Borneo Divers Mabul Resort

My son and I stayed here for 3 nights and we had a great time! We loved the snorkelling off the jetty (clear water and plenty of fish) and did one day of actual snorkel trips with the resort and saw lots of turtles. The food was delicious every day. We had a variety of Malaysian, Chinese and some Western choices. There’s a bar on the jetty but it doesn’t open until 4pm. Amazing massage spa at the resort that I highly recommend. There is a lot of poverty on the island unfortunately, which is sad to see and right next to the resort. Big water monitors strolling around and clean rooms with everything you need. Would recommend to anyone looking for an all inclusive resort with a pool and snorkelling /dive options on Mabul. Good for families. The boat ride over can be a bit hairy but it’s not boring!!

Standard Room is very small and dated. There's loads of plastic and other rubbish on the beach and just behind the hotel's fence. People living nearby were running some engine or generator so there was a constant laud noise. Often they also burnt something, so there was also an unpleasant smell. The food at the restaurant is at best mediocre, but more often simply disgusting. We hardly ate there. I also got upset stomach for 2 days out of 3 of our stay. Some staff speak very limited English so they give you either wrong information or just ignore you (e.g. not brining more pancakes). The restaurant seems to run out of food at meal times and no-one is bothered to bring more, until they are asked to. Staff at the Divers Bar is not present or simply indifferent to customers. There's occasionally some extra rubbish between villas, seemed only cleaned every few days. I can't imagine ever going back to this hotel.

I rarely post bad reviews but I can’t shake this experience. This dive center is irresponsible and shockingly careless - their reckless driving killed a turtle and put guests in danger. Borneo Divers had two boats out for a dive, and on the way back, the two captains started racing and driving extremely fast. A turtle was at the surface well ahead of the other boat, and we watched as the boat hit and run directly over it (very likely killing it). The boats proceeded at the same speed into the resort’s reef, where a lot of guests were snorkeling and scuba diving. They could’ve killed someone. I alerted the dive master, who didn’t seem to care, and I emailed management, who never responded. I hope they control their driving habits before they hurt more marine life or potentially guests. A few other incidents: They insisted we go to sipadan during a massive storm, rather than wait an hour for it to clear. On that dive with strong currents and no visibility, our dive master kept swimming away from our whole group, never once checking air or turning around. On a second dive the next day, our dive master put me in someone else’s regulator when switching my tank (after I had checked my equipment), and I caught the other guest’s cold. If this were just a hotel, it would have 5 stars (though certainly not worth what they charge). The rooms and facilities were lovely, and the hotel staff were super friendly. Food was pretty good. But we continue to be shocked about this incident with the turtle above anything else. If you want to scuba in Mabul, choose a different resort.

The resort itself is great, with all confort needed, excellent service and good food served. But 2 things we would recommend improving: - we came here for snorkelling and watching the exceptional underwater life. But snorkelling guides don’t really act like guides, don’t showed us anything, but are only swimming next to us for safety reasons - there is a major plastic trash issue around Mabul island (unfortunately like in many other places, starting with Semporna). The hotel could at least try to contain it, by refraining from using plastic bottles or disposable soap/shampoo bottles in bathrooms. They should also sell reef friendly sunscreen in the diving shop instead of the harmful one

Amazing diving at Mabul and professional dive masters/dive school. Special shout out to Abdul & Roy who looked after us so well. This was our 3rd visit to Mabul , but the first 2 visits were in 2006 and 2007. I was worried that the reef life might have been damaged in the intervening years, but it hasn't. There was so much reef life to see and it was postive to see some artificial reefs being created as well to boost the health of the waters.

We spent 5D4N diving with Borneo Divers and had an amazing time. Dives were well organized and we had never seen so many turtles in a single dive. Room was spacious and clean. Food can be repeating but generally above average. Wifi is available only in the dining hall and not at the speed you would expect for video playing/uploading. However not too bothered as we spent most of the days diving and relaxing in the resort so it was a good way to digital detox.

We spent 4N5D at Borneo Divers Mabul Resort and had such an incredible time. Our 3D diving with 3 different dive masters: Yusef, Josh and Faizel, were absolutely amazing. These guys are so professional, extremely knowledgeable and know their stuff! The room was specious and comfortable. The food was really tasty but quite repetitive. The pool was spectacular and quiet. We absolutely loved it there. The only thing that can be improved is the ride from the airport. The van we were on had a very strong smell of cigarettes. It gave me a headache having to sit in there for more than hour. We also didn’t get a very warm welcome from the driver or any information on why he wasn’t there when we exited the terminal. Our first impressions weren’t the best but the rest of the trip more than made up for it. Would love to come back one day!

We had an amazing stay at the resort! The rooms were clean and very comfortable. The buffet offered something for everyone, including some western dishes besides a huge selection of sih and seafood. The house reef was absolutely fantastic. It’s such a privilege to be able to dive as often as you like, especially when there’s such a rich variety of marine life just off the shore. What truly made our stay unforgettable were the people. Vincent – thank you so much for your warm hospitality, your entertaining spirit, and most of all, the knowledge you shared with us. We were curious to learn more about the Bajau culture, the island, religion, and the region in general – and Vincent provided us with such valuable insights and understanding. When we suggested organizing a beach clean-up with the local kids and other guests, Vincent supported us right away. He helped plan the approach and suggested how we could involve the kids meaningfully. On top of the ice cream we brought, he even offered chicken wings to the kids. We deeply appreciated his thoughtful support and deep understanding of the community. Lastly, a huge thank you to both Vincent and Abdul for making it possible for me to get my Advanced Open Water certification during our stay. I hadn’t planned to dive Sipadan since I wasn’t certified yet, but Abdul encouraged me on the boat ride to Mabul – and they both went out of their way to rearrange the dive schedule so I could complete my training and make it to Sipadan. I’m so grateful for that! Special thanks to Abdul for his calm, structured, and fun instruction throughout the AOW course. This trip exceeded all expectations – from diving and nature to the people and local engagement. Thank you again, kind regards from Austria and Thailand!