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Welcome to Cocos Seaview - Beautiful Accommodation in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Getting To Cocos
Virgin Blue fly three times weekly to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Flights depart from Perth International Airport. Please visit Virgin Blue for all flight schedules to Cocos and Christmas Islands.
Baggage allowance on flights to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands can vary according to the type of fare purchased. Please check when booking. Strict excess baggage fees apply.
What To Bring
Casual, comfortable clothing is all that you need in the Cocos Islands. Make sure you bring a hat, bathers, sunscreen and sunglasses.
Our rooms provide beach towels and unbrellas to reduce the amount of baggage on your trip.
Shoes for reef walking and beach combing are a great idea (old sneakers work well). Reef booties are also available from the supermarket.
If you are planning a trip to Home Island then please respect Cocos Malay culture and dress conservatively, covering your knees and shoulders.
We recommend that you bring plenty of snack foods or other special foods, like gourmet cheeses, that you may like during your stay. These items are often difficult to obtain on Cocos. Please ensure that all food items you bring with you have been bought from a major supermarket to comply with Quarantine requirements on arrival. At this point in time the Saturday flights arrive after the supermarket closes for the weekend. Please pack any food in your check in baggage as it may be confiscated as hand luggage.
Getting Around
The local bus runs from the town centre to the jetty at the northern end. There is a bus stop 50 metres from Cocos Seaview.
The ferry runs between West Island and Home Island several times daily (except Sundays), as well as special trips to Direction Island on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Cocos Seaview has free bicycles for guests.
Please book ahead for car hire if required.
There are up to date compendiums in all our suites regarding things such as bus and ferry timetables, local attractions, etc.
Shopping
The Cocos Island Tourism Association and the Telecentre, now combined for your convenience, will direct you to the areas you will enjoy most. As well as providing information, gifts, internet & fax needs you will be able to book tours provided on Island. It also has access to a small library and DVD rentals.
The Cocos Islands Post Office is open most days and provides Australia Post services as well as postcards, stationery and magazines.
The supermarket carries a good range of products.
The Cocos Islands Duty Free Shop is open week days and carries a range of perfumes, electrical items, toys, clothing, souvenirs, jewellery and postcards.
Cocos Tackle and Dive is open for short periods on week days and stocks a large range of diving, snorkelling and fishing gear as well as souvenirs.
The Cocos Island Surf Shop is open most days.
The Big Barge sells local arts and crafts.
Cocos Seaview has a selection of tropical clothing and souvenirs in our shop.
Passports & Banking
No passport is required for Australian citizens, although some form of photo identification is necessary. No entry visa is required.
Local currency is the Australian dollar. A new ATM facility has recently been installed and Visa and Mastercard are also accepted at most shops.
The only bank (Commonwealth Bank) is open briefly on Wednesday mornings. We recommend that you bring some cash for incidental expenses.
Eating Out
There are four small restaurants on Cocos. Tropika Restaurant on West Island provides daily western style meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a selection of buffet and a la carte meals.
Dory's Café is the new place to eat overlooking the Ocean. Hours are shown on door.
Bunga Melati on Home Island offers traditional Malay cuisine and is open on Wednesday nights to coincide with the return ferry service to West Island. It is also opened for lunch on request. Bookings are required.
Darliana's cafe is located on Home Island. See your compendium for opening times.
If you want to enjoy a picnic by yourselves, there are several great areas around the island, each with their own BBQ. You can also relax around the Cocos Seaview BBQ area or take one of our picnic sets to a remote corner of the Island. Catch a fresh fish or crack open a coconut while you're there.
Climate
Cocos has a mild tropical climate. Temperatures through-out the year range from a beautiful 20 to 32 degrees Celsius.
The weather for most of the year is dominated by trade winds from the South-East of approx. 15 knots.
Rain occurs most often during the night, with an annual rainfall of approx. 2000mm.
Tropical cyclones can occur between November and April, although this period is mainly hot and sultry with light winds.