Misool Eco Resort^{(0 stars)}

The room was as large as any standard hotel room, but two large closets for personal storage. The en suite, open air, bathroom was also larger than expected. The main area is covered with the shower area open to the sky. The room has a ceiling fan, and normal fan inside the bed area as well as a room air conditioner. In the end, we only used the bed area fan as this was sufficient. There is no tv, but there is standard electric at all times in case you want to provide your own laptop movie etc. The balcony/terrace was fantastic, it was nearly as large as the room with a fantastic view on the bay. We found our selves each day just staring at the water and spotting new fish swimming past. There is no telephone or coffee machine in the room, but there is a minibar and safe. Cleanliness was perfect and the rooms as still only just over 1 year old so very new.

1 restaurant and bar together. We had 4 organised meals per day, with ongoing snacks and drinks. Quality was very good, noting that we eat mostly vegetarian foods. We did eat the fish, but did not try the chicken or beef although it looked good. We had a variety of feeds each day, surprisingly no repeats for the 11 days other than the core rice and noodles, with occasional spaghetti. Cleanliness was very good. There are a small number of flies in the area, but all of the food was kept covered and posed no issues. The food offered was varied, but local dishes as well as different fish, chicken and meats as well as spaghetti. Of the guests at the time, everyone always had a full plate and sometimes two per meal. No one went hungry. Atmosphere was very nice, very relaxed and friendly. The furniture was all made from wood and gave a nice environmental feeling. No costs related, so no tipping involved.

Staff were very friendly and attentive, always polite and ready to clear your finished plates or serve a drink. We only spoke in English with the local staff, but the western staff spoke spanish,french,italian,dutch/flemish,german and swedish which we did not take advantage of. The room was cleaned fully once per day, and tidied and supplied with water and bed arranging twice per day. It was always arranged during the meal times so we very un-obtrusive. Laundry was available, but we did not require this service. We did require some pharmacy items for a small ear infection which the resort was able to provide. They have a full first-aid / "nurse station" to help with small issues, including my scratched foot with betadine. The family with two kids did manage to see the parents go diving, one of the local staff was commissioned to watch the kids. I don't think that this is a standard service, but the resort was flexible.

No pool, but the local bay was calm and shallow for comfortable snorkelling and swimming. All of the guests were very friendly, so were easily entertained ourselves. On two nights, the resort offered a slideshow of the local fish seen recently in the area and another with the BBC Life episode where the resort reef had a small segment. The local dive guide also treated with the guitar playing upon request. The main sport is Diving, but a group of guests were purely snorkelling as well. Internet access is available, but very slow with the satellite connection. There are showers available at the dive center, but all of the bungalows are close enough to use your own shower.

The hotel has been open for just over one year, so everything is still very new and in perfect condition. We stayed in one of the eight water cottages on stilts over the resort bay. The living area was roughly 35m2 with plenty of space for luggage and good storage for unpacking our things. The Bathroom was also very large and comfortable for two at any time. All meals and drinks (non-alcoholic) were provided. The other guests were Dutch,Hungarian,American or Spanish and maybe one Canadian. Ages seemed to range from 30s to 70s, and one family with kids 2 and 4.

There were two beaches, the one in the bay was a one minute walk along the boarded walkway. The second was a 5-10 minute walk over the hill via a gentle stone-built walkway. This is a small effort with the climb in the heat, but a larger beach. No shopping facilities, only souvenir t-shirts. Excursions were offered as part of the trip, we decided to only visit the petroglyph's which was well worth the 1 hour trip. The ride was very smooth and through the many other islands and lagoons. We also passed the local fishing storage stations which was interesting. Other guests took a day trip to visit a few of the local villages and local schools.