Great, thank you. Might PM him and ask some questions! Cheers
Been somewhat off the grid being Christmas and all and have just reviewed the postings above. In general I can only agree with the observations regarding security, attractions and prices. It really depends on what you want to get out of the place. In the last few years there have been a number of additional hotels open - e.g. the Holiday Inn complex now includes the two additional hotels the Holiday Inn Suites and the Holiday Inn Express (the latter includes breakfast in the tariff). In addition you have the Grand Papua (supposedly more upmarket but it all depends on what you want out of a hotel) and also the Laguna (apparently a really nice pool but I haven't dipped there). Tariffs are very high by Australian and Asian standards and there is no real way around that unless you have points to use on booking a night at an IHG hotel or know someone in town. I have lived in a three hotels and know people that live in a number of others, in terms of recommendation your key driver should probably be proximity to what you want to do and factoring in your trips to and from the airport. All reasonable hotels will provide shuttle transfers to/from the airport and it is just a matter of letting them know in advance (there are a number that meet every flight but some don't).
If I recall your in for about 2 days which isn't really enough time to familiarise and really get out and about, and of course it also depends on where you are in transit to on your stopover - are you heading into the highlands/northcoast/islands etc. or off to Japan/Singapore/Manilla. A couple of tips I would offer in regards to staying in POM are:
- getting around: for anything less than a week I wouldn't even entertain driving myself, it will take you that long to get your feet on the ground, street signs are in short supply and road rules are often ignored which is all compounded by the condition of roads and vehicles not to mention the other drivers on the roads. The last time I went to hire a car from Hertz as unbelievable as it might sound it was cheaper to get a car with a driver than to get one and self-drive. This was because of the treatment of insurance for company drivers. The convenience factor is great in terms of just getting dropped and picked up at whim;
- comms: you can get SIM cards from the two main suppliers at the airport. Global roaming into PNG is horrendously expensive although it is coming down. Best tricks for calling home are: 1) become an IHG rewards member which means you can call on Skype or Viber using the complimentary internet service; 2) buy a data pack - however in relation to 1 and 2 calling over data has proven to be less than satisfactory on many occassions; 3) Don't get people to call you from Oz as the rate into PNG is about twice the rate out; 4) the most economic calling approach is to buy a voice bundle for the equivalent of about $8 and you can call Oz for 50mins. In general terms in POM there isn't now that much difference between the two networks in terms of coverage but if you are going further afield it pays to find out who is providing coverage where you are going.
- entertainment: in general terms nightclubbing can be a risky undertaking but there are some exceptions e.g. if you are staying at Lamana Hotel it has the "Gold Club" as a complex it also includes three restaurants of which 2 have opening in the last couple of weeks.
- eating out: There are a number of good dining establishments around town although you need to know where to look for them - give me a yell closer to the time and I might be able to give you some pointers, there are currently some great indian and chinese establishments. I will say that even stand-alone restaurants are not immune from the "raskals" (bandits/thieves/muggers etc.) and one particularly good restaurant never recovered from its armed robbery and the rip-off of patrons in the process. However, there are a number that are pretty well immune from these risks due to being located in hotels and/or shopping centres.
- culture: again it depends on which days for the week you are in town for and duration. Most Saturday's there are craft markets somewhere in town and these are relatively safe. The list includes: Holiday Inn, Moresby Arts Theatre, Ela Murray School and a couple of others. General markets are to be avoided unless you are accompanied by a local who 'really' knows what is going on. If you plan on bringing artifacts back that's a topic for another posting;
- activities: subject to day of the week options that fall into the safe category are: Wednessday Afternoon Gentlepersons Sailing (WAGS) the yachties are always looking for crew and an opportunity to see the harbour from a different perspective; weekend diving/snorkelling trips are often on; you could possibly even tie in a trip to Loloata which is a local resort (think 3 stars) but on a Friday or Saturday night an opportunity to see a local dance group; again it all depends on your interests and there are some escorted walking groups that do get into the countryside around POM.
Cautions: Refrain from displays of wealth i.e. wallets should be accessed discreetly and preferably have the right amount of currency available; keep your phone in your pocket until you are in a 'safe' locale (the distraction can adversely effect your awareness of you environment); as others have said walking is largely to be avoided along with taxis and PMVs. If you do have to use the latter instruct the hotel that they must get you one with a meter (should be mandatory but there are a lot of illegal operators), must have an unbroken windscreen, be registered, and have reasonable rubber - when the taxi arrives check that it meets these specs - chances are that it won't and you should turn it away and tell them to hunt up another one - accordingly allow plenty of time to get from A to B if not using a hire car with a driver.
Anyhow it turned into a bit of a tome but feel free to drop a line and I will respond.