Manado recommendations wanted

[zzrman]

My wife and I are planning a trip out to Indonesia in July, with perhaps 2 weeks in Bali just lying on the Beach and 2 weeks around Manado so I can do some diving - I'm just a recreational diver although I do have a Rescue Diver certification. She may dive as well but almost certainly not as much as me.

So my question is how do Tasik Ria and the KBR stack up purely for a beach holiday as she will be more than happy to lie there with a cool drink whilst I'm out diving. Is the beach good? How large/long as she suffers from Psoriaisis so is a little nervous about her condition and prefers not to sunbathe surrounded by lots of others. Are there any other resorts we should be looking at?

Also are there places to eat away from the hotels? Do you get there by road or by local boat? We both enjoy eating the local food provided it's tasty and properly cooked.

We haven't had a decent holiday on 2 years so budget isn't a particularly pressing issue provided that the expense represents value for money.

Any tips or suggestions gratefully received.

 

[Wisnu]

Tasikria is great diving resort with nice house reef; but their beach is not special.
If budget isn't problem you may consider the new 5 stars hotel in Manado - Sedona http://www.sedonahotels.com.sg/oh_ina_ma_acc.asp.
Never been there, but they claim as the only hotel in Manado with its own private beach lagoon, pristine white sands and azure waters draws admiration and a hive of activities.

 

[zzrman]

Thanks. I'm going to set up a new thread for this.

 

[tazzmeyer]

I know the OP just indicated a decision already on where to stay but I have to say that I just returned from Manado and had quite possibly the best dive vacation that I have had in Asia (been to Bali, Maldives, Thailand,etc). The diving was spectacular and we did not even go to Lembeh - we stayed on the Manado side (many dive sites there and then out to Bunaken) and found incredible muck diving on the Manado side....After reading many recomendations for a little resort called Lumbalumba we took a risk and did not go the big resort route. It was absolutely the best decision. They have their own dive boat and their little resort has 5 cottages so the max amount of divers on the boat will be 12 - we were a party of 5 and we had the boat to ourselves for the majority of our stay and 2-3 DM's. The DM's pointed out things we never would have seen - orangutan crabs, porcelin crabs, electric clam, octopus, cuttle fish, on and on and on....we spent hours with the books trying to identify everything that we saw. These guys were stellar. One of our group was a photographer and the DM's really worked with him to make sure that each dive he saw something unique. The resort itself is beautiful - located on a large hill - the sunrise/sunset views are stunning. The owners treat you like family. The negatives - if I were to dig - are that being on a hill, you have a bit of a hike to your cottage (great for the glutes though!) and currently they do not have a pool (if you dive, this is not an issue but they are building one) and the beers were pretty pricey (but they have mini fridges so a trip to town to stock up is possible). Of all of the places that I have been in Asia, the diving here was consistantly the best and this is one of the only resorts that I would consider a return trip...it was that good.
Good luck in June - you will have a spectacular experience.

 

[pelan-pelan]

Glad you liked Lumbalumba - and agree with you about the muck diving. Lembeh is amazing with its black sand, but Manado side is warmer and its got a range from white sand, weed beds to coral and rocks.

We're back with Lumbalumba in July for our 5th holiday with Roel and Juud and their team. They are such a professional outfit. Everything is so organised that you don't notice it at all, and you get the diving that you want.

A word of advice - if you go there you will need extra pages for your dive log notes to list everything unusual that you see

 

[scubabum2]

Tazzmeyer,
Glad to hear you had a good time on your trip. We hope to be as lucky. So what is an electric clam?