Surf Travel Company

MANUA Surf Resort - Playgrounds, Mentawai Islands. Indonesia

INTRODUCTION

MANUA Surf Resort Mentawai Overall rating: 5 out of 5 based on 1 reviews.
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Manua Resort is in the heart of Playgrounds, one of the best areas for surfing in Indonesia. A picture-perfect archipelago of tropical islands, you won’t find a more beautiful place to stay or surf.

 

If your idea of heaven is a luxury bungalow, inspired by traditional Mentawai architecture but equipped with modern comforts, that opens out onto 1,500m of pristine white beach and then the turquoise seas off the coast of Sumatra, Manua Resort is the place for you.

 

Only 12 people can stay here at a time, and you get two surf sessions a day. Guests stay in beach-side umas, traditional Mentawai houses with handmade, four-poster beds, crisp white linens, natural granite flooring and immaculate en-suite bathrooms.

 

Beginners are welcome too, and there are suitable waves nearby, but you are also within easy reach of more challenging options like E-bay, Rifles and Burgerworld. 

 

There are 20 international quality waves within a 15 minute radius of the Manua Resort, and the Playgrounds area is famed for having the highest diversity of good waves anywhere in the Mentawai Islands. There are also a large number of smaller, ‘secret’ waves that you’ll only be allowed to discover once you get there!

 

When you do finish for the day, the beach-side bungalows are luxurious and well-designed, and you can chill out with a beer, go to the gym or watch a film. A short walk away from the bungalows through the jungle is a crystal clear waterfall, confirmation that Manua Resort really is paradise on earth.

 

THE ACCOMMODATION

Resort Settings

 

If your idea of heaven is a luxury bungalow, inspired by traditional Mentawai architecture but equipped with modern comforts, that opens out onto 1,500m of pristine white beach and then the turquoise seas off the coast of Sumatra, Manua Resort is the place for you.

 

A 15m high waterfall is the final marker you need to confirm this is the ultimate paradise island, and as there are 20 waves of international quality within a 15 minute radius of the resort, you will quite understandably find that you never want to leave.

 

Guests stay in beach-side umas, traditional Mentawai houses with handmade, four-poster beds, crisp white linens, natural granite flooring and immaculate en-suite bathrooms.

 

Traditional Umas

 

Each “UMA” was made in the traditional style, offering to 1 couple or 3 surfers, a space of 77 square meters divided in a spacious room with a king size bed or two single beds, bathroom porcelain with three environments: toilet, shower and closet enabling use of each space without compromising the privacy of other guests, and balcony facing the sea.

 

Orthopedic mattresses, 400 thread count sheets, air conditioning, refrigerator and differentiated lighting decoration, ensure the welfare and comfort of guests. All the furnishings were made at the island resort using wood found on the beach and developed by Roby Mayersha, one of the members of the Resort and a craftsman, assuring rustic and unique design.

 

Food Experience

 

The resort’s Sikerei restaurant is a three-storey uma, thought to be the largest and most impressive ever made in the Mentawai Islands, and in addition to a dining and lounge area, the structure also houses a games room, gym, home theatre and yoga space.

 

Based on natural and nutritional menu with touches of Brazilian and international cuisine, all meals aim to provide guests with light, healthy and tasty meals. This special menu resets the energy for the next surf session with a fast and light digestion. In the morning coffee is served fruit cereal, sandwiches and pancakes, and the best coffee around made with the finest grains of Sumatra.

 

THE ACTIVITIES

Surfing Famous Mentawai 

 

There are 20 international quality waves within a 15 minute radius of the Manua Resort, and the Playgrounds area is famed for having the highest diversity of good waves anywhere in the Mentawai Islands. There are also a large number of smaller, ‘secret’ waves that you’ll only be allowed to discover once you get there!

 

The resort’s swell window is vast, from 240 SW to 165 SE, and it’s powered by the might of the Indian Ocean. The variety of waves means that there is something for everyone, from complete beginners to consummate professionals, and as the resort hosts a maximum of 12 guests at any one time, you’ll never be competing for space.

 

High Performance Training Center

 

A special team of physiotherapists, trainers and surf coaches work full time at the resort providing a complete new Mentawai Experience. Here you will find a new step in your surfing evolution!

 

Usually the focus is on stretching and regeneration light exercises using “five konzept” and functional methodology, but a more harder work out can be executed, depending on each guest.

 

These activities combined with our healthy balanced menu, surf guide and coaches instructions, daily slide show and luxury accommodations, stand for the unique concept which was created to put your surfing in a new level for surfers, and for non surfers a chance to unify body, mind and spirit.

 

Surf Spots

Some of the best waves accessible from Manua Resort

 

A-frames

AKA Kandie’s Left, this curve of coral is an undaunting line-up which lets you hone your skills.

 

Burgerworld

Close to the jungle of an uninhabited island, most of the time this is a friendly wave for intermediate level surfers, but it turns into a monster when the swell is head high.

 

Beng-Beng

Friendly left reef mostly of moderate size which ends abruptly on a protuberance of reef.

 

E-bay

Left-hand smoker with a tight take-off zone, vertical drop and quick tones. This wave is for skilled surfers only.

 

Kandui 

The most technically demanding wave in the Mentawai Islands is an extreme tube-fest above the coral reef. Don’t attempt it unless it is mid to high tide.

 

Hideaways 

Deceptively heavy left chamber leading into a superb bendy bowl section. Dangerous at low tide.

 

Karangbat Left

Straightforward wave over shallow but manageable reef, it breaks best on a direct south swell.

 

Malibu Right 

Short and sweet beginner’s wave ending on a tiny desert island.

 

Pistols

Beautiful right-hander with a fun barrel section that works well even on days when the sea’s quite calm.

 

Rifles

Straight gun barrel ride requiring immense speed to keep ahead of the foam. This wave is for serious surfers only.

 

LOCATION & GETTING HERE

Location

Mentawai Islands, Indonesia

 

The Mentawai Islands are a chain of about 70 islands lying about 150km off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, across the Mentawai Strait. The provincial capital, Padang, is on the Sumatran mainland, and this is also the location of the closest airport.

 

The islands have been cut off from the mainland for more than 500,000 years, and so many of the species of flora and fauna found here are seen nowhere else on earth. These include the Kloss gibbon, the Mentawai macaque, and the pig-tailed langur. Though some of these species are threatened by logging and illegal hunting, large parts of the islands are protected ecospheres, giving the animals a long-term chance of survival. 47% of Siberut, the largest island in the archipelago, is a national park, and many other areas are recognized biosphere reserves.

 

If you plan to take a day or two off from surfing, spend it exploring the resort island on foot. There is an impressive and very photogenic waterfall where you can take a dip, and there are numerous trails back from the beach where you’ll have the chance to see plenty of local wildlife.

 

Mentawai People

 

The indigenous people of the Mentawai Islands are the Mentawai, a semi-nomadic population of hunter-gatherers. About 64,000 Mentawai still live on the island in their traditional uma (wooden bungalows). They wear little clothing save for loincloths and, in the case of the women, simple vests. Personal decoration includes tattoos and jewelry. Mentawai people eat wild yams and other wild vegetables that they have foraged for in the jungle, they hunt for wild pigs and deer, and sometimes raise pigs, dogs and chickens in their villages.

 

Climate

The Mentawai Islands have a tropical climate and it is warm and fairly humid throughout the year, so the breezes coming in off the sea are welcome. Monsoon rains occur between October and April (the low season or rainy season), and year-round temperatures are between 22 and 32 degrees Celsius.

Visa

Depending on your passport there are three options to enter Indonesia that apply to most travelers that come for tourist or social purpose only:

  • No Visa required (140 countries – FREE entry, 30 days valid, NOT extendable) 
  • Visa on Arrival (35US$, 30 days valid, extendable (once for 30 days)
  • Visa needed (apply abroad before arriving in Indonesia)

You can check visa requirements for your country here: https://www.bali.com/visa-indonesia-entry-requirements-bali.html

Vaccination and Insurance

Recommended Vaccination and Vaccines for your trip to Bali:

  • Tetanus Diphteria
  • Typhoid
  • Hepatitis A

Traveling with a valid travel health insurance is highly recommended. 

Getting Here

Flying to Padang City

 

The closest airport to Manua Resort is Minangkabau International Airport at Padang on the Sumatran mainland, 150km away from the resort. Most people fly in on Garuda Airways from Jakarta, but it is also possible to fly direct from Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia.

 

Transfer from Padang City

 

You need to arrive in Padang the day before you want to reach the resort, as the scheduled transfers depart daily at around 05.30. You will be met at the airport by the resort’s representative, who will help you check into a hotel for the night to get a few hours of sleep before your early start.

 

The transfer from Padang to the resort is on a private speed boat, a reliable Indonesian long boat that is suitable for use in all weather conditions thanks to the design’s stability at sea. The journey takes 3-5 hours depending on the weather, and so you will arrive at the resort in time for a late breakfast and perhaps a nap before starting to surf in the afternoon.

PRICES & PACKAGES

EARLY BOOKING 2020 – 20% OFF (high season April to October)

 

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES

Tuesdays, Thrusdays and or Saturdays

 

DELUXE BUNGALOWS

STANDARD PRICES
Private Exclusive Single 456
Private Exclusive Double 290
Private Exclusive Triple 264
Family Upstairs Share room 247
Family Downstairs Share room  236
  • Prices per night per person
  • Prices in USD
  • 5 nights minimal Stay
  • KIDS 0-4 years old free and 5-11 years old – 50%discount
  • NON-SURFER 50% OFF
  • LOW SEASON(Nov-March) 20% OFF
  • All prices include 21% tax

 

All packages include

✔ Accommodation

✔ Meals

✔ Two surf sessions a day with speedboat transport

✔ Soft drinks, snacks

✔ Government and hotel taxes

✔ Unlimited Wi-Fi and use of the resort’s fishing, snorkelling and kayaking equipment.

 

Transfers

Both-way transfer for a surfer – 250 USD/person

Both-way transfer for a non-surfer – 200 USD/person

 

Important

Please note that all guests must stay 2 nights at Padang City (one night at each way).

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