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Photo courtesy of Coral Eye

Coral Eye, Bangka Island, Indonesia

A marine outpost turned boutique dive resort on Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, founded by marine biologists: villas and rooms on a 200 metre white beach, pinnacles of soft coral and some of the finest macro diving in the region a few minutes away.

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Bangka Island · North Sulawesi: a marine outpost and dive resort on a white beach between the jungle and the reef

Coral Eye

North Sulawesi

A boutique dive resort on Bangka Island, at the northern tip of Sulawesi, begun in 2009 by four marine biologists as a marine outpost and still home to visiting scientists. Villas and rooms along a 200 metre white beach, a 26 metre infinity pool, and soft coral pinnacles and black sand macro sites five to twenty minutes by boat.

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The house

In stills

A first reading of the stay: rooms, light, and the quiet between them. Each still is a note, not a catalogue.

Guests silhouetted on the Coral Eye jetty at sunset
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
Coral Eye on Bangka Island from above, the reef running along the shore
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
The Coral Eye jetty running out over clear water to its pavilion
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
The white sand beach at Coral Eye under a blue sky
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
Snorkelers in the clear shallows over the Coral Eye house reef
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
The veranda of a Beach Villa at Coral Eye, open to the trees
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
The infinity pool and the thatched Beach Pavilion at Coral Eye
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
Loungers lined along the infinity pool at Coral Eye
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
Inside the Marine Outpost building at Coral Eye, a high timber roof over the lounge
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
The main building at Coral Eye lit at dusk
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
A plate from the Coral Eye kitchen, which cooks Indonesian and Mediterranean dishes
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
Dive gear ready at the Coral Eye dive center
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
The view from a hilltop on Bangka Island over forest and sea
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
The Coral Eye jetty at dusk
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
Soft corals in red, orange and pink on a pinnacle off Bangka Island
Photo courtesy of Fabio Galbiati / Coral Eye
Soft corals and sponges on a reef off Bangka Island
Photo courtesy of Fabio Galbiati / Coral Eye
Sea fans and soft corals beneath an overhang off Bangka Island
Photo courtesy of Fabio Galbiati / Coral Eye
An orange sea fan and soft corals on a Bangka reef
Photo courtesy of Fabio Galbiati / Coral Eye
Soft corals crowding a pinnacle in blue water off Bangka Island
Photo courtesy of Fabio Galbiati / Coral Eye
A hairy squat lobster in purple and white on a barrel sponge off Bangka Island
Photo courtesy of Fabio Galbiati / Coral Eye
A yellow frogfish on a sponge beneath a cloud of glassfish off Bangka Island
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye
A pair of Coleman shrimp among the spines of a fire urchin off Bangka Island
Photo courtesy of Fabio Galbiati / Coral Eye

The Experience

How the days feel

Bangka Island lies off the northern tip of Sulawesi, in the heart of the Coral Triangle. Its waters hold sloping reefs of hard coral, volcanic pinnacles draped in soft corals, black sand slopes rich in rare and cryptic creatures, mangroves, and seagrass beds where dugongs come to feed.

Coral Eye began in 2009, when four young marine biologists set up a marine outpost here for universities and students working on tropical reefs. In 2013 it opened its doors to travelers, and in 2022 it joined Siladen Resort & Spa. The Marine Outpost still hosts research, lectures and field courses, and the spirit of the place is that of a field station grown into a beautiful small resort.

The architecture is by Studio ARC.S of Milan, built over two years with local artisans and local materials, with conical leaf roofs and double walls that keep the air moving. Along the 200 metre white beach stand the Beachfront Pool Villas, each with a private pool, the Beach Villas and the Garden Villas, while the Superior Rooms open onto a wide terrace above the sea on the upper floor of the Marine Outpost. The Beach Pavilion holds the restaurant, the lounge bar and a 26 metre infinity pool along the sand.

Most dive sites are five to twenty minutes away by boat, with no more than four divers to a guide, four boat dives a day and Nitrox. From the jetty you can enter the water at any tide, with guided shore dives by day and by night, and the bonfire night dive is a Coral Eye signature. Day trips reach the Lembeh Strait and Bunaken, weather permitting, and a private boat and guide can be arranged.

On land, the Tangkoko reserve, home of the tarsier and the crested black macaque, is close enough for an afternoon, and kayaks slip through the mangroves. Coral Eye is a founding member of the Bangka Conservation Fund, created to fight illegal mining on the island, and buys most of its fish from Bangka’s single-line fishermen.

Coral Eye pairs with Siladen Resort & Spa in Bunaken National Marine Park, just over an hour away by private boat, on our North Sulawesi Dive Journey. See also our North Sulawesi guide, the Indonesia guide and the Sportfishing & Adventure and Island Sanctuaries collections.

Why EVC loves it

Why we would send you here

  • Founded by marine biologists A marine outpost before it was a resort, still hosting scientists, lectures and field courses on the reefs of the Coral Triangle.
  • Pinnacles and macro Volcanic pinnacles draped in soft corals, and black sand slopes for pygmy seahorses, frogfish and other rare and cryptic species.
  • The jetty at any tide Guided shore dives from the jetty by day and night, and the bonfire night dive, a Coral Eye signature.
  • A pool villa on the beach Beachfront Pool Villas of 150 square meters with a private 6 by 3 metre pool and their own sunbeds on the sand.
  • Tarsiers in Tangkoko The rainforest of the Tangkoko reserve, home of the tarsier and the crested black macaque, is an afternoon away.

Accommodations

Villas on the beach, rooms above the sea

Beachfront Pool Villas with private pools, Beach Villas and Garden Villas along the shore, and Superior Rooms on the upper floor of the Marine Outpost, every interior crafted by local carpenters.

  1. The private pool and thatched pavilion of a Beachfront Pool Villa at Coral Eye
    The living area of a Beachfront Pool Villa at Coral Eye, timber and linen opening to the garden
    The covered terrace of a Beachfront Pool Villa at Coral Eye beside its pool

    Room 01

    Beachfront Pool Villas

    150 sq m (1,615 sq ft) · On the beach · Private 6 x 3 m pool

    A king bedroom opening onto a teak deck and the pool, an open-air bathroom with a double rain shower, a walk-in wardrobe, a second room for a child or a lounge, and reserved sunbeds on the sand.

  2. A thatched Beach Villa at Coral Eye among the trees above the beach
    Inside a Beach Villa at Coral Eye, timber floors and a high thatched roof
    The bedroom of a Beach Villa at Coral Eye under a high thatched roof

    Room 02

    Beach Villas

    100 sq m (1,076 sq ft) · On the beachfront · Open-air bathroom

    Detached villas facing the sea, with a king bed, fine cotton linens, indoor and outdoor hot-water showers and a sofa that converts to an extra bed.

  3. A Superior Room at Coral Eye with white walls, timber floors and a window onto the forest
    The raised bed of a Superior Room at Coral Eye
    The bathroom of a Superior Room at Coral Eye with a stone floor and garden window

    Room 03

    Superior Rooms

    Marine Outpost building · Upper floor · Ocean terrace

    Rooms on the upper floor of the Marine Outpost, Coral Eye’s original building, opening onto a wide terrace overlooking the ocean.

Photo courtesy of Coral Eye

Inside the stay

The house, in notes

Where you sleep, what you eat, and how you arrive: the essentials, in brief.

A thatched Beachfront Pool Villa at Coral Eye with its private pool and lawn
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye

The villas and rooms

Villas on the beach, rooms above the sea

Villas and rooms along the beach and through the gardens, with interiors crafted by local carpenters, air conditioning, ceiling fans and cotton linens.

Beachfront Pool Villas. 150 square meters (1,615 square feet) on the beach, with a teak deck, a private 6 by 3 metre pool and a second room for a child or a lounge.

Beach and Garden Villas. 100 square meters (1,076 square feet), with open-air bathrooms. Superior Rooms open onto a terrace over the ocean.

The restaurant in the Beach Pavilion at Coral Eye, arched openings onto the pool
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye

Dining

Indonesia and the Mediterranean at one table

Stays are full board: breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner, with water, fruit, tea and coffee at the bar all day.

The restaurant. In the Beach Pavilion, at private or communal tables, with an open kitchen cooking Indonesian flavors and Mediterranean traditions.

The bar. Signature cocktails, beers and wines. Most of the fish comes from Bangka’s own single-line fishermen.

The spa at Coral Eye, a thatched pavilion in the forest
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye

Spa

A spa pavilion in the trees

The spa. A pavilion in the trees, built in 2020 for traditional Indonesian massages and natural treatments.

Made by hand. Every product is prepared by your therapist from natural ingredients.

Your choice. Perfumed oils or a 100% natural, locally made coconut oil, and your own music or one of the spa’s playlists.

The 26 metre infinity pool of the Beach Pavilion at Coral Eye, loungers along its edge
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye

Beach and pool

A white beach and a 26 metre pool

The beach. Two hundred metres of white sand between the jungle and the reef, with kayaks and paddleboards to explore the coast and nearby coves.

The pool. A 26 metre infinity pool along the beach at the Beach Pavilion, beside the restaurant and bar.

The house reef. Snorkel about a kilometre along the reef to the village of Busa Bora, or the other way to the mangroves, where the tide reveals a different world.

A pygmy seahorse on a sea fan near Bangka Island
Photo courtesy of Fabio Galbiati / Coral Eye

Best for

Who it suits

  • Two travelers

Macro divers and photographers. Pygmy seahorses, frogfish and black sand muck sites, a camera room and day trips to the Lembeh Strait.

Divers who like variety. Pinnacles, reefs, mangroves and seagrass, with four boat dives a day and shore dives from the jetty.

Curious travelers. Lectures at the Marine Outpost, tarsiers in Tangkoko and the Minahasa highlands. Currents can be strong, so every dive follows drift procedures.

A Coral Eye boat drawn up on the beach on Bangka Island
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye

Getting there

Manado, then across to Bangka

Coral Eye lies on Bangka Island off the northern tip of Sulawesi. From Manado airport it is about an hour by car, then twenty to thirty minutes by boat.

By air. Manado (MDC) is served from Singapore and from Jakarta, Bali, Makassar, Surabaya and Sorong.

To Siladen. Siladen Resort & Spa in Bunaken National Marine Park is just over an hour away by private boat, with two dives possible along the way.

We arrange the transfers and time them to your flights.

The sun setting over the sea beyond the Coral Eye jetty
Photo courtesy of Coral Eye

When to go

Good diving all year

Bangka offers good diving conditions all year, with warm water and varying currents. Daytime temperatures run from about 24 to 32°C.

The dry season. From April to November; occasional rains through the rest of the year.

In the water. Visibility is typically 15 to 25 metres and can reach 30. We confirm villas and dive plans when you inquire.

Pair it with

A natural companion

A second stay that belongs on the same itinerary.

Siladen Island · Bunaken National Marine Park, North Sulawesi: twenty-three villas on a white beach facing the volcano of Manado Tua

Siladen Resort & Spa

A dive resort of twenty-three villas on a small coral island inside Bunaken National Marine Park, North Sulawesi, with a 600 metre white beach, a PADI dive centre and some forty dive sites on the walls of the park.

Banjar Selat, Buahan Kaja, Payangan, Gianyar · in the rainforest north of Ubud above the Ayung River · sixteen open-air pool bales for adults

Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape

Sixteen open-air pool bales with no walls and no doors in the rainforest above the Ayung River, north of Ubud: an adults-only Banyan Tree Escape with two MICHELIN Keys, a farm-led kitchen and a private waterfall.

Tibay, Dominica · on a clifftop promontory above the Caribbean Sea

Secret Bay

Twenty-seven freestanding villas with private plunge pools on a rainforest promontory above the Caribbean Sea in Dominica, with two secluded beaches, a dedicated villa host for every stay and a table drawn from its own organic garden.

Related stays

Other stays we would consider

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Siladen Island · Bunaken National Marine Park, North Sulawesi: twenty-three villas on a white beach facing the volcano of Manado Tua

Siladen Resort & Spa

A dive resort of twenty-three villas on a small coral island inside Bunaken National Marine Park, North Sulawesi, with a 600 metre white beach, a PADI dive centre and some forty dive sites on the walls of the park.

Pulau Bawah, Anambas Islands · Riau Islands, Indonesia: six islands, three marine reserve lagoons

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A private island in north-eastern Palawan · Sulu Sea, Philippines · six beachfront villas, reached by seaplane or helicopter

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Six beachfront villas on a private island in north-eastern Palawan, each with its own freshwater pool and Jacuzzi, set within a marine protected sanctuary in the Sulu Sea and available as an exclusive island charter.

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