Tawau/Semporna (IV) - Day 3 (Tawau Town - Pearl Island Resort)

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On our third day in Tawau, it was finally time to make our way to Pearl Island Resort for a 4-day, 3-night stay. Earlier, my partner had arranged a pickup from the hotel at 10.30am to the Semporna private jetty through Unique Inworld Sdn Bhd, the appointed travel agent for the resort. However, early that morning the driver sent a message saying he would arrive at 9.40am nearly 50 minutes ahead of the scheduled time. At that time, we hadn't even finished packing or preparing to check out yet. Fortunately, after we explained the situation, they agreed to stick to the original pickup time.

We had a quick breakfast at Sang Kee Kedai Kopi, just a 3-minute walk (210m) from Blu Sentral Hotel. We shared a bowl of kolo mee and chose toppings of sliced grouper fish, prawns, and scallops. My partner also ordered his usual teh C ping kosong. The drink was slightly sour and would probably taste better with some sugar, but it was creamy and smooth. The soup came with vegetables, bean sprouts, and squid. All the seafood tasted fresh, but my partner felt the fish wasn't good enough and couldn't finish it. The soup wasn't very flavourful, yet it was still acceptable. Besides that, the noodles were chewy and slightly on the harder side. Overall, the taste was fairly average and didn't really stand out.

(Total bill - RM 28.50)



Sang Kee Kedai Kopi


Teh C ping kosong


Kolo mee


Grouper slices, prawns and scallops


Chili sauce


Address:
Sang Kee Kedai Kopi
TB15594-0, Block B,
Lorong Kubota 2,
Kubota Sentral,
91000 Tawau,
Sabah


We checked out of Blu Sentral Hotel at 10.25am, and the van arrived right on time at 10.30am to pick us up. The van was new and comfortable, making the 1 hour and 30 minutes drive (107km) to Semporna private jetty much more pleasant. We were the only guests picked up that morning, which made the ride feel private and relaxed.

Along the way, we hit a roadblock, and before reaching it, the driver reminded us to put on our seat belts. The police checked the driver, even his shoes, as drivers are required to wear proper footwear or risk being fined. On certain stretches of the road, the driver was going quite fast, reaching around 120 km/h. As we got closer to Semporna town, traffic started to build up. We arrived at the jetty around noon.

Before boarding the boat to Pearl Island Resort, we had to sign an affirmation and liability release form. This basically meant we were confirming our details and acknowledging the rules, while also agreeing not to hold the resort responsible for any accidents or incidents during the trip. The boat departed from the jetty at 12.30pm, which is also used to transport guests to Kapalai Dive Resort. The boat ride took about 20 minutes, and there were 11 passengers on board, excluding the boatman and his assistant. It was a small speedboat, but thanks to the good weather, the boat ride was smooth.

We arrived at the resort around 12.50pm, where a buggy came to take us to the dining area. Each buggy could seat four people - one in the front and three in the back. During the ride, my pants got slightly wet, possibly from a previous passenger's wet suit. At the dining area, we were welcomed with a cold towel and a drink. Unfortunately, the drink tasted a bit like cough syrup, but it was refreshing enough after the boat ride.

While waiting for our room to be ready (we could only check in after 2pm), we had our lunch, which was served from 12.30pm to 2pm. I tried a bit of everything. The fragrant rice was undercooked and hard, while the squid was tough and inedible. Besides that, the purple cabbage slaw didn't taste fresh. The braised beef with hoisin sauce lacked meat and was quite tough, but it was flavourful. The sweet and sour fish was also on the hard side.

On the brighter side, the prawn salad and lobster balls were decent. However, I only had one lobster ball as there were no refills. The bak kut teh was okay, and the Hainanese steamed chicken was tender and juicy. For fruits, only watermelon was served. The Caesar salad was nice, but dessert offered no refills either. We also tried the chocolate cake, which tasted fairly ordinary.

We had to wait until 2.35pm to check in, as our room wasn't ready. By that time, all the other guests had already checked in, leaving us the last to get our rooms. Luckily, our chalet was close to the restaurant, so we didn't have to walk far. Instead of requesting a buggy for our luggage, we decided to just drag it over to our chalet ourselves.

The tea break was served from 3.30pm to 5pm, with sugar-coated donuts and chocolate-filled donuts. There was also a free flow of coffee and tea. The donuts were dense and hard, which I didn't particularly enjoy. On the other hand, the teh tarik was quite good. It was creamy and smooth with a strong tea flavour. After tea, we took a buggy to check out the diving center and snorkeling area. My partner decided to go for snorkeling and requested the buggy to take us back to our chalet so he could have a quick change. Since no one else was using the buggy, we were able to go back and forth to the snorkeling area without any problem.

Snorkeling and kayaking were available from 8am to 12pm and again from 2pm to 5.30pm (kayaking was not allowed during low tide). My partner snorkeled until 5.10pm and on our way back to our chalet, I spotted two heads sticking out of the water in the distance, which I think were turtles coming up for a breath. Back to our room, we could watch the sunset from the balcony, although it was partly blocked by clouds. Sunset was at 6.18pm, and nearby I also saw fish leaping out of the water, adding to the peaceful evening view.

Dinner was scheduled from 7pm to 8.30pm, but the food only started being served at 7.10pm. One of the guests, who I believe was from Hong Kong, seemed impatient and kept asking the staff what time dinner would be served. When the food was finally brought out, the tourists from China or Hong Kong rushed to grab it. Later, when I went for a second helping, there was still plenty left, making the early rush seem completely unnecessary.

Both lunch and dinner were not very impressive, and we were a bit disappointed with the quality of the food being served. The roasted lamb and prawns were bland, and the pasta was slightly hard. The squid was a bit chewy but better than at lunch, while the fish was just so-so. For dessert, the lychee pudding and cheese tarts were slightly sweet. The cream of pumpkin was quite nice, although the bread wasn't soft enough, and fruits were limited to watermelon. The dish my partner enjoyed the most was the roasted lamb.

After dinner, we relaxed at the restaurant and saw a number of turtles. Most stayed in the water, though a few surfaced occasionally. Back in our room, we hung out on the balcony, and I even spotted the ISS passing by. It looked like a small, fast-moving star gliding across the sky. I was feeling a migraine, probably from the room being uncomfortably hot in the afternoon. So, I called it a night and went to sleep early at 9.30pm.



Our pickup van


Our pickup van


Semporna private jetty reception area


Semporna private jetty


Speedboat


A view of the jetty with scattered rubbish floating in the water


Our speedboat to Pearl Island Resort


Our boatman


Coffee, tea and snacks for snorkelers


Pearl Island Resort


Welcome drink and cold towel


Pearl Island Resort


Pearl Island Resort


Pearl Island Resort


Pearl Island Resort


Rice


Chicken rice


Hainanese steam chicken


Braised beef with hoisin sauce


Squid


Salad prawns


Sweet and sour fish


Vegetables


Vegetables


Lobster balls


Purple cabbage slaw


Caesar salad


Watermelon


Dessert, buns and steamed buns


Chocolate cake


Chocolate cake


Coffee and tea


Free flow of drinking water and cordial juice


My lunch


Bak kut teh


Pearl Island Resort


Bicycle for rent


Souvenir shop


Snacks for sale


Pearl Island Resort


Pearl Island Resort


Reception area


Pearl Island Resort


Pearl Island Resort


Pearl Island Resort


Pearl Island Resort


Pearl Island Resort


Pearl Island Resort


Donuts coated with sugar


Chocolate-filled donuts


My tea break


Teh tarik


Teh tarik


Coffee


Staff hostel


Staff hostel


Diving center


Diving center


Pearl Island Resort


Pearl Island Resort


Pearl Island Resort


Sunset at Pearl Island Resort from our chalet balcony


Sunset at Pearl Island Resort from our chalet balcony


Sunset at Pearl Island Resort from our chalet balcony


Rice


Aglio olio seafood pasta


Teriyaki chicken


Roasted duck


Breaded prawns


Squid


Chinese steamed fish


Cheese baked cauliflower


Vegetables


Roasted lamb


Watermelon


Lychee pudding


Cakes


Tarts


Buns


Tortilla wrap


Watermelon salad


Garden salad


My dinner


Cream of pumpkin


Dessert


Pearl Island Resort

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