I have a dissenting opinion about Wakatobi. The service and facilities are excellent. The diving is ho hum for Indo Pacific diving.
Wakatobi Dive Resort, Indonesia: Undercurrent 10/2014
Excerpts
There was no dive group feeling about this place, only individual service -- which, I learned later, does put some damper on socializing.
The roomy dining area, open to cool sea breezes, was set with tables for two to four; six tables were set outside in a courtyard. The food was interesting and excellent.
I had always thought of Wakatobi as a dedicated dive resort, but it seems to have morphed somewhat into a family resort -- they have a kids' club and a babysitting service -- and for their many snorkelers, they run special boats. They also offer kitesurfing and boat service to a private beach to "get away from it all." They now advertise in Australia as a family resort. Clearly, Wakatobi is no longer a dedicated dive resort.
When I arrived at Wakatobi's airport, porters carried all my luggage from the van to the boat for the transfer. Going home, no porters for heavy carry-ons, which meant carting my own luggage up some 50-plus steep stairs to the roadway. Clearly a nitpick, but at Wakatobi's prices, an expected service.
I can say Wakatobi is a good place to start, but it is no Raja Ampat, no Layang Layang in Malaysia, or even Fiji, for that matter.