Saronde Island Resort

We had an absolutely fantastic holiday on Saronde! We were particularly enchanted by the idyllic ambience from the start - it was simply beautiful and unforgettable. We were deeply impressed by the personal support and the warm manner of the entire team. Our every wish was met immediately and with great care, making us feel completely pampered.Our bungalow exceeded all expectations: stylishly furnished, perfectly located and with a breathtaking view that we enjoyed every day.The diving was without a doubt one of the highlights! We experienced fascinating encounters in a colorful underwater world. The professional and experienced guides ensured that we always felt safe and well looked after.An all-round perfect holiday that we can only warmly recommend!

What a great placeWhat friendly peopleWhat a lovely vacationAnke and her steam have conjured up something really great here.From the greeting upon arrival - throughout the entire stay - to the farewell, you feel like you are in paradise.This is one of the hidden gems that you should definitely visit. Just to relax and slow down.

We recently returned from a wonderful dive trip to Indonesia. We spent 12 days on KLM Sunshine, traveling from Banka Island to Saronde Island and back. We have been on the ship a number of times in the past so there were no surprises. The dive crew and the ship's staff were very professional and fun! The food was delicious. To me the beauty of KLM Sunshine is its size. At a 100 feet it can handle any sea conditions and is small enough that the diving prep is not constricting with too many divers. The unique platform at the stern is very spacious and allows safe loading and unloading of the dive tender. Also, a wonderful place to rinse off after your dive. Many new sites to try once again. Amazing clear reefs teeming with fish. Huge swarms of plankton eaters, Juvenile Red Toothed Triggerfish, dozens of Pyramid Butterfly Fish, large aggregates of Midnight Snappers and half a dozen species of Anthis in their harems feeding as the current sweeps by.We were able to dive Bunaken National Park. Because the first dive is before breakfast we had the wall dive and sleeping turtles to ourselves. I really had to stop counting the turtles. They were just waking up, cruising the reef, taking time to refill their lungs, or many still sleeping or resting. What a thrill not to be missed! While waiting for the return trip we took our meals on Saronde while sleeping aboard Sunshine. We stayed there last year but were interested in the progress. The beach bungalows were all occupied but based on last year they are definitely 5 Star accommodations. We were keen to see the new garden bungalows and while not finished the first two were far enough along that we had a tour. We think they will be spectacular as well. A little smaller perhaps but delightful. The upstairs sleeping loft and the private shower outside under the tree enchanted both of us. The additions plus the fantastic open air dining hall and common area make this a very special destination. Mary and I are in our mid-seventies and still pretty robust but the staff was so attentive at accommodating us for diving. I can see a time when we will spend more time exploring the mountains and jungle life of Central Sulawesi. This island paradise would be a great place to start.

We came across Saronde by chance while preparing for our trip and immediately felt enchanted. The communication in advance with Anke went quickly and smoothly. …

We were able to spend three weeks on this wonderful island in August and it was a really great time. …

Landed in paradise...We came across Saronde by chance while preparing for our trip and immediately felt enchanted. The communication in advance with Anke went quickly and smoothly. The package was perfect for us (2 adults and 2 children 13 and 15)! Help was also provided quickly with arranging the flight booking to Gorontalo - we came from Torajaland.We were amazed when we arrived at Saronde after a 25-minute journey by comfortable boat. The whole team was already waiting for us at the jetty. The reception was overwhelming. You were immediately in another world - a barefoot paradise.The high-quality materials were immediately noticeable in the spacious lounge area with comfortable lounges and a long dining table. Everything lovingly and very tastefully furnished. The team speaks very good English, is incredibly attentive and constantly tries to take care of every step and do something good for you. Thanks to everyone at this point - without you, Saronde wouldn't be what it is!We had booked one of the 5 bugalows on the beach. (The two garden bungalows were in the final stages of construction in August, and are probably finished by now.) Each bungalow has a lot of privacy and its own section of beach. In addition to the large, rocking daybed, there are also beach loungers and a lounge located on the private wooden terrace. So there's enough space to find your favorite place as a family.The bungalow is very spacious and offers not only a super comfortable king-size double bed but also another brick bed. Here too, the high-quality materials immediately catch your eye. The traditional roof with palm leaves is so beautiful to look at! The bungalow has its own water dispenser, coffee machine and refrigerator. The spacious bathroom with outdoor shower is a dream!What's also great is the washing and storage station for diving equipment that is private to each bungalow. Here, too, every step is taken care of... everything is delivered... the suits are washed... you quickly get used to this service...We eat together at the long dining table with good conversations in the large bungalow. The team's live music was an atmospheric highlight every evening. Apart from breakfast, which is ordered individually the evening before (I recommend the Superbowl - so delicious!), lunch and dinner are served buffet-style. This was ideal for us as a family - everyone can find something they like - or you can try everything :-) The food was always authentic, varied and very tasty!! The lovingly prepared desserts are also particularly worth mentioning. The afternoon snack is delivered to the bungalows.The dive sites can all be reached quickly by boat. The guides all try so hard to find even the smallest treasure in the big water. For us it was the first time in macro diving and we were amazed at the funny little inhabitants - colorful snails, crabs, shrimps... It was great that you were alone at the spots. No other day guests. The trips are so individual, depending on what you feel like. The team and equipment is top!The debriefing takes place with the sundowner. Together with the guides you look up the little animals and discuss tomorrow.Regardless of this, you shouldn't miss the sunset even if you're not a diver... in paradise it's perfect too... But getting up early for sunrise is also highly recommended - the play of colors is amazing!After the holiday is before the holiday... we dream of paradise at home with 5 degrees and constant rain... for the children, after the vacation is completely spoiled, a repeat next year is already planned... we hope it works.Thank you very much, Anke and Lando for the wonderful time with you!

If you are looking for fascinating macro diving spots, want to enjoy a fantastic island and meet incredibly nice, competent and helpful people, Anke and Lando are in the right place at the Blue Bay Divers Resort. We were able to enjoy our vacation in this diving paradise for the third time and will definitely come back. Private beach villas, great food and a really nice family atmosphere make this place something very special. We are really looking forward to enjoying our time on Saronde Island again soon!!!

The world is so big and has so many beautiful places to offer, you should see everything. Problem: once you find the best place, it's really difficult to top it or travel somewhere else. In short, once the "Blue Bay" virus has infected you, there is simply no treatment...We started our vacation on the Blue Bay island of Sahaung - blubbered in and then unfortunately said goodbye forever (the resort closes in October 2024). A relaxed 4-day cruise on the KLM Sunshine over Bunaken with great diving sweetened our journey to Saronde. It's always amazing what chef Kesan can conjure up in his small galley of culinary highlights. The ship's crew is a great team, everything went like clockwork.With the arrival on Saronde Island with a breathtaking sunset spectacle, the warm welcome from Anke, her team and the deeply relaxed island dogs, our “here we are at home” feeling immediately set in.The beach villas are well maintained and sparkling clean, the colorful beach lanterns have been replaced by tasteful wicker lights, and the beds are huge and cozy. For breakfast, the menus are distributed among the guests every evening and you can put together your own breakfast. Be careful, the portions are huge and almost impossible for normal tummies to handle. Lunch and dinner are served buffet-style and were always delicious. Sometimes a bit too "Europeanized" for my personal taste (I can go three weeks without spaghetti) but of course perfect if you're traveling with a child. The kitchen team will be happy to fulfill special requests.Diving: There are now two diving boats on Saronde. The new "Enjoy" is very comfortable, has an unusual amount of space, toilet, sun deck with loungers and 2x100 HP four-stroke engines. Also new: the “salt water towels” are brought fresh on board by the crew before diving and placed in the sun while diving. We weren't particularly cold after 80 minutes of diving with a 5mm semi-dry suit, but being handed a sun-warmed towel after the dive was great. In 2023 we still felt that the diving area was "expandable", and in the meantime a number of new diving sites have been found that make the macro heart beat faster, and an eagle ray also crossed our path. The highly trained and always helpful diving guides do everything they can to make (almost) every dive an experience.In contrast to many other resorts, the diving operations here are individually adapted to the wishes of the guests. If you want to go into the water at 8 a.m., you go at 8 a.m., and if you want to go in at 9 a.m., you go at 9 a.m. House reef dives are possible at any time - especially with kids who are not yet ready for boat diving. After the last dive of the day, the crew rinses the equipment with fresh water in the villa's own "diving center" and hangs it up to dry. A mild shampoo is used to rinse the wetsuit at regular intervals. So no smelly suits, just great!In the evening we go to the beach for a sundowner and then - if you like - for a debriefing with the diving guides to identify the underwater treasures that have been found.We were lucky with the weather, cloudless and - untypical for the time of year - very little wind and therefore few waves. The visibility above and below the water was correspondingly good.Of course, it was very difficult for us to say goodbye and we are already thinking about 2025. Hopefully there will be a place available for us on this dream destination. 11 months of "surface break" are long, but the hope of our next dream vacation allows us to cope with everyday life calmly.Anke, Lando and Blue-Bay team, you are the greatest for us!

Saronde is highly recommended! The small resort relies on a family atmosphere in several ways. Both with food, general support, on the diving boat and with all kinds of encounters! …

The world is so big and has so many beautiful places to offer, you should see everything. Problem: once you find the best place, it's really difficult to top it or travel somewhere else. …