Dive Review of Villa Markisa in
Indonesia/Bali

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Villa Markisa, Oct, 2013, by Michael J. Millet, CA, US ( Top Contributor 92 reports with 58 Helpful votes). Report 7363 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
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
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
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.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Villa Markisa in Indonesia/Bali

Villa Markisa, Oct, 2013,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Villa Markisa in
Indonesia/Bali