The Necessary

How to get to Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, from:

Kuala Lumpur

Fly:
Air Asia has regular return flights between KL and Padang: www.airasia.com

Stay:
For a quick and convenient overnighter in KL we recommend the new Tune Hotel at the KLIA2 terminal: www.tunehotels.com/my/en/our-hotels/klia2

Another worthy option, good value and not too far from the KL international airport is the Concorde Inn: www.sepang.concordehotelsresorts.com

Jakarta

Fly:
Garuda Indonesia flies several times daily between Jakarta and Padang: www.garuda-indonesia.com

Lion Air is also reliable and they have regular flights between Jakarta and Padang: www.lionair.co.id

Stay:
For a convenient stop-over near Jakarta airport we recommend the FM7 Resort Hotel, everything you need and a free airport shuttle: www.fm7hotel.com

Once you arrive in Padang, leave the rest to us.

Padang Airport Arrival

Once you arrive at Padang airport and have collected your luggage, you will be met by our friendly Pitstop Hill Padang crew. They will organise everything you need from that point onwards. You will be shown to the waiting vehicle(s) for the entertaining 40 minute ride from the airport into Padang city. Don’t be too concerned if your flights mean that you have a little bit of extra time in Padang before or after your trip. Whilst not a holiday destination on its own, there are a few interesting things to do there and our Padang crew will happily provide you with some suggestions. Eating out is always a real highlight; try the Masakan Padang or Ikan Bakar.

Padang Hotels

If you require a hotel or home-stay for an overnight in Padang, don’t worry, these days there are some nice places to stay and they aren’t too expensive. We most commonly utilize the Mercure Padang, Hotel HW Padang, Rumah Nenek and the Golden Homestay, and can get corporate rates for you at a number of these. If you are looking into Padang hotels, feel free to touch base with us and we can fill you in on the latest developments. Let us know your choice when you send through your booking form and then we’ll be able to book this accommodation for you so that we can drop you there directly after your airport pick-up.

Speedboat Transfers to Pitstop Hill

Gone are the years when we used the ASDP ferries, overnight charter boats, unreliable airplanes or privately owned pleasure boats to bring our guests out from Padang, too many times people were let down by delays and last minute schedule changes associated with these modes of transport. Since 2010, Pitstop Hill has chartered purpose-built fiberglass passenger boats for this task, and we work very closely with the operators. What once felt like such a daunting ocean crossing now feels like a much shorter distance as these comfortable boats power across the channel at 35 knots, such that the crossing takes less than 3 hours. Chartering such comfortable, safe, fast boats is unfortunately not a cheap business, therefore guests are required to cover a one-off transport fee to cover their return transfers. If you ask us, or any Mentawai resort guests who came out via one of the old ways, this fee is well worth it, to maximize island time and arrive fresher and ready to begin your surf trip.

Travelling in Indonesia

Travelling in Indonesia is often very different to travelling in the west. The transport infrastructure to the Mentawai Islands is gradually improving and we will continue to embrace this with open arms and also to keep our travel information as up to date as possible. Sometimes however things can happen, such as stormy weather delaying boat transfers, which can impact on our best laid plans of getting you to the resort. Your safety is our first priority. We ask for your patience and understanding if Indonesia throws a curve ball, and give you our assurance that we will cover every option available to deal with such a situation. Pitstop Hill cannot be held liable for changes to travel arrangements or delays brought about by external transport providers.

To find out the price for a surf trip to Pitstop Hill, please contact us.

We have standard pricing but will occasionally adjust the nightly rate to reflect changing costs, and frequently will reduce the price to fill the last few spots of a season, or for a trip that is just around the corner and has a cancellation.

Packages generally alternate between 10 or 11 nights and because Pitstop Hill historically opens earlier, and closes later than other operators (good news for those chasing uncrowded low season waves), each season we have around 26 packages to choose from. The nightly rate will vary depending on the size of your group, or if you would like to book the whole place to yourself with less than the full capacity of 10, which you are very welcome to do. On top of this we offer regular discounts for returning guests and also for medical practitioners.

Pitstop Hill has been completely booked out for the last 7 years, mainly by returning guests, and friends of people who have stayed with us before. Word of mouth is by far our main means of advertising, and we’d like to thank those who have returned home and recommended a surf trip to Pitstop Hill to their friends. We believe that the reason that so many people have returned to stay with us year after year is because of not only the waves, the beautiful area and the beautiful resort, but largely because of the high quality of personalised service, the small number of guests that we will take, and our very competitive prices that represent the best value for money in the Mentawai Islands. Taking this into account, we have never used surf travel agents, but instead rely on stoking our guests out such that goodwill and the coconut wireless do the work of agents for us, and therefore we don’t need to factor their commission into our pricing.

So please don’t hesitate to contact us to learn of the latest prices, package dates, availabilities, or just to hear how the surf has been and see some of the latest photographs.

Inquiries

For all bookings and general inquiries please contact us here.

For any business, employment or other questions unrelated to general bookings, please contact the resort manager, Paul Clark here.

Please note that we are almost always on the island and will be replying from here, not some office somewhere, so we will endeavour to get back to you as quickly as possible.

The reservation and booking process

Once you contact us with an inquiry, we’ll then provide you with an information package that contains package dates, availability of those packages, the latest pricing information, and some photos of the waves that have been breaking in the area lately. You need only to choose the booking package dates that will suit yourself and your friends the best. We can let you know the exact time that you will need to organize to arrive into Padang, and then the earliest time that you will be able to fly out from Padang after your trip, so that you can check flights on-line or speak to a travel agent. Once you have chosen a package, Pitstop Hill will hold that place for you, on your word alone, for a few days while you gather the funds for paying your deposit.

Each season, Pitstop Hill books out notoriously quickly. If you miss out on the trip dates that you need, there is always the option of leaving your email address on our mailing list for the next season’s bookings, and that way, once bookings are open for the following year, you will be one of the first to receive the details, and can take your pick of the dates. But please don’t hesitate, as year upon year about three quarters of the spots for each season are snapped up within a fortnight of opening bookings, the majority by our regular guests and those others that are on the aforementioned booking list.

A deposit of AU$500 is to be paid on reservation. This is payable via a bank transfer, details of which will be provided during the inquiry/booking process. The remaining balance is to be paid 60 days prior to your arrival in Indonesia, and is also to be paid via bank transfer.

Payment of your bar tab, island internet etc is completed prior to your departure from the island. Please ensure that you bring Indonesian Rupiah to cover your island expenses. Changing currencies in Padang can be quite time consuming so it is best to bring Indonesian rupiah with you, change currencies in Jakarta or KL, or otherwise Padang has many ATM’s where you can withdraw Indonesian Rupiah from your everyday bank account. When traveling in a foreign country it is always a smart idea to have a little extra of the local currency with you, in case of any incidentals or emergencies.

Good friends, your other half and / or your family

Passport – with at least 6 months before expiry otherwise you may be denied access into Indonesia (don’t let that happen to you!)

Visa – most nationalities (including Australians and Americans) can obtain a 30 day Visa on arrival in Indonesia but this is not the case for citizens of all countries. Please check with your local authorities with plenty of time before you are due to depart.

Boards – There are waves here suited to literally all different types of surf craft, but a really good tip is to bring boards for the types of waves YOU want to ride. When the swell is up, yep there are some solid waves on offer, but there are also more playful options around the corner and we always split up the boats, so don’t feel like you need to bring a big step-up board, unless you want to surf those sorts of waves.

Other surfing equipment – legropes and spares, fins and spares, tropical wax, a ding repair kit or sun cure resin, board shorts, surf shirts, surf hats and rash vests, and safety gear like booties and helmets if you wear them.

Clothes – light, warm weather clothing is the main thing. Hats, sunglasses and bathers are essential.

Snorkelling and fishing equipment – we have a basic supply of this equipment however it is highly recommended that if you are interested in participating in these activities, that you bring your own gear. If you are keen to do some fishing, please consider bringing along a couple of trolling lures (as they are almost impossible to obtain out here and sometimes easily lost). In our experience, the best performing lures are the big (e.g. 15cm long) Rapala/Yozuri style lures. Try to get the 2.5m divers, many colours can work well, if you can’t choose, the redheads are always a safe bet.

Laptop computer or smart phone or tablet – if you would like to use the internet during your stay here.

Other things

• Photocopy of travel insurance and passport
• Cash (Indonesian Rupiah) to settle your bill and bar tab
• Camera and video camera and lenses/accessories
• Sandals or thongs
• Beach towel
• Insect repellant (please avoid bringing aerosols to the island where possible)
• Malaria medication if recommended by your doctor
• First aid specific to yourself and/or the tropics – we do have a supply
• Sun cream
• IPods, mp3 etc
• After sun products
• Electrical adaptor
• Reef walkers or booties – we also find that these are a practical option for walking through the island which can get a little wet
• Books – you are welcome to swap from our collection if you finish those that you bring
• Small backpack or waterproof carry bag
• Spray jacket
• Sports or stainless water bottle (please help us to minimize plastics)