Four Points by Sheraton
Manado, North Sulawesi

On the waterfront of North Sulawesi’s provincial capital, Manado, Four Points by Sheraton is a contemporary city hotel that doubles as a comfortable base for exploring this fascinating corner of Indonesia. It’s one of the tallest buildings in town, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing Manado Bay and the cone of Mount Klabat beyond. While Manado itself is a working city rather than a picture-postcard escape, the hotel offers a smart perch from which to take in the bustle of daily life before heading further afield to Bunaken or the highlands of Tomohon.

The hotel’s design is contemporary without being cold, a blend of clean lines and warm tones that feels as suited to business travellers as it does to leisure guests passing through. Rooms are spacious, with crisp linens, large desks and generous bathrooms, while upgraded categories open out onto private balconies overlooking the sea. Watching the sun set across the bay with fishing boats bobbing below is one of the quiet pleasures here.

The hotel has several dining options, but the real draw is The Eatery, which serves Indonesian staples alongside international favourites. Breakfast is an abundant affair, the sort that sets you up well for a day of diving or sightseeing, and The Scorta Pool Bar & Lounge is particularly inviting at dusk, when the city lights begin to twinkle and the mountains turn indigo. It’s a sociable spot for cocktails, mocktails or a cold Bintang after a day’s adventures.

Facilities are generous for a city hotel. There’s a large infinity pool overlooking the bay, perfect for a cooling dip, and a spa that offers a mix of Balinese and Sulawesi-inspired treatments. The gym is well equipped and open late, though most visitors will find the real exercise outside, whether trekking volcanoes, diving coral walls or wandering Manado’s lively markets.

The hotel sits above Manado Town Square (known locally as Mantos), a lively complex of shops, cafés and restaurants. It’s a 30-minute drive from the airport and less than an hour by boat from Bunaken National Marine Park, one of the world’s most celebrated diving destinations. For those heading inland, Tomohon and its highland markets are just over an hour away by car.

Four Points by Sheraton is not about boutique charm or local character, there are other places for that, but it does deliver consistency, comfort and ease in a part of Indonesia where options can be limited. For travellers looking for a reliable base in Manado before or after a dive trip, or as a staging post en route to Sulawesi’s interior, it’s a solid and surprisingly stylish choice.

There are no foreign lands. It is the traveller only who is foreign.
Robert Louis Stevenson