Tangkoko Sanctuary Villa & Spa

Added a two night stay to a business trip in Manado so that I could see the wildlife. Andi picked me up on time from the conference hotel in Mando. The hotel arranged morning and evening bird spotting with Ober, who was an excellent and knowledgeable guide. He even summoned his nephew to take me on the back of his bike to avoid walking 2km after it started to rain. Also saw rafflesia, couscous, tarsiers, scorpions and tarantulas. The sleeping owl was the cleverest find. I spoke mainly Bahasa with Ober but his English was good enough to explain everything we saw. Got some great photos (not yet transferred so cannot post here). Generally the guides do not respect the privacy of the animals enough eg shining lights at the Tarsiers. But on the other hand the fact that they get tourists means the locals are less likely to hunt or catch the wildlife and overall they seem to respect the national park (even though they were expelled from their village and resettled by the government in the interests of conservation). The food and hospitality at this hotel was excellent. Much better than usual for small hotels in Indonesia. And I did appreciate the foot massage.

We are so happy we chose to stay at Tangkoko Sanctuary Villa, this is certainly one of the best accommodation in this area! This little hotel (currently four rooms, but soon to have some more) is run by three wonderful ladies who will do their utmost to make their guests feel at home. The rooms were super clean and spacious, food was fabulous but the best is that you immediately feel like being part of the family! We really regret having booked for only two nights as there is so much to enjoy there. The guide they provided for the national park tour was very knowledgeable, spoke excellent English too and showed us everything we had hoped to see. Transportation from and to the airport worked very well! We would go back there without any hesitation and hope to be back soon!

Many guests just came for 1 or 2 nights, some even arrived late at night after a long day of traveling - but that is really a pity as this place is so relaxing, wonderful and special! Try to spend at least 3-4 days here and you won't regret it! For us, the 4-night-stay marked the end of our 3,5 week trip throughout Sulawesi and we could not have ended it better! Ana, the host and manager really knows how to make you feel welcome, she is always available, speaks excellent English and has a great attention to detail! As most reviews say, the food is delicious and the best part is that it is really "tailormade" to your wishes and preferences. Our son is a bit of a picky eater, and Ana and her team always managed to accommodate our suggestions or came up with great proposals. Of course we also came for the jungle walks and did the morning safari as well as the afternoon trip and were so lucky to see many beautiful animals, of course mostly thanks to the Villa's private guide Sakar who spotted them all. But the area also has some nice surroundings and beautiful beaches to offer if you are prepared to drive 30-60 minutes (motorbike or car). During our stay in July during weekdays, most beaches were quite empty and very clean! We did not make any trips to Bitung or Lembeh, but that is another option to spend your time. The journey to Manado airport took around 90 minutes by car (friendly driver arranged by Ana, of course). Thank you so much, we want to come back!!!

We spent just one night in Tangkoko Sanctuary Villa but we should have spent at least another one. The rooms are very clean and beautiful. The food in the restaurant was really nice. And , Ana , the owner was lovely and really helpful. Thanks for everything!!

Fabulous place to stay. Close to the park. Lovely clean rooms with good Aircon which is essential. The food was excellent,restaurant quality standard for both meat eaters and vegetarians. The fact it is up a hill gives it lovely views. The guide who runs the tours is brilliant and really knows the park including which macaques are aggressive so need to keep more distance from.We saw so much as he knew the places where the various animals are. I highly recommend staying here if you want to visit the park. Definitely one of the highlights of Indonesia.

Guesthouse: The room was really nice and clean with a comfortable bed. There is even a bathtub to enjoy after a long jungle trek. The restaurant has a lovely view and the food was amazing with a lot of vegetables. The keeper was exceptionally friendly and we really enjoyed our stay. What we also appreciated was that the guesthouse had a nice brochure with lots of information about the accommodation as well as the park. Guide: Our guide (provided by the accommodation) was really good, an awesome spotter with lots of experience and dedication (maybe sometimes too much dedication). We did the morning and afternoon tour and we saw macaques, cuscus bears, lots of birds and tarsiers. He even found small owls sleeping on the tree! The only criticism we have is that he still lacks some awareness not to disturb wildlife (going too close to the animals or making loud noises to get the animal’s attention). However, we guess that is true for all the local guides.