Making a splash 12

Home to more than 18,000 islands, Indonesia offers some of the most dazzling water experiences on the planet. Wakatobi Resort is the ultimate base to dive in.

Close your eyes and picture your ultimate tropical holiday – chances are uncrowded, white-sand beaches, colourful reefs, dreamy waterside villas and cocktails on call spring to mind. All this awaits at Wakatobi Resort, a place where sustainability and barefoot-luxe style go hand in hand.

Located on Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi, Wakatobi is remote – and that’s part of the allure. When you’re here, nature rules, from the jungles that envelop the resort to the immense marine life you’ll soon discover in the pristine lagoon. There’s no noise from traffic. No streetlights. No pollution. Bliss. Despite its isolation, Wakatobi is a breeze to reach – from Bali, a charterflight takes you to the resort’s private airstrip in less than three hours.

DIVE IN

The Banda Sea is often referred to as the ‘Amazon of the ocean’ for its marine biodiversity. And this is what’s on your doorstep when you check in to Wakatobi. This is one of the world’s premier diving and snorkelling destinations, an underwater wonderland home to more than 700 species of coral, just as many species of fish, and a menagerie of turtles, clams, sharks and rays.

Given the fragile environment it calls home, it comes as no surprise that Wakatobi is committed to a variety of programs that provide proactive environmental protection and social benefits to the local community. In fact, the resort supports one of the world’s largest privately funded marine preserves: known as the Wakatobi Collaborative Reef

Conservation Program, this landmark initiative protects 20km of some of the finest reefs in the world, while also channelling a portion of guest revenue to fishermen and residents of 17 regional villages in exchange for honouring nofishing zones within the marine preserve. These benefits extend beyond direct monetary rewards to include infrastructure programs to supply selectivity and clean water to the local community, educational materials for schools and more.

MARINE PRESERVATION

The Wakatobi preserve takes in more than 40 dive and snorkelling sites that have enjoyed proactive protection for some 25 years – they remain in pristine condition to this day. The centrepiece of the preserve is the House Reef, which lies just offshore from the resort’s beach – it has been awarded the title of ‘World’s Best Shore Dive’ by multiple international diving publications.

While divers typically focus on the outer slopes and walls of the House Reef, snorkellers can also explore the expanses of grass beds and patch reefs closer to shore, where they can glide over shallow coral fans and sponges while surrounded by an embarrassment of tropical fish.

Wakatobi operates a fleet of custombuilt snorkelling and dive excursion boats, which can also be used for private charters for the ultimate scheduling flexibility. When it’s time to put your head under water, rest assured that you’re in safe hands – the resort’s dive guides are accomplished underwater naturalists, adept at finding and pointing out the many rare and intriguing forms of marine life found within the private reserve.

LUXE LODGINGS

On arrival at Wakatobi, guests are greeted by name and provided with warm, attentive service throughout their stay – as you’d expect when you have five staff members for each guest. The highest level of individual attention is guaranteed.

Resort accommodation includes bungalows set in a palm grove facing a white-sand beach, and then there are the oceanfront villas, where the sun sets over the reef. Buildings are hand-crafted to resemble a traditional Indonesian village, each made using sustainable local materials and with furnishings by Sulawesi artisans. Every creature comfort is taken care of, from the plush beds and private verandahs to dreamy outdoor showers.

At the resort’s beachside restaurant, a talented culinary team prepares an ever-changing menu of both international and regional flavours, blending locally sourced ingredients with delicacies from around the world. Think, daging bumbu kelapa (braised beef with roasted coconut), crispy noodles with a pomelo salad, or an eggplant curry with almonds and cashews. Add in a dining setting on the end of a jetty and you have the ultimate in romance.

ISLAND DIVERSIONS

In addition to diving and snorkelling, resort guests can enjoy all manner of exciting watersports, not to mention spa time, guided bird-watching excursions and cultural experiences.

If you have time on your side, don’t miss a cruise aboard the resort’s dive yacht, Pelagian – this 36-metre luxury vessel carries a maximum of 10 guests on one-week explorations of the Wakatobi Archipelago and the acclimated macro life sites of Buton Island. wakatobi.com