Coral Eye Boutique Resort and Marine Outpost

We love remote resorts where you have to make an effort to get there and will normally be rewarded to find like-minded guests to engage with during your travels. In spite of Coral Eye’s remote location on Bangka Island off the NE tip of Sulawesi, the logistics from i) getting greeted immediately at the Manado airport, to ii) being transported an hour to the seaside village of Likupang at the NE tip of Sulawesi, to iii) cruising 30 minutes N to Bangka Island were a smooth running machine, foreshadowing the precise nature of the rest of Coral Eye’s operations. • The resort is led by GM’s Giulia and Andrea, 2 experts at the top of their game! In the past year, they have developed and enhanced Coral Eye to a well-oiled machine with completely unexpected precision in an oasis outside of the “real” world. In addition to their exceptional operations management, Leadership, and communication skills, they exhibit an unending joy while exchanging information with guests where you feel their genuine excitement of making the adventures available to everyone who visits. And their passion translates through the entire Team! • The Dive Shop is run by Luca and Wiki, who in their short tenure to date have the dive/snorkel/excursions running without a hitch. From conversations with them about their future initiatives, they have no shortage of fresh ideas to enhance the guest experience (although we believe it is already first rate). They are currently growing the team in size, learning and experience. And although it is smooth today, they have an attitude of continuous improvement so there is no doubt the Dive Shop will continue to flourish in the future. We were lucky to spend as much time as possible with both of them. • Who would expect a constant flow of epicurean food options in the middle of the Coral Triangle??? Lauren Fuschillo, a Top Chef from New York via Italy manages a Team to serve varied, exquisite offerings, with each meal having multiple options for appetizers, entrées and desserts. On top of gourmet quality food, Lauren has extensive experience in creating nutritious offerings and ANY request is accepted if you would like to go off menu. We did not veer off course as the options (Indonesian specialties like Nasi Goreng, Eggs made 4 different ways, Tuna tartare and/or shaved thin, Australian ribeye steak to name a few) meant we didn’t repeat anything over our 11-night stay. How we avoided gaining weight while sampling TEN varieties of ice cream and gelato is our greatest conundrum. We cannot overstate how surprised and delighted that a remote resort can offer a gastronomic dining experience; Bravo Chef Lauren and your outstanding Team! • As other reviews have stated, the resort villas are modern, spacious and efficiently laid out. The bathroom/shower setup HAS to be seen to experience its communion with the outside environment. For relaxing, You can gaze out the front windows at the various shades of blue water, chat on the porch so

We just came back from our 2nd stay at Coral Eye, what can we say… There sure will be a 3rd time! 20 superb dives, delicious food (gained weight), pampered for everything, very friendly and polite staff, just perfect! Terima kasih semua dari hati!

For me after several years traveling Indonesia, Coral Eye, is one of the best places to stay. The main reason the incredible people running the hotel, the quality of the rooms as well the dive center. All the people was dedicated to give you a "detailed stay", starting from Marco the owner, the Dive Center people, (amazing Andy & Amy), and the entire crew at the boat, kitchen and room services. Beautiful design at the hotel, not the classic european luxury hotel, quite different from others, big rooms with a lot of details, and a great food every day. But the most important, the atmosphere created for the people working at Coral Eye, sharing every day a big table and speaking about dive, sun, life..