Disclaimer
These links are for companies, and dive resorts who I have used. As with everything in life, some are better than others, and things change. Please contact me here if you want any further thoughts on any of them.
Diving
Manta Diving - Puerto Del Carmen, Lanzarote, Canary Islands. I worked here for 3 seasons, nice and relaxed with surprisingly good diving. PDC is good if you are travelling with your family.
Tulamben Wreck Divers - Bali, Indonesia. Excellent diving, and a great dive operation. They have good accommodation as well, cannot recommend them highly enough.
Scuba Junkie - Semporna, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. They go to all the islands around Sipadan, as well as Sipadan itself everyday. Good, fast boats with some very nice people working for them. They have a backpackers as well which is very basic, but very cheap.
Bastianos Bunaken Resort - Bunaken Island, Manado, Sulawesi. If you are going to Bunaken then check these guys out. Very reasonable prices.
Bastianos Lembeh Resort - Lembeh Straits, Bitung, Sulawesi. Nice accomodation with good prices. Good dive operation. Get Winston to guide you!
Travel
Expedia - I arranged most of my hotels through them. Very easy to use, and usually have some sort of a deal going on.
Emirates - The long-haul portion of the trip was made easy, and comfortable. Attentive staff and some great in-flight entertainment made the total of 17 hours in the air quite bearable. Plus, they sponsor Arsenal, who are my team.
Air Asia - Asian version of EasyJet. Very cheap, but you get hammered with only 15kg of baggage - and no allowance for dive kit. Be prepared to pay for excess.
Silk Air - The regional wing of Singapore Airlines fly direct from Singapore to Manado 4 times a week. Divers get a 30kg allowance on production of a certification card (20kg standard plus 10kg for dive kit), this is a godsend for travelling divers.
Cool Things
Singapore Zoo - the best zoo I have ever seen
Elephantstay - one of the best experiences of my life, working alongside retired elephants
Accommodation
Whilst in between dive destinations, we stayed in a few different hotels.
Corus Hotel - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Spent a couple of nights here when we first arrived. Nice enough, would go back.
Sheraton Imperial - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Spent 2 nights here. Wow. Fantastic place, 5* and a bit.
Concorde Inn - Kuala Lumpur Airport. It's an airport hotel - did the job for 1 night.
Perak Hotel - Little India, Singapore. Very nice little hotel.
Sawasdee Banglumpoo - Koh San Road, Bangkok, Thailand. Bit better than a backpackers, tucked down a alley but right on the KSR.