Lankayan Island Dive Resort

We absolutely loved our stay here. The remoteness and connection to nature makes it feel very special. The snorkeling by the jetty is excellent with fantastic coral teeming with marine life. I’ve never stayed anywhere with such a vibrant reef right under the boardwalk / right by shore. You can see sea turtles and other marine life from the boardwalk. We did 9 scuba dives. Do not get discouraged by the house reef that they use for the check dive, which is mediocre at best. All of our boat dives were fantastic. We did two very nice wreck dives. But the highlight was the reef dives. I’ve never seen so many fish — endless schools. We also saw eels, nudi branches, a lemon shark, a reef shark, a huge stingray, a few other rays, cuttlefish, and a jellysish. Our experience here was that the visibility was moderate, so the diving is definitely more about the small stuff than seeing sharks, mantas, barracudas, etc. We’ve done about 30 dives, including some great spots like the Galapagos, and we loved this. But if you’re a diver who is past the point where incredible coral reefs teeming with marine life get you excited, and only swimming with large marine life like schools of sharks get you jazzed, this one might not be for you. Our favorite part about the diving here was that all the dives are a 5-10 minute boat ride from the resort. This allows you to do three dives a day (at least) while spending surface intervals at the resort, rather than sitting on a boat. We stayed two nights in an over-water chalet and two nights in a beach chalet. The over-water chalet was incredibly luxurious and modern. The beach chalet had a slightly more rustic feel, but was huge and right on the beach. We loved both. The food was solid, though I would not describe it as gourmet. After dinner, we would sit on the deck outside the main building and watch trumpet fish, squid, reef sharks and other marine life swim around in the deck lights. Walking around the island is trippy, as it only takes about 10 mins and before you know it, you’re back where you started. Overall, if you are a lover of the ocean and marine life (like us), this will be the trip of a lifetime, especially if you’re already in Sabah. If you are looking for a luxurious getaway with the highest levels of gourmet dining and service, this might not meet your expectations.

Lankayan Resort is beautiful. Cottages are very comfortable. Loved sitting on our balcony over the water. The staff was very nice. The food was fairly good, however, a concession to buy snacks and drinks would be nice. (No Coca Cola, Ginger Ale, or other soda, no chocolate bars...) The diving was disappointing. Visibility was not very good, but of course, not their fault. They advertise regular whale shark sightings March through May, but I was told there have been no sightings since 2019. Many small tropical fish, though.

This island really is a paradise on earth. Clear blue waters, white beaches, and the beach chalet we had was amazing and super luxurious. The restaurant had everything you needed, staff was super friendly and the only remark we had for this trip was that the food was a bit repetitive and not very creative. Wild-life wise this is a must-do trip, we saw so many animals (turtles, rays, squid, even a parrotfish) just looking down from the pier. I definitely recommend getting up early to snorkel. There was no one else in the waters, the waters were super clear and we saw so many colourful fish. Some parts of the coral reefs here are even colorful, which you don't see in many places in the world. One night, a mama turtle lay her eggs right in front of our chalet. One of the most special experiences of my life. This is definitely worth the high price!