Picture a small private island with a white sandy beach, tall palm trees, beautiful flowers, magnificent sunsets and traditional bungalows. Surrounding this beautiful adults-only hideaway are some of the most colourful reefs and the best fish life this planet has to offer….
Just north of Australia lies Papua New Guinea – The Land of the Unexpected.
After a 1 1/2 hour flight from Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, you reach Kavieng. Situated only 2 degrees south of the Equator on the north-western end of the island of New Ireland, you find yourself in a small and laid-back town. Often referred to as a typical “Somerset Maugham” South Pacific island setting, you are now right between two crystal clear oceans: The South Pacific to the north and the Bismarck Sea to the south.
Lissenung Island Resort is located a 20-minute boat ride from Kavieng, the capital of New Ireland Province. The resort was started by Dietmar in early 1996 and it still remains all there is on the island. Eight ocean-front rooms in four duplex bungalows, furnished with hardwood floors and spacious verandahs, are spread out over the island. Other than a handful of local staff, you won’t see another soul, and you can easily circumnavigate the island in about 10 – 15 minutes.
Deckchairs and a bottle of wine on the beach at sunset time are the perfect way to end an exciting day of diving. A minimum age limit of 12 years for our guests ensures a relaxed and tranquil atmosphere. With a maximum of 16 guests, personal service is guaranteed and your holiday truly exclusive!
The main house, or “haus win”, offers comfortable chairs on a sandy floor and it is here where cold drinks and delicious meals await you. Fresh seafood such as fish, crabs and lobster (crayfish) feature high on a daily-changing menu. Special dietary requirements can be catered for on request. Please advise us of those as early as possible as food supplies can be a little limited at times.
Many of the ingredients used in our kitchen come from the local market in Kavieng or are bought from locals that come direct to the island or meet our boat at dive sites. We buy fresh fruit such as pineapple, bananas, star fruit as well as all of our seafood from these people. Some vegetables and fruit are even grown in our own small veggie garden on the island. But wherever the food comes from, you can’t get it fresher and more organic than this!
Beer and Wine are available at the resort, but feel free to bring spirits from the duty free store as they are often unavailable in PNG, and even when they are, they are extremely expensive. We have plenty of ice and mixer drinks such as coke, tonic water etc.
All buildings are built in the traditional style, with thatched roofs and walls made from woven bamboo. They blend in with their surroundings and are very eco-friendly. The local building materials are surprisingly strong and withstand even the strongest rainstorms.
Local artifacts complete the picture and give the buildings that great PNG atmosphere. Just about every carving you see here is for sale, most of them being endemic to New Ireland.
This is what the island looked like before Dietmar came here, back in April 1996. We sure have come a very long way!