Bastianos Bangka Dive Resort

We spent a few lovely days at Bastianos Bangka. We mostly went diving, which was awesome, and one day we snorkelled the house reef. There was plenty to see right by the resort. From our first contact with the office through checkout, everything felt easy and pleasant. The airport pickup and boat transfer were arranged efficiently. Rebecca and Augustin, the resort managers, welcomed us, showed us around, and explained how things worked. They were also on hand if we had questions. All the staff were friendly and welcoming. Thanks to everyone there for a great stay.

The diving was the one bright spot. The sites were stunning, and the boat crew were friendly and professional. The rest of our stay at Bastianos in Bangka fell well short of what we expected for the price, and we were so disappointed that we left early. Service was often hard to get. Even for a drink by the pool, we had to go looking for someone, and the staff seemed unavailable across the resort. The food was mediocre, and we sometimes found hair and small dead green flies in our meals. The pool was visibly dirty, and they did not even turn on the turbine to clean it. Internet barely worked throughout our stay. Management gave us a bad impression too. They seemed more focused on enjoying their own vacation than on guests, and being served during meals while guests were ignored left us frustrated. The €50-per-person “special” New Year’s dinner was no different from an ordinary meal. We did eventually get our money back, but only after we complained. Laundry cost €25, with every item of clothing counted, which felt petty and completely out of line with the usual standards in Indonesia. If you’re going to Bangka, I’d strongly recommend another resort so you can enjoy both the diving and your time on the island.

The lovely pool and the helpful, wonderful staff made our stay worthwhile, and we found some very nice diving on the house reef and elsewhere around the island. At first glance, the resort looks like five stars, but the food was terrible, especially next to the other two Bastianos resorts we stayed at. The room air conditioning didn’t work well because of poor design, and the WiFi was useless. Maybe it’s better not to offer WiFi if you can’t provide normal service.

We were there at the beginning of February for a week, two adults who dive and our 9-year-old who doesn’t. The weather was mostly sunny, with rain at night. Our bungalow was upgraded to a Superior Hillside bungalow, which was spacious, with a sea-view balcony and a big bathroom. It was all neat and tidy, the air conditioning worked perfectly, and the beds were very comfortable. Diving was AMAZING. The corals were healthy, there were lots of fish, and conditions at Bangka were easy, mostly with low currents. The long jetty leads to one of the loveliest house reefs we’ve seen. We snorkelled there every day with our son. During our dives, he could stay in the bungalow, swim in the pool, or come on the boat, so bringing a child while both parents dive wasn’t a problem. The friendly, professional guides let us choose a dive spot, and most were just 10 minutes from the resort. The crew looked after our equipment and even changed our tanks between dives. The dive center has four boats, all with toilets, which was really handy. Their Nitrox blender was very accurate, with tanks always at 31-32 oxygen. There’s also a well-equipped, air-conditioned camera room with good lighting and an air dryer for cameras at the entrance. Lunch and dinner were good, with something different each day, and the restaurant service was nice. Coffee was available 24 hours a day, even for very early risers. Between dives, we read by the lovely pool or on the beach. Everyone was polite and friendly. We’ll definitely come back and strongly recommend the resort. It’s a long way from Europe, but worth the trip. Just be aware that extra dives have to be paid for by card, not cash.