Siladen Resort & Spa

Located on the lush tropical island of Pulau Siladen in the heart of Bunaken National Marine Park in North Sulawesi, Indonesia – one of the best scuba diving locations in the world – Siladen Resort & Spa is a socially responsible boutique eco-resort with a prime focus on sustainability and the protection of the environment in which it operates.

Established in 1991, Bunaken National Marine Park lies at the heart of the Coral Triangle, covering more than 890 sq km – 97 per cent of which is marine habitat. Home to at least 390 different species of coral and 2000 thousand of species of fish, it is estimated that more than 70 per cent of all species known to inhabit the Indo-Pacific region can be found in Bunaken’s waters.

The park is known for its stunning wall dives, rich in hard and soft corals and filled with a vibrant array of macro life. Larger pelagic visitors such as tuna and trevally can also be encountered, and white-tip and blacktip reef sharks are spotted at many of the dive sites.

Bunaken is also famous for its thriving turtle population – it is not uncommon to see ten or more turtles during a single dive. Green and hawksbill turtles are most commonly spotted, however, loggerhead, olive ridley, and leatherback turtles can all be encountered in the marine park.

With more than 50 premium dive sites within easy reach of the island, Siladen Resort & Spa offers divers the chance to visit the best that Bunaken National Marine Park has to offer Siladen also arranges muck diving for critters in the black sands of Manado Bay, or soft coral dives on the gentle slopes of Bangka Island.

The Resort

Siladen Resort & Spa is just a half-hour boat ride from the North Sulawesi capital, Manado, located on the western side of Pulau Siladen on a 300m-long beach facing Manadotua volcano – a perfect location to enjoy the most spectacular sunsets.

Tucked away behind the palm trees, Siladen offers guests an elegant and relaxing atmosphere with king size beds, outdoor open air showers and sundecks overlooking the calm seas. Together with the world-class scuba diving and snorkelling, Siladen also hosts a range of different activities, including tours and treks around Manado, white water rafting, yoga and cooking classes.

After an active day enjoying the diving or other activities, guests can unwind with a relaxing massage at Siladen’s beautiful Spa.

The Villas

Siladen Resort & Spa offers several different types of villa – the premium Luxury villas, plus the secluded Beach View and Garden View accommodations. There are also two double-room villas available suited towards families or dive buddies wishing to share.

Every villa is fully equipped with facilities including air conditioning, room safe, mini bar, flat screen HD satellite TV, telephone, and tea & coffee making facilities.

Luxury Villa

Three luxury villas are located directly on the beach. Each villa measures 74 sqm and features seperate bedroom and living room areas with beautiful wooden floors and king sized draped 4-poster bed. Each villa has its own private seawater plunge pool and a luxurious open-air private bathrooom.

Beach View Villa

The six beach view villas measure a comfortable 64 sqm and are equipped with the standard facilities, including a 4-poster bed with 100 per cent cotton sheets. Each villa has access to its own private beach with a sundeck and private sun beds.

Garden View Villa

The 12 Garden View Villas, are set in six elegant buildings wood and natural stone buildings, each with individual accommodation measruing 48 sqm. Located in the peaceful and tropical landscaped gardens just steps from the beach, each villa is equipped with the standard luxury facilities and has its own private terrace.

Two-Bedroom Villas

siladen resort & spa two bedroom beach villa

Siladen has one Two-Bedroom Beach Villa and one Two-Bedroom Garden Villa, ideal for families or buddy pairs who might wish to share. Both measure approximately 120 sqm and feature 2 bedrooms outfitted with either one king-size bed or two twin beds, two private outdoor bathrooms, and a spacious common living area with couch, satellite TV, table, mini bar, telephone, and tea & coffee making facilities.

The 2-bed Beach Villa is located in its own private area at the far end of Siladen’s beach with sunbeds and beanbags on the sand to enjoy the view; the 2-bed Garden Villa is in the heart of Siladen’s tropical gardens and has its own private terrace.

Restaurant, Lounge & Beach Bar

A wide variety of local Indonesian and Asian dishes and gourmet European and Mediterranean recipes are available at the Siladen Resort & Spa restaurant, prepared by a team of highly skilled international chefs. All palates are catered for, inlcuding vegetarian and vegan.

Barbecues on the beach are a regular feature in the dry season and romantic, candle-lit private beach dinners can be made available on request.

The atmospheric Lounge Bar, is just a few steps from the beach, with a selection of cocktails, imported wines and champagnes, beers and soft drinks served in the bar, restaurant or beach. Tea, coffee, cookies and pastries are available during the day.

The Lounge also has a wide variety of books and games, and complimentary WiFi is available in all public areas of the Resort.

The Spa

The Siladen Spa is a great place to relax after a day’s diving, with specialist soothing, uplifting and restorative therapies based on ancient knowledge and indigenous ingredients.

On the menu are traditional Indonesian and Balinese massages, warm stone massages and cucumber and aloe masages for cooling the skin after a day in the sun.

A wide range of aromatherapy and cleansing treatments, body scrubs, and herbal, honey, lulur, salt and mud skin treatments are also available from a team of highly-qualified

Browse the Siladen Spa menu (pdf)

Experiences

For non-diving days and surface intervals, Siladen Resort & Spa offers a range of different excursions, including sunset cruises, dolphin tours, rafting, trekking through the rainforest or up the gentles slopes of Mt Mahawu volcano. Tours of the city of Manado can also be arranged

Kayaks and stand-up paddle-boards are available to rent at the resort, and those prefer more tranquil experiences can enjoy Indonesian cooking classes and Yoga sessions. Private tours can also be arranged on request.

For visitors looking to take hoome memories of Siladen with them, souvenirs, fragrances, t-shirts and other apparel, batiks, postcards and much more is available at the resort’s boutique & gift shop.

Learn more about the experiences here

Underwater photography workshops

As home to one of the best spots in the world to find the most amazingly photogenic marine life, Siladen Resort & Spa is not only kitted out for specialist underwater photographers, but also sometimes offers lessons from some of the world’s top marine photography experts.

The next event in the calendar will be held from 27 March to 3 April with INON UK and Capture Cayman’s Lisa Collins, who be giving hands on teaching, presentations, personal feedback and help with photo editing during the 7 night workshop.

During the week Lisa will be teaching a range of subjects from creative macro techniques, flash positioning to avoid backscatter, creative lighting for wide angle and shooting the sun.

Click here for more about underwater photography workshops

Siladen scuba diving

blue ringed octopus photographed while diving from Siladen

Siladen’s fully-equipped PADI 5-Star dive centre is located in the resort, and includes a camera room expertly equipped for photographers.

Currents through Bunaken can be strong, hence all the diving is conducted by boat, with all guides equipped with surface marker buoys.

Sildaden’s traditionally designed boats are spacious and have all the necessary amenities, including marine toilets and sundecks, first aid kits and emergency oxygen. The boats all provide covered seating and dry storage areas for cameras and personal belongings and are staffed by licensed captains and an assistant.

Drinking water, coffee and tea are available free of charge on all boats and fresh fruit and snacks are provided after every dive. Towels are also available onboard.

Visibility is usually excellent, with 30m being the norm, and with year-round water temperate averaging around 28ºC, 3mm suits sand shorties should be enough in terms of exposure protection. Gloves and knives are forbidden in the national park.