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Reviews of DW Motel Palau

2.5 out of 5
DW Motel Palau
Main Street, Koror

Reviews

8.4

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 70 out of 208 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 109 out of 208 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 25 out of 208 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 208 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 208 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

8.8/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Joe

Stayed 13 nights in Nov 2023
Response from AYAKO on Jan 6, 2024
Thank you for high rating

10/10 Excellent

Milika Vitalina

Stayed 14 nights in Oct 2023
Response from AYAKo on Nov 25, 2023
Thank you for your feedback

10/10 Excellent

Timothy

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The DW motel is conveniently located on the Main Street in downtown Koror. It is a no-frills, economy hotel in a convenient lopcation, and as long as you are not looking for resort amenities (and price!), this place is very good. The staff is friendly and helpful, and very good responding to inquiries. We were looking for a convenient, inexpensive, place to catch some sleep while waiting for a midnight flight home, and this place filled that role perfectly.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022
Response from Ayako on Apr 18, 2022
Thank you for your stayed us your stay only short time but we are very happy you had good rest for leaving if you have chance to come to Palau we are happy to meet you again!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Stranger on Feb 10, 2020
Thank you for your feedback Best Regards DW hotel

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
There is a small kitchen and washing area for diving equipment. I very appreciate them.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Stranger on Jan 4, 2020
Thank you for your stayed us and feedback we are very happy to hear that we try to keep clean hotel and improve more comfortable if you have chance to come we are happy to meet you again Best Regards

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Stayed 7 nights in May 2019

8/10 Good

Barnaby

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great budget motel
Staffs were very helpful, just keep in mind that there are things that they cannot do when the manager is not around, like restocking your favourite beer. There is not much to this motel, which is just fine when you have other priority, like scuba diving. Actually the whole Palau has very little to offer other than scuba diving and related water activities, you'll notice the moment you landed: an airport without air-conditioning. The location is just a bit west to the main strip, so it is quiet. Free filtered water and cooking facilities are provided if you like to take care of yourself. The staffs keep the place clean, but creatures like ants are unavoidable, if you have food in your room, keep them locked and sealed. Wi-fi is inconsistent, at least on the 3rd floor where I stayed.
Stayed 10 nights in Apr 2019
Response from Stranger on May 1, 2019
Thank you for your stayed us and comments We have to keep the guest comfortable We are very sorry for the Wifi connection I have to recheck the condition If you have chance to come to Palau we are very happy to see you again Best Regards

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Stranger on Apr 14, 2019
Thank you for your stayed us

8/10 Good

SIM LAN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good for budget traveller
Location is convenient and quiet, room is very clean. Wifi at lobby area.
Response from Stranger on May 1, 2018
Thank you for your comments we are very happy to hear that you enjoy your stay us

8/10 Good

Yuko

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Response from ストレンジャー on Apr 19, 2018
ご利用頂きありがとうとざいました。

10/10 Excellent

MALIA, GUAM

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Palau Through the Eyes of the DW Motel
Hafa Adai: I was truly unaware off the hotel's capacities until I arrived. It was lovely yet hidden motel. It was quiet and truly focused on those that just want to be away. It was far from the general hotel areas, quiet. It was a small hotel and I felt at home. I was not walking a huge reception area, or elevators or expansive hallways. It was exceptionally clean and maintained. Since there are no restaurants at the motel, I needed to eat somewhere. This was not a problem since the eating sites are within walking distance. In addition, small stores were nearby providing my basic daily needs. Palau is a beautiful destination. Nature was all around. Thus I was always mesmerize by the island's landscape, flora and fauna. From my room, I observed the extensive mangrove forest. The motel was a neighborhood location. Families lived surrounding the hotel. I thought this gave me an insight and casual observations of how Palauans lived. The people of the land is the primary asset of any destination. Nearby, the only Public High School of the island is located, Palau Senior High School. Thus, I observed the students daily in the morning and early afternoon when I walked through the main boulevard of Koror.. Adjacent to the high school is the Palau Community College. Not too far, I was able to see the Palau National Museum and certain National State Government Offices. Again, all were within walking distance. Truly, the DW Motel was my home away from home.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location, nice, helpful staff
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017
Response from AYAKO on Jan 7, 2018
Thank you for your feedback we are very happy

8/10 Good

Catherine

Liked: Cleanliness
Very comfortable budget stay
Overall, this is a great budget hotel. It was clean, staff was very helpful, it was quiet. The hotel does have hot water/coffee/tea available in the lobby, there is also a microwave and kitchen facilities available to guests. It isn't in a lively part of town, but within 1/4-1/2 mile walking one can get to numerous dining options/shops. Wi-Fi access is through a card that must be purchased, but accesses WI-Fi anywhere in town, not just the hotel. Annoying, but that is probably another reason it is a reasonable cost to stay there.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2017
Thank you for stayed at DW and thank you for your comments we are very happy to hear that your enjoy at DW our hotel is very simple but housekeeper keep clean every day. little bit far from downtown but only 10-15minuts walk distance shop restaurant we have to consider for WiFi thank you again for choice us and we are very happy that meet you next time!!! DW hotel Manager AYAKO

8/10 Good

SIM ENG

Liked: Staff & service
Good for a cheap 1 day Stay
Very helpful and attentive staff. Expensive late check out charges. Could have reduce cost if the rooms are vacant anyway.

10/10 Excellent

Tristan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable
Hotel was fine, I am only in the room to sleep a few hours before my next adventures
Response from General Manager on Jan 16, 2017
Thank you for your stayed at DW our hotel is very simple but we keep trying to clean

8/10 Good

Vedran

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent quiet location in downtown Koror
Excellent location just few steps away from the main street in Koror, but still very quiet. Room was spotlessly clean, airconditioned and the bed very comfortable. There is a communal kitchen that you can use to make your own meals. The Japanese owner was very nice and helpful. She was there for all needs and tried to sort out immediately any issue I had in Palau by calling around and checking things with tourist office, airlines, travel agencies etc. Wifi was very good for Palauan standard, although not free but still affordable at USD1 per hour. I would definitely stay here again. Great stay!

6/10 Okay

Murray

Liked: Cleanliness
Decent hotel in central Koror.
This hotel is good value within a 10 minute walk of the main business area. However, there are several charges applicable in addition to the booking fee. The airport shuttle costs $35 return. WiFi is available but only with the $10 purchase of an Internet card. Each hotel seems to collect a tax of $12 per night not included in the booking price. It all adds up!

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel for divers
Very friendly and helpful staff who helped with car hire and airport transfers. The hotel rooms are simple but clean and comfortable with good a/c. Good kitchen facilities for self catering. A good base for divers who need a reasonably priced motel and not a luxury beach resort

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fine for an affordable option
We were a little disappointed with this place. We had expected a bit more from DW, given the price. Pros: Clean room with good AC. Mostly friendly staff that helped us organize a rental car. Cons: You have to pay for wifi! There were water shortages on Palau when we were there, which obviously is not the hotel's fault, but we were a bit surprised that they didn't do anything to make the stay easier, such as provide additional (or even larger) bottles of drinking water. Location: about 15minutes walk to the main restaurant area. There is one cafe close by.

10/10 Excellent

Papasfritas, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great!
Very clean, good hot water shower, good A/C, free drinking water, good location (close to Rock Island Cafe), very friendly and helpful staff, good beds, you can use their big washing machines for only $2 (and there's a space to line-dry your clothes, or you can use the dryer for another $2). My only complaints are that the pillows were very flat/hard, there's no free wifi, and that the airport shuttle is insanely expensive for such a short drive.

8/10 Good

Mike, Talent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
5 nights, chill and friendly, helpfull and un obtrusive, a good place in koror.

8/10 Good

Francois, Montreal

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
good value for the money
clean hotel rooms are big good for a short stay

8/10 Good

HUICHI, Taiwan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
good
good

8/10 Good

Tsz on

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Good for a short stay
Enjoyed the kitchen and outside dining area. They have a rice cooker! Room 103 was a bit uncomfortable due to having only two small windows but it had a table and chairs out front, with room to park a bicycle there too. Nice.

8/10 Good

Laura, Washington

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Good budget motel,
Great budget motel, in town, walking distance to restaurants, grocery store. Neighborhood dogs barked a lot, but the staff was super friendly & helpful, taking & receiving phone calls for guests. Room very clean, new air conditioners. Nice kitchen available any time of day. Rented a bike from hotel for $10/day. Museums close-by.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Nice staff. Subpar rooms.
The staff are helpful and patient. They need to be given that the rooms smell like mold and are only mildly comfortable.

10/10 Excellent

John, Freeville

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very good choice in Koror
Not at all fancy, but clean, comfortable, and very pleasant. Good location, quiet, short walk to main business area. Super-helpful staff.

6/10 Okay

RON, aspen

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Motel in town of Koror
Budget motel in Palau, nothing especially good or bad. This is the type of motel that you might spend the night driving on a cross country trip in a one motel town in a tiny town off the freeway. When I booked there were not many choices in Palau, this had the best rating, located in town definitely not a "beach" resort. If available I would book a beachfront hotel next time although they seem to cost about 3-4 X more than this that was just under $100.

8/10 Good

Magnus W, Norway

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good value for money
Central, good value for money

10/10 Excellent

Christopher, Yigo, Guam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Money well spent
Perfect for the busy vacation type. Room 101 has a extended room good for extra luggage or coolers which we needed!

10/10 Excellent

Leslie, California

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Loved our stay
Stayed here for 4 days and loved our triple room. It was perfect for us - we didn't need a hotel with tons of amenities because we were out enjoying the islands during the day. It was really clean, the beds were comfy and the staff is great! We liked that it was a little off the main street. If you are looking for a resort type hotel with a pool, this is not for you. If you want a hotel to shower and sleep - this is a GREAT place; highly recommend!

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean basic hotel
Stayed here for two nights prior to scuba diving on a live aboard boat. It is convienently located walking distance from shopping and restaurants. Clean basic hotel good for short stay.

10/10 Excellent

muke, sydney

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great budget hotel,
Everything u need. Friendly staff, good location

6/10 Okay

Bedouin, SF, CA

Liked: Cleanliness
Simple Clean and comfort place for your stay.
Pros: Cheap. Clean. Roomy. Has AC, Safe, and small fridge. About 50 yards to Rick Island Cafee. A lot of locals goes there. Decent mixture of food. About 150 yards to Indian Restaurant. Not bad. About 175 yards to Thai Restaurant. Not bad About 100 yards to small food market that got everything from juice to baked chicken. Storage for you bags if you don't want to carry upstair, or waiting after you checked out Coffe, Tea, Water, bathroom for the waiting lounge. Didn't do any diving, but there is storage place to rinse and hang your wet stuffs. Cons: Really hard to find at night because there is no light on their sign, and it is down an alley. There is no light in the alley either No hand soap. Had to use the one in the shower. No Elevator. No AC in the waiting room. There is a 1' square beam in the middle of my room. It is right next to my bed. Banged my feet on it twice. Lighting is pretty bad. They uses yellow light bulb. Room is pretty dark. Reading light are really hard to read by. Can't really open windows without privacy since the lounge area is right in front of the window., or somebody else window is facing your window. No TV or free internet.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Budget price and good location.
Stayed 3 nights one week and two nights after our boat trip. Our first stay was more satisfactory because we were on level 2. Our final 2 nights were on level 1 and the room we were offered had been occupied by smoker(s) even though against hotel policy. We shifted room but had a smoker next door and smoking permitted on the balcony. Luckily he was not there much so it was Ok. Overall a good experience and I would recommend DW motel.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Plain, value-oriented motel good for short stays
I stayed at the DW Motel in March, 2015 for two nights. The room was very basic but clean and the air conditioning worked well. There was no TV or phone. The décor is very plain. There was small window beneath the A/C unit and a very tiny window in the bathroom. Liquid soap and shampoo dispensers were in the shower stall, which was quite spacious. The reception area is quite small but there is a large adjacent sitting room and kitchen. Free coffee, tea, and water are always available in the sitting room. There is also a small outside sitting area that's sheltered from the rain. Reception is open from 7:30 to 18:00 so you'll need to arrange things like excursions, taxis, etc. between those hours, which the receptionist will happily do. There is a phone at the reception desk if you need help after hours. This motel is geared towards divers and is popular with the Japanese tourists. I didn't use the dive gear cleaning and storage area but it looked okay. As a transit hotel before or after a liveaboard trip, the DW is fine for a night or two. It's one of the cheapest places to stay in Koror and if all you want is a bed and a place to clean up, the DW will suit you. Otherwise, you might want to explore other, more expensive options.

6/10 Okay

Vic, Potters Bar, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good value, do not expect too much help/service
This motel is primarily for the chinese and japanese public, if you are neither, do not expect too much service or help from staff, they hardly care and do not speak English. The place can be very noisy, the wall are separated by cheap boards and you will hear everything from your neighbors. No internet service either, buy an expensive card and you cannot use the service from your room, very disappointing.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Clean budget hotel
The room was large and clean. It is a budget hotel so no TV or wifi. There is free coffee and water downstairs. Staff were very helpful and responded quickly to pre-visit email requests. Located in the main part of town rather than the resort part so easy access to shops.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Os, Tokyo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location, 10min away from the city center!
The staff was very helpful, always eager to give us advice on all matters related to our stay.

8/10 Good

Jay, Newfoundland,Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place for touring Palau on a budget
I stayed here for my time before and after a liveaboard diving charter. The staff was great arranging my transfers and being there for late arrival and departure times. Hotel is central to most of Koror both beach and shopping can be reached within about 20 min walk. They will also arrange day tours and stuff at no charge. With a dive shop right around the corner. One downside if you have kids or are a TV junky/no tv's in room

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Watch out for bad water!
I came to Koror, Palau on a Scuba vacation. I stayed at DW Motel for two nights. My only real problem was that about 11:45 on the second evening, I was awakened by hotel staff with two small (half-liter) bottles of water. No explanation other than water would be off from around midnight to 2 am. I later learned that the water was for flushing the toilet (!). I presumed that it was to replace the potable water in the mini-refrigerator in the room, but noticed that the bottles seal was broken, refilled with possibly non-potable water. Though I was aware that water was severely restricted, I would have thought that the hotels in town would have adequate supplies. The bottles contained captured rain water from the roof of the building.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good deal but dated
Prime location on the island and definitely one of the cheapest places in Palau to stay, so I would absolutely return, but with that said there are some negatives. The staff is very nice but speak limited English and despite undergoing a renovation last year the property feels dated with mold in the bathroom, thirty year old colors and a shower that can barely push out any cold water. Much of this is down to the location as most things in Palau are not in the best condition and imports are expensive. Just take it with a grain of salt.

10/10 Excellent

Robert, Miami, Florida USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The Best Budget Motel in Koror
Excellent Budget Hotel----clean and up-to-date----best food and price restaurant across the street---The Rock Island Cafe----the DW Motel Koror on Main Street has excellent service and convenient location. Being from Miami, Florida, i honestly did not expect such a nice place, especially with laundry facilities. The air conditioner was superb. I took a WW2 battlefield tour of Peleliu with Peleliu Adventures---an extraordinary experience, a must if you are in Palau. Also free transportation by museum drover to and from the Belau National Museum---DW Motel desk will call for you.

10/10 Excellent

Diver - Jill, South Africa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Convenient, well priced, very friendly
It's in a good location and easy to walk to town . It's spotless and the staff and all so friendly and helpful. There is free tea and coffee and water, cheap bicycles to rent, a place to wash and hang your dive gear and a kitchen you can use anytime, as well as a laundry. Great place to stay. Third floor is the best.

10/10 Excellent

Davy Falla, Brunei/ UK Expat

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Superb for divers!
The DW Motel is a cheap and cheerful motel. That said, the level of service, quality of the room and location are truly fantastic. I was very impressed by the staff and every day we returned to fresh towels neatly arranged into fantastic towel animals! Although the motel doesn't offer breakfast they do have facilities to sort your own out. However, a 2 minute walk away and you find the Rock Island Cafe and they do breakfast burritos. Which I had every day whilst on the island. They were that good!!! If you're a diver looking to reduce the overall cost of your trip I would definitely recommend the DW. You will not be disappointed. Whilst diving we spoke to a few people and the overall consensus was that the expensive hotels on the island failed to deliver considering the cost. Like I said cheap and cheerful, you cannot go wrong with the DW Motel. More info, most dive operators and restaurants offer free shuttle services so getting around is not too much of a problem. Taxi's after 10pm are more expensive... If your flight arrives after that time expect to pay about $40USD to get into town. Before 10pm we paid $25. The diving was unbelievably amazing, we chose Sam's Tours and could possible be the best dive operator I have had the pleasure to dive with.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The location is excellent for the downtown part of Koror. Although our expectations weren't high, we were surprised with the lack of furniture (no tv, telephones) etc. and the antiquated desk and chair. The internet was charged by the hour and the connections were sporadic at best. We had ants in the bathroom constantly despite the overall cleanliness of the room. The beds were comfortable and the rooms were serviced well. The staff was friendly and helpful.

8/10 Good

carsten, alberta

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice motel
Frindlig staff, clean rooms, clous to evey tings.