SMART v. Kapalai resort

[scren]

as a result of all the great feedback i got here, i have decided to stay in malaysia for my week of diving in may rather than try the similans. now i am debating between SMART or Kapalai resorts...any opinions about these? the prices are pretty much the same, and they both look beautiful, so i am having a hard time making up my mind. i will be there alone, so i hope to share a room with another female to save myself the single diver supplement. i am really just going for the diving, but also love to sunbathe and swim during downtime... any suggestions?

thanks again for all the great advice! i never plan a dive trip without scubaboard input!

 

[Scuba Susie]

Hey there,
I would suggest SMART. We stayed there last May and LOVED it. The crew was super and made an effort to party with us on our down time. There was also the island of Mabul to investigate. In Kapalai I think you would get pretty bored pretty fast when not diving. But that;s just my opinion.
Have fun
Susie

 

[June]

I will have to agree with Susie and go with SMART. SMART is newer and more to explore on the Mabul island.

 

[Batfish]

SMART has more facilities - note that the stand alone chalets are much nicer than the standard rooms. Kapalai is popular because of it's unique situation. No other divers around, no other resorts (they are side by side in Mabul), and built over the reef. It is a tough call!

SMART

Kapalai

Mabul Tourist Info

Kapalai Tourist Info

 

[Jason Ooi]

Yup... Smart resort for facilities