Sipadan Water Village Resort
Sipadan Island, Sabah
Sipadan Water Village is a resort beautifully constructed with Bajau architectural design. Part of the Mabul Island is also home to groups of Bajau fishermen who have built their traditional palm thatched houses.
The entire resort is built over water on stilts. In its design, Sipadan Water Village has achieved near utopia in its over-the-water layout, splendid water cottage accommodations with flowered sidewalks, wonderfully prepared Asian and Continental cuisine, and impeccable and personable service.
Accommodation
The architectural design of the 45 water chalets reflects the incluence of the local Bajau style. The resort is located on a part of the island where it is sheltered from the storm. The floor of the water cottages is less than 1 meter above the high water mark. The chalets are spacious with wide sliding doors that open onto the room's private deck.
Food & Beverage
The open-air restaurant has a seating capacity of 150 people at one time. Meals are served in buffet style featuring a mixture of local and continental cuisine. Meals time is as follows:
- Breakfast: 0700hrs to 0900hrs
- Lunch: 1200 hrs to 1400hrs
- Dinner: 1930hrs to 2100hrs
Facilities
Dive Centre
The Dive Centre is responsible for all in-water activities and scuba training and education. The centre opens from 0700hrs onwards and is equipped with lockers, showers, toilet and a common area for resting between dives with complimentary snack, hot coffee and tea. It carries 5 Bauer compressors for refilling tanks, over 300 aluminium 3000 psi / 80 cubic foot tanks with American style "K" valves, rental sets of scuba diving equipment that are mainly Scuba Pro.
The centre equipped with custom-built fibreglass dive boats that carry 12 passengers each. Each boat goes out 3 trips daily accompanied by a boatman and a Dive Master.
All Dive Masters are specially trained in the marine ecology of Mabul Island and will not only show divers the attractions but also impart their knowledge of the marine life so that guests may return from their memorable holiday with a better understanding of the environment.
This is what differentiated the Dive Masters at Sipadan Water Village from elsewhere: An attitude and passion for what Mabul has to offer.
Dive Sites
Due to the fact that the marine life found around Mabul Island varies greatly from that of Sipadan Island, combination of the two islands for diving make a diver's diving holiday more complete. Mabul and Kapalai is heaven for studying the micro aspects of marine life and guarantees hours of fascinating fish watching with ample opportunities for photography. At world-renowned Sipadan Island, divers get different experience as one dive amongst the giants of sea and its only 20 minutes away from the comforts of Sipadan Water Village.
Mabul and Kapalai
There are about 17 dive sites in Mabul and about 13 dive sites in Kapalai. It takes less than 15 minutes to get from the resort to any of the Mabul dive sites by the dive boat and less than 15 minutes to Kapalai. Most of the diving in Mabul and Kapalai is very shallow with depths from 60 feet to as shallow as 10 feet. These places are "macro heaven on earth". On one given dive, divers may get to see as many as 25 or 30 remarkable photo subjects including squid, cuttlefish, anemone shrimp, gobies with blind cleaner shrimp, porcelain crabs, juvenile batfish, harlequin ghost pipefish, mushroom coral pipefish, mandarin fish, dragonets and many more.
Sipadan
There are about 13 dive sites in Sipadan. On a good sea condition, it takes about 20 minutes from Mabul to Sipadan. Most of the diving in Sipadan is combination of wall and drift diving. The walls are covered with hard corals, soft corals, gorgonians, sponges etc. You can see more turtles on one dive here than in a lifetime of diving anywhere else. Divers may also get to see huge resident school of barracudas, which make beautiful circling patterns on top of the reef, in 10 or 15 feet of water at the South Point.
Housekeeping
Housekeeping service is conducted once daily. Towels are provided in the bathroom for guest personal use in their respective cottage. For scuba diving, snorkelling, swimming and other recreational activities, coloured towels are available at the Diving Centre and Reception at no additional charge. Small coloured towels are also provided in respective rooms for camera/video cleaning.
Mini Mart
Mini Mart is open from 0900hrs to 2100hrs selling various souvenir items ranging from t-shirts, post-cards, caps, towels with Sipadan Water Village logo and many more.
Reception Counter / Front Office
The reception counter is open daily from 07:00hrs until midnight. This office takes care of the registration, billing and arrangements for the following services.
- Guest Check-In
- Checking Out
- Express Checkout Service
- Wake Up Calls
- Safe Keeping Service
- Telephone / Facsimile Facility
- Mailing Services and Information
- Travel and Tours Assistance
- Internet / Wireless
Location
Directs flights between Kota Kinabalu and the regional capitals of Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Kaoshiung, Hong Kong, Brunei, Manila, Cebu and other international capitals, make Sabah easily accessible to travellers everywhere.
Upon arrival at Kota Kinabalu International airport, travellers then proceed to Tawau airport on the east coast of Sabah.
Sipadan Water Village Resort
P.O. Box No. 62156, 91031 Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia.
|
