Le Journal de +Louise

A quick 3 day getaway to Sipadan in the midst of a chaotic trip back home initially seemed like a really bad idea. A 2.5 hour plane ride, an hour of really bumpy bus ride and eventually a 45 minute speedboat ride over extremely choppy waters, we finally arrived.

We were booked in for a 3d2n stay at Sipadan Kapalai Resort. As the speedboat approached the jetty, we were greeted cordially by the staff and were also given warm towelettes to freshen up.

The Restaurant is the main hub of the resort. Being miles away from any land in sight, the Restaurant served all meals and offered free flow of coffee, tea and cakes throughout our entire stay.

The Resort boasts 40 chalets that sit high up on stilts over the most crystal clear water, and are all well connected with wooden walkways.

Our chalet is located right towards the end of the Kapalai wing, it took us nearly 10 minutes to walk from the Restaurant. The interior of our chalet, however, was almost as breathtaking as the surroundings itself. High ceilings, beautiful décor, a private balcony that opens out into the vast ocean, and the best bit, a bathtub with a large window overlooking the turquoise waters.

Initially we intended to book for a beginners course in diving, however there were no instructors available, so we settled for snorkelling instead. And I was glad we did because snorkeling at Kapalai was absolutely amazing, dare I say it? Heaps better than Hawaii and the Great Barrier Reef.

On one of our evening walks around the resort compound, we chanced upon the most magical spot to say ‘I do’, sigh… it’s a shame that most guests will not appreciate the long journey to the resort. So we stayed around for sunset instead..

The weather was absolutely pleasant, with clear blue skies, hovering around 27C during the day and slightly lower during the night. However, we did encounter a few windy rainstorms during the nights, with waves lapping mercilessly against the wooden stilts. The chalet swayed to its sides as I crouched in bed, with Leo snoring next to me, hoping and praying really hard that those wooden beams will hold and we won’t be washed out into the raging ocean in the middle of the night.

But when the morning came, the stormy night before had long been forgotten and it was back to turquoise tranquil waters and sunny skies with marshmallow clouds.

We spent the days talking, snorkeling, wondering around the resort, staring out into the endless blue horizon and looking down at the colourful fishes swimming freely just inches beneath our feet.

We left Sipadan recharged, exhilarated and vowed to make another trip back in the near future….