The 4 Fish

What a nice beautiful place, we love it. Go there and enjo. It is clean a good swimmingpool and a good neighbor for a nice lunch. And for us a nice place to snorkeling. Friendly owners, but the food can be more spicier.

We stayed 5 nights and each evening the staff managed to cook a delicious meal. Even personal requests were granted. We loved the breakfast with Dutch pancakes. The 4 Fish has a wonderful swimming pool. Although it might be wise to replace the sun loungers. They lost their glamour long ago.

Please read my previous review ("A hidden gem") about the the 4 Fish in 2014 first. After a few years we've returned to the 4 Fish because of the good memories i had of this place. This time we've booked two (standard) rooms. This place still lookes lovely and has a nice setting. The size of the rooms aren't big but good enough. Same as for the small combination of toilet and shower. Both rooms were clean. Tip for the future is to place a safe, i think many guests will appreciate it. There is no tv available, but didn't miss that at all (you won't miss it). Previous time i gave the 4 Fish 5 out of 5, but this time i changed it to 4 out of 5. The reason is, and please consider this as positive feedback, the worn-out mattrasses. They are really in bad shape. We talked about it with one of the owners. Within their possibilities, they solved the problem asap. The problem was recognized and i truly hope it will be fixed soon. One small other note is the pressure of the sink, it could be a bit better, but for us it was ok. The pool is still in good shape and they even now have the spa finished next to it. Tip: book your treatment in advance! For breakfast and diner you cannot choose what you would like to eat, that's up to the chef/owners. Breakfast is western, diner is Indonesian and tastefull but adapted to western tourists. Just like previous time, you will have to like it to have diner with the other guests and owner(s). Same as before, this was no problem for us at all. It is possible to arrange different excursions or to rent a scooter to explore the beautiful villages around. Wi-fi is available, but works slow (tip: buy a 70.000 rph - 30gb data simcard). We had a good time, again and still consider this a special place to return to. Selamat tinggal! Room: + Bed: - Bathroom: +/- Staff: + Facilities: ++ Breakfast: +

Mixed feelings about this beautiful place, mainly because it's too expensive in comparison to other accommodations around and for what is offered + good food in nice atmosphere + friendly, helpful owner which gave us a ride from the city on the way back from a shopping trip + nice pool in lovely garden + beautiful terrasse, they have an eye for detail - rooms are small, bathoom tiny, little privacy - access to drinks and books closed during most of the day and late evening, when owners are gone/asleep - oweners insisted to book a hugely expensive taxi service with them, which we didn't want and told them: we asked to get a taxi ordered early morning (5AM) and they refused to call one and said they will drive. But not for the 200.000 they indicated on their price list but 275.000 as some ridiculous early morning surcharge was applied to it - and that's de facto 300% more expensive than a cab. We didn't find out until we paid the bill. - we booked a tour to Tangkoko NP with them which you should definitely not do but rather organise it on your own with a private car from the city (supposedly costs around 350.000). The owners paired us up for the tour with a Dutch couple from another hotel close by. The tour did not only not get cheaper with more people (we still paid 1.2 Mio pP as per price list) but the Dutch couple paid less: only 950.000. So, 4 people together sharing a car and a guide - with different prices! The owner didn't offered us the "Dutch" price of 950.000 pP when we confronted them with the unreasonable price difference. Understandably, that leaves a bitter after taste.

I don't understand why there are so many good reviews about Four Fish Hotel. – Rooms are small and dark: you need to switch on the lights even during the day. They are also hot (no good ventilation). – The bathroom is really small, like a closet with a curtain to separate the toilet from the shower. – No hot water and little water pressure. – There is no fresh food for breakfast: only industrial bread and cornflakes. Some bananas if you are lucky. – When I was there, the owners were out most of the time (and the staff don't speak english). You are on your own. – A snorkeling trip to Bunaken, with the gigantic hotel Luley next door, costs 650 000 rupiah per person. Which is at least three times more expensive than elsewhere. - A dive master at Hotel Luley advise me not to go snorkeling on the shore. It's free but he says it's dangerous because of the current. "I always tell the customers not to go snorkeling here." - The only good thing in Four Fish Hotel is their terrasse.