Spent 11 days at Wakatobi, October 19-30, for our 25th anniversary blowout trip. We enjoyed every minute of it!
This is a first-class operation. I’m not talking about shiny bathrooms and fluffy robes, but where it really counts, the little stuff that makes a stay effortless and relaxing. Amazing organization … A Swiss-owned resort that runs like a Swiss watch. Nothing overlooked, every detail seemingly thought through, and it runs that way. OK, maybe there are a few minor exceptions, but we constantly remarked about what a well-run operation it is. One exception: If you are shooting pictures, bring loads of memory cards or your own laptop to transfer pics to hard disk or CD. They say they have the facilities there to do so; don't bank on it.
Lodging: Simple, comfortable bungalows, with tile bathrooms and hot showers. Ceiling fan and AC. Lounge chairs, hammock, and umbrella in front, ten feet from the seawall. Tip: The garden bungalows numbered 17 and above all have fair-good water views (not as good as the beach bungalows in front of them) at a cheaper price. If you’re into splurging, the Cliff Villas are amazing.
Food: It’s excellent, lots of variety, and lots of it. Dining room is a really comfortable space, open and airy. Great atmosphere. Cafeteria style (serve yourself), which makes it dangerously easy to gain weight. All alcohol and soft drinks extra; the alcohol is pricey. Worth remembering, though, that virtually all the food and alcohol is flown in, at considerable expense.
Boats: I love their boats. Seventy foot long, heavily built wooden boats, built literally on the other side of the island. Stable, roomy, comfortable, two-foot giant stride entry from either side, good ladders, shade, towels, snacks, water, tea, head (bathroom). The boat crews are likewise excellent, helpful, and genuine. No shirkers or individuals with a bad ‘tude.
Personnel: Lots of them, not only management and dive team (professionals), but hordes of locals. Most professional staff aside from locals rotate their positions with every new group, so they are “cross-trained” and don’t go stale. Dive masters rotate teams and boats every group. We had 12 divers and 2 DM’s on our boat, split in two groups. Everyone was friendly and helpful. Staff eats with guests, spreading themselves around and engaging in conversation. It seems they are "encouraged" to do that, but they do so genuinely, not like it's just their job.
Climate: I’d say about perfect. One day of light overcast, otherwise sunny, nice temp, a breeze, no bugs. Hot, but not steamy.
The Dive Environment: Big surprise … I had no clue they have a 6’ tidal range and accompanying currents. This varied from slack to a pretty ripping current on occasion. Not the best for photography when it was running, but otherwise fine. Had some great rides! Many dives, current changed during dive … on, off, left, right, up, etc. Didn’t experience any down-welling currents. This is not a complaint about currents, just something we hadn't anticipated. We like drift diving, and were glad that we got it on some dives. Water temp 80-81, with the occasional cold spot to wake you up. Dove a 3 mil w/ beanie and was fine. Lot of people with additional vests and 5 mil suits. Deepest dive 88’, just for a few minutes. Viz apparently can vary a lot. OK to excellent our trip, “embarrassing” month before, according to one DM. House reef is every bit as good as people say it is … had some great dives on it. Very handy to do a morning dive or dusk dive. I guess some animals can get in 6-7 dives a day, but 4 was our max. All but 3 out of 40 guests dove nitrox.
Dive attractions: They advertise little critters, and that’s the menu, almost to an obsessive point. I wondered several times if that is intentional, selling what they have to sell, to detract from the fact that nothing much of any size comes swimming by. Some groups may see something big, but in general anything over two feet is noteworthy. We saw no sharks or dolphins, no mantas or eagle rays. Many dives turn into pygmy seahorse hunts, to the near exclusion of other possible features. Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate that little critters are part of the big picture, and enjoyed seeing them and learning about them. I do think they could do a bit more to vary the goal of each dive though. They are somewhat fanatical about not touching the reef, which is not a bad thing. Some of the most amazing coral I have ever seen, but little mention about it by DM’s. I think that is an “underplayed” aspect of the diving.
Conclusion: It’s pricey for Indonesia, or so I’ve heard. But part of your $$$ subsidizes the locals with jobs, and the resort’s environmental program. That’s what keeps the reefs in the condition they are. Book a 10 or 11 day trip; a week is way too short. Give yourself some Bali days up front so you’re rested when you get to the resort. It's a trip worth making, in my opinion.
PS - A little bonus: Are you as big a fan as we are of standing in customs and immigration lines the first thing after 31 hours of travel? When we got to Bali (and bear in mind we weren't going directly to Wakatobi, we were staying in Bali), a Wakatobi representative met us at the door into the terminal and escorted us past 300 or so people waiting in the customs line. He took our passports and visa money and returned 3 minutes later with all of our entry requirements done. From the time we left the plane until we were in our taxi, it seems like hardly 15 minutes had elapsed. Most of those 300 people hadn't gotten through customs yet. Maybe other resorts elsewhere provide a service like that, but I can say we've never experienced it before. I told the other couple with us, "I liked that part we just did a lot."
This is a first-class operation. I’m not talking about shiny bathrooms and fluffy robes, but where it really counts, the little stuff that makes a stay effortless and relaxing. Amazing organization … A Swiss-owned resort that runs like a Swiss watch. Nothing overlooked, every detail seemingly thought through, and it runs that way. OK, maybe there are a few minor exceptions, but we constantly remarked about what a well-run operation it is. One exception: If you are shooting pictures, bring loads of memory cards or your own laptop to transfer pics to hard disk or CD. They say they have the facilities there to do so; don't bank on it.
Lodging: Simple, comfortable bungalows, with tile bathrooms and hot showers. Ceiling fan and AC. Lounge chairs, hammock, and umbrella in front, ten feet from the seawall. Tip: The garden bungalows numbered 17 and above all have fair-good water views (not as good as the beach bungalows in front of them) at a cheaper price. If you’re into splurging, the Cliff Villas are amazing.
Food: It’s excellent, lots of variety, and lots of it. Dining room is a really comfortable space, open and airy. Great atmosphere. Cafeteria style (serve yourself), which makes it dangerously easy to gain weight. All alcohol and soft drinks extra; the alcohol is pricey. Worth remembering, though, that virtually all the food and alcohol is flown in, at considerable expense.
Boats: I love their boats. Seventy foot long, heavily built wooden boats, built literally on the other side of the island. Stable, roomy, comfortable, two-foot giant stride entry from either side, good ladders, shade, towels, snacks, water, tea, head (bathroom). The boat crews are likewise excellent, helpful, and genuine. No shirkers or individuals with a bad ‘tude.
Personnel: Lots of them, not only management and dive team (professionals), but hordes of locals. Most professional staff aside from locals rotate their positions with every new group, so they are “cross-trained” and don’t go stale. Dive masters rotate teams and boats every group. We had 12 divers and 2 DM’s on our boat, split in two groups. Everyone was friendly and helpful. Staff eats with guests, spreading themselves around and engaging in conversation. It seems they are "encouraged" to do that, but they do so genuinely, not like it's just their job.
Climate: I’d say about perfect. One day of light overcast, otherwise sunny, nice temp, a breeze, no bugs. Hot, but not steamy.
The Dive Environment: Big surprise … I had no clue they have a 6’ tidal range and accompanying currents. This varied from slack to a pretty ripping current on occasion. Not the best for photography when it was running, but otherwise fine. Had some great rides! Many dives, current changed during dive … on, off, left, right, up, etc. Didn’t experience any down-welling currents. This is not a complaint about currents, just something we hadn't anticipated. We like drift diving, and were glad that we got it on some dives. Water temp 80-81, with the occasional cold spot to wake you up. Dove a 3 mil w/ beanie and was fine. Lot of people with additional vests and 5 mil suits. Deepest dive 88’, just for a few minutes. Viz apparently can vary a lot. OK to excellent our trip, “embarrassing” month before, according to one DM. House reef is every bit as good as people say it is … had some great dives on it. Very handy to do a morning dive or dusk dive. I guess some animals can get in 6-7 dives a day, but 4 was our max. All but 3 out of 40 guests dove nitrox.
Dive attractions: They advertise little critters, and that’s the menu, almost to an obsessive point. I wondered several times if that is intentional, selling what they have to sell, to detract from the fact that nothing much of any size comes swimming by. Some groups may see something big, but in general anything over two feet is noteworthy. We saw no sharks or dolphins, no mantas or eagle rays. Many dives turn into pygmy seahorse hunts, to the near exclusion of other possible features. Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate that little critters are part of the big picture, and enjoyed seeing them and learning about them. I do think they could do a bit more to vary the goal of each dive though. They are somewhat fanatical about not touching the reef, which is not a bad thing. Some of the most amazing coral I have ever seen, but little mention about it by DM’s. I think that is an “underplayed” aspect of the diving.
Conclusion: It’s pricey for Indonesia, or so I’ve heard. But part of your $$$ subsidizes the locals with jobs, and the resort’s environmental program. That’s what keeps the reefs in the condition they are. Book a 10 or 11 day trip; a week is way too short. Give yourself some Bali days up front so you’re rested when you get to the resort. It's a trip worth making, in my opinion.
PS - A little bonus: Are you as big a fan as we are of standing in customs and immigration lines the first thing after 31 hours of travel? When we got to Bali (and bear in mind we weren't going directly to Wakatobi, we were staying in Bali), a Wakatobi representative met us at the door into the terminal and escorted us past 300 or so people waiting in the customs line. He took our passports and visa money and returned 3 minutes later with all of our entry requirements done. From the time we left the plane until we were in our taxi, it seems like hardly 15 minutes had elapsed. Most of those 300 people hadn't gotten through customs yet. Maybe other resorts elsewhere provide a service like that, but I can say we've never experienced it before. I told the other couple with us, "I liked that part we just did a lot."
