Tawau/Semporna - Day 4 (Kapalai Dive Resort

Tawau/Semporna - Day 4 (Kapalai Dive Resort - Tawau)

- October 27, 2023

It's our final day here at Kapalai Dive Resort. There was a power outage about 6.30am, which was quickly restored. However, the air conditioning is no longer cold and the water heater is no longer hot. I guess the same voltage problem came back again after the power outage. We were too tired to bring up the same issue as we were checking out today. I believe their maintenance staff is aware of the problem, but no permanent solution has been implemented except for the standing fan! We had our breakfast at 8am and the only things that I liked were the vegetable porridge and cheese bread. The fried fish is crispy yet a little dry.

They allow us to check out at 12.30pm and we had our lunch before boarding the speed boat back to Semporna Jetty at 1.30pm. Lunch was disappointing because the chicken rice was hard and the steamed chicken didn't taste fresh. Apart from that, the beef and wedges were both very salty. I don't really enjoy the vegetable soup, as it has too much turmeric in it. Besides that, they have been serving honeydew and watermelon fruits for the past few days.

We left Kapalai Dive Resort around 1.35pm and arrived at Semporna Jetty around 2.20pm. It was a bumpy 40-minute boat ride, and it began to rain just as we approached the jetty. Their seating arrangement was poor, as they attempted to split four of us on the way to the Tawau Airport! We were told that there were only two seats remaining on the bus and that the other two of us should follow another van. We were a bit hesitant, and the driver was enraged with an angry look because we did not agree with their arrangement. In fact, he tried to force us to accept their arrangement by raising his voice and making an angry face. In the end, another staff rearranges the seating, and all four of us board the van driven by this angry driver. Somehow, the entire driving experience was uncomfortable for me. On the way to the airport, he picked up another passenger and there's nine of us in the van. We arrived at Tawau Airport shortly before 4pm. The trip took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes (83km).

We proceed to Gloria Jean's Coffees for a glass of mango smoothies since we still have some time until our flight at 7.20pm. We arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) 40 minutes later. That brings us to the end of our journey to Kapalai Dive Resort. Overall, we were unimpressed with the meals (the food is not tasty, the appetizer is not replenished, there's not much variety of fruits and the food is cold), how they handled the chalet situation and transportation arrangement. One of the most important aspects when it comes to providing a comfortable chalet to stay in is temperature control and how to treat your guests. End of the day, guest comfort and happiness are critical for any hospitality business. Will I return for a third time, spending about RM 1k per person per night? Well, I doubt it.