Lembeh Resort & Critters at Lembeh THE RESORT Lembeh Resort is a stunningly spectacular boutique style resort located on Lembeh Island, overlooking the Lembeh Strait. The spacious guest cottages, all sporting huge verandas, most with views of  the Strait & the impressive volcano on the opposite side, are set in lush tropical vegetation.  The staff , largely from the local villages, will welcome you warmly to your heavenly home away from home.   The centrally located pool offers perfect lounging possibilities, but just in case of rain, the dining area, bar & lounge are also comfortable and welcoming for your non-diving hours.  Of course, you can also indulge in a massage, a highly recommended way to pass the time!    The diving facilities are simply amongst the best, giving you access to what is probably the most magical critter world in the oceans.  The guides, natives of the region, are some of the most experienced & professional you'll ever encounter and it is almost certainly guaranteed that you will leave Lembeh Resort having seen things you have never seen before in the underwater realm.   This is one of our very favorite escapes and one we hope you'll have the opportunity to discover! ACCOMMODATION Of the 14 beautiful cottages on this sumptuous property, #1 - 7 are traditional Minahasa style wood construction, with twin or double beds. Four of these are detached with private verandas, while cottages 3 A & B feature a shared verandah and two bedrooms plus an adjoining air-conditioned sitting room (which can sleep two extra people). Cottages 4 A & B also share a verandah and are perfect for friends or families while cottage 7 is the Garden Suite nestled a bit further back into the gardens from the cottages facing the Strait.  Cottages 8 through 12 are very private, cliff-side villas, all with twin or double beds, very contemporary Asian-themed decor, and like their traditional sisters, all offering breath-taking views across the Lembeh Strait.  It's a climb to reach these gems … but be assured it's worth it!   All rooms have fully air-conditioned bedrooms, ceiling fans and en-suite Balinese-style (open air) bathrooms. Bathrooms have either a bathtub & shower or two showers with plenty of hot & cold water. Plus, all rooms have mini bar, complimentary tea & coffee-making facilities, drinking water, personal safe & laundry service. DINING The restaurant & bar opens at 7 a.m. for a breakfast of fresh tropical fruits & juices, cereals & yogurts, pastries fresh from the oven & home-made breads, as well as cooked-to-order Western or Indonesian dishes. Lunch is either a-la-carte or buffet style depending on occupancy. A choice of 7 different a-la-carte dinner menus ensures you have a wide selection of international & Indonesian cuisine. Morning & afternoon snacks are served at the bar, where tea & coffee is available all day long. Or you can relax by the pool between dives and the staff will serve afternoon tea or a sunset cocktail. You will find a well-stocked bar and a selection of wines. THE DIVING   Lembeh Strait is the place perhaps most universally recognized as the Critter Capital of the World.  Why?  Well, we're told that the unique situation of the Lembeh Strait, between the tip of Northern Sulawesi and the Island of Lembeh, plus the nutrient-rich waters that flow through it, created an isolated environment countless centuries ago that led to a prolific development of new (and unusual) species. Lembeh Resort is home to the dive operation, Critters at Lembeh, run by some of the most experienced dive professionals in Indonesia. The Resort's house reef can be dived at any time and is visited regularly by divers at dawn and dusk, when the resident mandarin fish, and their magnificent mating dance, can be seen.  Other diving will be done from four spacious, comfortable and efficient dive boats & dive sites are 5 to 20 minutes from the resort.  You'll be offered the following:    - more than six different dive opportunities every day    - guided early morning house reef dive    - guided boat dives at 08:00 / 10:45 / 14:30    - guided Mandarin Fish dive at 17:15    - guided night dive at 18:15    - guided late night dive (after 20:00) and self guided house reef dives In addition, there is now a double morning dive available; depart at 08:00 return at 12:30 - 12:45. Between dives, divers can enjoy visiting a village, cruising through mangroves or just relaxing. WHAT WILL I SEE? It's a tough question to answer, as in many other parts of Indonesia, the Philippines & Micronesia, where the diversity of life is so immense, pages are necessary to list even a portion of the species found. Let's start just with the basics:  you'll find slopes of black, volcanic sand or white limestone; you'll dive pinnacles, walls, rocky reefs with soft corals, rubble zones, hard coral reefs (we've been told that at least 450 species of hard coral inhabit this area!) . . . . and even shipwrecks. Of course, each of these unique habitats supports different sets of marine life. You're going to see frogfish galore! Warty, hairy, painted and giant frogfish are a few of the ones you'll see. Add to the list: mimic, wonderpus and hairy octopus; flamboyant cuttlefish; estuary, common and thorny seahorses; hundreds of nudibranchs and crustacean species; cockatoo wasp fish, devil fish, short spine lionfish, Ambon scorpion fish & rhinopias. If you want to hear more . . . you can add stargazers, red octopus,  pipefish,  Banggai cardinal fish,  hermit crabs, spider crabs, countless coral crabs, Spanish dancers, ribbon eels, gobies, mantis shrimps and harlequin sweetlips. Now, it's time to go see for yourself . . . . WHAT'S INCLUDED? Enjoy stunning views across the Lembeh Strait while relaxing in our fresh water swimming pool or browse the extensive library of novels and other reading materials. Satellite TV with international channels and a selection of DVDs are available for your viewing pleasure on the Library’s large-screen TV. EXTRAS AVAILABLE APEX and Aqua Lung regulators Sea Quest bcd Suunto dive computers Technisub mask/snorkel Various wet suits 3mm & 5mm and for when temps drop 5 mm shorties for covering a 3mm full suit. NITROX is available to qualified divers & certification courses are available. You'll also find Suunto computers, masks, pointers, under water books and many other items for sale - plus a well-stocked boutique where you can purchase local items, clothing, jewelry. COMMUNICATIONS  Located in the Lobby, the Internet Room has two workstations with memory card readers and CD burners, so you can download your photos or surf the Web. HOW TO GET THERE   You will fly to Manado where you see a resort representative waiting for you as you exit the arrival hall at the airport.  A minibus will take you to Bitung and your final leg will be a short boat trip across the Strait to the the resort.  The transfer time is between 1.5 and 2 hours.  The vehicles are air conditioned and you will enjoy a complimentary bottle of cold water and wet towel.  WHEN TO GO Due to the unique geographic location, Lembeh Strait offers fantastic year-round diving. Although there can be strong currents running through the Strait at some points of the day, there are always areas which are protected and comfortable to dive. Lembeh is also protected from big swells and most of the monsoon winds, which makes it comfortably ‘divable’ all year round. but there is certain seasonality in critters caused by the changing trade winds & April to October is generally considered to be the best critter season. March to May, the weather is generally good to dive all around the Lembeh Island and this is when you may even get to see a whale shark or even a whale - plus there are skipjack tuna schooling on the outer side of Lembeh during this period. Water temperature can varies by only a few degrees throughout the year: 29- 28oC between October & March; then it drops a couple of degrees for April, May, June and September  & the and the coldest months are July and August, with 25-26oC. Visibility varies from site to site & depends on the time of year.  However, you'll hear from the owner of the diving operation that "most muck diving is very “up-close and personal,” so even at minimum visibility you will still have an amazing dive experience." NON-DIVERS There's plenty to do around Lembeh should you tire of just relaxing in the splendid surroundings!  You can tour the local village, home to several staff members; take an organized tour of the Minahasa Highlands, which includes market visits, a visit to a highland lake and WWII caves (!);  enjoy a volcano trek; revel in the sights & sounds of the traditional market in Bitung, with a staff member as your guide; or enroll in a 3-day cooking class given by the resort's chef to learn the secrets of Indonesian cuisine . . . . Back to Indonesia page   >>> Contact us for additional details or to book spaces.