North Sulawesi offers two distinct diving personalities. On one side, the sheer walls of Bunaken National Park drop into deep water, where turtles, eagle rays, and reef sharks patrol the current. On the other, the muck diving of Lembeh Strait rewards slow, careful searching with frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, and pygmy seahorses. Tasik Ria Resort sits midway between both worlds, giving you access to the region's full spectrum without changing hotels.
The diving operation here stands out for one simple reason: the boats. Tasik Ria Resort uses spacious, Red Sea style vessels with plenty of room for gear, cameras, and surface intervals. Most Manado resorts run smaller, more cramped boats. These are different. You get comfortable seating, shade, and a dedicated area for lunch between dives. The in-house dive team, Tasik Divers, keeps group sizes small with a maximum ratio of 4 guests per guide. That means your dive leader spots the leaf scorpionfish on the wall and the tiny nudibranch on the rubble patch, rather than herding a crowd past the highlights.
The dive sites within reach are world class. In Bunaken National Park, Lekuan 2 offers a classic wall that drops beyond sight, covered in gorgonian fans and whip corals. White tip reef sharks cruise the blue. Turtles rest in overhangs. Celah Celah takes you into narrow cracks that penetrate the reef. Safe, shallow swim-throughs where you hover inside the wall and watch the current sweep past the entrance. Closer to the resort, the house reef delivers an entirely different experience. Critter Circus I and II are muck style sites with sand, seagrass, and rubble. Here you find ornate ghost pipefish, robust ghost pipefish, the elusive Lembeh sea dragon, and pairs of mantis shrimp. A 20 minute boat ride brings you to Tanjung Kelapa, a sloping reef with coral bommies, a mini wall, and regular visits from bumphead parrotfish and Napoleon wrasse.
Tasik Ria Resort works as well for non-divers and families as it does for dedicated scuba travellers. The property has 2 swimming pools, a spa offering traditional Indonesian treatments, and a choice of dining venues. The Bunaken Restaurant serves both buffet and a la carte. The Jetty Grill overlooks Manado Tua island, a perfect spot for a sundowner after a long day on the water. Weekly barbecues and seafood nights add variety. Breakfast runs from early morning to fuel the dive boats, with banana pancakes that have earned a loyal following.
Accommodation covers 5 categories, from pool view rooms to sea view suites. All meet international standards for comfort. Free WiFi is available throughout the resort. Airport transfers run 24 hours, with a dedicated driver and greeter meeting you at Sam Ratulangi Airport. The drive to the resort takes approximately 30 minutes.
Beyond diving, Tasik Ria Resort arranges land tours for rest days or for non-diving companions. Options include a trek to the crater of Mount Mahawu, a visit to the Tangkoko Nature Reserve to see tarsiers and black crested macaques, white water rafting on the Timbukar River, and a Minahasa highland tour that takes in traditional villages, Lake Tondano, and the colour-changing Lake Linow.
Tasik Ria Resort is not a luxury boutique property. It is a well run, family operated resort that prioritises comfort, flexibility, and value. The staff are attentive without being intrusive. The location gives you access to 3 distinct diving regions - Bunaken, Bangka, and Lembeh - all from a single base. For divers who want variety without constant liveaboard movement, Tasik Ria Resort makes excellent sense.
Tasik Ria Resort offers 50 rooms across 5 categories, ranging from poolside doubles to spacious sea view suites. The style is rustic rather than slick: white tile floors, local wood accents, and verandas that face either the gardens or the ocean. The rooms are clean, well maintained, and properly equipped for divers who need space to spread out camera gear and dry wet clothing. Everything meets international standards for comfort without pretending to be something it is not.
Room Categories:
* Sea View Suites - The largest option, with panoramic views across the strait to Manado Tua island. Separate living area.
* Grand Sea View Cottages - Spacious bungalows close to the water, with generous verandas.
* Sea View Cottages - Comfortable bungalows with garden and ocean views.
* Pool View Rooms - Located near the main pool, convenient for families or guests who prefer to be close to the centre of the resort.
* Accessible Rooms - Tailor made for guests with mobility impairment.
All rooms and bungalows include: Individual air conditioning and ceiling fan - Private bathroom with hot water shower - Towels, toiletries, and hairdryer - Satellite TV and international telephone - Minibar, tea and coffee making facilities - Personal safe - Veranda or balcony - Round 2-pin power sockets (220V)
Additional Amenities:
Room service operates from 10 am to 10 pm. The front desk can arrange adaptors for round pin sockets: a small deposit applies, refundable on return. The resort has backup generators for the occasional power fluctuations common to the region.
The diving menu at Tasik Ria Resort covers 3 distinct regions. The main event is Bunaken National Park, a 75,000 hectare marine park, featuring 5 islands and walls that drop from 3 metres to over 1,300. Lekuan 2 is the classic: a sheer wall where white tip reef sharks and turtles patrol the blue. Celah Celah offers narrow swim-through cracks in the reef; you hover inside the rock while looking out into open water. Fukui Point is the park's only sloping reef, home to a resident giant clam and schools of snapper.
Closer to the resort, the mainland sites deliver a different flavour. The house reef splits into Critter Circus I and II. These are muck-style dives over sand, seagrass, and rubble. Ornate ghost pipefish, robust ghost pipefish, the elusive Lembeh sea dragon, and peacock mantis shrimp all appear. Tanjung Kelapa, a 20 minute speedboat ride away, combines a sloping reef with bommies, seagrass, and a mini wall where bumphead parrotfish and Napoleon wrasse cruise past.
For those who want to venture further, Tasik Ria Resort offers a dedicated day trip to the Lembeh Strait. Transport is by road from the resort to the harbour at Bitung (approximately 1.5 to 2 hours each way). Once there, you board a local dive boat and complete up to 3 guided day dives at Lembeh's famous muck sites. Lunch is included. This is a long day but worth the effort. Lembeh delivers frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, pygmy seahorses, and critters that appear nowhere else in the region. The resort also arranges day trips to Bangka Island on request.
Daily Dive Schedule:
* 8 am: Boats depart from the resort pier. Your gear is already on board.
* Morning: 2 dives in Bunaken National Park or at mainland sites.
* 12 noon: Lunch served on the boat (included in the trip).
* Afternoon: One additional dive before the return crossing.
* Approximately 5 pm: Arrival back at the resort.
The journey to Bunaken takes about 1 hour each way. Boats are spacious fibreglass vessels (12-16 metres) with cruise speed of 12 knots. Each boat carries a maximum of 15 divers, with shaded areas, a sundeck, an indoor saloon, a toilet, a shower, a rinse tank, and a camera table. Lunch, drinking water, coffee, tea, fruit, and towels are all provided. Hot showers and towels are available after dives. Steel ladders make reboarding easy.
Dive Type Options:
* Boat Dives - 3 guided dives per day, six days per week (Saturday is a rest day for boat crews, though shore diving remains available).
* Unlimited Shore Dives - Free of charge, available any time from the house reef or jetty. Buddy teams required.
* Night Dives - Available on request as a fourth daily dive or as a dedicated night boat trip.
* Snorkelling Trips - The boats welcome non-divers; the shallow reefs of Bunaken are accessible and vibrant.
* Lembeh Day Trip - Up to 3 guided day dives, lunch included, transport by road from the resort. Advance booking recommended.
Tasik Ria Resort Diving Facilities:
* PADI 5 Star Dive Centre with four Indonesian and international instructors.
* Divemaster to guest ratio of 1 to 4 - small groups, better spotting.
* Rental equipment available (book in advance to avoid disappointment).
* Dedicated camera table on every boat.
* Complimentary tea, coffee, fruit, and drinking water on all dive trips.
* Gear storage and washing service. No need to haul your kit back to the room.
* Oxygen on site and on every boat.
* Radio contact with mainland and GPS on all vessels.
Safety and Emergency:
The nearest recompression chamber is at Malalayang Hospital, approximately 20 km east of the resort (about 30-40 minutes by road). A doctor is on call for minor ailments, ear infections, and general health issues. Tasik Ria Resort strongly recommends that all divers carry dive insurance. The resort can assist with DAN short term policies if you arrive without cover. All dive guides are trained in emergency oxygen provision and first aid. The 4 to 1 guide ratio means that someone trained is always close by.
Tasik Ria Resort runs its diving operation with a simple philosophy: comfortable boats, small groups, and guides who know where to look. The hour long crossing to Bunaken is made bearable by spacious vessels and hot showers on return. And the house reef, a genuine macro site with world class critters, means you can squeeze in an extra dive between breakfast and the boat departure. That flexibility suits scuba divers who want to maximise bottom time without feeling rushed.
Tasik Ria Resort works just as well for non-divers and families as it does for scuba travellers. The grounds are established and palm fringed, with 2 swimming pools at the centre. The main pool has a shallow end for children, floats and swim vests, a wet bar, and decorative fountains. A separate child pool sits alongside. Sun loungers, parasols, and towels are provided. It is a comfortable place to spend a rest day or an afternoon between dives.
The Matana Spa offers a different kind of escape. Treatment rooms are private and quiet. Therapists use essential oils and traditional Indonesian techniques to work out the stiffness that follows a week of wall diving. Choose from a range of massages, body scrubs, and facials. The spa is open daily, and bookings can be made at the reception desk.
Adventure Tours:
For guests who want to explore North Sulawesi above the waterline, Tasik Ria Resort arranges several guided tours. All depart from the resort and include transport.
* Volcano Trekking (6 hours, departs 8:30 am) - Drive to Tomohon, then trek 1 hour to the crater edge of Mount Mahawu. From the top, you see Bunaken and Manado Tua islands, plus the Bay of Manado. A steaming sulphur lake sits in the crater below. Lunch follows at a lakeside restaurant on Lake Tondano.
* Minahasa Highland Tour (7 hours) - Visit the village of Woloan to see traditional Minahasan houses built in 'knock down' style for shipping. Continue to the Tomohon flower and food market, then lunch on Lake Tondano near a goldfish farm. Stop at Pulutan Village for pottery, then explore WWII Japanese caves on the return drive. End at Lake Linow, a volcanic lake that shifts colour between red, green, and blue.
* Tangkoko Nature Reserve Tour (10 hours, departs 12:30 pm) - Drive 2.5 hours to the 9,000 hectare national park on Mount Dua Saudara. Hike in search of black crested macaque monkeys and the tarsier, the world's smallest primate at about 10 cm tall. Long pants, sturdy shoes, and a flashlight are essential.
* White Water Rafting - Arrange through the resort with a local operator. The Timbukar River offers rapids and rainforest scenery. Reserve one day in advance.
* Golf - The 9-hole Wenang Golf Course is a 40 minute drive from the resort. Tee times vary. Rental equipment can be arranged.
Tasik Ria Resort facilities include: Restaurant and bar (including the sunset Jetty Grill) - Dive Centre (Tasik Divers) - E-6 slide processing - 2 swimming pools (main pool with wet bar, plus child pool) - Sea kayaks - Complimentary internet - Gift shop and minimart - Art gallery - Matana Spa - Laundry service - Car hire - Parking - Library - Tour desk - Daily airport shuttle service (free of charge) - Baby sitting and baby cots - Foreign exchange
Tasik Ria Resort caters to a mixed crowd. Divers return from the boats in the late afternoon and head straight to the pool bar. Non-divers spend the day on tours or lounging by the water. Families appreciate the child pool, the babysitting service, and the flexibility of the restaurant menu. The resort does not pretend to be a luxury boutique property. It is a comfortable, well run base for exploring North Sulawesi, whether your focus is below the waves or above them.
The kitchen at Tasik Ria Resort balances Western comfort food with authentic Indonesian flavours. The European trained chef works alongside local cooks to create a menu that suits divers who need fuel and non-divers who want variety. You can eat inside the Bunaken Restaurant or outside on the open air terrace. The Jetty Grill offers al fresco dining with a view across the strait to Manado Tua island.
Breakfast:
Served at the Jetty Grill from early morning, timed to get you fed before the dive boats depart. The spread includes freshly cooked egg dishes (any style), banana pancakes that have earned a loyal following, waffles, homemade breads and pastries, freshly made yoghurt, cereals, fruit, rice, and noodles. Tea, coffee, and fresh juice round it out. The banana pancakes are worth waking up for.
Lunch and Dinner:
Lunch is often taken on the dive boats during trips to Bunaken. When you eat at the resort, the restaurant offers both buffet and a la carte options. The buffet features a large salad bar plus a rotating selection of hot dishes. The a la carte menu includes homemade burgers, pizzas, pasta, and local specialities like fish tinoransak (a spicy Manado style fish dish) and nasi goreng.
Weekly theme nights add variety: beachside BBQs, seafood nights, and Indonesian buffets.
Vegetarians are well catered for. The chefs are happy to discuss dietary needs or prepare something specific for events like birthdays or honeymoons.
Bars:
The Pool Bar stays open all day, serving tea, coffee, tropical drinks, cocktails, beers, wines, spirits, and snacks. It is the spot for a midday cool down between dives or a lazy afternoon by the water.
The Sunset Jetty Bar overlooks Manado Tua island and opens in the late afternoon. This is where divers gather after cleaning their gear, swapping stories about the day's sightings while the sky turns orange and pink. The bar serves a full range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
The food is honest, plentiful, and prepared with fresh local ingredients. The Indonesian dishes are the standouts: the chefs know their sambals and their curries. The banana pancakes at breakfast and the sunset drinks at the Jetty Bar are the 2 things guests consistently mention when they write home. That says enough.
"
This property provides decent meals, cold A/C in rooms, and an organized and knowledgeable dive center. The grounds are faded and parts are in disuse and the boats and jetty are just serviceable, not great quality - the boat is slow and the waterfront of the hotel is filled with defunct boats. However, the staff is kind and hard working and the dives were fantastic. The restaurant and desk staff were also lovely and the manager is responsive and generous. We would like to thank them for making our time there a pleasure, even if we would warn others that this resort is for travellers, not vacationers. Without the diving, we would have been disappointed by the lack of amenities and distance from activities." -
Emily, China, 3 January 2025 ...
