All in all it was a nice place to visit, and we got to see some really unique and interesting sights. People were really friendly, and we felt very safe there even when we ended up sleeping on the ground outside our hotel when we arrived at 3 am on our first day.
For people wanting to visit Palau there are a couple of things one should be aware of first though. The thing I missed the most during our stay in Koror was that there wasn't a single beach in the vicinity, so unless you take a taxi or rent a car to go to the other side of the island (depending on where you live of course) you won't be able to fulfill your dreams of spending some relaxing days on the white sand. In our case, the hotel we stayed at was situated in the middle of nowhere, and the main reason we had chosen the place was because of their beautiful pool. But as it was off-season it turned out that the pool hadn't been cleaned for months and was filled with green water... Although the hotel in itself wasn't bad this obviously had a huge negative impact on our stay. To avoid ending up in the middle of nowhere and get your vacation destroyed you should be very careful when choosing where to stay. If you want to make sure you get a proper hotel I would recommend the Palau Royal Resort; they are located close to the city senter and have a private beach. If I ever get the chance to come back to Palau I'll most definitely stay there.
The second negative aspect of Palau is that there is not much to do unless you have money to pay for activities and trips (again a good reason to choose a hotel with a good locations and activities available on the hotel's grounds). There are some tour operators offering to take you along on great trips around Palau, which of course is nice if you don't mind spending around 100 dollars a day for such trips. It is not the best place to be a poor student like we were..
You could of course also rent a car and travel around (which isn't that cheap either), but if you stay in Koror you might just find yourself stuck at Cafe Berry due to lack of things to do. Free wifi is rare in Palau and Cafe Berry is one of the few cafes that offers free wifi along with your order. The password is changed every day, but is always something from their menu (at least during our week here) and included words like cappuccino and americano. Be aware that both locals and tourists alike come here just to use the wifi, and the Internet is often reaaally slow.
As for nightlife; Palau has strict rules about how late you are allowed to stay out, and most places close really early. We celebrated New Years in Palau, and this was the only day of the year where the bars were allowed to stay open until midnight. It actually turned out to be an awesome and very memorable New Year's celebration which deserves a separate post.. For now however, just keep in mind that Palau probably isn't your #1 partying destination for most of the year.
If you can ignore the negative aspects mentioned above (in other words: if you're not a backpacker on a tight budget like I was) then Palau will be a great destination for you. Palau is known as a mecca when it comes to diving, and we had an awesome dive trip to the Turtle Wall. I'm sure that people who visit mainly for the diving opportunities (and stay at a proper hotel) won't be disappointed.
Anyway, the rest of my posts about Palau can be found below! Although this post might seem a bit negative we did have a lot of fun during our stay, which I hope has been reflected in my other posts.
Related blogposts
Recommended Hotels in Palau
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Palau Royal Resort by Nikko Hotels |
Airai Water Paradise Hotel & Spa |
DW Motel |
Lighthouse Hotel |
About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.
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