Sabah, Sipadan Water Village Resort

The resort is located on Pulau Mabul, some 45 minutes fast boat ride from the coastal town of Semporna.Pulau Mabul is legendary for its macro photography heaven, as well as well the world-class muck-diving it offers. Along with the recent closure of dive resorts on Pulau Sipadan, (a government's measure to preserve the world's best diving site ecosystem), this lodging option on Pulau Mabul is becoming a hit for the tourists.


All of the room units are built on stilts above crystal-clear water. Certainly an interesting holiday option, even for the non-honeymooners and non-divers alike. The resort has about 35-40 rooms of varying standards, from Standard Water Cottages, to "semi-detached" units of Junior Water Cottages, and Deluxe Water Cottages for the ultimate island vacation.

There is one floating restaurant which offers you regular Asian and Western fanfares. There are also an in-house medical service, a dive centre (naturally!), a mini-mart (where I bought my souvenirs), and an open-air bar-cum-lounge which provides you a combination of turquoise ocean and eclectic selection of piped musicals.

The beach at the resort is just fabulous for sunbathing and swimming. The water is extremely clear. Also, security personnel could be spotted with their marine patrol boat, hence security is not an issue.