Paradise beckonsThe day started simply enough, with our pickup at Hotel Sandakan and then the transfer to the Sandakan Yacht Club. We then stepped on the speedboat and strapped on the bright orange life vests. Our boat then left the dock and sped past sleepy little stilt house villages built over the water. Soon the hills surrounding Sandakan began to grow smaller and smaller behind us and eventually disappeared into a thin line on the horizon. We slid past other islands, with the bow of the boat seemingly headed to nowhere. After one hour even the group of islands began to shrink behind us and nothing new appeared on the horizon. We began to joke about being kidnapped and taken to the southern Philippines when a small dot appeared on the horizon. Slowly it began to grow, much like the anticipation inside us. When we were almost to the island the waters began to turn a azure hue and we could see the lush greenness of the trees on the island. Our boat docked at the jetty and we drank in the mix of colours. The glistening blue sea, the deep green hills and the white sands all seemed to make the worries of the worklives we had come from slip from our minds.
Sand and sunWe were ushered to the restaurant area and given a short briefing of how our time at the island would be, meal times, expectations for divers and other necessities. Then we were given the keys to our rooms. The room was perfect for this idyllic isle. Wooden floors with big windows and a double door that opened to balcony and an ocean view.
The view from the balcony of the dive shopThere were two beds in our room, a king-sized bed and a single bed. Above both a mosquito net was suspended giving the whole room a bit of a colonial feel. For those who feared roughing it, there was an air conditioner and hot water and even a bathtub!
Our room for the 5 daysThe meals were served buffet-style in the restaurant, which offered fabulous seating. For breakfast and lunch we generally sat inside or under the shade of a tree on the deck, while the sun-worshipers would sit on the unshaded deck and combine the activities of sunbathing and eating. At high tide the water came up under the deck and several juvenile black-tip reef sharks would come very close on their patrols. The food was superb. Both western and Asian dishes were offered at each meal and as a group we were enthusiastic fans of the chef’s soups. Each day he never failed to disappoint with a great soup, from clear cabbage to cream of mushroom to winter melon.
Simply put, the whole setup at Lankayan Island Dive Resort is from a page in a travel magazine. I thought I would have to visit the Maldives or Tahiti to see a resort like this. This tiny island hosts one of the best resorts in Malaysia. The chalets are tastefully done and suit the tropical island setting, they don’t feel unnatural or foreign. Almost all of the chalets open to the beach which is a stretch of amazing white sand. There are all the amenities that anyone could desire, air conditioning, hot water, 24-hour electricity and superb food. Simply put, it is the best place on earth!
Another day draws to a close
