Bunaken National Marine Park lies off the northern tip of Sulawesi, in the heart of the Coral Triangle. Created in 1991, it covers some 89,000 hectares, almost all of it sea, and takes in five islands: Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. More than 390 species of reef-building coral have been recorded here, and the park is best known for its dramatic coral walls and its clear water.
Siladen Resort & Spa opened in 2003 on Siladen island, along a 600 metre white beach that looks across the water to the cone of Manado Tua, where the sun goes down behind the volcano. It is a dive resort first, relaxed rather than formal, and built around the sea.
Twenty-three villas stand in gardens behind the beach. Three Luxury Villas sit directly on the sand, each with its own seawater plunge pool; six Beach View Villas look onto the beach from covered terraces and sun decks; twelve Garden View Villas share six buildings of wood and natural stone a few steps back; and two villas of two bedrooms suit families and friends. Every villa has an open-air bathroom.
The diving is the reason to come. The PADI dive centre works some forty sites across the park, every dive from the boat, with no more than four divers to each guide: the walls of Bunaken, drifts along the reef and muck dives in the sand. On the walls the visibility averages around thirty metres, and the water is usually 25 to 27°C. Nitrox, night and blackwater dives, a camera room and a valet service for your gear are all on hand, and a private boat and guide can be arranged. Snorkelers have more than twenty sites of their own, and turtles are a common sight.
Ashore, a freeform saltwater pool sits at the heart of the resort, the spa uses aromatherapy oils prepared in Bali, and the Tree House, raised among the trees by the traditional builders of Woloan, hosts yoga and talks on marine life. The resort has protected nesting turtles since 2004 and supports the No-Trash Triangle Initiative.
Siladen pairs naturally with Coral Eye on Bangka Island, 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.
