Guide No. 20 · Stay 1 of 7
Stay · Pulau Mabul
Scuba Junkie Mabul Beach Resort
Pick · No. 1 of 7 on Pulau Mabul
On the beach on Pulau Mabul, about an hour by resort boat from Semporna.
Position
- Tier
- PickNo. 1 of 7
- Beach
- MabulOn the beach, Mabul
- Open
- All yearSipadan shut in November
- Boat
- About 1 hRM90 each way unless you dive that day
Verdict
Scuba Junkie Mabul Beach Resort sits on the beach on Pulau Mabul and is licensed by the state as Mabul Beach Resort. It has 30 en-suite rooms on the beachfront, plus dorms, and is run from Scuba Junkie’s office in Semporna.
Rates are published per person per night, twin or triple share, with SST included, and are valid to 31 December 2026. The resort runs its own boat twice a day each way from Semporna. Ask the resort how it arranges Sipadan permits, which are never guaranteed; Sipadan is closed every November.
The catch is the boat and the crowd. Transfers cost RM90 each way unless you dive or snorkel with the resort that day, and more if you are not diving at all. It is a busy dive centre first and a place to stay second.
Good for
Divers who want published per-night rates, a choice of rooms or dorms, and a resort on the sand rather than over the water.
Not for
Anyone after a quiet stay, or non-divers who would pay RM90 each way for the boat.
Particulars
- Type
- Resort
- Rooms
- 30 beachfront rooms, plus dorms
- Board
- Per person per night, twin or triple share
- Transfer
- Resort boat from Semporna, about 1 h; RM90 each way, free on days you dive or snorkel with the resort
- Season
- Open all year
- Check-in
- –Check-out –
- Website
- scuba-junkie.com
Getting there
Scuba Junkie's speedboat leaves Semporna at 8 am and 2.30 pm and leaves Mabul at 10 am and 4 pm, about an hour each way. It is free on days you dive or snorkel with the resort, otherwise RM90 per person each way; guests who aren't diving pay RM115 when there is space, plus a possible RM150 each way if no one else is on the boat. All routes to Pulau Mabul.
Other stays on Mabul
| No. | Stay | Tier | Beach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | The Reef Dive Resort | Pick | Mataking |
| 3 | Borneo Divers Mabul Resort | Good | Mabul |
| 4 | Mabul Water Bungalows | Good | Mabul |
| 5 | Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort | Good | Kapalai |
| 6 | Pom Pom Island Resort | Good | Pom Pom |
| 7 | Pearl Island Resort | Good | Bohey Dulang |