfers available
- Quiet hideaway
- Calm beach
- Has ensuite bathroom/toilet
- Western style toilet
- Diving available
- Seagrass
- Sandy Beach
- Coral
- Near village
- IDR 400,000 to 500,000
- Has private bungalows
Details
Yenaiwon Homestay occupies a tiny arc of beach on the northern arm of Pulau Arefi.
Yenaiwon offers two VIP bungalows with ensuite bathrooms.
The bungalows sleep two on a mattresses on the floor. Mosquito nets, sheets and pillows and bath towels are provided. The bungalows are equipped with light switches and power outlets.
Electricity for lighting and charging devices is supplied by generator and is available from sunset to around midnight. If guests are willing to pay for the extra fuel, then electricity can be provided on demand.
Meals are served at Yenaiwon’s beachside dining room. As at all homestays, free drinking water, and tea and coffee making supplies are freely available to guests there.
Mobile phone reception is variable. SMS and phone calls are supported and a data connection is sometimes possible.
Arefi village is only about a kilometre from Yenaiwon Homestay. At low tide, the easiest route is along the beach. At high tide, it’s a bit more of an adventurous walk: A guide might be needed to find the best path. The village also can be reached in 5-10 minutes by boat.
Only basic supplies are available at the village shops in Arefi, so be sure to bring your essential supplies with you. Please take any inorganic trash away with you when you leave: There is no safe means of inorganic waste disposal in Raja Ampat. (See our Don’t rubbish Raja Ampat article for more about this.)
Only a little English is spoken at Yenaiwon Homestay. Bringing a translation app or phrasebook with you will ease communication.
Activities
Yenaiwon Homestay is quiet, remote and isolated and has healthy seagrass and coral at the doorstep.
Bring your snorkelling gear and explore the waters around Arefi, or simply relax and take in the vista of islands and waterways visible from your bungalow.. Blacktip reef sharks and dolphins are common sights in the waters around Arefi and dugongs can sometimes be seen at high tide.
Boat trips to explore the many islands and bays of Batanta’s north coast can be organised on demand, and the pretty nearby village of Arefi is also well worth visiting.
Diving with Yenaiwon Homestay
Diving is available at Kandipi Dive Center at Pulau Birie. Kandipi offers free transport to and from Yenaiwon Homestay.
Sunday Diving: Only available after conclusion of church services at 11:00 am.