Misool Eco Resort is located in the remote southern part of Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. This small resort is located on its own private island, Batbitim, nestled deep in a vast archipelago of uninhabited islands, 240 kilometers from the nearest resort and half a day's journey from the nearest village.

Batbitim is fringed with powder-white beaches, protected by stunning clear lagoons and abundant reefs. With just eleven guest cottages, you are assured a holiday of exclusive luxury, surrounded by the world's richest reefs.

The cottages are built to European standards of comfort and safety, artfully blending indigenous natural materials with meticulous detailing. Every single piece of lumber used to build this small haven as has been milled from salvaged driftwood and free-fallen timbers collected in Raja Ampat and the nearby island of Seram.
 
The eight luxurious Water Cottages rise on stilts over the placid North Bay. Each of these spacious cottages features a private veranda on which you'll enjoy gentle tropical breezes and glorious equatorial views. With steps leading down from your veranda, the house reef is just a few fin-kicks away. Each cottage is equipped with air conditioning, a comfortable double bed, a massive veranda and outdoor day bed, and a Balinese-style en suite bathroom.

Three Reef View Cottages, located on the South Beach, are simple and elegant, featuring views over the deep water swimming hole. Each is fitted with an en suite bathroom, built into the surrounding rocky hillside. A long white beach is just steps from your veranda. The South Beach is a short walk up and over the hill, linked with a meandering stone path. The 360 degree view from the top of the hill is spectacular.

Several additional DeLuxe Villas are scheduled to be available in 2009.

Dining

The beach-front restaurant is located in the North Bay, looking out over a shallow turquoise lagoon. It's the perfect place to enjoy a sunset drink while watching the black tip reef sharks hunting in the bay.

The beach-front restaurant is located on the North Bay, overlooking a shallow turquoise lagoon. The airy, round-roofed structure is tucked back under the trees, offering a perfect respite from the mid-day heat. The restaurant's terrace is the ideal place to enjoy a sunset drink while watching the sharks and long-toms hunt schools of circling sardines.

Hilton and Sheraton-trained chef Simon has created a menu with the discriminating palate in mind, offering tasty, nutritious, and whenever possible, organic fare from local sources.

Typically the day starts with a simple pre-dive breakfast buffet of fresh fruit, homemade bread, fruit juice, coffee and tea. The second breakfast offers free range eggs, beans, pancakes, and sometimes fresh baked pastries.
 
Lunch is served as a buffet as well. A typical menu includes classic Indonesian fried rice with toasted cashew nuts, seared tuna, frittata with shallots, bell peppers, and cheese, and a fresh salad with cucumber, tomato, and pineapple, spiked with caraway seeds and balsamic vinegar. This is of course accompanied by a traditional and fiery Indonesian chili sauce.

A variety of dishes are on offer for the evening meal. A typical first course features laksa, a scrumptious Malaysian coconut curry with rice vermicelli noodles and kaffir lime leaves. This may be followed by crispy spring rolls, chicken satay accompanied by spicy Thai peanut dipping sauce, grilled fish, and tempeh fried with peanuts and sweet potato.

Snacks and drinks are available throughout the day. Special dietary needs can easily be accommodated with advance warning. Out of respect for the legions Muslim hosts, no pork is served.

Dive Centre

Misool Eco Resort's Dive Centre is located in the North Bay, built on stilts over the water. The Dive Centre is spacious and airy, with dedicated wet and dry areas to suit professional videographers, photographers, and recreational divers alike.

The wet room is 52.5 sq meters and is furnished with plenty of camera tables and work stations. Each cottage is assigned its own kit storage area in the Dive Centre. The kitting up platform is quite roomy, with 75 sq meters. Within the 48 sq meter dry area, you'll find computer stations, comfortable lounge chairs, and a monitor for viewing the day’s images. The sunny veranda is 120 sq meters, perfect for drying out between dives and enjoying the topside views.

Photography 

The Dive Centre has been designed to meet the needs of professional videographers and photographers. There are separate wet and dry areas, with individual equipment stations and television for viewing the day’s images. Perhaps best of all, there is a spacious sun-deck on which to enjoy the spectacular top-side views. Click here to read more about the Dive Centre.
 
Sustainability Commitment + No-Take Zone

Misool Eco Resort is strongly committed to a policy of environmental responsibility. MER has reached an agreement with their local hosts to create a No-Take Zone. We have leased approximately 200 sq km of sea surrounding Batbitim. This includes many of Raja Ampat's finest dive sites, including the Manta Cleaning Station, Boo, Fiabacet, Gorgonian Passage, and Yillet. Within this area, all fishing, shark finning, harvesting of turtle eggs and shellfish are strictly prohibited. All boats are required to practice reef-safe anchoring.

The construction and operation of the resort is meticulously engineered to minimise environmental impact. In addition to salvaging driftwood and milling its own lumber, MER has engineered the buildings with energy efficiency in mind. Waste water gardens have been installed to minimise consumption, and experiments are ongoing into solar and wind power to augment the generators.

Perhaps most importantly, MER is dedicated to safeguarding the local community in which it operates. The labour force is drawn largely from Yellu, the closest village and MER offers them good working conditions, health benefits, job training, and English lessons.

The Misool Conservation Centre

The Misool Conservation Centre will be located on a small beach on the north side of the Batbitim. A UK-registered non-profit, the Conservation Centre will provide a well-equipped, functional base for scientific research and conservation projects, as well as accommodation for visiting researchers and scientists. It is MER's aim to facilitate continuing research, with hopes of filling a critical gap in our understanding of this complex and important ecosystem.

One of the Conservation Centre's first projects will be to assemble a local team to patrol and enforce the No-Take Zone.

General Info

* Name : Misool Eco Resort
* Destination : Indonesia
* Location : Misool Eco Resort is located in the remote southern part of Raja Ampat, Indonesia. This private resort island, Batbitim, is located 240 kilometers from the nearest resort and half a day's journey from the neare st village. Currently under development, Misool Eco Resort will be welcoming its first guests in October of 2008.
* Seasons : Year round
* Capacity : 22 (max. no. guests)

Room Facilities

* Room Types : 8 luxurious Water Cottages rise on stilts over the placid North Bay. Each of these spacious cottages features a private veranda on which you'll enjoy gentle tropical breezes and glorious equatorial views. With steps leading down from your veranda, the house reef is just a short snorkel away. Each cottage is equipped with air conditioning, a comfortable double bed, an outdoor day bed, an en suite bathroom, and hot water.
* 3 Reef View Cottages, located on the South Beach, are simple and elegant, featuring views over the deep water swimming hole. Each is fitted with an en suite bathroom. The South Beach is a short walk up and over the hill , linked with a meandering stone path. The 360 degree view from the top of the hill is spectacular.
* Several De Luxe Villas will be added in 2009.
* Showers & toilets : en suite
* A/C : no
* Hot Water : No
* Electricity : 220V, 2 pin (flat)

Safety

* Fire warning system : No
* Fire extinguishers : yes
* Fire escapes : N/A
 

Dive location & resources

• Dive location : Raja Ampat Islands
• Dive facilities : Misool Dive Resort