Thalassa 5* PADI Dive Resort

We spent three days here after a week long dive liveaboard that was magnificent. Manado was recommended for the diving and Tankoko national park, so I spent quite a bit of time checking TripAdvisor reviews. I’m glad I found this lovely hotel. Firstly, our inbound flight was quite delayed. It was a lovely thing to see the Thalassa driver still at the airport to greet us. It was quite late and dark as we drove to the resort with winding roads and we got there at 830pm. The buffet dinner was still open, the staff had told the kitchen there would be some late guests. It was really nice to be able to be shown our gorgeous villa so quickly and not be bogged down by check in paperwork. That was a very thoughtful courtesy. The next day in the light, we saw how lush the gardens are. It’s truly beautiful and amazing to see the variety of flora. We actually didn’t spend much day time at the resort as we already had activities planned before we arrived. We saw they have a wide range of facilities ranging from diving and a well equipped dive center, a massage room, yoga, swimming pool and off resort guided tours. The first day we were there, as we embarked on a visit Tangkoko with a local friend, I realised I had forgotten the day was a special anniversary for the family. I sent a WhatsApp message asking if there was an option for a special meal. As I didn’t have signal after, we went on with our day. When we returned, we went to dinner and to our delight and amazement, after dinner, the lovely ladies at the restaurant brought out a cake for the anniversary. It was so thoughtful. They did this with no complaints even though I gave them so little notice. This level of attention and care is what makes the team at Thalassa special. We appreciated the briefing from Arjun the first morning. It helped us understand how the hotel is laid out and what to expect. They are very accommodating and told us that if we needed anything to let them know. We have a member with a shellfish allergy that is quite severe and cross contamination is an issue. The kitchen staff and the restaurant staff were excellent at answering questions I had when in doubt. The villa is gorgeous. We find it challenging as a family of five to fit us into one space. The resort accommodates us beautifully with an extra bed in one room. We liked the high ceilings in the villa. It feels very spacious and there is a lot of room to spread out. The stone walk way into the villa is a nice touch as are the gorgeous koi in the water. Reviews are really important to me as I rely on them to make decisions on hotels. I can’t recommend this lovely place with the incredible people enough. The location is peaceful, the grounds are beautiful, the people are special. We enjoyed returning from a long and busy day exploring Tangkoko and the highlands to a tranquil villa, with delicious food at the restaurant and warm hospitality.