Timor Leste Accommodation Barry's Place on Atauro Sustainability
Barry's Place on Atauro
Address: Atauro Island, Atauro Island view mapThank you for choosing to stay at Barry’s Place on Atauro.
We hope you enjoy your stay with us. We look forward to meeting you, and helping you get to know our island and our local culture.
We offer accommodation on Atauro Island with all meals included in the cost. We have a range of accommodation from Tents to Bungalows and Gazebos. We have sun-drenched thatched cabins right on the beach. There are shared fresh water showers, solar-powered lights and fans. All rooms a clean and comfortable with mosquito nets and each accommodation type comes with an open-air veranda where you can sit and relax while look over the clear ocean.
Guest Meals
Guests are invited to join us for buffet style meals on the veranda at the following times:
Breakfast 7.00 am
Lunch 12.00 pm
Dinner 7.00 pm
Complementary coffee, tea, biscuits and water (not bottled) are available for guests at any time.
Picnic lunches are available on request for those undertaking day excursions. Should you require a picnic hamper you will need to notify staff the evening before the planned excursion.
Please note that there will be no discount for guest dining out at the local Italian restaurant or with friends. Due to hygiene reasons and lack of cooking fuel, self-catering is not permitted at the lodge.
Should you not wish to eat in, would you please notify staff to help minimise waste of precious food.
Cold Drinks
Cold drinks are available from the refrigerator at the rear of the end of the dining room table, in the main house. Please remember to keep a tally on the sheet on top of the refrigerator.
Beer $3.00 Large water $1.50 Soft drinks $2.00 Small water $1.00
(All used aluminium cans are collected and sent to Dili for recycling. The Lodge encourages free water refills. The locals recycle plastic and glass bottles, using them for seed and coconut oil storage, as well as floats for their Seaweed farming- not ideal!)
Day Trippers
Day trippers can purchase meals for the following prices:
Breakfast $ 5.00
Lunch $ 8.00
Dinner $10.00
Morning or Afternoon Teas $ 3.00
Please note the Day Trippers who purchase meals are welcome to share in the complementary coffee, tea etc. and use of facilities of the Eco-Lodge.
Dogs
Please assist our staff to keep stray village dogs away from the lodge, particularly the eating areas. They are a source of disease and at times become aggressive, particularly if fed by guests.
Due to potential problems with local dogs and our family dog, pets are not permitted to stay at the lodge with guests.
All meals are included in the cost
Please remember to book and confirm your transport to and from Dili by calling either:
‘Compass Charters’ daily Water Taxi – Kim +670 723 0966 (leaves Dili 7:30am from in front of the yellow European Union building on the water front, leaves from in front of Barry’s Place 9:15am daily. $45 pp one way.
‘Atauro Roo’ boat service (minimum 4 passengers) – Jenny +670 7478280 leaves Barry’s Place 6am and leaves Dili 8am when booked. $30 pp one way
‘Nakroma’ public Ferry (on Saturday only). Tickets are to be purchased Friday from 8am at the Dili Port (only one-way). Once on Atauro, purchase tickets near the pier at 1:30pm. $5 or $10 one way.
Local boat ‘Manu-Tasi’ departs Atauro every Monday morning 4am. $10pp one way. (Ask Barry or Lina to help organise pick up and booking.)
Barry is a local of Atauro originally from Australia. He has been on the island for a period of 8 years. He has a lot of local knowledge and no question is too hard.
Main area of focus in Caring for the Destination:
The Environment
The people of Atauro depend on the unique natural environment of the island for their survival. It also has spiritual significance for them in their daily lives.
We ask you to respect the environment by:
Enjoying the beauty of the reef without touching, damaging or removing coral, shells, starfish or marine plants.
Disposing of rubbish carefully in bins provided.
Not damaging or removing rocks or plants or needlessly burning precious firewood – leave the environment as you found it.
Not touching or interfering with natural sacred objects or places (guides will advise you).
Detailed description of the Caring for the Destination Initiative:
The Environment
The people of Atauro depend on the unique natural environment of the island for their survival. It also has spiritual significance for them in their daily lives.
We ask you to respect the environment by:
Enjoying the beauty of the reef without touching, damaging or removing coral, shells, starfish or marine plants.
Disposing of rubbish carefully in bins provided.
Not damaging or removing rocks or plants or needlessly burning precious firewood – leave the environment as you found it.
Not touching or interfering with natural sacred objects or places (guides will advise you).
Barry’s Place – Eco-Lodge
Permaculture is the design method we have chosen here at the lodge as its ethics and principals are aligned and strengthen that of eco-tourism, “Care of the earth, care of its people”. Our aim is to create a system that is ecologically sound and economically viable, provides for its own needs, does not exploit or pollute and are therefore sustainable in the long term, “Working with, rather than against nature.”
We are revegetating with naturally occurring species, minimising excavation and disturbance to ground cover, using appropriate traditional construction techniques and using locally sourced sustainable building materials such as bamboo and ai-kadiru (lontar palm/sugar palm) that is cut seasonally. All local material and trade persons have been and are to be employed and used throughout the construction with skill transfer and cultural appropriateness always at the forefront. Each team of builders has two or three apprentices who are trained in the traditional building techniques.
Clean drinking water and a reliable distribution system has always been a problem. We aim to model and implement water conservation methods: grey water used from kitchen and bathroom, composting toilets, small sinks, bucket showering and laundry services is done in brackish water. The lodge involves minimal use of energy with the following measures in the design processes: natural ventilation and breezeway, only natural lighting in daylight hours, roofing is low heat absorption (grass thatch) solar panels for lighting and low wattage electrical needs (12volt fans).
