Murex Bangka Dive Resort

12 avid snorkelers/freedivers just returned from the Passport to Paradise trip offered by Murex Manado/Bangka and Lembeh Resort. From start to finish Murex Bangka staff were so welcoming, accomodating, flexible and open to allowing us alot of water time & being involved with snorkel site selection. The banner that they made for us, followed us throughout our stay, how kind! Danica was receptive to talking to me, upon arrival, about how best they could meet our snorkeling needs. The cottages, food ( thank you Chef Joe!), service and staff/guides were fantastic. We really enjoyed the continuity of having the same 3 guides, Tian, Carter and Alvian (for 12 of us) follow us through all 3 resorts and the ease of transfer via boat with 2 snorkels enroute. This was so efficient and made it alot of fun. There was so much site diversity, too, and the opportunity for land tours, spa services and cocktails at the bar offered more variety. I loved my tranquil hillside cottage in the forest, the a/c was nice and cool and the rooms were spotless. The house reef was a highlight-vast, healthy, diverse reef and critters, we loved our 6am morning swims with cuttlefish and rays! The beach loungers amongst the trees were so peaceful. We will be back! Terima Kasih!

Murex Bangka is an outstanding resort for scuba diving. The accommodations are rustic but clean and cozy, and the food is plentiful and delicious. The staff are friendly and helpful. As good as that is, the diving operations and sites are even better. The resort offers nitrox to divers certified to use it, and the boats are comfortable and spacious. What makes diving with Murex so special, however, is the quality of the dive guides and the way they point out North Sulawesi's unique species and write down their names underwater so the divers know what they're looking at. At the end of the dive, the guides write down all the species seen on the dive so divers can record their sightings in their log books. We've been fortunate enough to have Basra, Marcel, and Rein as guides. They are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and accommodating. We would be happy to dive with them anytime.

We had such a wonderful stay with Murex Resorts at Bangka. The diving was really lovely! Healthy reefs, and wonderful critters to find. We also stayed at their Manado resort; and what stood out at both resorts was the super tasty food; lovely and very comfortable accommodations and the fun and friendly nature of all the staff. Both resorts are undergoing a transformation with new villas and restaurant areas and once completed they will be at an even higher level than the great experience they already are. We would highly recommend both resorts for a relaxed, fun and friendly diving holiday!

We recently stayed at Murex Bangka for 9 nights and did 13 dives, including a check dive on the house reef. The resort does not have a jetty on the mainland side or at the resort so you will get your feet wet for the boat transfer but the thoughtful resort staff provided water for washing our feet and sandals on departure. We stayed in one of the newly built Premium Oceanfront Cottages, it was very well appointed and the view from the room and balcony was wonderful. The direct access to the bathroom was a nice idea so there was no need to traipse through the bedroom for a rinse after diving. These cottages are in an elevated position so there are steps leading to them from the beach. The resort staff were all thoughtful, helpful and welcoming. We were amazed how they managed to remember the names of guests. Food was served buffet style as the resort was nearly full when we were there. The options were varied and tasty, especially the cakes. The drinks menu was very good too and included mocktails and healthy options. The diving operation was very well organised and efficient. All the dive staff were considerate and helpful, and the dive guides (including our guides Billy and Rafael) were experts in finding critters. We knew this would be the case as we have been to Lembeh Resort and they have the same dive operator. We have enjoyed our holiday at Murex Bangka immensely.

We arrived at Murex Bangka on the 5th of March 2025 for a two week holiday and 20 dives package. Staff met us at the airport and drove us to the pier where we were given re-useable drinks bottles and fruit and then got the short boat ride to the Island. On arrival we were met and shown to our room (Hillside villa) which was both sizable & very comfortable. A great start to our holiday. The restaurant was a buffet style set up serving a wide variety of well-presented food. All of the staff working in the restaurant were both helpful and friendly, but special mention goes out to Ryan, Sergio, Nadia, Bella, Jennifer, Melisa and Yunita who went the extra mile to make us feel relaxed and pampered. We really did feel as though we’d known them for a long time, a part of the family and they all looked after us really well. Bangka beach is something very special. Perfect for lazing on the beds and hammocks, and swimming or lazing in the warm waters. The house reef is just a short way off the beach and perfect for swimming over, and snorkelling (and the kayaks are worth a go!) We didn’t have any problems, but Chris who’s the resort manager was as friendly as everyone else, & continually took time out to talk with us ensuring everything was going just as we wanted it to. Everybody made it their mission to make our stay as good as it could be. The owners even stayed for a short time whist we were there and were friendly, engaging and made themselves very approachable (if it’s good enough for the owners to stay at, then that’s the very best of recommendations!) The diving is superb. A very big thanks goes to our dive guide Billy, who made the diving safe, enjoyable, and let us just get on with observing the amazing sea life there. He planned some spectacular diving sites where we saw a turtle giving itself a scrub & spa day on the reef (apparently it’s lucky to see a turtle at Bangka!), a couple of fleeting shots of passing white tip sharks, and so many macro fish that I still have no idea how he spotted them. The boat crew of captain Hopni and Rizky made the boat trips very easy. We spent the last few days of our holiday at Murex Manado and our dive guide, Reykmond was equally as good as Billy. The diving off of Bunaken Island was brilliant and the turtles were amazing. The housekeeping team are brilliant, keeping everything clean and just so and all done behind the scenes, with no fuss. The turn down service was superb. The whole holiday experience was a 10 out of 10, we were genuinely made to feel part of the family and we would definitely recommend going there. So much so, we’re already planning a return passport to paradise!

We did a custom Passport to Paradise option with 3 nights at Murex Manado, 3 nights at Murex Bangka, and 6 nights at Lembeh Resort. Custom because we booked Lembeh Resort first and then added Murex. The combination of the three resorts works great, and we will book it like that again. All three resorts had great diving operations, delicious food, beautiful rooms, and friendly, thoughtful, and professional staff. That said, the food was best at Murex Manado, Murex Bangka has the best diving operation of all three, but Lembeh resort is the overall best. Our room at Bangka was newly built and stunning, with lots of space and great views and an area for our camera setup in the room; though there is also a dedicated, well equipped camera room. All three resorts had options for different power plugs.