I am not being paid anything for this post. I will not receive any sort of commission. In fact they have no idea I’m writing this. I’m not even sure if they remember me or my visit.
Not only is Micronesia not overrun with tourists, it probably never will be. It is a very difficult place to get to and there is only one airline that flies there. The end points of the flight are in Hawaii and Guam which are tourist destinations in their own right, so Micronesia will never get many tourists. I don’t know if any any island in Micronesia has more than 100 beds.
I also don’t talk about hotels much on my blog. I do have a personal list of favorite places I’ve stayed while traveling, but I’ve never shared that list with anyone.
Kosrae gets few tourists and the recession has dropped that number even further. The Kosrae Village is doing a very aggressive promotion to try and raise money: They are selling vouchers for $2,000 worth of lodging, food or diving for $1,000. Basically, you can vacation there for half the price.
With the voucher, you can get a double bungalow for $35/night per person, or you can go on a 2 tank dive for $55. That is cheap. All of this in an undiscovered, Pacific paradise.
If this interests you, send an email and contact Katrina and Bruce at [email protected]
I’m doing this because I want to help one of my favorite hotels and want to encourage people to visit one of my favorite places on Earth. It is also a really good deal.
If anyone does visit Kosrae, please let me know. If you stop by the Village Ecolodge, make sure to try the lime cordial!
I was told that this special was only for the month of July 2010.
Hi Ingrid, yes you are correct. the special mentioned in the June post is over now. But we are often running other specials, perhaps not as dramatic :).
Katrina
LOvely places.
I love exotic places
looks like a very serene place… any other recommended vacation rental in the area?
I haven’t visited Kosrae Village yet but I have heard many stories about this wonderful place.
That’s great Mary!
If you get a chance, come and see us, I don’t think that you will be disappointed.
Cheers,
Katrina
I _have_ visited there and it’s amazing. I took my kids – then 8 and 17. Katrina taught me and the 17 year-old to dive and it was even more beautiful under the water than the photos suggest. The 8 year old was too young, but he loved playing on the beach and in the shallow reef just outside the bungalow and we all had a great time visiting the Menka ruins. The 8 year old, very hard to impress, forgot himself for a minute after we’d been there a day and exclaimed, “This is awesome!” The same kid who shrugged about trips with his father to Hawaii and Costa Rica. The other thing I especially appreciated is that the staff seemed to really like us and all I had to do was ask anyone where the 8 year old was, and they all knew. Also, we happened to visit at the same time as an Austrian family with a boy my son’s age so the plan that I later learned that Katrina and the staff had devised wasn’t needed – one of the staff members had volunteered to bring her child to work, who was about the same age as my son. It was lovely in so many ways. I returned just last January – just with a friend this time, and it’s still as wonderful and it’s extremely un-tourist-y. The people I met in town were warm, open (sometimes a little shy), friendly, and curious toward me. I know this is a lot – sometimes I can’t help myself.
you say “do have a personal list of favorite places I’ve stayed while traveling, but I’ve never shared that list with anyone. ”
Why on earth not? Are you afraid we will all rush to them and then there won’t be room for you? That’s a patently absurd reason so I am sure that can’t be it. So why don’t you share?
Because I don’t want to get into the business of doing hotel reviews.
What a coincidence! I just spent a year teaching on Kosrae. And I definitely agree, it is an amazing place.
Hi Teresa,
When were you on Kosrae?
Katrina
Oh, one to add to my list. Thanks.
I’d love to go to Micronesia, it’s high up on my list. Will try to find a way to include it in our next big trip!
Hi Sofia,
Drop me a line with any questions and I’ll do my best to help you out.
Cheers,
Katrina
Hi Gary,
Intrepid explorers unite! It amazes me how many people traverse this beautiful planet of ours on a whim.
I have often wondered if they have any responsibilities back home that they have decided to up and leave for another time, or have they won or inherited a LARGE sum of money that allows for all the time in the world to explore? I believe it to be a great privilege to explore our greatest gift – Planet Earth.
I hope you enjoy my travel blog as much as I enjoy reading yours. To all the explorers out there, Love, Peace and Light
Micronesia! This is the place quiet unknown to me but I saw a lot beautiful about this place…
Wish to reach it someday in one of my trips…
Very cool. I’ve seen Micronesia on the map but no nothing about it–just that the name is a little funny :) Glad to hear such good things from you. I hope to make it there before it becomes too touristy!
I was there :) That is how I got the photos and was able to write about it.
I have visited Kosrae Village three years ago. Wonderful place!
I work for and as a challenge I entered LAX-Kosrae into our flight search engine and was pleasently surpirsed with the results. It was Continental with around as previously commented, but at $1600, and I didn’t fiddle much with the dates.
In order to book the discount Visit Micronesia fare, you have to call Continental reservations. Many of the US reservations agents don’t recognize the fare, so I have post the detailed instructions here: http://kosraevillage.com/traveltips.shtml.
That should say Dohop.com up there in the first sentence, but I suspect the internet ate part of my comment.
Good promotion, vut you have to spend a lot going from continental cities…
Personally, I’d recommend booking a really cheap flight to Hawaii, then just book your Micronesia tickets from that point.
Gary,
Thanks very much for your review and sending on our promotion!
I thought that I should let you know that Continental has a discount Visit Micronesia fare. The details for booking the fare can be found on my site at http://kosraevillage.com/traveltips.shtml. I have heard that it is difficult to book, so if you run into trouble, let me know. I can get help from Continental.
Cheers,
Katrina
Around $1500 RT from LAX. It’s about a 24 hr trip each way.
Neat promotion, and kind of tempting! What are the roundtrip travel costs from the continental US?
You’d have to check. The only airline that flies that route is Continental Micronesia and you have to leave from Hawaii or Guam.
The distance of the flight is precisely why this is never going to be a big tourist destination.
Looks like at least $1800 and 30 hours from my current location. Still, something to keep in mind for when I have more time and more money.