diving trip north sulawesi (manado, bunaken etc) with a 1 year old baby

[ilariaparigi]

hi, my name is Ilaria and I need an advice/help for a divng trip in the Manado/Bunaken area with a year old baby. has anyone experienced that? do you think I can find a doctor or medical facilities easyly?
as I understand the most beautiful resorts, close to the diving spots are directly in bunaken or in lemebeth but are quite isoleted and will be difficult to find diapers or baby food.
will it be better to stay in the manado area even if the daily trips to the diving spots are longer and I will need to leave my baby with a babysitter for half a day?
could you please suggest me the name of some resorts "child friendly" with a nice beach? how do you suggest me to organize me?
any suggestion/advice is welcome

thanks

[Pirm]

In Manado you can find everything you need for your baby, diapers, food, doctor's and medical facilities. Outside of Manado will be more difficult and your choice is very limited. For that reason I would suggest you stay at one of the resorts at the coastline and don't go out to the islands. We (Minahasa Lagoon - Dive & Tours Club) have had many guests travelling with children and baby's in all different ages, from 3 months and older. It has never been a problem. We offer a very experienced baby sitter who will take care of your baby while you are diving, when you have dinner or at any time you would like. She will be on standby during the day and evening. We are located at the coast, approx. 30km south of Manado and you will be in the city in about 30 to 45 minutes in case of an emergency. Our staff goes daily to Manado and can always pick up anything you need from the city and we have our own private beach. We dive the whole west coastline of North-Sulawesi and we dive Bunaken and the other islands out there.

[Mike Veitch]

The owners of NAD Lembeh also have a 1 year old baby who lives at the resort.. i would say they are a great option as they know all about baby care!

[Tippytoes12]

Hi there

We stayed at Bunaken Cha Cha and whilst we didn't have a baby with us, the owners who are always about were really helpful and super-organised. I'm sure that they could organise a baby sitter for you. It has a nice small beach and the dive trips are half day , two dive trips. You are back in time for lunch so you would have the rest of the day with the baby.

Have a wonderful trip.

[TwoFish]

Hi Ilaria,
Don;t worry about coming here with your baby. I own TwoFishDivers and have 2year-old and 4year-old myself, Zack & Rebecca. I live on the resort on Bunaken Island and we also have a resort on Lembeh Island, and the whole family regularly travels between the two resorts. My kids were born in Manado and there is everything you need there from diapers to toiletries, and the clothes are really cheap as well! Bunaken island is 22km from Manado, this works out as a 30-40mins ride by our normal transfer boat, and we have daily boats so can pick up anything you need. We regularly have guests visiting us with babies & kids, and our kids will play with them all the time! We have 2 experienced nannies, and its easy to hire a local villager as nanny for EUR5/day - they all have experience with their own extended families as well as our kids and the kids of our guests.
We go out at 8am for 2 dives in the morning and return at 1pm. This way you get to have 2 great dives and then spend the afternoon with your kid as well. The first day is hard as your child is not used to you leaving, but I can guarantee that within an hour the crying stops and they have a great time playing in the resort and on the beach whilst you are away. If you are nervous you can try going out just for a dive and then come back, we are really flexible.
Hope this helps!
Regards - Nigel

[ilariaparigi]

thanks a lot to everybody!
all your suggestions have been really helpful!
thanks againg