Mabul Backpackers

Mabul Backpackers Vacation rental in Sabah

About this vacation rental rental

Located in Sabah, this lovely vacation rental for $44 per night is a great option for your next break. Mabul Backpackers is situated in Pulau Mabul. Boasting a 24-hour front desk, this property also welcomes guests with a restaurant and a sun terrace. Featuring family rooms, this property also provides guests with a picnic area.

Amenities

Air conditioner

Kitchen / Kitchenette

Laundry

Balcony / Patio

Beachfront / Waterfront

Family friendly

Map of Sabah

Nearby attractions

Polumpung Melangkap View Camp Site

198.86 miles

Tanjung Aru Perdana Park

213.23 miles

Mari Mari Cultural Village

205.42 miles

Taman Ujana Rimba Tropika

211.78 miles

Mabul Backpackers

3.2

Average(101 Reviews)

Vacation rental in Sabah

Reasons to book

Includes essentialsKitchen / Kitchenette, Air conditioner, Beachfront / Waterfront and more

Book with confidenceWe partner with the top travel sites so you know you're getting a great deal on the perfect rental

$$$$

About this vacation rental rental

Amenities

Air conditioner

Kitchen / Kitchenette

Laundry

Balcony / Patio

Beachfront / Waterfront

Family friendly

Map of Sabah

Nearby attractions

Polumpung Melangkap View Camp Site

198.86 miles

Tanjung Aru Perdana Park

213.23 miles

Mari Mari Cultural Village

205.42 miles

Taman Ujana Rimba Tropika

211.78 miles

Reviews

3.2/5.0

Average(101 Reviews)

100% verified reviews

5.0

Jan 2024

Not value for money

The location was great although Mabul Island is tiny and full of resorts that are built out into the water, including Mabul backpackers. The owner has put in a clam garden and reef in front of the property which is good for snorkelling and the water is clear and clean around the property. The diving team were great.

1. The food was bad. The same food or small variation of the same food was served everyday for lunch and dinner and it was not good. We just couldn’t eat it. We travel a lot and eat most things, but the price of staying here included the food. Considering they have access to fresh fish and seafood for no cost it was clear the food was not a priority for them. 2. The diving equipment was very old and in poor quality. Definitely needs repair.

8.0

Jan 2024

Nice.

Chilled vibe.

Rubbish in sea.

9.0

Sep 2023

Superb

The hostel was cool, on the water, you have good food and an amazing divemaster, Billy, that is really nice and funny. You can meet people easily there because of the huge common space and you can also easily go on the village and around the island. I had great nights and a lot of fun !

I doesn't bother me much but the toilets weren't that clean, the showers don't have soap or anything and some ants came in my bed at night. I don't mind it but it can be troublesome for some people.

6.0

Aug 2023

Pleasant

There is a super nice area you can look the sunset from, meals are included and are pretty decent. You can also buy lobster / fish from the locals and ask the chef to cook them for you. They sell beer for10RM at the bar and chat with the other travelers or the super friendly staff. During the night you can swim jumping off the porch, water is warm and it happened more than once in 4 days turtles came in front of it.

Water coming out from the shower of our private bathroom smelled like rotten egg, and our private room was close to the generator and the air conditioning external unit of all the private rooms so it was super noisy during the night. The hostel is not that clean, there was a rat running on the ceiling during dinner and not so healthy-shaped cats jumping on the table while eating. Have to say Mabul itself is not that clean, it’s full of garbage everywhere, there is no beach as they’ve built resorts on every inch of the coasts but two, super dirty with local children begging for money. Meal is included and is pretty decent but we’ve had the same food for four days in a row: white rice, chicken curry, fish (fried if at lunch was steamed or viceversa) vegetables and watermelon, a little more variety would have been appreciated.

5.0

Aug 2023

Brilliant time and great set up for diving - booked 2 nights and stayed for 6: would have stayed longer if I could have

Very relaxed vibe. Beautiful location

Basic accoms, but understandable with remote location

9.0

Jun 2023

I’d go back in a second

The location and the staff are amazing. The room are basic but it’s a small island and if you want fancy stuff you should probably go to a resort. For a backpacker, this is a good place. I had a great time, everyone is very chill and the dives were awesome, the common room was very clean and the food was good!

the communal bathroom could be better but still very decent!!

7.0

Apr 2023

Good

Accommodation and kitchen staff were all very chill and friendly. Within days of booking I was contacted asking if I would like to dive at Sipadan, and they arranged for me, for the lowest price on the island.

Gabs was terrible as divemaster. He swam off without a care of his guests, didn't point out anything for us to see (we found all the interesting things ourselves in the dives). We had to do everything ourselves, and was impolitely ordered to do so - carry this, bring this back, tie this up, no not like that, wash this, take thia back. .. He also showed preferential treatment to other divers, doing everything for them. Dorm room was warm and not well ventilated. Shared toilets were dirty and showers grim.

7.0

Apr 2023

good value for Mabul

location and views of sunset

food was mediocre. ran out of good often. dinner at 7 they put it out early and not much left at 7 ( dinner time )

10.0

Oct 2022

Exceptional

good and friendly staff from mabul backpackers

5.0

Oct 2022

Passable

very helpful and friendly staff, they willingly arranged our early departure, nice place, beautiful views

very simple room, uncomfortable beds, no light at the room no wifi

5.0

Oct 2022

Passable

Good food & location

No wifi, no air-conditioning, bad facilities

2.0

Oct 2022

Not at those prices!!!!

The food and the sunset was good…

Shower drains straight to the sea, is a simply hole. No taps in the shower only plastic pipe. No water in shower untill 10 am both days I was there. WC seat broked, all of them, tanks don’t work, you need to full a cube.My double room was in the aisle: people shouting, running or singing with no worries. Dirty bed sheeds and broken pillow, ants in bed if they smell food. The room wall dirty with coffee or similar.Views from my window: tons of trash in water and in seashore ( opposite views you see in google: you see the front on the “resort” as they call themselves). The joke is I paid aprox 65€/ night. I would like to write here my mail to send the pictures I did. They use the word “resort” in the mail the send after the reservation but they are not. Two options: you book in a real resort and pay a lot or you stay in Semporna and book a trip to Sidapan. I don’t recommend this accomodation at all. I stayed here just because no more options available in the island and you need the boat to comoe back to Semporna. I got there at 17h.This accomodation went to my top 1 of worst I have been with Booking ( I’m genius 3). In my opinion Booking should give more guaranties. I would pay no more than 20€ per night for the room I paid 65€. Nice staff, young and inexperienced tho. I’m sure Booking will not post my opinion…

10.0

Sep 2022

The best place in Malaysia

I felt at home thousands of miles away. If you want to dive during day and enjoying night with the team, this is the place to be. Thank you for everything ❤️

Nothing

10.0

Sep 2022

precious holiday

its really nice, the host and staff are superb. food were so delicious. its great experience. mabul famous for divers, but we're not. so we only stay at the food court but the view was magnificent. we found turtles in the midnight

6.0

Sep 2022

Pleasant

amazing food, good vibes, perfect for watching sunset and having drinks with (some of the) staff and friends

no ventilator, no window, very primitive, not hygienic

10.0

Aug 2022

100% recommended, we will repeat!

Awesome staff, inclusive and always good mood. We stayed in the upgraded room, not possible to book with booking I think, and it was really nice, with AC, private toilet and sea view. Awesome. You can borrow snorkel equipment to do it in front of the stay. Dive masters are nice too, especially the Sipadan one, Samson.

That area have current that brings trash to the back of the property, but there is not too much to do to avoid it…

2.0

Aug 2022

Diving is great, but facilities are very bad (only stay in seaview room, rest is dirty, noisy, hot

Location and diving staff are good. Also people who clean and cook do their best.

All rooms besides the seaview are broken, no glass in window, doors cannot be locked, broken toilets and showers, cockroaches in the room, bread with mould for breakfast, manager saying sorry when complaining that everything is broken but not taking anay action....

5.0

Aug 2022

Pleasant staff but grim rooms

Staff seemed pleasant

From the reviews it seems like it was a good enough place before the pandemic, but standards have fallen. Dirty shared toilet and dirty shower, no bed covers, grim looking dorm room with creaking cheap beds. The entrance looks awful - next to a rubbish covered beach, and holes in the walkway. I left at dawn and would not stay here again.

9.0

Jun 2022

I will come back again!

Friendly staff and diving master. A beautiful place to relax and enjoy with friends. Can see what inside the sea clearly. Delicious food 💕Full equipment for diving.

Shared toilet :( and the room were feel hot like no wind come in the room. Even outside can feel the wind

10.0

Jun 2022

Loved it

I loved it here. The room price inlcudes three meals and drinking water, tea and coffee are available all day long. The best thing here is the community. People just hang around all day long in between the dives, so it's very social. Yet, there's space to rest and relax if you want. The dive masters are great! Very knowledgeable of the dive sites and they do everything to make sure you enjoy your time there. For example, one guy had the advanced while I only have OW so they got two dive masters for two people so that he could go deep.

The bathrooms for the dorms are very basic. Don't expect anything fancy here.

10.0

Jun 2022

I love the place and sea. I'm falling in love with mabul and celebes sea.

I like the location and staff

The toilet still can be more clean

2.0

Jun 2022

not worth at all

suddenly they said no wifi. same meal every day

8.0

May 2022

Very good

The emplacement, the kidness of the employees,...

Showers+toilets were dirty + didnt work very well.

6.0

Mar 2022

Pleasant

The scenary

The shared bathroom... So many ant's in the room

8.0

Mar 2022

Very good

Friendly staff, nice view

FAQs

How much does this vacation rental cost compared to others in Sabah?

The average price for a rental in Sabah is $39 per night. This rental is $5 above the average.

Is parking included with this vacation rental?

Parking is not specified as an available amenity at Mabul Backpackers. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.

Is there a pool at this vacation rental?

We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this vacation rental. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.

Is Mabul Backpackers pet friendly?

Unfortunately, this vacation rental is not pet-friendly. Try searching again and filter for "Pets Allowed"

What amenities are available at Mabul Backpackers?

We found 6 amenities for this rental. This includes air conditioner, kitchen / kitchenette, laundry, balcony / patio, and beachfront / waterfront.

Explore similar vacation rentals in Sabah

Explore all rentals in Sabah

4.5

Excellent(1,376 Reviews)

Hotel

in Kota Kinabalu

4star

Hilton Kota Kinabalu

Pool · Kitchen / Kitchenette · Air conditioner

When traveling to Sabah, if you are looking for (business stays, family stays, couples stay, getaway vacation, etc.) this is the perfect place at $45 per night.

$$$$

Mabul Backpackers

About this vacation rental rental

Amenities

Map of Sabah

Nearby attractions

Mabul Backpackers

Vacation rental in Sabah

Reasons to book

About this vacation rental rental

Amenities

Map of Sabah

Nearby attractions

Reviews

FAQs

How much does this vacation rental cost compared to others in Sabah?

Is parking included with this vacation rental?

Is there a pool at this vacation rental?

Is Mabul Backpackers pet friendly?

What amenities are available at Mabul Backpackers?

Explore similar vacation rentals in Sabah

Sabah travel inspiration

Related vacation destinations

Keep exploring