Mocean Beach Resort — Hotel in West Nusa Tenggara

star rating is a combined rating for accommodation and diving

Firstly, let me say the rooms and location are fantastic. Everything has been thought of, and extra touches like the water filtration system (so you can drink straight from any tap) shows how much care and planning has gone into this facility. Huge kudos to Matt for planning out such a beautiful facility.The staff were unfailing friendly and helpful (special mention to Afri at the front desk and Warda in the restaurant). Food was superb; I stayed here for 7 nights and every meal was a delight. Beds were super comfortable. The pool area is stunning and a real focal point. Extra bonus was strong, stable WiFi - i never had a single drop out in 7 days.

Unfortunately, the diving experience did not measure up to the rest of the stay - and this was purely down to business booking practice. The absentee Canadian part owner, Colleen, who handles the email bookings, appears to lack understanding of the on the ground issues. I pre paid a 5 day package of dives, and this turned out to be a huge mistake; in all honesty, in this location pre paid packages should not be offered. Unfortunately, rather than prioritising paying guests, the business takes last minute bookings from walk -in Open Water divers staying at other hotels. For the first three days I was diving, this occurred every day; it meant that the choice of dive sites was severely limited (due to the certification restrictions associated with Open Water divers) and as a result, we were diving on sites with 2m visibility. Those 3 days were not only the most average diving I've ever done in 15 + trips to Indonesia, but actually the worst worldwide in the last 25+ years of diving. Not even worth the cost of a tank fill let alone the price charged. Finally on the 4th day there were no open water divers booked in and we could access the full range of sites, resulting in stunning dives. On the 5th day there was a DSD booked in, and it was only because Emma and DM were prepared to be flexible and go above and beyond that I was able to once again access the better dive sites.

I would definitely NOT recommend pre - booking / pre paying for dives here, unless you are in a group large enough to book out the entire boat. Pre paying is a recipe for disappointment and frustration. The issue is not the dive staff on the ground - they have no say on the walk ins being booked in, they are told about it after the fact. The business needs to find a solution to the limitation imposed by the open water certification and decide whether it is worth continuing to book inexperienced divers at the expense of paying guests. Additionally, there seems to be a discrepancy between what customers are told via email (pre-paying is the only way to guarantee a spot on the boat, as another client I met was advised) and what staff at the resort advise (guests are always given priority for space on the boat).

All in all, Mocean is a stunning place to stay and there are some stunning dive sites, however due to business booking practices it is luck of the drawer whether you will actually get what you...

Mocean Short overview: This place is the best place on Sumbawa and for sure in the Kertasari area! We've stayed in a few places in the area.

The rooms have everything you need on a high standard.

The food is of great quality and very tasty.

The diving center is unique and well equipped.

Mat the manager and head of the dive school truly is the best we've met in customer service. Super attentive and he goes above and beyond to make your stay unforgettable!

Detailed report here: Last year we've been lucky to be the first customers. We've stayed in another place on the island. By coincidence we found the newly opened mocean and left the other instagramable place earlier. We wanted to stay 2 days in mocean and ended up staying waaaayyyyyy longer. Mat the manager is the heart and soul of this hotel and his staff are truly the best and sooooo very attentive and sweet. As we liked it so much last year we came again and this time stayed 3 weeks. We had perfect holidays here.

The quiet rooms have water cookers, a fridge, a chair, darkening curtains, a safe, an aircon, a ventilator, a large closet with hangers and shelfs and even an iron and ironing board. The bed is sooo comfortable (even for me with my sensitive back) and big - also for tall people.

The pretty bathroom is very spacious and you have all the towels you need. There is a rainshower and normal shower, a hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner, soap and lots of light.

The housekeeping is amazing!!!! They even fold all my clothes I had laying around.

We are spoiled food lovers and enjoy good food and dining out in very good restaurants around the globe. The mocean restaurant was heaven for us especially when you compare the other possibilities on the island. We loved the burgers, fruit bowls and really special is the large Tomahawk Steak for two.

They definitely serve the best cappuccino on the island. Great espresso in it and nicely decorated. And I'm very spoiled in my coffee taste. ;-)

There are beautiful flowers blooming everywhere. Palm trees and other lush green plants are along the paths from the entrance on.

The white and super clean beach is just in front. It's unique to find such a calm beach nowadays that is not crowded.

As a diver you will dive in almost untouched areas and as a beginner you get trained by certified instructors in the specially therefore designed pool on site. Mat helped me overcome some bad experience I made on the Maldives. We had six excellent dives with top equipment. We've seen dozen of Mantas swimming around us. The feeling was incredible. So beautiful coral gardens and fish everywhere!

We travel a lot and have seen a lot of places. Mat's mocean, his professional service and heartwarming staff are exceptionally outstanding!!!! Thank you!

If you get a chance to stay here...

Stayed at Mocean for 3 nights. My first time in Sumbawa.

The resort is located 2 hours from the airport. Picked up by Im, a really friendly in-house driver from Mocean. Im was really friendly & passionate about tourism in Sumbawa, told many stories throughout our drive. He also recommended a local soto place near the airport which we loved. The drive to the hotel didn't feel long at all because the view is spectacular & the road is very smooth.

Once we got to Mocean, we were immediately greeted by an amazing view of the ocean & hills surrounding Kertasari area. It was simply breathtaking. As far as the eye can see, you can count on your fingers the number of the building that you can see, and the rest is just beautiful nature.

There isn't many rooms/villas but it is very well built. The villas use terazzo floors & hardwood furnitures which give it a hint of luxury. We also loved the little details of the amenities in the room such as Tanamera coffee & Sensatia toileteries which make us feel very spoiled.

Food was amazing. We were skeptical about food at the beginning given how remote the location is but we were wrong. Some of must tries are the red snapper, butter chicken, and cheesesteak sandwhich. They also make everything in house which is impressive, again given the location and I can imagine how difficult supply is.

The highlight for me though was the dive. We started our dives with a quick drive to this very beautiful beach with Lombok & Mt Rinjani in the background. There was nothing at the beach but this wooden boat with the Mocean logo on it. The boat was beautiful and comfortable, Matt the owner / dive instructor who was also there explained how he designed the boat himself to suit the condition in Kertasari. The dives itself are interesting because in many of the spots, we were the first ever to dive there. My favorites are the coral garden & wall near Pulau Satu. The corals were plentiful and healthy. And near the wall we saw 5-6 sharks. I also need to mention that the dive & boat staffs are very helpful. During surface interval Upik the boat captain shared stories about life in Kertasari and showed us an eagle nest. Aldi the dive guide can spot tiny critters from far away. Both Matt and Colleen the owners are also experienced divers and they are always happy to answer dive related questions with...