Happy Gecko Dive Resort

We had an awesome stay at the Happy Gecko Dive Resort. The Bungalows have everything you beed and the food is great. We made 9 dive which all were breathtaking beautiful! We can only recomend this resort. Last but least every Bungalow has an ocean view!

We stayed for a whole week, everything was wonderful. Before noon diving, in the afternoon the obligatory massages. Ask for Meifi Gosal. The food was fantastic, unfortunately The houses are furnished basic, but each of them has a magical view In practice, you don't need anything extra.

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 next visit.

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 like a lake.

Bungalows built up the face of the hill catch the breeze and enjoy beautiful sunset views. Host family, a native of Bunaken and his Dutch wife are excellent hosts, facilitating dives and full of travel tips and suggestions for other areas as well. Accommodated my vegetarian diet with many tasty dishes. Facility accurately described - No mosquito nets but coils provided. Bungalows roomy with good ceiling fan and en-suite bathrooms; cold water only not really a problem on the equator. Expect to pay in cash or a bank transfer in Euros which was a little inconvenient for us in US dollars. Set up Wise.com

Happy Gecko is exactly that - happy. Thank you Willeke & Jerry for welcoming and making me feel at home. Excellent local food, a small honesty bar, lots of books and a view to kill for. And of course diving, wonderful diving. That’s why you’re there. Everything was easy from start to finish with very quick and clear communication. Dive in the morning, after lunch take a walk in the nature or through the small village, read a book or have a siesta or go snorkelling. Dinner is early at 18:30 so you’ll be asleep by 22:00. Fully refreshed for the next mornings diving. Lovely people in a lovely place.