The days we spend in your retreat in june 2010 were the most beautiful and recreative of our holidays. We enjoyed the fantastic under water world, the homely accomodation and the delicious food. Island retreat is the perfect place to come down from the stressful and busy european city life. Thanks a lot! We are preparing some pictures for you.

Yours

Karin and Hannes

If you like, you can add these links on your website :

http://lepido-france.fr/2010/02/idea-blanchardii-togiana-ssp-nova-de-sulawesi-est-indonesie/

http://lepido-france.fr/2008/07/les-voyages-de-lalf/

On the last page, there is a link to Island Retreat internet site.

Warm regards,
Jean-Marc

New International Airport in Sulawesi.

Best way to get to Island Retreat:
From Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), there is a new airlines Air Asia which has inexpensive fares (about U.S.$50) to Makassar. The flights are every day. There are daily flights from Makassar to Palu. From Palu, take a charter car or take a public travel minibus departing daily at 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to Ampana. This year, 2010, Ampana will have its own airport with connections from Makassar and Manado.
I do not recommend coming to the Togians via Manado, as the flights Manado to Luwuk are unreliable. To take a ferry from Gorontalo would require one day by land from Manado to Gorontalo, then again wait for the once weekly ferry to the Togians (another 15 hours). The Puspita ferry departs from Gorontalo on Wednesday night, arriving Thursday morning in Wakai. Or you may opt for speedboat service from Marisa (4 hours from Gorontalo) to Island Retreat (4 hours Rp 3,250,000).
Or, you may opt to take the ferry to Pagimana (5 hours from Ampana) which departs every two days from Gorontalo.

We can arrange this for you:
charter car from Gorontalo to Marisa (Rp 600,000 - 3-4 hours)
charter speedboat (max. 5 persons) from Marisa to Island Retreat. (Rp 3,250,000 4-5 hours)

This is the fastest, and least expensive way to get to us (especially if there are more than 2 persons).

I’m not sure you will remember me, I was the french girl who spent one week in july 2007, arriving with a dutch family (they took the famous “honey moon bungalow”).

I hope you’re going well, and I always recommend your place when people asking me where to go in the Togian Island. I really enjoy my stay at Island Retreat… You’ll find my recommendations (in french) in my own personnal blog:

http://petitesbullesdailleurs.fr/mes-adresses/

http://petitesbullesdailleurs.fr/category/2007-07_sulawesi-indonesie/

Warmest regards!

Stay at the Marina Cottages, which is about 100 meters from the small harbor for public boats to Bomba. The public boats depart from Ampana on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The price is about Rp 22,000 for the 3 hour ride.

Just tell the captain to drop you at the Island Retreat jetty, or Sylvie’s place (which will be more familiar to them).

From Palu: Take a public minibus departing at 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to Ampana (10 hours, Rp 120,000). Call Touna Indah at (045l)454808 for booking and pickup from your hotel.

From Gorontalo: Take the Puspita ferry departing Wednesday nights from Gorontalo (about Rp 75,000) arriving in Wakai in the morning on Thursday. or the ferry departing Friday night arriving the following morning.
Hire a small boat in Wakai to Island Retreat in Bomba for about Rp 375,000 3 hours.

From Ampana: Take a public boat from the small harbor about 100 meters from the Marina Cottages (Rp 110,000/cottage). Boats to Bomba depart on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays (Rp 22,000 - 3 hours)

New air service starting around April 2010 from Makassar/Manado to Poso.
From Poso, take a charter car (about Rp 600,000 4 hours) or a public bemo/bus to Ampana.

From Luwuk: Take a charter car (Rp 850,000 6 hours) to Ampana. Or wait for the public bus departing from the Luwuk bus terminal about 2:00 p.m.

Este lugar es uno de los mejores de Sulawesi. La relacion calidad precio es muy buena, el alojamiento, comida y estancia en general satisfacen cualquier espectativa de pasar unos dias muy agradables, buceando, flotando sobre los corales o simplemente descansando en la estupenda playa que hay frente a los bungalows,