Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort Reviews

I 1. **Overcrowded & Poor Dive Management**      - Some divers complain about too many people on boats, leading to chaotic dive experiences.      - Limited slots for Sipadan Island (which requires a permit), leading to disappointment.   2. **Outdated or Poorly Maintained Facilities**      - Rooms, bathrooms, or dive equipment may be old, broken, or not well-kept.      - Issues with air conditioning, water supply, or cleanliness.   -no comforter on bed 3. **Unprofessional or Rude Staff**      - Some reviewers mention unfriendly or unhelpful staff, especially with last-minute changes or complaints.      - Poor communication regarding dive schedules or safety briefings.   4. **Food Quality & Limited Options**      - Complaints about repetitive, bland, or low-quality meals, especially for the price paid.      - Limited choices for vegetarians or those with dietary restrictions.   5. **High Prices for Mediocre Service**      - Some guests feel the resort is overpriced compared to other options in Mabul or Sipadan.      - Extra charges for equipment rental or unexpected fees.   6. **Environmental Concerns**      - Poor waste management or irresponsible diving practices harming coral reefs.

Loved being so close to nature—it was such a refreshing experience! The staff were extremely helpful and genuinely friendly, which made my stay even more enjoyable. The only thing that could be improved is the food, but overall, it was a wonderful escape.

Wonderfoul, but is unaceptable that there isnt signal or wifi in the room

Resort on water, love every bit of it. Food is good too.

The sea was so clear. Sea turtles can be seen from the balcony every night. very nice diving coaches. Highly recommended.

Cannot find Agent who arrange

Good for snorkeling and a relaxing holiday

the transfer boat from Tawau Airport to the property is troublesome. The booking includes an airport pickup and boat transfer to the property but only at a fixed time per day. You need to be in Tawau Airport no later than 10:00am local time to use the pre-booked service. The time is very tricky and has very limited airline and easy to miss then they charge $321.26 to re-arrange pick up from Tawau Airport. Based on research, 1.5hr bus from Tawau Airport to port is RM25 (Malaysia currency, about $5.56) per person. Then 45min boat transfer to the property. The boat condition is super ugly which might not permit to carry passengers in United States. The boat condition like a multi-hand used fishing boat you can buy from cralist for less than $3000. However, the total charge is $321.26 for such transport services. After arriving in hotel, the hotel service is also very poor which I think it can not match a motel in United States. No phone in the room to connect to the front desk: you need use you own cell phone to call front desk and usually the signal is too poor to make a phone call. No enough shower towel either and hot water run out quickly during shower. What’s more, you need to pay extra to purchase internet. Price is ok but slow which can not make stable video conference which is super unfriendly for people need to work while traveling

Love the dive center, rich sea creatures around the diving/ snorkeling spots. Friendly staffs

Good resort for holiday, highly recommend. I had a very good experience in the resort, clean and safe. Overall is good.

If it were a hotel on land that cost three or four thousand yuan a day, I would give it a bad review, but this is on an island far away from the town, so the hotel conditions must be limited. However, the advantage is that the sea view is beautiful. The first two days there were cloudy, and the sea water was very blue. There are many marine life here. I love watching the turtles, which occasionally look up from the water to breathe. Our daily life is to bully starfish, collect hermit crabs and dive. It's very relaxing. This is very important. When booking a hotel, you must read the date carefully before booking. After I placed the order, I suddenly realized that I had selected the wrong date. Even though I contacted customer service within five minutes to change the time, I didn't change it in the end. So all my itineraries were disrupted. This is the biggest regret, so you must read it carefully before placing an order.

The hotel's ambiance is impeccable, making it a perfect choice for a vacation. The food was also excellent, with a variety of seafood for dinner. The service was acceptable, but the amenities were a bit lacking: the shower water and toilet were unstable. Our room was located on the long beach, and the waves were so loud that it disturbed my sleep. The diving was excellent, thanks to our dive guide, and a special thank you to the woman who rented the equipment and helped me deal with a jellyfish sting.

The resort, located on a shallow beach in the middle of the sea, takes nearly an hour to reach by speedboat from the pier. Surrounded by lush greenery, the beach only emerges for a few hours at low tide when it's not raining. Because it's in the middle of the sea, the water is crystal clear, and the corals are still vibrantly colored. Turtles frequent the shallows to graze on the water plants, creating a breathtaking view. Ninety percent of the tourists are Chinese, so the hotel has Chinese-speaking staff. It's clear the hotel is diligently catering to the tastes of Chinese tourists, with security and equipment provided in the snorkeling and beach areas, and a transparent boat for photos. However, it's also heartbreaking to see plastic bottles floating in the water, causing many corals to be trampled and killed. If this continues, I wonder if our children will still appreciate this pristine sea when they grow up. I sincerely hope we can all work together to protect this beautiful scenery, by encouraging people to bring their own drinks and providing ample free drinking water, thereby reducing plastic waste. When snorkeling, try not to wear large fins when entering the water and step on the coral. The coral is very shallow, and many people who can't swim will instinctively step down with their feet. Wearing large fins to take pictures will definitely kill a lot of coral. The only colorful coral we saw the day before was trampled by so many fins that by the next day, there were fewer colorful corals. Try to reuse plastic water bottles and fill the dining area with water to reduce empty bottles. Try to use the pure plant-based bath soap provided by the hotel to reduce the amount of chemicals discharged into the sea. Use bath towels and hand towels for multiple days... Eat as little as possible to avoid waste... Nature and humans are mutually dependent. If we pay attention, nature will reward us with beautiful scenery.

As a benchmark for Semporna resorts, the glass sea and overwater bungalows are impeccable, the food is also excellent, and you can see turtles and schools of fish playing in the water. While the hotel offers airport pickup, the journey from Tawau Airport to the hotel is quite lengthy, taking a one-and-a-half-hour flight, a car ride, and a 45-minute ferry. However, the views are worth it.