Happy Gecko Dive Resort

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.

The kindness of the owners and staff, the professionalisem and knowledge of the Diving Masters and Instructurs stole my heart. Cottages are basic, but very nice and clean. They fit in the place where they stand. Would come again and again and again. Food is the best we had in all Indonesia and we did travel some.

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.

If you are looking for a small family run friendly dive place on Bunaken, Happy Gecko is perfect for a laid back friendly experience. It is excellent value, located on the quiet side of the island. Food was plentiful and tasty and the cute bungalows are no frills, but very functional with a nice view, balcony with hammock. The diving was excellent, mostly wall dives with a great diversity between sites with beautiful healthy coral and many large turtles and even a huge pod of dolphins one day. Jimmy, the dive guide was lovely, and Willeke, the owner, is delightful and helpful. I just emailed direct to make an easy booking. I hope to return one day

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.

Very nice small resort with 6 bungalows with view over the sea. We stayed there for snorkeling (7 days), enjoyed good food, joined the diving boat for snorkeling, and relaxed on the terras of the restaurant or our bungalow. Run by friendly Indonesian/Dutch couple. Highly recommended!