Resort Comparisons in Lembeh

[fairybasslet]

And if the mandarin fish shore dive is full, Lembeh Resort will put you on a boat with that trip capped at 6 divers. Unfortunately for us, it was almost a full moon so the fish weren't mating, but we did see them in the coral. I thought the Lembeh Resort house reef was divine. I dove it twice, once at night and once after a boat dive. There is so much life there, plus you get to see the bio rock experiment in progress. I hope to have photos processed one of these years. (I'm such a procrastinator)

 

[AlanWald]

If coming from the West Coast of the US, Singapore Airlines/Silk Air route, the fares tend to go up in April and come down the first week or so of September (for this year Sept 5 until Nov. 20th.) , so if going in September it might be worth going a few days later to take advantage of the cheaper flight.

Also Air Asia is doing flights from Kuala Lumpur to Manado.

.

 

[TeqP]

I am planning ~1wk next Aug/Sept. Dont need a pool... just a great crew/staff in a well run clean place with modern amenities.

Based on my reading, I would probably pick KBR for high end.

In my opinion, you cannot go wrong with KBR. My girlfriend and I loved the place. They do have a pool (not high on my list of needs for this vacation) and I actually found it nice to go and relax by the pool while waiting for the next dive. The staff and crew were great. Enjoy your trip.

 

[chinacat46]

I've stayed at Lembeh Resort twice in the past and will be staying there again in November. They treat me well there so if ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[xariatay]

Anyone care to update this... perfect title for an ongoing thread and a great resource for people like me planning a trip. Need this link to show people all the choices... Lembeh Strait: Dive sites for muck diving in Northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. Description dive sites, maps of Lembeh, photos, dive operators (Zubi)
I am planning ~1wk next Aug/Sept. Dont need a pool... just a great crew/staff in a well run clean place with modern amenaties. For a comparison, pretty much everyone has an all inclusive, so this is what I found:

Kasawani $1840/7nts, 18 dives. + $122 nitrox.
Lembeh Resort $1600/7nts, 17 dives. +$130 nitrox.
KBR $1465/7nts, 18 dives. Nitrox $?
Divers Lodge $711/7nts, 12 dives. +$180 Unlimited boat dives. $3/nitrox fill
Two Fish $533/7nts, 12 dives (2008 prices). +$25/additional dive. Nitrox $?
NAD $735/7nts, 17 dives (2008 prices). $200 Nitrox
Bastianos $640/7nt, 17 dives (2008 prices). $180 Nitrox
Black Sands $1325/7nt 17 dives $85 Nitrox.

Most include all transfers and such. Additional dives are available with propotional costs (~$25-$50). Nite dives not included, but usually a day dive can be upgraded for $5 or so. All include all meals and tea/water/etc but no soft drinks or booze.

Based on my reading, I would probably pick KBR for high end and NAD if I wanted to save some bucks... but I would LOVE to hear comparisons of the various less expensive resorts. My only reason for picking NAD is the number of reviews. Lots of people have been to the other 2Fish, but since Lembeh is new for them not as many (and those reviews were not as flattering as the NAD reviews).

Thanks for doing a compilation!

NAD is a cosy resort! There s a new resort manager, would like to hear updated feedback/ trip reports.

 

[Mike Veitch]

edited

 

[fairybasslet]

Hey Mike, did Scott ever say hi? He told me you were in Lembeh when we were.

 

[skyguy]

It seems like there's not many reviews of Diver's Lodge, so I'll chime in here. I stayed at Diver's Lodge Lembeh in July '08 and here's a few impressions that come to mind.

This is an extremely well run resort that caters to hard-core divers and UW photgraphers. Somewhere I read that it was a "No Frills" resort. I never would have guessed this after being there. The bungalows are beautiful and well built, each with a spectacular view from the hillside the resort is built on. I guess that the "frill" that is missing is a swimming pool. No big deal, I flew for 20 hours to dive, not lounge by the pool.

The resort seems to be located far away from the most popular dive sites in the Straights. The way that DLL compensates for this is that they have very comfortable boats and basically, you just spend your entire day on the boat. Not only do they do 2 divers:1 guide ratio, you get your own boat and choose your own dive schedule. Some days we chose 5 dives/day. We just wrote our breakfast time and # of dives on the board and the next day, everything would just fall into place.

We stayed on the boat the entire day. Snacks and hot drinks were always available. We'd come out of the water to find a plate of fresh fruit and hot tea exactly the way we like it. Then, we always looked forward to the packed hot lunch. My first impression of that first lunch was that it was the best meal I'd ever eaten in Indonesia, And I've eaten a lot of meals there.

The boats are large and comfy. After lunch we could nap in the shade on the boat. There is a clean full size toilet and a power inverter to recharge camera batteries. We'd finish with a night dive and cruise back to the lodge where dinner would be waiting. There are no dive time limits, they expect you to know how to dive and use a computer. You really do set your own schedule.

The food was better than I could ever expect and it was plentiful. Rob (the Owner) was always there and easily accessible, always making sure that our wants and needs were fulfilled.

A unique aspect of DLL is their NO SMOKING policy. There is no smoking on the dive boats and no smoking around any of the shared areas around the resort. This is extremely unusual in Indonesia, and we really appreciated it.

We paid for the "unlimited diving" package, and it was an exceptional value. When you add up the additional costs that the 4th or 5th dive will cost you, it really makes sense. Also, all their boats had 4 stroke engines. All the other resort boats I saw used the loud stinky 2 strokes.

I've heard good things about other Resorts in Lembeh, but DLL will be my first choice for my next visit.
Hope this helps someone make a decision, I was really impressed with this operation.
Wayne.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

KBR is one of the best dive resorts I've ever been to. I knew I would be returning there even before I left.

 

[Travelnsj]

I am in Singapore now getting back from Sorido resort....was in Lembeh the week before. Loved it! My second time there....had usually 60 t0 70 minute bottom times (until i ran out of air) and dove with Samuel...I can find cheaper places but Lembeh Resort has me a customer for as long as I go to the area!