Mabul Island Travel Notes: What should you prepare to go to Mabul Island?

If you go to Mabu Island, look for Tawau Airport. Many resorts on the islands are close to the airport, so don’t worry about this. When you go out, you need to know the map, mobile phone data, taxi app, language, etc. in advance. Let’s take a look at more travel guides on Mabu Island.

Must-have before going out:

Google Translate app (download the offline language pack in advance), Google Maps (very accurate positioning), Grab taxi software (whoever uses it will know), diving We recommend an all-in-one mask (we bought the Dikairon, whoever uses it will know). It is best to try it on if you buy it in a physical store!

You can buy it by calling Kamayun’s home, beach shoes (full set), consignment and visa The Jack Ma family can also solve it.

The booked Mabul Island Resort will arrange a pick-up from the airport and drive to Semporna in about 60-70 minutes.

Semporna is a port town. The only 4-star hotel is Haifeng Hotel (we did not book it this time). We stayed at Pacific Hotel (a relatively star-rated hotel except Haifeng). I chose a hotel. The room is a bit small, but the environment is good and it is very close to the port). Of course, there are many B&Bs available online. It just depends on personal preference for the environment and other conditions.

Mabul Island is located in Semporna, Malaysia. Semporna is actually a tourist destination because it is a seaside city. There are many kinds of seafood there, many of which have never been seen before, and the price is incredibly cheap. In China, a pound of tiger spot costs 300 yuan, but in the local area It only costs 20 yuan; crab, 11 yuan per catty; Pipa shrimp, 20 yuan per catty.

Snorkeling is a special tourism project on Mabul Island. Different from deep diving, snorkeling involves people wearing underwater equipment, floating on the surface of the water, and observing the beautiful underwater scenery several meters below. Therefore, the sea surface that is suitable for snorkeling must be very clear. You can see the underwater environment several meters below at a glance, and Mabul Island is just such a place.

Going towards the seaside, there is a local vegetable market, which also sells fruits.

There are fishermen selling the seafood caught that day everywhere on the street, and restaurants can process it for a fee.

There is an Internet celebrity restaurant in town called Fat Mom. When we went there, we didn’t know why it had been closed for a few days, so we chose a restaurant called Tianwang Seafood Restaurant with a booming business, and shared a table with others. The travelers talked about it and found that this is the restaurant most recommended by the locals. It is much more delicious than Fat Mom (only the opinion of the recommender). They only cook all the dishes for one table before cooking for the next table. There will be no big pot dishes. Show up, it’s a bit hard to wait during dining peak hours.

Recommended dishes: Mango ice (this is not particularly recommended, but many people order it, the mango is sour, and the milk is not thick enough) Creamy Hibiscus Shrimp (different from the cream we understand, more like shredded eggs, a must-order! !), egg yolk crab (oh my god, it was the first time I ate crab roe that was so spicy that I felt like vomiting, a must order!!), and some tofu (it’s their specialty, very tender!), we spent 20 I bought 5.6 sea urchins (completely different from those in China) from a fisherman for MYR, steamed an egg (with sea urchin meat) and fried rice.

I took the resort boat to Mabul early the next morning. It was so beautiful that I couldn’t describe it in words. We chose the best resort on Mabul Island, the water house in Kapalai (the house is built on the sea, there are also sand houses, the house is built on the beach, the price is cheaper than the water house, the water house is even more expensive) Rooms are divided into different types. Due to the limited budget, we stayed in the cheapest water house, which is charged per head. I made the reservation with a travel agency on Taobao. If you want the link, please message me privately). There is a snorkeling spot next to the water house, and you can see Nemo when you go down. There are free buffets for three meals a day (every Wednesday and Saturday are BBQ nights). In addition to normal meals, coffee, bread, cold drinks are also available at other times. Hot water is always available. There are three boats every day, and you can go snorkeling at designated locations and see sea turtles.

If you stay for more than 4 nights, it is recommended to book Sipadan (Sipadan). Even if you don’t have a certificate and cannot dive, you must go snorkeling. It is one of the top ten diving holy places in the world and is known as God’s fish tank. Jack You can see storms (commonly known as fish walls, fish whirlwinds), sharks, turtles, various fish, and corals (snorkeling three times, 30 minutes each time, lunch will be arranged).

You can also contact and book an underwater photographer for follow-up photography (the specific price can be negotiated).

The resort also offers various island hopping tours. There are 10 people in a boat, which is more cost-effective per person. We were lucky enough to meet someone who chartered a boat to Pearl Island and visited a Bayao village (the resort's itinerary was to climb the Pearl Island mountain, but we were not allowed to climb it due to the rain. The island fee was 10 MYR per person, and we visited a Bayao village, and then Deep diving or snorkeling. Due to the private charter, we changed our itinerary and visited two Bayao villages. We really couldn’t go there without local people leading us). We only received a nominal boat fee. All islands are beautiful and well worth a jump. Remember not to dive at night. There are several stairs near the water house where you can enter the water. If you are not familiar with it, it is best not to go down there and play around. There will be electric eels and stinging fish.

Since our itinerary was booked in a hurry, we did not reserve a resort room for the last day, so we booked a B&B for the day. Mabul Diving Paradise Inn is right next to the sand house. The owner is a Chinese, a very friendly uncle, and an experienced diving instructor (he once worked as a diving instructor at the resort, so his inn was built The shape is like a smaller version of Kapalai, which is very interesting). Tell us about various local interesting things and experiences, and you can also exchange diving experiences with us. The swing at the beach belongs to him. Bajau fishermen come to his place at several times every day to sell seafood. The uncle and the proprietress will teach us how to bargain, and then the processing is much cheaper than at the resort, but the cooking method is simpler. In addition, the fresh water in the B&B is specially bought and transported back to Semporna every day, so the resources are limited. Fresh water and electricity are only available for a limited time. It is not recommended for babies who are not used to it. But you can chat with the boss, buy seafood for processing, and play on the swing. In short, it's very nice.

The beach next to the sand house is very interesting. In the afternoon, local children will go fishing. Although they don’t understand the language, they will catch fish for us and sing to us. It is here that we met the drama queen. There is also a beautiful sunset, and there will be people decorating the beach with candlelight dinners and proposals, which is very romantic.

After playing on the island for 6 days, we returned to Kuala Lumpur. We originally wanted to go to Malacca, but the children were too tired to play, so we spent two days in Kuala Lumpur eating and playing. Staying at the Keo Hotel next to Chinatown (the room is a bit small, be sure to pay attention to the room size when booking online, there are family rooms), and take the airport bus (it seems to run 24 hours a day) Line 2 from the airport to the Central Square Station , just took a Didi taxi and arrived (grab is very convenient and cheap to take a taxi).

China Street is full of Yiwu small commodities made in China. Just take a stroll. There is an old lady selling delicious glutinous rice cakes from a cart, and there is also a shop with delicious Luo Han Guo tea. Then there is a popular Peranakan restaurant with a relatively high rating next to it. I searched it through a popular review and found that the recommended dishes are really great and the price is not expensive. It is located in the Art Center. Then many people recommended Bak Kut Teh. We also found one that ranks highly online in Chinatown. To be honest, it’s not as delicious as the braised pork ribs. Hahahaha. Maybe I don’t like this taste very much. If you like to eat heavy flavors, don’t. Recommended to try. There is a Pavilion shopping mall near the Petronas Twin Towers, which has a variety of luxury brands and affordable prices. There is also food on the first floor, which is very convenient. Babies who like shopping can go shopping.