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!

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 did the Paradise to Passport . Starting in Manado. We then transferred by boat to Bangka doing two dives on the way. The accommodation was right on the shore line and it was lovely falling asleep to the sound of the waves lapping on the shore. The staff were very welcoming. They were so friendly and couldn’t do enough to ensure we had the best time including a special decoration on our bed when they heard it was our wedding anniversary. The food was fantastic. We enjoyed the themed buffets and the meals on the shoreline were great.. The diving around Bangka was reef diving and it was fantastic. Fikli was the perfect dive guide. We had cameras and he gave us plenty of time to photograph the things he pointed out to us, including frog fish and flamboughant cuttlefish. How he found some of the small stuff was incredible. Don’t miss the night dive here, it throws up weird and wonderful creatures. Many thanks to Chris for lending me a dive computer after my battery decided to die, even letting me take it to Lembeh to finish my trip. After four nights we had a boat transfer to Lembeh to continue our Passport to Paradise (See Lembeh Resort review) doing two dives on the way. Great second leg of our trip.

Everything was perfect - amazing diving, beach, house reef, guides, friendly and professional staff, room was lovely. We saw so many amazing underwater creatures and coral, the guides were super knowledgeable. The staff accommodated all of our preferences and their service was very personal. Only small blip to our trip was that some of us got bad diarrhea. We are grateful to the staff who were super helpful and who helped us with medicine etc.

The resort is really nice with a white sand beach from where you can snorkel in the house reef when the tide is high. The oceanfront cottages are really nice and just a few steps from the beach. What I really liked was the resort team high quality of customer care.They are very well organised and with a high professional level with the aim to please the guest stay. The food was really good and every day there were always different food options. I've been there to snorkel but I realised that all the service level provided by the resort team for scuba diving was very good as well. It was a big pleasure to stay there.

Diving was awesome, dive guides so expert at finding and recognizing critters. All the equipments are well maintained. Food delicious with local sambal :)