Dominique is Cubadak Paradiso Resort General Manager on the island of Cubadak in west Sumatra. Founded in 1992, the station was a pioneer in the hospitality in this region, and is still undisputed today. Located on a pristine white sandy beach with rich coral reefs and dense jungle, this unspoilt destination attracts travelers looking for peace and quiet.
Dominique, how long have you been a resident of Sumatra? Can you tell us how you ended up living west of Padang?
I lived here for eight years, my partner Marco is here for 10 years, and we ended up here after a very classic expatriate life in the industry, finally in Kuala Lumpur. We wanted to change our lives, and what we did!
Where did the idea of opening Cubadak comes Paradiso Village?
Cubadak Paradiso Village was founded 23 years ago by Mr. Gianluiggi (Nanni) Casalegno, an Italian gentleman who sadly passed away last year. I joined as a partner when the station had already been in existence for 15 years. It was created at a time when there was no solution strictly home range in this part of West Sumatra, and we are still unchallenged 23 years later.
Please share with us the unique aspects of your station.
We focus on being different :. Comfort without ostentatious luxury, attention without harassment, excellent food, a family style
All you need to do is buy a plane ticket to Padang and we do the rest.
on Tripadvisor, your notes are either "excellent" or "very good", without notes below. How are you able to maintain such a high level or service that ensures customers happy?
Customers who come here are looking for something different, and they are happy that they have finally found! Meet the expectations of our customers is the key to it, I think. In a time when people mostly look for their next vacation on the internet, we chose to have a modest site, very descriptive with one goal: what you see is what you get. Finally, we live here too, with our customers, enjoying the same facilities as they do. The norm is that we maintain the standard we expect for ourselves.
Many visitors comment on your delicious food at your resort. What kind of food you serve and are you also able to serve a good wine
We call fusion cuisine: Italian, French , Chinese, Indonesian. But we are fortunate to have excellent ingredients; fruits, vegetables, fresh seafood, meats - all incredibly tasty naturally. The bar serves alcohol, beer and wine. For the latter, we are ourselves rather difficult, and only offer wines that we drink with pleasure, while keeping prices at a reasonable level, which is difficult in Indonesia.
What cultural differences have you had to adapt to living and working in Sumatra?
It was quite easy actually, from Malaysia. People in West Sumatra are adorable and it is possible here to be closer to people. Minang culture and laws are a bit complicated to digest, which is a must if you want to run a business in the country Minang. But in everyday life, people here are really easy to live and work with.
What is the most exciting aspect of your job?
Sharing. Sharing experiences with people visiting, listening to other people's lives. Sharing our daily routines with staff. Sharing our lives with nature around us. Share our passions (underwater or on land) with guests passing by.
You offer diving and snorkeling at your station? - What is the best dive site and when is the best time to visit for diving
We all love our dive sites and can not appoint a best website. The biodiversity here is extremely rich, and one day, you can spend a garden sponge for a 1942 shipwreck soft corals at an incredible night dive. And where we dive, there is no other - absolute luxury! As we have no seasons marked here, diving is just good any time of year.
What kind of flora and fauna special guests can expect to see here?
On land you'll macaques sea red head or silver leaf monkeys, wild boar and lizards that the most common species. In the air, the rhinoceros hornbill, hornbills, kingfishers, fish eagles, herons and black butterflies charges. And underwater, a rich population of reef fish of Southeast Asia and turtles. No big stuff here though; our currents are not strong enough to attract large pelagic.
What do you do to give your area? Do you only hire local staff?
The staff is indeed as local and since we do not produce or use anything we, all our supplies are purchased or made locally. We provide extra help as much as possible, to help people build their homes for example, or to rebuild after an earthquake. We are also committed to being a model company, paying taxes religiously. We are in close and constant contact with our neighbors and local authorities, helping them to manage and monitor the sudden abundance of tourism in the region.
What kind of training is provided to your reception staff?
Everything! Our employees are villages therefore, they learn everything on the spot: food, service, money laundering, etc. So after here they can find suitable employment. We try to teach English as well, with mixed results!
What are the challenges you face in working in this remote region?
supplies, but the biggest challenges are the elements. After an earthquake, for example, you understand better what being remotely.
Tell us about the problems you encounter garbage and how you think this problem would be be better combated.
Well, as everywhere in Indonesia sea brings a lot of plastic waste per day. The collection and combustion is our only option as there are no facilities in the region. Unfortunately, as the local tourism grows, the problem worsens. The solutions are on two levels: education and political will to resolve the problem. We are not at the stage of sorting waste debate here; collection and disposal would be a good way to start.
Do you think the government is doing enough to support the tourism industry in Sumatra?
Sumatra is very keen to develop tourism, particularly West Sumatra and its coastline. But there are conflicts of interest and a bit of confusion as to where efforts should go. For example, we believe that you can not promote coastal tourism and fish farming at the same time in the same place, or tourism and mining. And as it happens very often, promotion comes first - and it works -. But the facilities are non-existent
If you were stranded on Cubadak the island and could only have three things with you, what would they be?
My book of survival, my machete, and Bulan, our monkey.
Thank you, Dominique! To get in touch, email: info@cubadak-paradisovillage.com