Bunaken, North Sulawesi

Bunaken is a small island with a global reputation. Just 45 minutes by boat from Manado, it sits at the heart of Bunaken National Marine Park, one of the richest marine environments on the planet. For divers and snorkellers, this is a place of pilgrimage; warm waters, sheer coral walls and a dazzling variety of marine life that makes every descent unforgettable.

The park encompasses five islands, with Bunaken itself the most visited. Its surrounding reefs are legendary with dramatic drop-offs festooned with hard and soft corals, caves and overhangs alive with turtles, reef sharks, eagle rays and a kaleidoscope of reef fish. Visibility can reach up to 30 metres and the biodiversity here is said to rival anywhere else in the Coral Triangle (including Raja Ampat). For beginners, shallow coral gardens teem with life, while more experienced divers can enjoy thrilling drift dives along dramatic walls.

Life on the island is simple, there are no big resorts, only small dive lodges and homestays scattered along the shoreline, where hammocks swing between palm trees and sandy paths link village life with the beach. Days here follow the rhythm of the sea with early dives, leisurely lunches, afternoon snorkelling and sunsets that turn the horizon pink and gold.

Yet Bunaken is not only about what lies beneath the waves. Fishing villages dot the island and wandering its sandy paths offers a glimpse of a gentler rhythm of life - children playing barefoot, coconut groves whispering in the breeze and the warmth of a community shaped by the sea. There is little in the way of conventional nightlife or ostentatious luxury, but atmosphere abounds. At Ampersand, we believe true luxury is found in the experience itself.

Bunaken is, above all, about immersion in the ocean, the rhythms of an island and in the sense of being far from the mainstream. For those who love the sea, it is unmissable. To dive here is not just to see Indonesia at its most biodiverse, but to feel the living pulse of the Coral Triangle itself.

To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.
Bill Bryson