Mabul Paradise Lodge

Tidak dinafikan pengalaman terburuk dalam penginapan kami di Malaysia, kami pergi dengan penuh semangat dan menjadi penginapan paling mahal yang kami bayar dalam perjalanan kami, ia adalah perkhidmatan terburuk yang kami miliki. Satu-satunya perkara yang baik ialah bilik dan pemandangan, tetapi itu adalah yang ada di seluruh pulau. Makanan itu sangat berulang dan memberitahu, kami sangat lapar. Bilik mandi yang buruk, dan pada waktu malam dengan lipas. Dan bersarapan sambil melihat tikus di barbeku dari hari sebelumnya adalah tidak ternilai. Lawatan yang terdapat pada halaman dan sebelum anda pergi membuat anda memahami bahawa ia disertakan, ini tidak berlaku begitu juga pengangkutan ke hotel. Saya rasa saya tidak pernah merasakan bahawa apabila membayar anda adalah orang asing yang menjengkelkan dengan meminta perkhidmatan minimum. Tidak syak lagi, saya tidak mengesyorkan penginapan ini sama sekali, lebih-lebih lagi perkhidmatannya, yang mengerikan, penginapan yang dikendalikan oleh kanak-kanak yang hanya mahu tidur dan menyanyi karaoke dan tidak suka bekerja.

Jadual perjalanan yang sangat baik, pilihan yang baik untuk Pulau Mabul OW, kos efektif, pengajar selam Cina Yean adalah seorang gadis yang sangat berkebolehan, kanak-kanak belajar dengan cepat dan lancar. Snorkeling di sekitar Mabul juga sangat bagus. Ia berharga 30RM untuk menaiki bot Jika anda mempunyai kemahiran air, anda boleh berenang dari sini ke rumah air di pantai timur. Tinggal di kabin pemandangan laut dengan bilik mandi dan balkoni. Kebersihan adalah baik. Jika kebanyakan orang pergi ke laut, elektrik akan dimatikan seketika untuk menjimatkan tenaga, dan elektrik akan dihidupkan apabila kapal kembali, yang tidak menjejaskan mandi. Bosnya seorang lelaki berbangsa Cina yang berperwatakan ceria dan suka berbual.

The hotel is ok, but nothing to write home about. The standard room (C), has squat toilets. We upgraded to B (with western toilet) and it was perfectly fine and clean when we checked in. However, it was not cleaned during our stay (5N) and only the last afternoon did they ask if we wanted it cleaned... unnecessary at that point. Often 3-5 of the staff would be sleeping across tables/outside guest rooms and we had to step over them... a bit weird to collapse like that, when rooms were not even being cleaned! We also did not appreciate staff smoking in the restaurant, right in front of a no-smoking sign. Smoke goes into the rooms with windows in that direction, not great when you have asthma! Had to tell one guy several times (and get upset) before he stopped smoking there. The main cook, receptionist and the bar guy were very nice and really did their best. The food was bland and repetitive, the fish dry and the chicken was only gizzards (necks), not something western tourists enjoy, as there is barely any meat, they contain a lot of bones and are tough/chewy. Granted, the hotel mainly caters to the Chinese tourist market. We asked for food without onions because of allergies, but they didn't seem to understand. We got all our food cooked separately... but with onion!? After a few days they finally got it, as we showed them which pieces in our food we can't eat. They tried their best, but also always cooked our food early and put it out an hour or more before we came to eat... it was always cold. Luckily they do have a microwave. We appreciated the fresh water melon after dinner and the fact that they had filtered water for refilling yourself. There are aquariums in the dining area and also some fish trapped in a net between the rooms. It is very dirty and sad. I think someone heard me commenting on it, since a guy started to clean the aquariums, but only the front, so the fish can be seen. The rest of the tanks were covered in algae, as was the vegetation in them. It all looks really bad, not great if you want to impress Europeans. We appreciated our dive guide. He was good and speaks English. The equipment worked, but has seen better days... If you are an experienced diver, ask early on to go only with others who are as well. For our first dive, a guy in our group (AOW certified, but had maybe 10 dives) used all his air in under 30 minutes. Luckily, our dive guide split the group afterwards. We kind of knew what Mabul Paradise would be like, after looking at the pictures and reading the reviews. It is a basic place, catering to the Asian market, with very basic food and therefore it's cheaper than places on the other side of Mabul. If you want to be close to Sipadan, it is an affordable place. Side notes (not comments on the hotel): 1. June is the worst month in the area, as visibility is not great. We saw lots of turtles and other great stuff, but it's not easy or cheap to get here, so rather go when the chances are greater to have good visibility, especially if you intend on going to Sipadan. We had two good dives there, but they do not make our top ten list, due to bad visibility. It would've been amazing otherwise. The hotel does not have their own permits, you go with a company from the mainland, who pick up at Mabul at 9:30. Visibility is best early mornings and apparently you're also more likely to see shark action early. The company was perfectly fine, no complaints really. It's just good to know that others, who have their own permits, start at 6:00. You can book your Sipadan dives with them, even if you stay at Mabul Paradise. These dive shops also do 60 min dives, not only 45 min, that the company we went with claimed was max. 2. There is a lot of plastic and other garbage all around Mabul. It is not a pretty island, but still much better than staying in Semporna. You'll see garbage while snorkelling/diving. Please help with cleaning up while doing so!