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Question Coral Eye resort, Bangka Island?
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jjwebster
Contributor
I stayed there in April 2019 in one of their beach front rooms near the dive centre, it looks as if their accommodation range has expanded with new villas and price increase to match!
The resort is set on a small beach with a jetty, there's space to chill out on the beach between dives with the main building set back amongst the palm trees. The jetty was nice to chill out on the evenings and enjoy sunset with a cold bintang.
The main resort is where all the meals take place and the bulk of the accommodation is off the central atrium. From an ambience perspective it's a great airy space with high ceilings, plenty of space to chill and hang out, it's certainly up there in terms of the most memorable resorts I have stayed at.
Food wise, the resort used to be run by Italians who brought a huge pizza oven and trained the staff on Italian cuisine. I remember lots of freshly baked breads, great variety of food and generally the food being a step above what I was used to expecting at dive resorts in Indonesia.
Diving I recall having a good mix of macro life (rhinopias as well) and there are some nice coral pinnacles with juvenile white tips (Sahaung I recall). A happy medium if you are not crazy into your muck diving which N Sulawesi tends to be more renowned for.
The resort is set on a small beach with a jetty, there's space to chill out on the beach between dives with the main building set back amongst the palm trees. The jetty was nice to chill out on the evenings and enjoy sunset with a cold bintang.
The main resort is where all the meals take place and the bulk of the accommodation is off the central atrium. From an ambience perspective it's a great airy space with high ceilings, plenty of space to chill and hang out, it's certainly up there in terms of the most memorable resorts I have stayed at.
Food wise, the resort used to be run by Italians who brought a huge pizza oven and trained the staff on Italian cuisine. I remember lots of freshly baked breads, great variety of food and generally the food being a step above what I was used to expecting at dive resorts in Indonesia.
Diving I recall having a good mix of macro life (rhinopias as well) and there are some nice coral pinnacles with juvenile white tips (Sahaung I recall). A happy medium if you are not crazy into your muck diving which N Sulawesi tends to be more renowned for.
CF L
Contributor
I have read that the villas and rooms do not have locks on the doors, is that still the case? And dining is communal?
boletus1973
Contributor
Hi, I’ve been there many times since 2014(when they are also research center) to 2022… and I come back the next August for ten days.. for me they have the best beach and house reef on bangka island and now they are the most luxurious resort on the island.. I miss the old times when electricity was on only some hours a day.. no hot water and unreliable WiFi.. in 2016 I stay there one month(more than 60dives).. now it’s a different story.. when they merge with siladen everything is changed in more luxury.. AC hot water.. beautiful villas and very nice rooms.. nitrox.. bigger and beautiful boats.. the prices reflect all the big improvements! Now it’s a little over budget for our pockets..
The food? One of the best if not the best we eat in indo.. before 2017 was the classic vegetable rice and fish…. After their improved a lot.. and was so good.. a balanced mix between indo and Italian.. last time in 2022 the food was just incredible and now it will be also better because it’s also more “a la carte” and the menu isn’t “fixed”…
I know they are building a new restaurant/bar area closer to the villas.. I let you know how it will be, but i think I already miss the giant table at the center of the beautiful main building! Yes.. the main building is unique.. totally different than other resorts around indo..
If you need info ask me…
That’s the beach on low tide
boletus1973
Contributor
Umhh.. for the villas I don’t know.. for the room yes.. but sincerely from my experience I don’t remember many dive resorts in small islands with rooms keys..
What do you mean with communal? In the past we eat together on one huge table then they build another two o the side.., now I saw they have more tables in the ma atrio but now they are building a new restaurant!
paulcalf
Registered
Go for it, you will all love it.
We went in April 2024.
We stayed in the main building, there were locks on the room doors.
The bungalows also looked good and they were building more.
I loved the diving, beautiful coral, plenty of fish, well set up centre, large camera room.
When we were there a large group arrived from a dive school. It was there first such group, so a couple of teething issues (refilling enough tanks for multiple dives for multiple divers) but they dealt with them well.
Even when they had a large dive group, it was still small numbers of divers per guide and they spread people out over of plenty of different dive sites.
House reef: I could have spent a week or more just snorkelling on the house reef.
The food was amazing (my partner preferred the food at Coral Eye to Siladen). Small menu, but a good choice, western and local/international food. plenty of fruit, lovely desserts. At the end of breafast you chose your lunch, at the end of lunch you chose your evening meal his may have changed.
My partner may even have a few photos of menus or food if you want to see examples. I've got some underwater photos but im not sure they are worth sharing (my photography, not the quality of diving).
Facilities: nothing to say, they had everything you could need for accomodation and diving.
Ambiance: Lovely people. It was very chilled out and laid back.
We ate communally around the big table, or privately just as a couple.
When the dive group arrived they gave them the big communal table and joined a few other tables together for the other half of the group. I'm sure your group will create whatever atmosphere you are after without impacting others.
If you have any specific questions please just ask. I have no connection to them and will answer honestly.
boletus1973
Contributor
until 2019 no locks(in 22 we stayed in a house on the beach)… in the first years without electricity we slept with the room door totally open with light wind coming inside.. Same for us.. Siladen is also very very good but we don’t love to much the buffet style…
After many years i have “connection” with them.. we become friends and i give them all my underwater photography(almost everything underwater you see on the website/social is mine).. also the mangrove photo in the library of the main building it’s mine..
but i think I’m honest about that place.. paulcalf
Registered
great photos!
Same for us.. Siladen is also very very good but we don’t love to much the buffet style…
After many years i have “connection” with them.. we become friends and i give them all my underwater photography(almost everything underwater you see on the website/social is mine).. also the mangrove photo in the library of the main building it’s mine..
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