Kapalai Dive Resort is a luxury water village built on stilts over the sandbanks of the Ligitan reefs and located only a few minutes by boat from Sipadan and Mabul islands.
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Popular for honeymoons and weddings, Kapalai Resort's fifty elegant and spacious wooden chalets each offer ocean view balcony with total privacy perfect for sunbathing or watching the marine life just a few feet below.
The underwater scenary at Kapalai is totally different from the one seen at Sipadan. Indeed some of the world's best dive sites for macro and tiny underwater life are located just under the resort, accessible just by swimming from the dive center pier.
Just to name a few local species: flamboyant cuttlefish, mandarinfish, blue ring octopus, dragonets, giant frogfish, gobies, leaf fish, scorpionfish, gurnards, crocodile fish, giant moray eels, rays, turtles.
Dining at Kapalai
A delicious and sumptuous meal served in buffet style at the open central restaurant.
There is a large sundeck sitting area perfect for sipping a drink while enjoying the tropical sunset.
Other facilities
Other resort facilities includes the dive centre which provides diving, snorkeling and kayaking equipment for rent, broadband internet access, a souvenir shop and game room.
Where is Kapalai?
The Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort is located on top of a sunken island (the Kapalai sand bar), in the beautiful Celebes Sea. This sand bar is only 5 minute boat ride from the famous islands of Mabul and 10 minutes from the island of Sipadan, both of which offer great diving and snorkeling.
Kapalai Resort offers 2 types of packages
Kapalai diving package includes
- Land transfer from Tawau airport to our Semporna Jetty (return)
- Boat transfer to Kapalai Resort (return)
- Chalet Accommodation on twin or triple share basis at the resort
- The ensuite bathrooms feature both hot shower and bathtub.
- Unlimited dives infront of the Kapalai Dive Centre
- No extra charge for night dives in front of dive centre
- Tanks, Weight and belt provided
- Delicious fresh food cooked by our chef (buffet style)
- Afternoon snacks
- Tea/Coffee/water & cordials served throughout the day
- Taxes
Note: buying the diving package at the Kapalai Resort does not guarantee dives at Sipadan. Also divers will be put on the waiting list and should availability arise will be sent to Sipadan at no extra cost. Note that the chances for Sipadan are high if the guest stays longer (3+ nights at least).
Kapalai non-diving (snorkeling) package includes
- Land transfer from Tawau airport to our Semporna Jetty (return)
- Boat transfer to Kapalai Resort (return)
- Chalet Accommodation on twin or triple share basis at the resort
- Delicious fresh food cooked by our chef (buffet style)
- Afternoon snacks
- Tea/Coffee/Water served throughout the day
- Snorkeling gears available for rental
- Taxes
Customer Reviews & Ratings
"I chose the 4D3N holiday at Kapalai resort. It was sheer heaven. It was just as beautiful above the water as it was below. The staff were friendly and they provided excellent service. The chalets that sit over the water are roomy, beautiful and cooled by sea breezes. From the balcony, I could watch barracuda, turtles and stingrays pass below my chalet. I absolutely loved it!" Liu Yang, Shanghai, China
"The Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort is well managed with helpful staff. Our dive masters were great at pointing out even the tiniest and rarest marine creature and ensuring that all divers got a glimpse. Snorkelling is also available for those who are not divingdon. Meals are available almost all day long and each one has seafood choices. Their baked cakes are just exquisite. At night the view from the deck which stretches over the ocean and it is a perfect spot for stargazing." Albert Chan, Singapore
"On the advice of my friends we booked a 5D/4N stay. I had fun spending five days diving at the rig with my son. Diving around Kapalai was world-class for spotting rare macro critters and underwater marine life. Sipadan was amazing! Our expert divemasters briefed our dive group beforehand and then supervised us during our dives. They were careful to see to it that we stayed safe. The food on the rig was good and the sun deck was an excellent spot to relax and read at the end of the day. For sure I will return." Xiu Ying, Taiwan
"The chalets at the resort are beautifully decorated on the inside and they even have hot water. The armed forces are based here so security is great. This has to be one of the most idyllic places on Earth. It is a truly sublime dive site with pristine water and beautiful scenery wherever you look. Everyone should go there once in their life. Those that do will want to go again." Wang Yan, Kunming, China
"The Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort is picturesque and located in a beautiful spot. There are lots of photo ops there and the weather can’t be beaten. The resort sits on a sandbank surrounded by clear, blue water. The bungalows are clean and roomy and they are solar powered so they are eco-friendly. Although there is no A/C, the gentle sea breeze at night makes it easy to sleep. I love Asian food so I enjoyed the buffet very much which had an abundance of watermelon and seafood. The staff were helpful and really warm. They were all professional and the resort was very well run even with the large numbers of people arriving and leaving every day. The dive shop had enough equipment for everyone and the dive guides were excellent. All of them knew the local dive sites and where to best look for macro marine life." Li Chang, Hong Kong
"We were lucky to see some marine life right from the comfort of their wooden deck adjoining our bungalows: turtles can be seen feeding on the coral reef in the shallow waters. The deck is also the ideal spot for sundown drinks with nothing to see but serene sea and beautiful sunsets! " Zou Liang, Shanghai, China
"My wife and I really enjoyed staying at Kapalai. The view from our spacious over-the-water chalet is like paradise. The staff is very friendly and well organized and everything runs perfectly. " Zhang Qiu, Beijing, China
"We loved this beautiful resort! The friendly staff provided excellent service from the airport to the resort and back. Excellent dive shop, with professional divemasters who went out of their way to show us a lot of rare marine life underwater." Laura Bennett, Cairns, Australia
"Fantastic! Sipadan-Kapalai Resort is so beautiful like it is out of this world. In addition the buffet food was delicious with plenty of variety and the staff always had a smile and was helpful. The diving at SIpadan was incredible." Wang Shan, Hong Kong
"The resort crew really took care of us. It was really nice to see turtles and fishes below our balcony. The DMs were very good at spotting macro critters such as the flamboyant cuttlefish. Our chalet was beautiful, clean and comfortable." William Parker, Brighton, England
"Our stay at Kapalai was really unforgettable. Everyone was so helpful and friendly. The buffet meals were great and we would definitely stay there again." Joshua Wang, Taipei, Taiwan
"As soon as our boat arrived at Kapalai, it was like paradise with magnificient views and superb service. Note that most of the guests were Chinese and non-chinese were only 5-10%. The resort staff were very friendly, helpful and treated us very well." Cynthia Rogers, San Francisco, United States
"The welcome on arrival at the Kapalai jetty is a perfect starts to a magical holiday. There were only a few non-Chinese guests. The sea is crystal blue, with turtles everywhere swimming below the our balcony! We went diving at Sipadan and this is really one of the best dive destination in the world." Hans Diemer, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
"We were on a honeymoon at Kapalai and stayed for 6 days and 5 nights. The resort is like paradise, the buffet food is delicious, and the views of the sea are breathtaking. The diving at Sipadan was really the best of my life." Kelly Ward, Christchurch , New Zealand
"Food is buffet style. The resort is mostly for the China market and most of them are snorkelers. The staff is really friendly and always helpful. Wifi was only available at the office. The chalets have only fan and no A/C but it was not hot as there was a breeze. The resort felt really safe as it is protected by the army base." Clarence Lee, Johor, Malaysia