Wakatobi Wonderland

Wildlife expert Simon Mustoe took a foray to Wakatobi Resort to learn about why it's become a bucket list destination for divers.

We’re a no-shoes resort,” declares operations director Crispin Jones, as we cruise into the jetty of Wakatobi Resort, a five-star divers " paradise in the remote southeastern region of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Barefoot, we’re guided onto the octopus mosaic imprinted into the elegant jetty. 

We get our first glimpse of The Longhouse, where guests are relaxing by the white sand beach, looking out at the calm turquoise waters of Wakatobi’s world-famous house reef. Denny, our designated stay representative, greets us warmly as we make our way along the pretty soft sand tracks to our ocean view room. The gardeners have painstakingly raked geometric shapes along all the pathways, and it seems wrong to disfigure their artworks so we find ourselves stepping around and over the patterns.  "This is level one," grins Denny. “Level two is much harder!" 

We’ve just arrived by private charter plane from Bali. Our scenic flight included spectacular views of Lombok’s Mount Rinjani, before descending onto the resort’s private airfield, located halfway along the Wakatobi archipelago. This maritime region of Indonesia comprises 150 islands that extend way into the Flores Sea. 

For the next week we’ll be living with a couple of dozen others in one of the most remote and, therefore, exclusive resorts in the world. 

A taste of luxury

While there’s plenty to see and do at Wakatobi, the main attraction is its coral reefs. Our eclectic group were all curious about Wakatobi’s reputation for its impeccable hospitality and breathtaking nature, so as we waited for concierge to bring bags to our rooms, we enjoyed lunch in the high ceilinged and airy dining hall overlooking the ocean and distant Sawa Island. This would be the first of three stunning meals we had every day. 

All food is served buffet-style and Wakatobi's cuisine is exceptional, especially when you consider it’s one of the world’s most remote resorts. Every diet is catered for, every dish an artwork, painstakingly created by outstanding chefs of international repute. The cocktails are divine! 

Attention to detail was notable; one traveller liked the grilled fish, so a plate was brought to her every evening, even before she asked. One evening the chef prepared a whole baked fish for her in all sorts of herbs and spices! With homemade doughnuts, cakes and fresh sliced fruits every afternoon, served with tea, coffee and delicious coconut water in The Longhouse, there’s plenty to satisfy you after a successful dive venture. You won’t go hungry if you’re on one of the several day-trip boats, with an appetising onboard lunch menu plus a smorgasbord of cakes and fruit. 

A flexible schedule

If you’re here for the snorkelling and diving, you can divide your days thus: sleep, wake, eat breakfast, swim, eat mid-morning snack, swim, eat lunch, swim, take a nap, swim, eat dinner, bed (some of us did night snorkels too!). 

If you prefer a less submerged schedule, you can paddleboard or kitesurf (one of the owner’s sons competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics). There’s plenty of private space to sunbathe, wander white sandy beaches, enjoy a leisurely birdwatch or relax with a Balinese massage. While some guests relax next to their private pools, eating meals on the veranda, others took morning bird walks to see the dapper Black-naped Orioles, Island Monarchs and ubiquitous Wakatobi Sunbirds and Wakatobi White-eyes. 

The house reef

Some of the best snorkelling is on the house reef itself, situated on the sheltered side of the island and accessed safely at any time from steps next to the jetty. It’s the perfect place to explore your senses, perhaps challenge some fears and fall in love with nature. 

Several guests went on discovery dives. From 8AM to 10PM every day there were lookouts and water taxis available. Raise a fist in the air and they’d even come and ferry us back up so we could drift comfortably down the current. We explored the reef top and admired the plasticine shapes of soft corals; we’d follow the edge, as though flying above the dramatic drop-off, to an invisible seafloor over 60m below. We saw up to a dozen big green turtles and hawksbill turtles cruise past on a half-hour swim. 

The top was absolutely teeming with fish. Cool currents from the Banda Sea keep the coral healthy. There was no coral disease, no crown-of-thorn starfish outbreaks and no signs of bleaching. 

A coral business economy

Indonesian reef guides are the best in the world. They are excellent at pointing out the weird and curious animals that make the reef  ‘tick’. These range from the tiny to the magnificent. For a coral reef to operate to maximum perfection takes hundreds of animals, where only certain creatures perform specific functions. 

On our penultimate day, Alun, also a butler at one of the villas, proudly took us for a guided walk around his village of Lamanggau. Long before his kids were born, the coral reef was mostly gone and there were very few fish left. Thanks to the co-commitment of his villagers, the ecosystem has been thriving for over 30 years. He is related to local Bajau fishers, who are famous for their five to ten-minute breath-hold diving to spear fish. They have even seen an uptick in the amount they catch in areas adjacent to the protected zones. 

No coral reef could be the marvel it is, without its tiny jewels: the orange clownfish hiding in anemones, neon damsels in the seagrass or Pontohoi pygmy seahorses in the halimeda. 

This is why Wakatobi is such a rare place. The resort isn’t there because of the reef, the reef is there because of the resort. Where else, and how else, can visitors see a perfectly intact and naturally stocked coral plateau of this magnificence? 

The little things

Wakatobi Resort’s magic is in the little things, the tiny details that add up. From the moment we arrived to disembarking back in Bali, every second was meticulously planned. The attention to detail was awesome, the gardens verdant and lush, the rooms exquisite and the communal areas comfortable and quiet. 

Staff knew all our names on arrival, greeting us every morning with a smile. There was a pillow-menu for those who needed a particular style of cushion for sleep. Rooms were turned  up and down daily – we looked forward to anticipating how our towels would be folded into a different animal shape and left on our beds! Our swim crates were marked with an individually embossed wooden name plate, which we took with us as a memento. All toiletries were provided, including wooden toothbrushes in their own little wooden cases. Everything was thoughtfully designed, sustainable and supplied. 

There was literally nothing we needed to ask for. Families with kids were catered for with all day care provided if required. Some of our guests preferred a different balance of privacy and exclusivity, which was easily arranged. In the very near future, the four bedroom ‘Residence’ will be completed that will even have its own private boat, staff, jetty and chef.

Getting there

Wakatobi is easily accessed from anywhere in the world, with private two-and-a-half hour direct flights from Denpasar, Bali, followed by a short drive and boat ride to the resort. 

For more information visit wakatobi.com

For New Zealand and Australian enquiries, including a free night in Bali enroute, please email Simon Mustoe info@deluxelife.com.au or call +61(0)3 8592 0275.