Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort and Spa

We had an absolutely amazing time at Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort. Another review described it as the “we have thought of everything resort” and I couldn’t agree more. We live in Singapore and we were worried about coming in late December which is considered the monsoon season. In fact as we were taking off I looked at the weather forecast for Manado and it showed thunderstorms every day. However it was genuinely the most perfect weather for the whole trip - blue clear skies and calm water. We later learned that the weather station is only on Manado island. There is no weather station on Bunaken and the conditions can be very different. This is the most customer obsessed place I have ever stayed in. The small touches really make a difference - a hot towel after coming up from a dive, all the staff knowing your name, the complimentary laundry service where the laundry comes back washed and dry within the same day is amazing - I’d love to have that at home! There is not much more I can say that hasn’t been covered repeatedly in other reviews. The diving was fantastic and we had an amazing guide, Hentje, who could spot a needle in a haystack - we got to see loads of tiny critters we’d never be able to spot ourselves. I was travelling with my father who was a new diver and he was really well looked after. The pricing included food and there was a great variety you can choose from with the menu changing every day. You can also be assured that your money is going to a resort whose owners genuinely care about developing the community. Thanks to all the staff at the resort for an amazing stay.

Sensational from start to finish. Beautiful resort, superbly organised diving for all levels. The diving around Bunaken island is stunning with beautiful coral and sea life in great condition. If you like a hot towel, fresh fruit and tea after each dive, then this is the place for you! Fantastic, friendly staff looking after everything and making you feel so welcome. Great food and lots of choice, with a special tasting feast on the last night. Without doubt our best diving holiday- we’ll be back

Definitely the most luxurious eco resort you can find on Bunaken Island! This beautiful place is a real oasis of peacefulness, with only 12 elegant, spacious and well equipped villas. Each terrace has a magnificent view. The swimming pool situated in the middle of a lush garden is a great spot to chill between your dives. The gourmet & inventive cuisine is served by a very friendly staff. Be sure your taste buds will be pampered! Before your dinner, don't forget to enjoy one of the numerous cocktails served at the lovely outdoor bar. The entire team provides a 5-star & personalized service at all time and a great attention is given to every tiny details. The diving operation is incredible: 6 beautiful wooden boats, 1 guide for 2 divers max, up to 3 dives per day, plus facilities for tek divers (sidemount diving, rebreathers, scooter rental). Don't forget to visit the compressor room.... Impressive! For those who want to get rid of a scuba tank, free diving courses & trips are also offered. Just ask Kelly! We had the chance to stay there with the lovely owners, Elaine and Simon, who also showed us the "behind the scenes" part of their resort. As a few samples, the staff village is perfectly done to ensure a maximum of comfort, and the kitchen is amazingly modern and well equipped. More than a luxury resort, the Oasis Bunaken is a real experience: situated in a National Park, everything has been built and set to reduce the impact on the environment at its best (power production, water production & treatment, waste sorting and recycling, producing their own vegetables, fruits & herbs as much as possible). Furthermore, there is a strong history with the locals, who are actively involved in the operation and highly trained (most of the staff is from Bunaken or the surrounding islands). A brilliant operation which won multiple (and well deserved) World Travel Awards. Thanks a million to Elaine & Simon, Kelly & Simon, Christine, André and the whole team for allowing us living such a great experience! We wish you all the best for the future and hope to see you soon! Nelly & Stéphane

What an incredible stay we had! From the moment we were picked up at the airport to the moment we left Bunaken Oasis Resort, everything was perfect. The beauty of the site was breathtaking. Our lovely cottage 12 was spotless and very comfortable. Every meal was as enjoyable as the warmth and professionalism of the restaurant staff elevated our experience to new heights. Their attentiveness for our comfort was truly remarkable. As for the dives, the Padi centre was extremely professional and the equipment top-notch. Christine organised the dives for our family and everything was smooth and relaxing. Efra, our dive instructor, was very friendly and took amazing care of us. Each dive was beautiful and unforgettable. We couldn't stop counting all the turtles we saw. The cherry on the cake was those dozens of cute dolphins we saw on our last day! Kelly and Simon, the GM couple, did everything they could to make us feel at home, and all the small attentions to detail made a huge difference. Their unparalleled hospitality truly created memories that will last a lifetime. As we are leaving this beautiful resort, we leave a little bit of our heart here and we bring a little bit of theirs with us. Bunaken Oasis, we will come back! Thank you all for this amazing time.

We had a fantastic trip, diving for 5 days with Bunaken Oasis in November 2023. We had bluebird skies and pristine waters. The corals were healthy and stunningly beautiful. There was abundant and thriving marine life and the biodiversity was amazing- we sighted turtles, schooling fishes, nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, bump head parrot fishes, Napoleon wrasses, puffer fishes, reef octopuses, moray eels, and lots more! It was very heartening to hear about the conservation efforts made by Bunaken Oasis, in collaboration with the local community and other dive resorts, to protect and preserve this amazing marine reserve. The dive operations at Bunaken Oasis was highly organised and well run- a fleet of fairly new and well maintained dive boats, good equipment for rental, a squeaky clean compressor room, professional dive masters and a properly equipped photography room. Warm towels, hot drinks, fruit and a shower after each dive. Our dive equipment and gear were washed and laid out for us every day and at the end of the dive trip, we received a complete log of all our dives. We were so thrilled to find out that our dive master, Hentje Pontoh had gain international recognition for discovering a pygmy seahorse species, the Hippocampus pontohi! At every turn, we were met by staff with welcoming smiles, warm conversations and exemplary service. Food ( including freshly baked breads and viennoiserie) and cocktails at the restaurant were excellent! On two nights, we were serenaded by the restaurant team with their amazing voices over dinner. A big thank you to the wonderful team at Bunaken Oasis for making our trip memorable, particularly Kelly, Simon, Antell, Christine, Ivonne, Robby, Suzy, Goosty and Hentje! We are looking forward to returning next year!

We spent three full, incredible days at this amazing resort. No strings are left untied at this facility. We were spoiled - and very much enjoyed the experience. The rooms are tastefully decorated and private - the grounds beautiful with a large infinity pool overlooking the ocean, plentiful gourmet food, snacks, bar, and beautiful marine park wall diving. The reefs seem quite healthy. The dive boat is well equipped with caring and qualified staff - low dive guide-to-diver ratio (I believe a maximum of 2 or 3 divers per guide). They take care of all your dive equipment setup and even cleaning. All you have to do is show up and dive. Resort staff are genuinely friendly and receptive to guest's needs. I could go on and on about how genuinely fantastic this place is. We would come back in a heartbeat. BOOK THIS PLACE! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

This resort delivers in every aspect and is smoothly (and discreetly) managed by Kelly and Simon who make sure all guests have a wonderful experience. Although this is branded as a ‘dive resort’ the snorkelling is also fantastic. At some resorts snorkelling is almost an afterthought but at Bunaken Oasis you are treated like the divers with your own guide (Matahari was excellent as pointing out shy blue spotted rays, octopus, blenny and turtles). Staff on the boats are friendly and very helpful and the hot towels, fresh fruit, tea, coffee and coconut biscuits plentiful. The daily trips are coordinated by Christine and Antal who are more than happy to provide technical diving options or cater to other special requests. The food is too good so after the initial excitement of 3 meals a day and 3-4 course options for lunch and dinner it’s good to remember you can order 1/2 portions or ask for a variation from the menu. The lunch and dinner menu has a page that changes daily and a page of stamples that are always available (salads, noodles, pasta, pizza and burgers). We often opted for the daily selection which always included Indonesian food. The staff in the restaurant provided outstanding service, always with a personal touch and nothing was too much trouble. They cater for special dietary requirements (celiac, vegan, vegetarian, only white meat) and provide individual menus with suitable meal options. They offer cooking classes, tours around the island and many options to keep you busy or you can lounge by the beautiful pool. It’s extremely deep in places - which I enjoy but you would need to keep young children in the shallow section. I enjoyed a bird spotting tour when we saw a purple heron (they need some notice to organise this as the expert comes over from Manado). We stayed for 11 nights and enjoyed mixing with other guests in the bar before our evening meal and sometimes we had dinner together. The amount you mix and interact with others is entirely up to you but we enjoyed making new friends with guests and staff. There are plenty of steps to get around the resort but there is a lower level cottage for those with walking difficulties. There is also a 2 storey cottage for families with older children and a 2 bedroom cottage for younger families. Would recommend a minimum of 5 nights. We greatly enjoyed our stay and will definitely be back.

A week at Bunaken Oasis was a superb way to end 2023. The friendly welcoming staff go out of their way to make this a very special resort. Diving each morning was a highlight with calm, warm water - excellent visibility and lots to see (added plus being able to hire a Volk iPhone case for personalised underwater pics). The afternoons can be spent with more diving, relaxing in the spa or pool or just winding down in the very comfortable villa- complete with marine reference texts and looking forward to more fabulous food at dinner. I truly recommend this resort.

We have just spent a week in a magical resort. With unparalleled passion and dedication, Elaine and Simon created a truly paradisical “oasis” in Bunaken Island. Every detail has been thought through with love and care and there is absolutely nothing we would change! What makes is especially wonderful and special is the Bunaken Oasis family - everyone is amazing, generous, kind and lovely. Roby and his team make sure that you don’t want for anything when it comes to food and drink. I have some very special dietary requirements and for the first time in years I could actually eat everything that was on the menu (thank you so much to the 2 chefs, Teri and Walter) - the food was very varied and absolutely delicious. Also, Gusti is a real artist when it comes to decorations — we were in awe when we got a stunning surprise for our special night. When it comes to diving, the Bunaken Marine National Park is at your doorstep. Illham, our dive guide, his colleagues as well as the captain and staff on board make sure that your experience on and under water is nothing short of amazing, too. He has eagle eyes and spots the smallest critters. 2 divers to one guide is a perfect formula and the dive boats are very spacious, too. The 12 cottages are very spacious and furnished with love and care - you feel at home at once and it is hard to rip yourself from the sea view you get from your private balcony. Thank you so much to Elaine and Simon, not to forget Georgie who did a great job helping us book this little paradise and to every single member of staff who have made our stay so memorable. To put our verdict in a nutshell: outstanding and unique at sea and on land. We will be back!