I see some people complain about the service and the ammenities of the resort. I don't know what they are expecting when they go to a dive resort in the middle of the ocean. This place is all about diving. I found the dive master to be very helpful and excited in locating the critters we wanted to find. They found everything we were looking for from the ghost pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish to the impossible to see pygmy seahorses. The diving was simply amazing especially if you like looking for little critters. I actually preferred diving in the sand looking for the little things. The diving on the house reef was great, you just have to slow down and keep your eyes open. We chose to do the early boat dives that left the resort at 5:30 AM so we could get 5 dives a day in. 28 dives for the week. Water was 82 degrees farenheit.

From an American stand point, the only thing I tend to agree with from other reviews is the food got a little old. I'm not used to eating fish and rice for every meal. They did bbq for dinner a couple nights and that was good. Breakfast they served eggs and waffles. Food was edible but nothing spectacular. Safety was not a concern anywhere in Malaysia.
Rooms were beautiful. I loved going to sleep to the sound of the water. The rooms made it seem like you had your own personal fish tank. The walk to the restaurant was maybe 5 minutes but often took us 15 to 20 because we were always stopping to look at the fish and coral. Overall it was an awesome trip. If it wasn't so far I would go back every year.

We stayed at Kapalai in December on our first ever diving trip. And what diving! Being complete novices, having completed our Open Water course in a freezing, flooded quarry in Lancashire in late November the seas around Kapalai and Sipadan were like bathwater! The marine life was breathtaking. We didn't see much big stuff but that didn't matter given the number of turtles, sharks, barracuda etc that we saw. The best dive we had was off the coral garden on Sipadan. Just drifting on the current at about 8 metres with thousands of fish and coral of such beautiful colours - superb. Thanks to Alvin and George for taking us there.

Kapalai itself is quite superb. The setting is near perfect and we were lucky that the weather was pretty good too, despite it being monsoon season. Be warned, from November until March it can get very wet, very quickly. The rooms are wonderful, the dive centre well-equipped and reasonably priced, the dive crew were fantastic (I couldn't believe that we never had to gear up properly the entire time - all the kit was pre-prepared!), the dive masters were good - although there was some irresponsible diving as people went off on their own - and the overall ambience was relaxed.

The only issue we had was with the food. Whilst it was plentiful it was rather like school dinners, Chinese-style. If that floats your boat then you'll love it. It didn't help that I was made really ill after eating a dodgy prawn from the BBQ on our first night and ended up missing three dives. It did put the dampners on the stay and I hardly ate another thing. However, that can happen anywhere and I must make it clear that the rest of the resort is quite wonderful. If only they could cater for more diverse culinary tastes it would be truly perfect.

The resort itself is fascinating and quite worth exploring. Apparanently they recycle their own sewage, grow their own crops and are building an artificial island. Security is everywhere but quite unobtrusive. The FCO site will tell you to stay clear but we felt quite safe with the military presence both at Kapalai and at Sipadan - even if the soldiers do look about 16 years old! If somebody does want to try to kidnap tourists they'll face pretty stiff resistance.

Overall the place is excellent and well worth styaing at if you want to dive Sipadan. The transfers are quick and efficient and the resort is very well run. Highly recommended.

The location is fabulous, like staying in the middle of the ocean. It is a live aboard with out the seasickness! Only drawback were the mediocre food and high priced internet, but the rooms, transport, diving, scenery, and value for money were terrific. I would go there again, even though it took 24 hours to get there :)

Where do I begin? We loved every bit of Kapalai, so much so that we skipped out on some Sipadan dives to enjoy our chalet more! and I am inspired to rave about them...

We had chalet #50, one of the newest ones (sans emergency red button) and it was huge, spacious, and spotlessly clean. The bathroom was gorgeous with an incredible view! The tub view was not enclosed like it was for older chalets, which "only" let you look down into the water when you used the tub as opposed to looking out. We did have to be wary of the occasional boat and kayakers though! Combined with the large patio space, we couldn't get tired of the Celebes Sea and really understood how anyone could stay for two weeks at a time. We enjoyed watching sea life all around us. At night the occasional turtle would surface and exhale. Other folks reported seeing lion fish just hanging out under their patios. Beware, at night the winds can pick up and move the water underneath the chalet; I am a light sleeper and woke up to sounds of splashing water and thought someone was playing in our tub. Another night it was dead calm and needlenose fish woke me with their hunting in the spotlight under our patio! Small price to pay for getting to sleep to ocean breezes though.

Sunsets can be enjoyed on west facing chalets and on their large helicopter pad that has plenty of adirondack chairs. You get to enjoy watching needlenose fish, puffers, stingrays, snake eels, etc as you walk around. There's a swimming lagoon but few people used it. There's also a game room, a TV room, a lounge area in the main hall and a small shop. Wifi is only available around the office, which is also where their two internet computers are.

They provide two large liter bottles of drinking water everyday, along with tea bags and instant coffee. There's also an electric kettle, which came in handy for our instant noodle breakfast the day of our really early departure (noodles were self-brought). Hot water is available for showers, but you need to give it some time to take effect, like 20 min or so. For toiletries, only soap is provided, you will need to bring most of your own.

Food was really really tasty. My s.o. had the best lamb ever; it was grilled perfectly and resembling a filet mignon more than lamb - it was impressive. We enjoyed much of it and no item was repeated! Everyone looked forward to breakfast meals with the nice options, waffles, and omelets made to order. Lunches and dinners were also delicious; it's definitely more of an asian fare though and some travelers may not be used to that. They serve in rounds so there's always plenty of food. Whenever there appeared to be a rush, we would just hang back a while and wait for the next fresh batch to arrive. Juice and water and light cookies are always available. Soda and beers are extra from the bar.

The dive masters are a fun bunch. I do think there could be more emphasis from them on safety though. However, most divers at Kapalai are pretty experienced and may be turned off, but to me, it's better to be on the safe side. If you rent, you may be a little disappointed in their equipment as much of it is worn; my s.o.'s tank gauge had to be tapped to show the measurement, and a replacement regulator had a faulty depth gauge.

There are two boat trips everyday. One in the morning at Sipadan (two tanks), and one in the afternoon (one tank, at Kapalai or Mabul), but it looks like you have to option of going to Timba too. Boat rides are short (awesome!), ranging from 1 min to 15 min to Sipadan. You are also free to dive in the house reef anytime, including at night.

The diving at Sipadan is just beautiful and exhilarating. Very colorful wall and reef at top, and Barracuda Point needs no introduction. You'll find turtles are everywhere and large in size there! Kapalai's diving was more interesting than Mabul's for me.

We caught glimpses of other lodging options and while they seem beautiful, we were still very happy with our Kapalai choice! Have I raved enough?