We stayed at this resort in October for 5 days as non-divers we were not sure if paying the extra to stay in the water bungalows was going to be worth it but it was worth every cent we requested bungalow 212 which we were given... this bungalow looks straight out to the crystal blue sea with no obstructions has a balcony that you can just sit and watch the fish, rays and even turtles go by.
Even though we were non divers were still included in every boat trip to snorkel including 1 full day at Sapadan which was amazing, we found the staff very friendly and eager to help.

Prices like a 5 star, food like a 3 star, service like a 2 star, diving - 3-4 star. As an experienced diver most of my resent dive holidays were on liveaboards, but we chose mbw to dive sipidan due to the lack of good liveaboard options and the pics of mbw looked pretty great.

The bungalows are ok, pretty run down with the electrics in ours malfunctioning on the first night so we could not turn out the lights or turn on the aircon.. Fan also broke later in the week.. Lovely balcony and great size rooms that were well layer out. Really enjoyed the bikes, even thought the needed some serious servicing... Enjoyed diving in Sipidan, but there are only 3 good dive sites.. Looks of reef sharks, turtles, swirling jacks, which was the major highlight.

The food provided on the sipidan days was poor with only the watermelon being really edible.. Would recommend that they do something simple like boiled eggs instead of dogey looking plastic sausages. Onsunnydays, the sipidan days were simply divine .

Dive profiles were pretty simple and relatively shallow, easy diving that is suitable for new divers.. Vis was average, but great opportunities for photos, Especially of the turtles and swirling jacks..
Would be greatly disappointed if we could not dive sipidan as the diving at Kabul and kapali is average.

Overall I really enjoyed my stay here and the diving.

Our diving experiences were great, but lets face it, you're reading this because you want to know about the accommodation. We stayed one night in the chalets - DON'T do it. The one we were given was dreadful. Very dated, fibre board walls that hadn't been re-painted in many years, and an awful bathroom that desperately needs updating. The air conditioner actually dripped onto my pillow all night!!

After the first night we moved to the Water Bungalows. What a great setting. The bungalow was ok, not what we would call "sheer comfort" based on other experiences, but ok. The shower in the bathroom is a joke, no hot water unless you turn the stream down to a dribble! The towels were old and almost threadbare.The rooms are cleaned daily, but you have to tell them if you want the mini bar topped up. They also failed to replenish the toiletries in the bathroom. The balcony space was great, however the sun loungers are not very comfortable and have cheap plastic mattresses and no covers. Getting spare towels to stop yourself burning on the plastic proved harder than it should.

Our major disappointment was the service. On 3 occasions it was impossible to get a beer after the days diving because all the staff were off at the football. The shop was also closed for the same reason. There were several other incidents, which I won't go into, however we felt that the resort was really being run for the benefit of some of the staff rather than the guests. I should in all fairness say that the dive staff were all brilliant.

We did have a great time here and don't want to put anyone off going. Just make sure you set your expectations at the right level.

Our family group of six, ranging in age from 17 to 83yrs, travelled to Mabul in mid-July. We had 2 keen divers, a learner diver, a snorkeller and 2 older non-divers. The resort catered very well to all our needs. The diving was superb and we were lucky enough to get out to Sipadan for 4 dives. Even around the resort and Mabul Island the snorkelling was very good. The over-water bungalows were lovely - air-conditioned, comfortable bed and very clean. The balcony was a private spot to relax and enjoy the view over the water and watch the turtles and fish swim by. Two of our bungalows were in the "dreaded" 205-209 area facing the restaurant because these were among the few twin rooms available. Despite the warnings from others on TripAdvisor the privacy wasn't too bad at all and they were very quiet. My husband and I stayed in 213 which had a gorgeous view out over the water.Each bungalow is provided with bikes to get over to the island and they were very useful if heading over to the pool. In addition there is a golf cart shuttle that is very effeicient if cycling isn't your thing. The food was great, particularly at lunch and dinner and we enjoyed the happy hours in the lounge each night. We also made use of the Spa and had some of the best massages ever. This is a lovely resort and is a fabulous place to go for diving. We will be back.