Happy Gecko Dive Resort — Hotel in Manado

This was my second trip to The Happy Gecko and Bunaken Island, and I enjoyed it even more this time. Owners Willeke and her husband Jerry are wonderful hosts, and made me feel very welcome. I requested a vegetarian diet, and the food was amazing! On some days I skipped lunch so I could walk to the other side of the island to snorkel. Their delicious breakfasts and dinners made up for it! The Happy Gecko has several cottages that are reached by a cement walkway up the hill behind the dining area/bar. All have a patio and a view of the ocean. Down in front of the open dining area is the beach and some groves of mangroves. You can walk west in front of the Bunaken Oasis or southeast to the main part of Liang Beach in the evenings to view the sunset over the sea and Manado Tua, an extinct volcano just north from Bunaken. I am a snorkeler and had an amazing time in the water, usually several times a day. I also did a couple of night snorkels right in front of the Happy Gecko. The dive crew was very good at inviting me along in the boat on the dive trips. They dropped me off at the edge of the reef while they dived nearby. I brought along an inflatable yellow buoy that I towed with a short rope to be safe on my solo snorkeling adventures - to make sure other boats would see me, and the Happy Gecko boat could easily spot me for the pickup. Also, my buoy would hold me if I needed that, which never happened. The colorful coral and fish in the Bunaken Marine Park are abundant and diverse, the best I have come across in visits to the Florida Keys, the Southern Caribbean, and the South Pacific (Niue Island). Underwater photography is my hobby and passion, and I came up with enough photos and videos to spend the entire winter reviewing them, inspired by what I saw, and dreaming of my next trip there. (search ‘journeywest coral seas’ to see more of my Bunaken underwater photos). Also, Willeke arranged with a local boat owner (Yan) to take me on exclusive trips over to Siladen Island and the Leukan sites on the south side of Bunaken. I expected that Yan would drop me off and then pick me up later, but he stayed nearby the entire time I was snorkeling, which was several hours. I gave him extra rupiahs because of how boring that must have been for him.||||Full Disclosure: Like all of Indonesia, trash often washes up on the waves and the tides. The locals on Liang Beach are very quick to clean it up. On a couple days of my 11 day stay at the Happy Gecko it rained VERY hard. This caused enough runoff around the island to cloud the reef the next morning, making for very poor photographs and videos. On the flip side, there were several days that the sea was so calm that it was almost...

What I love about the Happy Gecko is the relaxed and friendly atmosphere and the accommodating and helpful staff. Word is getting out how great the Gecko is, and it was busy during my entire two week stay in August and early September 2023. Consider yourself lucky if you are able to reserve a cottage.||||I really appreciate that everyone looks out for me, since I am older, but still allows me the freedom to swim out to the reef and drift with the current for a couple of hours, examining and photographing the amazing corals and sea life in Bunaken National Marine Park. I always pull a yellow buoy behind me to be seen by boats, and so the staff can see from a distance that I am ok. ||||I have been to the Happy Gecko three times, once pre pandemic (2019), and now twice post (2022 & 23), for a total of six weeks+. I am a snorkeler/free diver, but I am always invited out with the dive boat, and get to see many varied reefs and dive sites around Bunaken and Manado Tua that way. My favorite time in the sea is during the full moon low tides, when I swim out the boat channel at Liang and along the outside of the reef (with yellow buoy so I am seen). At those extreme low tides the edge of the coral is above your head and sunlight shimmers on the undersurface of the water. It is magical. Another top experience on this trip was the two times that Yan took me over to the other side of the island with his smaller boat, and followed me as I drifted with the current the whole length of Timur. ||||The reef at Bunaken is in very good shape, with only minimal signs of bleaching so far during the current El Nino. Turtles are plentiful, and the currents & countercurrents deposit an abundance of marine larvae near the island, which is why there are so many fish of different kinds. Another big plus for the Happy Gecko is how easy Manado and Bunaken are to get to from Jakarta and Singapore. I am already thinking about...

My husband and I became certified divers in 2015, and have been returning to Happy Gecko Resort every year - minus the Covid years - since we discovered this resort in 2017. We are from Canada.

There are so many wonderful things that have brought us back specifically to this small, family run resort. The Dutch owner / manager Willeke is very thorough, efficient, and welcoming, as is her husband, co-owner and dive master Jerry.

The dive master Jimmy, with whom I dived almost exclusively, is exceptionally proficient at his job and left me always feeling calm, safe, and very well looked after. This is particularly important and reassuring as I am now 70 years old, and recently completed my 89th dive, and my 8th night dive, guided by Jerry. My husband - also a diver - is 77 years old.

The resort offers as much home cooked food as one can possibly eat, while also accommodating my vegetarian diet, in a social setting that encourages group interaction, as all meals are served at the same times and guests are seated at the same table. Its a wonderful ambiance for meeting and connecting with other guests.

The atmosphere at the resort is chill and welcoming, the staff are very friendly, and the resort definitely offers the best value all around for your budget. However, you need to be aware that the accommodations, although very clean, are also very basic. There is no A/C - there are fans only - in the bungalows, so if you are looking for a five star resort, this may not be your best choice.

But if you are looking for a place that feels a bit like a home away from home, with excellent dive guides, small dive groups and wonderful dive experiences, you will be very happy here.

Thank you Willeke, Jerry, and staff at Happy Gecko for the many years of excellent experiences we have enjoyed at your warm and welcoming dive resort. We look forward to our next...