Whoo! Diligent blogger i certainly am not. I'm always annoyed with whatever i've typed before which is why the most consistent blog i currently have is on tumblr which is 98% pictures and 2% interesting quotes. But, wonderful stories of diving in Lembeh Straits must be shared. First off, the accommodation!
You must stay at
Dabirahe at Lembeh Hills Resort! This is a beautiful hill side resort overlooking the straits. I would recommend trying to get the Cliffside Villa 1 or 2 which is the nearest walking distance to the pool, dive centre and restaurant. Trust me, if you were an idiot and forgot your mask or something, the 10 min hike UPHILL back to your villa is no fun. I was lucky and got Cliff Villa 1 which literally connects to the infinity pool,.
Stolen from the website - Named after its location on the resort ground, Cliff Villas (4 units)
are state of the art private villa sized at approx 100m2, on the edge of
the cliff surrounding the facility and also the closest ones to the
water below making sure a clear overview of the Lembeh Straits itself.
All villas come with private terrace overlooking the ocean, spacious
private bathroom with sunken tub and outdoor showers, as well as in-room
entertainment system with ipod dock.
I paid RM2560 for a 4 night stay here, with diving and transfers included. Meals were separate as our
GOD group did not go for the buffet package. I think it was really affordable for the 5 star accommodation! I would have paid the same in Kapalai or SWV and only gotten a so so room.
That said, you do need an additional RM500-1k for food and drinks (depends on how much u eat) and also extra dives if you need too. Also, i flew with Silk Air to Manado, stopping in SG so that cost RM1600.
Good points about the place:-
- The view is just gorgeous. Especially if you are traveling as a couple. Its like a honeymoon suite. The balcony has 2 comfy beds to lounge around in in-between dives
- The room had 2 tables which was great for setting up camera equipment.
- Rooms come ready with universal plug points!
- Ipod dock was super convienient
- Big bottles of water everyday and a small plate of fruit
- Friendly and helpful staff
- Bathrobes. I love them!
- The have these convenient straw bags and flip-flops which i used throughout my stay.
- A different room just for the toilet bowl. Great for when you have to share with roomies. Like this dive slut which dives partnerless.
- Nice and organized dive center.
- All the dive masters sing and play instruments!
- The whole resort felt nice and safe. Which is a lot to say since i live in the Klang Valley where people get shot and attacked by parang weidling criminals.
- Nice clean toilets at the dive centre.
Bad points:-
- The food was quite expensive and disappointing which is hard on Malaysians! Strangely, the restaurant does western better than local Indonesian food. Which is weird. We complained many times of the food quality and also its speed of arrival... which was slowww.
- The pool was a little bit murky. They could keep it a touch cleaner i thought. That said, it did not deter my group from hanging out there coz it was the perfect place to chill out.
- Frogs. Frogs are everywhere! It could be that i was there during a somewhat rainy season.
- Walking distances. This is especially so for those staying further up the hill.
- The little zoo excursion was a little disappointing. I didn't go but this is based on reports.
- The Cliff Villa 1 toilet can be peeked into. The frosted glass at the shower area does NOT go all the way up. Don't say i didn't warn u!
- The WIFI doesnt extend much past the restaurant. And sometimes they shut off their modem at 10!
Website pictures are quite accurate so hey-ho! :D
I'd definitely go back to this place.
