Sumba Nautil Resort

A few days ago, Chris and I finished the first phase of the project we are working on. We completed the census and mapping of Wainyapu. We now know that there are exactly 2678 people living in Wainyapu, and we know exactly where they live. In just a few days, we will begin the cross-sectional survey to look at how many of these individuals are currently infected with malaria. We have been working very hard and decided to take a couple days off to do a little sightseeing.

There are many places that we want to visit in Sumba (places in the East, a national park somewhere in Central Sumba, cool little islands off the coast of Sumba, etc.). We decided our first side trip should be short and relatively close. Pantai Marosi, which is about 2 hours south of our current location seemed to be the perfect destination. It is close. The beach is supposed to be gorgeous and the waves phenomenal. There is also a resort at Pantai Marosi that caters to Westerners – Sumba Nautil Resort.

Okay, everyone is sold, so how do we get there? If you are a solitary travel, you can hop on one of the many local buses. This method of travel takes a bit of faith or ignorance. You will be riding with pigs, chickens, smoking, machete-yielding men in traditional sarongs, and woman chewing beetle nut (mild stimulant that causes one to make profuse amounts of bright red saliva – imagine the spitting). If there are no seats available, you will not be told this information. Instead, you will be expected to cling to the luggage rack on top. Riding the bus is not ideal particularly with a toddler. We chose to rent a car and driver. I’m not sure this idea was better than the bus, but we got to our destination and returned to Bukit Sunyi safely. We left Monday morning in a pick-up truck. (We thought we had rented a car.)

The drive took us up into the mountains. The views were stunning.

We stayed at a super nice hotel in Pantai Marosi run by a Frenchman called Mr. Alli. He has been there for 11 years. His resort is fantastic. They have a pool and a spectacular view of the ocean.

There was Western food with a French flair. We had sandwiches, beer, crepes, flan, French fries, and shrimp cocktail. Best of all – hot water and a toilet. I nearly cried!

Pantai Marosi more than met our expectations. The sand was white, the water cool and clear, and the sun was hot. Unfortunately, there was no swell while we were there, but Chris still managed to find a “zippy little right” that made for a fun morning.

We only stayed one night. The resort was pricey by Indonesia standards (i.e. it cost the same as a hotel with a view of IHOP along any interstate in the US). Mr. Alli did give us the special rate for Westerners living and working in Sumba. He said he knows how important it is to have some place reasonable to get a little respite. I would have paid double just for the toilet.