Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Villa Markisa in
Indonesia/Bali

Villa Markisa, Oct, 2013,

by Michael J. Millet, CA, US (Top Contributor Top Contributor 96 reports with 60 Helpful votes). Report 7363 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 4 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Villa Markisa is located near Talumben on the northeast shore of Bali. From the Denpasar airport it is about a 60 mile trip to the resort. Due the traffic and road conditions, allow at least 3 hours for this journey.

The accommodations are spacious and nicely appointed with very good air conditioning. My bungalow had a large veranda overlooking the resort and the water. The room has plenty of electrical outlets so it was convenient for charging batteries. The tap water is not potable but a large carafe of cold, fresh water provided daily. The room had a small frig and mini-bar. All the bathroom facilities are outside including the toilet. Nothing like dropping a deuce to the croaking of toads and the clicking of geckos.

The resort has a very nice, large pool area, which is good because the beach is not user-friendly with large rocks and gravel and virtually no sand.

There is a small bar near the dive shop, which is a good place to hang out before dinner.The meals are served in an open air dining area. Breakfast and lunch are ordered off a limited menu; dinner is a buffet that includes both Indonesian and western foods. The food was generally very tasty although some fish and chicken items were sometimes over-cooked and a bit tough. The soups were quite good, and the home-made ice cream was especially savory.

The dive crew is very helpful and quite knowledgable regarding the dive sites. They are excellent critter-finders. They take care of getting the tank and BCD on/off the dive boat and rinsing the BCD after the dive. Because there is no dock (the locals believe that a dock will allow ghosts to come ashore), one must wade thru at least chest-deep water to get to/from the dive boats. Also, the footing can be a bit challenging with the the rocky sea floor.

The diving is excellent with a great abundance and variety of small aquatic critters. The dive guides take their time and know what to look for and where to look for it. For me, I encountered several new species of nudibranchs plus some unique shrimp and crab. Most dives lasted at least 60 minutes. Most of diving is in sloping black sand down to 75'- 90'. But there are also a few dive sites with coral gardens and the "Liberty" wreck.

In summary, Villa Markisa was a very pleasant experience with very good diving and a friendly and helpful crew. I recommend to anyone who just wants to relax and especially to a diver interested in some very good macro-photography.
Websites Villa Markisa   Villa Markisa

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Galapagos, Solomon Islands, PNG, GBR, Vanuatu, Palau, Philippines,
Indonesia, Yap, Kosrae, Truk, Fiji, Socorros, All over the Caribbean.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 82-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 40-75 Ft/ 12-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions No deco
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments The diving at Villa Markisa is primarily black sand ("Muck") diving. The dive crew assisted in loading camera gear on/off the dive boats and in/out of the water on shore dives. The dive boat had no camera rinse but all the trips were for one tank and usually just a 5-10 minute boat ride. The dive center has a large dedicated camera rinse tank and fresh water shower. There is a limited camera room with power chargers/converters.
Was this report helpful to you?
Report currently has 1 Helpful vote
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 1443 dive reviews of Indonesia and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 
Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest
Reef & Rainforest
is an agency for travelers that scuba dive. Looking for Biodiversity, critters, Komodo, Raja Ampat, temples? We specialize in adventures to Indonesia.

Want to assemble your own collection of Indonesia reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.21 seconds