Lembeh Resort

Dive resort · Indonesia · Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi · Official Website

The Lembeh Strait from the air — coves, islands and jungle

Lembeh Resort pool among the palms seen from above

Pool and sun terrace right at the water's edge

Sunset over the resort pool in the Lembeh Strait

Cliffside Villa with its infinity pool above the strait

Booking by Tour Leader Club

3 room types · house reef

Lembeh Resort sits in a private cove at the northeastern tip of Sulawesi — on Lembeh Island, across the strait from the port town of Bitung. That strait is known as the critter capital of the world: marine biologists rate it as the highest concentration of rare and unusual marine life anywhere on the planet. Hairy frogfish, mimic and coconut octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, ghost pipefish — species people hunt for over weeks elsewhere turn up here on a single dive.

The resort began as the family holiday home of Alex Rorimpandey, a North Sulawesi native. Together with diving pioneer Dr Batuna he turned the house into a resort, which opened in December 2002 with three cottages. Today it is owned by a family from Jakarta who fell in love with the place on a dive holiday, while the dive centre — Critters at Lembeh Resort — is still owned and run by Danny Charlton and Angelique Batuna, the daughter of that same Dr Batuna.

The diving is short on logistics and long on encounters: sites are 5 to 15 minutes away by boat, most critters live between 5 and 20 metres, and currents are usually mild. Three scheduled dives a day, plus night, sunset, mandarin fish, blackwater and bonfire dives. The house reef is steps from the shore — every diving day with two paid boat dives includes one free self-guided house reef dive.

Underwater photography is a reason in itself. The resort runs Asia’s first Backscatter-authorized photo centre: individual workstations with power outlets, rental cameras, housings, strobes and snoots, repairs and even 3D-printed spare parts, courses and workshops. Every guide is photo-trained and knows the critters by their Latin names.

Accommodation comes in three categories: six Garden View Rooms a few steps from the restaurant and dive centre, thirteen Premium Luxury Cottages with ocean views, and one Cliffside Villa with an infinity pool and butler service. The Langka restaurant is semi-open, framed by sea and jungle; the kitchen cooks Minahasan and Western dishes without MSG, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

No markup

You pay exactly the rate the resort publishes. On top of that, only the actual bank costs of currency conversion and the international transfer — no commission of ours.

We run the deal

Correspondence with the resort, holding the room, the contract, booking confirmation and all paperwork are on our side. There is nothing for you to arrange yourself.

Card payment

We accept payment by card through Stripe and issue an invoice. The transfer to the resort is our job — you do not have to find a way to pay abroad.

Support all the way

We help you choose the room and dates, work out the dive package, answer questions about flights and gear, and stay in touch until you are home.

The exact amount is confirmed when we hold your booking: it includes the resort's rate at the day's exchange rate plus the actual transfer costs. No hidden fees.

About the resort

Country: Indonesia
Location: Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi
Nearest airport: Sam Ratulangi (Manado, MDC)
Transfer: About 60 minutes by road to Bitung plus a 10-minute boat ride
House reef: Yes — one free self-guided dive a day with two paid boat dives
Dive centre: Critters at Lembeh Resort, PADI
Nitrox: Yes, $7 surcharge per dive
Rooms: 20 rooms, cottages and villas
Internet: Free Wi-Fi throughout the property
Languages: English, German, Japanese, French, Indonesian

At the resort

House reef steps from the shore

Langka restaurant with sea and jungle views

Pool bar with sunset snacks

Swimming pool and tropical gardens

Spa with massages and facials

Backscatter-authorized photo centre

Camera room with individual workstations

Air conditioning and ceiling fan in every room

Minibar, safe, tea and coffee in the room

Drinking water dispenser

24-hour electricity with backup generators

Same-day laundry service

Diving

Muck diving in the critter capital of the world

Reefs, mangroves and wrecks as well

Dive sites 5 to 15 minutes away by boat

Most critters between 5 and 20 metres

Three scheduled dives a day

Night and sunset dives

Mandarin fish dive

Blackwater and bonfire dives

House reef with one free dive a day

Day trips to Bangka, Bunaken, East Lembeh and Buyat

Photo-trained guides and a marine biologist

Personal lockers and rinse tanks

Full rental equipment

Nitrox and 15-litre tanks

PADI courses from Open Water to Divemaster

Private boat and private guide on request

The boats run twin four-stroke engines — the resort was the first in Lembeh to switch to them. Onboard: toilet, oxygen and medical kit, camera rinse tanks, water, snacks and towels. Staff look after cameras on the boat and on land.

Dining

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Semi-open Langka restaurant

Minahasan cuisine and Western favourites

Fresh local produce, no MSG

Vegetarian and vegan options

Lactose-free and gluten-free dishes

Morning and afternoon snacks

Free-flow coffee, tea and drinking water

Bar with wines, cocktails and juices

Cooking class with a resort chef

Allergies and special diets need advance notice — the kitchen cooks separately. Soft drinks, alcohol and espresso are charged to your bill.

Beyond diving

Guided snorkelling on reefs and muck sites

Spa — massages, warm lava stones, facials

Tangkoko reserve excursion to see tarsiers

Highland trip to volcanoes and lakes

Bitung morning market visit

Kayaking and garden walks

Birdwatching and flying lizards

Underwater photo and video courses

Rooms

Garden room

from $162 per person per night

View: Tropical garden

Beds: King-size or twin

Simple, comfortable rooms a few steps from the restaurant, pool, photo centre and dive centre — the practical choice for people who came to dive rather than sit on a veranda. Four rooms at ground level, two on the second floor, each with a connecting veranda looking into the greenery.

Veranda with outdoor seating Ensuite bathroom with hot shower Work desk Air conditioning Minibar, safe, tea and coffee

Ocean-view cottage

from $320 per person per night

View: Ocean and sunsets

Beds: King-size or twin

Thirteen free-standing cottages set in tropical greenery: a wide veranda facing the strait and the sunset, floor-to-ceiling windows, custom-made furniture. Some sit behind the pool closer to the water, others slightly uphill behind the dive centre. Adjoining cottages are available.

Spacious veranda with ocean views Sofa and seating area Working desk Bathroom with rain shower Charging stations including USB Air conditioning, minibar, safe Extra bed available on request

Pool villa with butler

from $510 per person per night

View: Panorama of the strait and volcanoes

Beds: King-size canopy bed

The resort's only villa stands on a cliff: 180-degree views with volcanoes on the horizon, a 32 m² infinity pool, two private sundecks and butler service. Inside there is a large desk for photo editing, a lounge, a bathroom with two sinks and both indoor and outdoor rainfall showers. A spa treatment per person and a bottle of wine per stay are included.

32 m² infinity pool Private butler service Two sundecks with loungers Large desk for photo editing Bathroom with two sinks and two showers Espresso machine and French press Spa treatment and wine included

Rates

Accommodation, 1 April 2026 — 31 March 2027

Category	Double	Single	Extra bed
Garden View Room	$162	$228	—
Premium Luxury Cottage	$320	$448	$145
Cliffside Villa	$510	$712	$198

Per person per night in US dollars. High-season supplement is $14 a night from 24 December to 5 January. Children under 6 stay free, ages 7–12 are $128 a night in the villa and $102 in a cottage, teenagers are charged as adults.

Diving

Dive	Air	Nitrox
Guided boat dive in the Lembeh Strait	$61	$68
Mandarin fish or night dive	$81	$88
Blackwater or bonfire dive	$86	$93

Price per guided boat dive. Each diving day with two paid boat dives includes one free self-guided house reef dive on air. High-season supplement is $3.50 per dive from 24 December to 5 January.

Sample packages

Nights and dives	Garden View	Premium Cottage	Cliffside Villa
4 nights, 8 dives	$1,228	$1,860	$2,620
5 nights, 11 dives	$1,573	$2,363	$3,313
7 nights, 17 dives	$2,263	$3,369	$4,699
10 nights, 24 dives	$3,176	$4,756	$6,656
14 nights, 32 dives	$4,312	$6,524	$9,184

Per person based on double occupancy, in US dollars. Includes return airport transfers, full board, drinking water, coffee and tea, Wi-Fi, all taxes and one free self-guided house reef dive a day. Nitrox surcharge runs from $56 for 4 nights to $224 for 14 nights. Packages are samples and can be tailored.

Transfers and dive centre services

Service	Price
Return airport transfer	$92
Day trip to Bangka or East Lembeh	$304 per boat
Private guide, per day	$127
Private boat, per day	$364
15-litre tank, per day	$13
Guided boat snorkelling, per trip	$38

Day trips beyond the Lembeh Strait are charged per boat and shared between participants; the dives themselves are not included. Private guide and private boat pricing is based on three dives a day from 8am to 5pm.

Rental equipment and photo courses

Item	Price
Full scuba set with computer, per day	$22
Regulator or BCD, per day	$8
Wetsuit, per day	$7
Mask and snorkel or fins, per day	$6
Dive computer, per day	$12
Torch, per day	$10
Basic underwater macro photography, 2 hours	$220
Macro video, editing or critique session, 1 hour	$110

PADI courses on request. The photo centre rents compacts, mirrorless bodies, housings, strobes, video lights and snoots.

Rates and availability can change. Message us — we will confirm current dates and prices.

When to go

Best time: Year-round. October to April is peak muck season, May to September brings the best visibility and warmer water
Air temperature: 23–32 °C, humidity 60–70%

The strait is sheltered from big swells and most monsoon winds, so it stays divable in any month. Currents are usually mild, and when they pick up they bring in even more critters — there are always protected spots. The rainy season runs from November to March, but rain tends to fall at night or in short bursts and does not affect diving. Changing trade winds shift which critters show up in the strait.

Getting there

The gateway is Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado (MDC). Direct flights from Singapore run six times a week, every day except Sunday, plus daily services from Jakarta and flights from Bali, Makassar and Sorong.

From there it is a resort transfer: around an hour by air-conditioned vehicle along the new toll road to the port of Bitung, then 10 minutes by boat to the cove. Staff meet arrivals around the clock with a name board. Return transfer costs $92 per person.

If you are coming from elsewhere in North Sulawesi, the resort arranges a point-to-point transfer — from Bunaken or Siladen the boat runs directly from the neighbouring resort’s pier.