Beautiful Dive Resort at the heart of the Togians with easy access to all the best divesites (including Una Una and B24 wreck) using the best equipment, boats and most experienced DMs and instructors. Relaxed atmosphere, good facilities, helpful friendly staff, clean rooms, excellent value. All bungalows right on the beach with spring beds, full mosquito nets, fans, western ensuite bathrooms, hammock on your terrace with stunning views.
perfect place to disconnect from the world. Electricity from 6-11 pm and no wifi unless a little extra pay which I don’t recommend! Very friendly staff and good cooking as well ! room are bit hot during the night but there is always a hammock free to crash and sleep next to the sea and waves. No luxury accommodation which should be clear from the beginning once you see the prices but we as a couple with a friend totally loved the place and stayed a week there. also went diving every day and equipment is well maintained, little leak here and there but that’s just normal and found in every dive center so all great, dive sites been very nice with good corals and sharks on every dive. also we went on daytrips such as melange island to see the bajo village and jellyfish lake. If we come back to togean we will stay again for sure !
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
May be it's a good place for divers, but we were a group of non-divers and there was really no point to stay. No beach, not particularly friendly staff (particularly the english owner). Average rooms, not too clean. Two of our groups had also to change their rooms after dinner, following a request from staff for unspecified reasons.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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We spent 4 days at this excellent resort. Very quiet, a pleasant beach, nice boss. We had booked 2 nights at the Black Marlin and two at the Kadidiri Paradise and given the discomfort of the latter, the boss found us a new room for two nights. Good resort
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are insanely happy that we were in the black marlin. The service was excellent. Every one of employees is unique. Friendly, helpful and extremely lovable. They cared for us like a family. Perfect. If we ever come to Sulawesi again, it'll be the black marlin. Love to all, Klaus and Anne
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Poor and disappointing, not worth stopping. Staff not friendly I do not thank the team.deplorable atmosphere Horrible bedding and lots of noise at night I'm not going back even if I was offered the stay. Farewell to Indonesia. Learn sociability with women
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is an extensive review, but one that's warranted given the lack of good information about the Togean Islands. I've arranged it like this:
- Short Recap - Getting There - Accommodation at Black Marlin - Diving - Non-Diving Activities - Staff - Tips
Feel free to message me with any questions. I struggled to get solid info before arriving and would like to help if I can. I believe that all visitors to Indonesia should visit Black Marlin. After 19 months of traveling, this was the most exotic paradise that I found. Two big thumbs up!
1. SHORT RECAP:
In short: I came for three days and stayed for ten. Black Marlin is a hidden gem. Here, I found the paradise that had eluded me across SE Asia, Europe, and South America.
Is it a pain to get there? Yes, but that's what keeps the islands secluded and special. I wouldn't want it to be easier to reach! Go to Togean & stay at Black Marlin - you will not regret it! It's some of the best diving in the world, and the bungalows are really nice considering that you're in the middle of nowhere. The staff is friendly, and you'll learn to love their idiosyncrasies once you settle into island-time. I took some time to write the below review – please expand to read and message me with any questions. Lonely Planet is really, really off on their reviews of the Togean islands, so hopefully this provides some more accurate insight for you.
2. GETTING THERE:
If you're a tourist, then you might as well stick to Bali & Thailand. Honestly, I'm baffled at the ignorance of the folks who posted before me. How could any of this be a shock? How could folks honestly expect glitzy modern facilities in such a remote location? And it's not as if the remoteness sneaks up on you... everything about the Togean chain is remote!
Getting to Black Marlin is not simple. It's not really that difficult either for seasoned travelers, but it's certainly not for princes and princesses, the likes of whom have posted before me. You basically have two options (from Ampana and Gorontalo). The most convenient is to fly into Gorontalo (Lion Air, Garuda, and a few others) from Jakarta via Makassar (stop over, same plane). This is an inexpensive flight and is hassle-free.
Once in Gorontalo, you'll have to take an overnight boat to Wakai - the central village of the Togean islands. The most popular boat is the Tuna Tomini which leaves Gorontalo at 8pm and pulls into Wakai around 10am.
It's a basic passenger ferry with three classes of accommodation. The best option is the cabin, which I believe is about 400,000 Rupiah ($40). The crew's cabin fits four folks in two bunk-beds, though couples can share a bed if need-be. It is air conditioned, and while basic will indeed get the job done. The next option is "business" class, which is really a waste of money. Business class is made up of hard reclining chairs that are a bit oversized by Indonesian standards. Everyone in Business class opts for the floor. The cheapest option is to sleep sardine-style in general class. Many of these folks actually opt to sleep on the roof, on cardboard flats sold by local kids at the pier. This is much more comfortable than it sounds, but don’t expect anything romantic – this is, after all, the Tuna Tomini. The vast majority of folks on this boat are locals. Since the ship doubles as a cargo boat (and a lifeline to the tiny islands), you’ll see motorcycles, consumer goods, and mountains of durian if you time it right.
Once you land in the village of Wakai, the Black Marlin team will wait for you at the pier. They will probably have one of their dive boats to pick you up. If they’re all out on trips, then you’ll get a wooden boat. Either way, it’s maybe 10 minutes from Wakai to Kadidiri – the island where Black Marlin and other hotels are located.
One big tip – email BM to get the latest boat schedule. Gorontalo is a tiny city with absolutely nothing at all to do there (save for Double Dips – a coffee shop that will become your best friend). Try to fly in the same night as a boat departure. This is however a good place to load up on basic supplies, as there will be essentially nothing in the Togean. You can get cash at Gorontalo - folks with a VISA debit card will need to go to a specific ATM (exit Double Dips, turn right, walk a block then turn right, it's on the left in front of a hotel).
3. ACCOMMODATION AT BLACK MARLIN
Accommodation at Black Marlin will feel like heaven to travelers, and rather basic to snooty tourists. If you come expecting the Hilton, well you’re going to be disappointed. Then again, if you’re looking for the Hilton then your idea of paradise is a bit jaded and quite different from most guests that love the Black Marlin. If I remember correctly, there are two types of bungalows – basic and deluxe. I stayed in the deluxe and loved it. I had a comfortable queen size bed with mosquito net, patio with deck chairs, hammock, and a clean bathroom that really impressed me quite a bit. Again, you’ll be on a tiny island that conjures up images of Robinson Crusoe. With this in mind, it’s great that you’ll have electricity for a couple hours at night, and running water twice daily (morning and night). The truth is that this is plenty – the shower has decent force and there’s a massive pail/bucket to save water for mid-day & flushing. The communal area is a large pavilion on the beach. This is where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served. There are several tables, places to relax, unlimited tea, and a bar (though it never gets rowdy at night). Often times, the staff will make a small bonfire in the evening and dance around the flames. Food is surprisingly good. Breakfast is either banana pancakes with chocolate syrup, or nasi goring (friend rice). Lunch and Dinner are usually buffet style and consist of fish, rice, vegetables, and omlettes on demand. Being vegetarian was a bit tough here for me, as meals often came down to rice topped with sweet soy sauce, ketchup, and hot sauce. Others raved about the fish, and again, I always considered myself thankful to have decent food in a place where everything comes in by boat from quite far away. Divers get a discount on accommodation, and payment can be made with credit card (though cash is preferred).
4. DIVING
About 70% of the folks who came to Black Marlin during my stay were divers. I took my open-water SSI dive course here and was extremely satisfied with the level of training and the quality of pristine coral & diverse fish. The course only took 2.5 days, books are in good condition, and there’s a TV room above the common area to watch instructional DVDs. Crispin is a veteran diver and ensured that I overcame some initial problems - sinuses prevented me from descending too quickly (Crispin – if you’re reading this, well thanks again!). Diving here is really varied in terms of depth & sights. There are dozens of dive sites including a sunken US Bomber, amazing table reefs, and loads of colorful fish. I really liked the Taipei Wall site. Skill level of fellow divers ranged from first-timers like me, to master-divers who travel and teach diving for a profession. All had very positive things to say about the quality of diving here.
There are two dive times each day – 9am and 2pm (Island time). Dives last for about 60-90 minutes depending on your ability, and the dive boats are carbon-fiber with four stroke engines to keep the water clean.
Relative to other spots in Indonesia, the diving here is significantly better than anywhere west of Sulawesi. Bali and Gili can’t really compare – Gili in particular is full of dead coral that’s been dynamited (however, there are more turtles). Bunaken has changed a lot recently and the beaches there are now full of trash from Manado. Raja Ampat is meant to be amazing, but dives there cost an arm and a leg.
5. NON-DIVING ACTIVITIES
Black Marlin was also interesting for non-divers. The water immediately at the beach is crystal clear and perfect for snorkeling and swimming. You can also accompany the dive boats if you wish to snorkel in more remote locations. There was also one guest during my stay who did nothing but read several books in his hammock. While there is about two square feet of mobile phone reception, there’s not really much here in terms of activities. I would strongly urge you to bring a few packs of playing cards, an instrument, crosswords, beach games, or basically anything else to help you pass the time. There’s also a pool table inside the communal area. Nearly all guests were couples (norm for Indonesia, outside of Bali/Gili), and ranged in age from early twenties to their sixties. I met some wonderful folks here from Hungary, Sweden, France, Singapore, and Australia. Typical stay was 5-10 days, though some did stay for three weeks. The limiting factor is really your ability to do nothing except dive, read, and lounge for days on end.
The island itself is tiny… much, much smaller than Koh Phi Phi for those who have been there. It’s really a dot in a pristine sea. There are two other dive resorts on the stretch of beach – Lestari and Paradise. Lestari is more hippie-based and really appeals to budget travelers. Paradise has more of a hotel feel to it, with a garden and many rooms on site. Their diveshop is not licensed however, and they have a small shark-pool that may rub some environmentalists the wrong way. It was also really empty and felt rather like a ghost town. Relationships between the three places are cordial – I actually became friends with the Lestari family and often walked down to Paradise for cocktails and a change of scenery.
Do yourself a favor and spend a week at the Black Marlin. It’s a paradise vacation that you’ll never forget. Yes, it’s more Robinson Crusoe than Tahiti, but that’s what really adds to the charm. This would be your own paradise, instead of some mass-marketed version.
6. STAFF
The Diving staff know what they are doing. They are licensed by Padi and SSI (you'll want to dive with them even if you stay elsewhere). The kitchen staff are also friendly and will make omlettes at any time. Be sure to tell them at arrival if you have any specific needs (vegetarians).
Opi, the custodian, isn't the most reliable fellow. He's in charge of general needs including turning on your water, so be sure to get him on your good side. He's always smiling, but really operates at island time. You'll learn to love him after a few days, but the first day or two can be tough if you're still regimented (expecting water at 4pm sharp).
Checkout is hell. There's no way to sugar-coat this. It's not that there are discrepancies with your bill, but rather that it takes the head-lady a while to compile everything. The best thing to do is find her the morning of the day before you plan to leave. Then, ask her to compile everything and have it ready for you to review at dinner time. You'll have to pay the night before leaving in any case. Doing this will make the procedure quite easy. In fairness, she likely hasn't had much formal education and is really friendly. If however you wait until the night before paying, you'll likely confuse her as there will be more than one person who needs to check out. Be sure to get the costs agreed to up front, and specify if you'll be diving when you first get to the resort. Nothing here is exorbitant, but it would help to give you clarity throughout your stay. Honestly though, you'll end up on island-time soon enough and likely won't care until check-out.
Management (Crispin from the UK) knows about the staff service levels and will apologize profusely to you. The truth is that he's trained them well, but it's hard to break island habits. He will likely replace the entire staff with western-trained Indonesians from Bali once the airport in Ampana opens up. Crispin also makes sure that the environment is respected, and is leading an effort to turn the Togeans into a designated marine park.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My friends and i were here for about a week, with the sole intent on diving, and boy did we dive. The diving here is absolutely fantastic. Half of the time we were under water I felt as if I was living a real life NatGeo special (The diving alone I would give 10 stars if possible). The rental equipment is good and the dive instructors are knowledgeable. My friends and I took our advanced open water course here. We had a great instructor and great dives to go along with it. While you are here make sure you take the day trip out to Una-Una. You will not regret it.
The place its self was very basic, but very good. The water only runs at select times of the day (it is however fresh) and you get electricity at night for a few hours. One downside (or maybe upside) is that there is no cell phone service, and where there is its very spotty. The bungalows were nice, good mosquito nets, and sufficient bathrooms. One of my favorite aspects was the hammocks they provided on the balcony of each bungalow. Great place to zone out for a nap. I truly felt as if I was at a pirates secret hide out during my stay here. Just such a cool location, beautiful scenery, and so secluded.
The one thing that this place did unfortunately drop the ball on was the food situation. The food most nights was okey, but some nights was quite lacking. I just felt as if the quality could of been just a bit better. I understand its in a very remote location but other places which are equally remote have provided better food, and I truly hope that one day Black Marlin will be able to do the same.
A word of warning - There is one more resort further down the beach called 'Paradise'. My friends and I strolled down there one evening just to check it out and I got a very weird feeling. First of all the place had lots of standing water (breeds mosquitos) and there was indeed many more mosquitos around. Secondly it had lots of trash strewn about on the back side, and there were some large natural pools they had created which also had trash in them and much to my dismal some sharks too. We had confronted the guy working there about this and he said they were rehabilitating them but I wasnt buying it for a minute seeing how there were just a few, the pond was full of trash, and not sure what rehabilitation would be required.
All in all, suck it up on the food situation and you will have a great time, The owner (Crispin) is a great guy and very easy to work with and his staff is great. If you are lucky the food will have improved by the time you visit and perhaps you will rate it 5 stars!
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Date of stay: July 2012
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Togian islands in general seem to be really hit'n'miss as far as experiences go, and I came unstuck with tripadvisor reviews here, that's why I am leaving a review for each place I experienced in The Togean islands-normally I own leave a few reviews for either really good or really poor places I experience. First Kadidiri where Black Marlin is located (which although close to Wakai is quite pretty) has 4 resorts. 3 are lumped together along a small stretch of beach with nothing else there and Harmony resort is a brand new place with a Croatian owner in its own bay about 30 minutes walk by jungle trail or 5 minutes by boat. Paradise, Black Marlin and then Lestari are in the main bit on Kadidiri. For accommodation here although the most expensive is Paradise this was easily the best option out of the 3 not great options. Harmony although nice is no good for single travellers as they wont discount rates out of high season and they will only charge a little less than the 2 person price to occupy one of their bungalows ! -the only chance as a single traveller without being ripped off is to stay in their well overpriced dormitory accommodation. however for 2 people Harmony is a good option as I spent a few hours around there and its very pretty . Black Marlin owner is a UK expat called Crispin Gibbs and he lives in Bali and doesnt seem to have a very hands on approach hence the poor experience here. There is not much space for the resort so it feels very small and isnt a place to swim its just really a dive base. I didnt get the mans name but he seems to be a local in charge of the day to day operation of the Black Marlin and his attitude sucks big time. He spends most of his time just sitting around and playing his guitar , he doesnt seem capable of doing anything except making tourists feel uncomfortable, being cocky and delegating work to the other workers. A lot of the general staff here seemed fine but the overall attitude and experience isnt good. However its the only place to hire plastic Kayaks in Kadidiri at 150,000 rupiah a day or 100,000 a half day. These kayaks are excellent and in good condition- they have the most professional looking boats here aswell for trips and diving but i dont know how expensive they are. its just not a place to stay or to hang around but they have good equipment in general. Overall in the 2 weeks in the Togian islands (too long really unless you have awesome weather) the best places to stay I encountered are Bahia Tomini (Malenge island), Sandy bay resort (Malenge island), Fadhila cottages (just off Katupat), and I heard of good experiences for Una Una island, Sunset (run by a Russian woman) and around Bomba but I cannot vouch for these first hand. This is only my experience and a rough guide for others.
Togian islands in my experience arent worth the poor standard of accommodation and grief and len gth of transportation to get to - the islands around Komodo off Labuan Bajo are a far superior experience including for diving, swimming, kayaking, eating, weather, scenery, wildlife and quality of accommodation available. There are also numerous places in Indonesia and of Sabah in Malaysia that are far better dive,snorkelling,island and wildlife destinations. Sulawesi is definitely worth visiting though just be careful with your time and plans - I had nearly a month and struggled to visit only about a third of Sulawesi ...
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Date of stay: May 2016Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BMdive, Owner at Black Marlin Dive Resort
Responded 9 Jun 2016
Hi, many thanks for the detailed review of Kadidiri. i'm sorry I wasn't there during your stay. My wife or I are at the resort atleast 8 months of the year but monitor the resort daily from Bali so I am very interested on your comments so the we can further improve the service at the resort. I am not sure the manager you refer to as at the moment we have Dalton on site who is a very friendly personable guy with a great deal of resort experience. Naturally I will share your review with him to find out if was away fro the resort those days. I am sorry that your overall experience of the Togians was less than you expected but we at Black Marlin are constantly striving to improve the facilities and service in a remote and logistically challenging location. Later this year we will also open a second resort on Una Una Island so can offer dives and non divers a more complete experience of the whole area offering combined dive and non diver packages. I hope you have the opportunity to revisit us and let us change your evaluation of the area which is truly special in so many ways.
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The place: Though it is true that all the staff (hotel, kitchen, diving) are very friendly and welcoming, the owner is shifty to say the least. He would blatantly lie about other resorts on other islands or the boat schedule to make you believe that you have no option but to extend your stay at Black Marlin. The fact that he would not tell you that you would usually have to pay extra for the dive boat (a lot!) and not only the dive is a plus (minus?).
Diving: Mika, the head instructor is a great guy, professional and kind. The local instructors are also friendly, but you should be on your toes the whole time. On our first dive day our second dive was not only longer and deeper than the first one, but we also did not have enough surface time because the dive masters were in a rush. It was not terrible, but you do not want to push these limits.
Two days later, 3 of us went diving with one dive master. My regulator was leaking and I had to resurface from 5m. The dm came up with me and left the other two at depth. At the end of the dive, the dive computer of one of the diver, who was told to stay under while my regulator was changed alarmed them that they had passed the non-deco time and had to stay under for another 10-15 minutes. This guy stayed, but the dm told the other diver, who had had the same dive profile to come with us. Very-very wrong!
Last, but not at all least, 5 divers out of the 6 had very severe and long headaches after the dive, which could only be explained by contaminated air in the bottles. Of course, Black Marlin denied everything...
Finally, the local staff will party into the night, so do not come here if you want peace and quiet.
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Date of stay: July 2017
Value
Rooms
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BMdive, Owner at Black Marlin Dive Resort
Responded 23 Sept 2017
Hi David, I'm very upset to hear your bad experience with us. I assure you firstly we clear display all boat schedules etc for moving around the Togeans in our restaurant to help guests plan their own schedules to their requirements and at no time would we try misleading anyone and are always helping arrange transport for guest to and from our resort. I remember clearly explaining all your options to get to Una Una via local transport, charter or going with our dive boat when had a trip planned to there and you chose the later freely. These and other factual inaccuracies in your review we do take objection to as misleading for future guests. Regarding the report of poor air quality, Black Marlin take this issue extremely seriously and both our compressors had the filters changed after this report and all the tanks have since been open, cleaned and checked. Later this year we are installing another level of filtration on the compressors using refrigeration to help improve the quality further for our divers. As to your experience on the dive trip I have discussed with the dive guides and instructor to get a more accurate assessment of what happened. The diver concerned using his own computer did descend below the rest of the group despite instructions to the contrary in the briefing. The guide instructed the rest of the group to maintain their depth while he quickly descended to instruct this diver to return to the correct depth. Therefore on this divers computer he had gone over his deco limit but at no point had the rest of the group been outside of safe limits as confirmation by the guides computer when checked. We have had further meetings with our guides and instructor to insure that all dive plans are more clearly emphasized in briefings so will be stuck too by all divers to avoid any problems. This is important for our guides also as diving 3 times a day everyday for prolonged periods so they are always very aware not to overstep the limits. We are very grateful for your feedback so that we can work harder to constantly improve the service for our guests in all aspects of the resort.
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Staff smoke drugs and drink arak (local alcohol) almost every night in front of resort, they use all the area for guests, and if you're not with them - there is no ofher place to spend an evening. It makes the place noizy, vulgar and unpleasant. Rats and bed bugs in the rooms!
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Date of stay: March 2016
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â Choose away from the beach, so you will be able to sleep at night when the staff play guitar
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BMdive, Owner at Black Marlin Dive Resort
Responded 9 Apr 2016
I am shocked by your review and grateful for the feedback about our staffs bad behaviour as are normally they are very good at being close with all guests and going out of there way to give them the best stay possible. My manager will be sharing your review with them today and spelling out our zero tolerance policy for drugs and local alcohol for the staff to eliminate any chance of a reoccurance of this situation. I am not sure which bungalow you were in as all our rooms have brick walls so pretty rat proof but we are on the edge of the jungle so if any snacks etc kept in the room this is a major attraction to local wildlife and why we recommend keeping in the cafe fridge for safety etc. Naturally we will be setting some more traps to get the population down again if on the rise. Once again I apologise for our staffs behavior disturbing your stay and we would like welcome you again by offering a free night in any deluxe room as compensation.
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Yes still have availability. Can contact me direct via email or WA +6281238307077 as quicker response time. Look forward to hearing from you soon
Crispin
There are more places to choose from in the Kadidiri Island area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
black marlin dive hotel togian islands
LOCATION
IndonesiaSulawesiCentral SulawesiTogian IslandsKadidiri Island
NUMBER OF ROOMS
17
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