Tawali Resort clings to the rainforest, sloping to the sea, like a sprawling treehouse on the outer peninsula of Milne Bay. We previously dived this area by liveaboard as it was hard to access otherwise. Arriving is via a 45-minute flight from Port Moresby to Alatau, then a 90-min ride in a new mini-bus and finally a 20-minute boat trip to the resort.

The main jetty, wrapped around the house reef and mandarin fish dive, leads to some stairs past rinse tanks and then a sloping walkway and then some more stairs to reach the accommodations level. The main complex is fan-cooled and houses reception, WIFI access, lounge, bar, indoor dining area and large outdoor decks with views through the rainforest to the sea below, where devil rays (Mobula rays) could be seen on the house reef.

The 19 timber bungalows perched on the hillside are connected by a timber walkway through the tree canopy. Some are in a duplex arrangement which can be connected internally. Further along the walkway, the resort also has a 2-bedroom Ocean villa, a large conference room with 3 attached single rooms, and eventually meanders down to beach level with a nice pool.

The air-conditioned rooms are large with 2 queen beds, a mini fridge, tea and coffee station (in future a smart TV and WIFI are planned) and a long bench good for cameras but lacking convenient electric outlets. There was a great view from the balcony seating area and an outdoor drying rack.

The included meals were a mix of buffet and cook to order depending on the number of guests or the plan of the day. Most days, eggs were cooked to order, lunches were western-style plate of the day and dinners were usually a buffet of a good selection of dishes including plenty of seafood and crab. Fresh tropical fruit was offered at each meal. The most unexpected was the best lunch on a 3-dive day boat that we have had. They put a food warmer on board and were able to serve up hot dishes of rice, curry, vegetables and crumbed shrimp as well as cold salad and fruit from the cooler.

The meal and bar server was excellent, attentive and thoughtful, and made pretty good cocktails. In fact, the whole resort and dive operation was well run by the long serving team, with no apparent supervision.

Tawali has a small but well-coordinated and experienced dive team lead by Alfred, who have been diving this area for over 10 years. There were 2 guides for our group of 4 or 6 experience divers, all were good with their air and bottom times averaged 70 minutes, with no rush to surface if there was something interesting to see which the guides were enthusiastic to find. Several divers using Nitrox found the readings inconsistent day to day.

They have a large new dive boat which is comfortable but with a ramp at the front like a landing barge that lowers for divers to walk into the water with a giant stride. In rough weather, they use the side exit, which means stepping up onto a narrow ledge before stepping off. The ladder is attached here for getting back on board and is going to be better adapted for divers as it can be a bit slippery in bare feet.

We were happy to find the boat was strictly non-smoking. Amenities on board included, towels, water, tea, coffee, fruit and cookies and the best banana cake, until the kitchen ran out of ripe bananas. Cameras were well handled and a rinse bucket was provided on board.

The resort is well located to some great walls close to the resort and is an hour to the mouth of Milne Bay where the reefs are colourful and host amazing numbers of fish. Albert came to the dining room each evening to confirm the next days’ dive plan and we alternated days between closer and farther dive sites. Tawali and Milne Bay are well known for muck diving, however our group had an appetite for the walls and reefs with some current, which had plenty of seasonal pelagic and fish action and as one diver exclaimed after a great dive at Tania’s Reef, “With a dive like that who would want to do muck diving?”

An hour by car and 40 minutes by boat brings you to the Coral Eye Resort at Bangka Island with a beach landing for the boat.
The resort was originally a research station and there is a large 2 story centre structure which houses the bar, dining areas, lounge areas and library on the ground floor and then 8 standard rooms with AC around a second level mezzanine. There are also 8 new minimalist Italian-designed beachfront villas with AC which are quite different from most traditional Indonesian designed bungalows.
All room types are provided with fantastic homemade soaps, shampoo and conditioner and a luxury shower. Linens were also minimal, with no blankets provided, I found it necessary to turn the AC off and rely on the breeze.
The rooms had a safe, no fridge in Standard rooms, but available in Villas.
A shared tea and coffee station was just outside the standard rooms, and individually available in Villas. Good WIFI was available in all rooms.

Individuals, couples, and families should note that meals are a shared experience with other guests. In the dining area were 3 large communal tables for 8 to 16 people, and offered quite a different way to serve a good quality meal service, somewhere between family-style and a la carte. Each corner of the table had shared condiments, breads and some side dishes. Main courses were pre-ordered at the previous meal from the daily menu, with a vegetarian option, and were individually served at the table, more or less at the same time. Dessert of the day was served at dinner, fruit at lunch. Breakfast items were also shared at the table with eggs cooked to order.

Espresso coffees and drinks service was available all day from the bar or from the table service during meals.

Photographers will appreciate the well-appointed camera room with AC and around 15 workstations for assembling and charging.

Diving was well organised from attractive and comfortable boats, provided with towels, hot drinks, water, snacks and my first experience with a warm facecloth between dives. The dive guides were good spotters, and strictly observed a 60-minute dive limit, but I had a different one each day. Diving is interesting and varied at Bangka and guests were offered a variety of experiences. The house reef offers an excellent dive or snorkel as well.

Coral Eye is affiliated with Siladen Resort in Bunaken National Park and Lembeh Resort and can, at an additional cost, offer boat transfers to or from either, which is faster than the road option and will include dives along the way.

Bunaken Oasis Resort provided possibly the best dive resort experience I have had in 15 years of diving in Indonesia. From the luxury vehicle 30-minute airport transfer, and another 30 minutes on a lovely timber-trimmed boat (interestingly named after the owners’ horses) to arriving at the resort pier, I felt like a cherished guest.

Warmly welcomed by the management team, I was given a brief tour, deposited my camera into the huge camera room, and then escorted up a few flights of stairs to my standalone bungalow, where I had a great view of the lushly landscaped hillside of the Oasis, over the infinity pool and beyond to the sea from the comfortable deck chairs.

My room had everything one could desire, a beautiful fruit basket, a Nespresso coffee maker, lots of teas, hot & cold water, a mini-bar, wine, waffle robes or silky kimonos, lots of towels, organic body wash, soaps, shampoo and conditioner and a magic basket, where your laundry goes in and returns clean and folded. Importantly for me, WIFI was available in the room and throughout the resort.

I left the cocoon of my room to venture up to the spa for a blissful massage before wandering down to the impressively designed bar and lounge over 3 levels. As one looks around you can’t help but notice the many detailed design elements of the resort that are beautifully maintained. One morning I noticed a loose paving stone, but on my way back from breakfast one of the groundskeepers was already repairing it and inspecting others.

Meals were all ordered a la carte from an extensive menu for breakfast and lunch and a menu of the day for dinner. Fresh squeezed juices, baked pastries and fancy egg dishes and espresso coffees for breakfast; lunch ranged from salads, grilled fish, curries to burgers and exceptional house-made ice creams.

With a small number of guests, we all had dinner together with the resort owners and management team. One night we had a 7-course tasting menu where the chefs were flexing their creativity and impressive presentation skills, which occurs almost weekly. On the last night for some guests, we were presented with a concert of local and pop songs by some of the talented F & B team as a farewell.

The Bunaken Marine Park dives were a surprising treat, featuring wall diving, at times a comfortable drift and one for advanced divers with more challenging currents but all with very clear water and lots of marine life, both macro and pelagic. I had a tip to dive at Manado Tua, at the base of the volcano, and on request that was easily added to the itinerary.

The dive operation was top-notch too, with everything fastidiously managed, from the boats, to the dive prep area, camera room and even the compressor room. Two of the dive team were being certified to teach tech/rebreather diving, so they will have that option there by now too. I was lucky to be one of the only divers in a lull between 2 busy periods and I dived with the owners and one of the managers. But my dive guide and buddy Hentje Pontoh is a legend in Bunaken, having discovered a new pygmy seahorse species in 2008: Hippocampus pontohi. We had a lot of fun.

My experience at Manta Bay Resort in Yap, Micronesia was a mix of highs and lows, with some notable aspects to consider.

Firstly, the location is situated on the waterfront of Colonia, the tiny capitol of Yap, a short ride from the airport. The resort's unique Phinisi boat converted into a bar and restaurant added to the charm of the place.

The rooms at Manta Bay Resort were spacious and decorated with ornamental carved timber furniture, providing a comfortable stay. Daily housekeeping ensured cleanliness, and essential toiletries like shampoo and conditioner were provided. The availability of in room WiFi was a plus for staying connected.

When it came to meals, the breakfast options were simple but satisfying, with eggs cooked to your preference. However, some dishes like bacon were not up to par. Lunch options were limited on weekdays, requiring advance ordering or exploring cafes nearby. The dinner menu offered basic Western fare, with standout items like sashimi and burritos receiving praise. The staff was friendly, although service could be slow at times, averaging around 50-60 minutes for meals.

The resort's own microbrewery produced good-quality beer, enhancing the dining experience.

Diving with Yap Divers provided both excitement and disappointment. The manta rays at Stammtisch and the sharks at Vertigo and Yap Caverns were the standout dives. While the boats were comfortable and well-equipped, including amenities like water and hot wet face towels after dives on board, camera handling could be improved. The dive planning and execution, however, were a bit disorganized, with changes in plans not always communicated effectively. The mix of experienced and new divers on each boat, along with varying dive durations, could lead to inconsistent experiences.

Snorkeling options were available, although some practices, like snorkeling with dive groups at shallow sites, raised concerns about disturbing marine life, such as mantas.

Overall, Manta Bay Resort offers a unique experience in a tropical location, with room for improvement in areas such as dive planning and meal quality.