Bigfin beach resort - Kota Belud, Sabah

Shamvijic88

The beach truly feels like a private heaven

The staff is very nice and incredibly helpful.

We had a perfect sea view from our room.

We loved having direct access to the clean and quiet beach right across the street.

It was perfect ideal for relaxing with a beautiful morning view-nice atmosphere-perfect beach.

Highly recommend this place for divers you can see so many fish when you dive or snorkel.

thiloe844

We enjoyed our stay of 5 nights a lot. The resort itself is gorgeous, the staff super friendly and the food basic and excellent. The decriptions on their website are accurate. If you like beach away from the crowds in a private atmosphere with options for diving it is the ideal place.

833bee

We loved this place. Loved it. ||||The tiny resort itself is stunning , tucked away in a beautiful, secluded cove. Only accessible by boat and in daylight hours, electricity runs 5pm -11pm, pretty much un-heated showers, no shops, no bars (but the restaurant fridge is always stocked with cold beers - yours for a princely MYR10). There is enough solar power to run the fans in the rooms at night though, and the internet access at the restaurant/bar is always on with a very decent connection.||||Our double chalet was at the top of a fairly steep path, with a breathtaking view over the bay below - you could either fling open the glass doors which took up most of the front wall, or keep those shut and relax in the chairs and hammocks on your private deck . ||||It’s incredibly good value - the whole no shops, no other bars thing means that you’re paying for full board - terrific home-cooked food by manager Awie - and tea, coffee and drinking water are complimentary and free-flowing during reasonable waking hours (I got up one morning at very silly o’clock, before the water for tea was hot, but to be fair it was ready not too much later, and still long before anyone other than me was awake hahaha )||||Communication before our stay (via WhatsApp and email) was really responsive and helpful - and they will organise transport to and from various places (in our case Kota Kinabalu) with an excellent, totally reliable driver if you need it. ||||||Their maximum number of guests is 21, so it’s never going to be over-busy, and competition for the hammocks on the gorgeous, silvery beach is never going to be high. The vibe at the accommodation and restaurant is relaxed and chill, and the staff are extremely welcoming and friendly - but also utterly professional when it comes to diving and safety.||||||I had baby’s first scuba diving lesson (the Discover Diving option); my husband did proper big boy diving (Fun Dives) as he’s a PADI person - and we both spent 3 hours snorkelling and being completely entranced. ||||Realistically, I don’t think the diving itself is going to out-compete the other side of an island which has the reputation of having some of the best diving in the world - where on earth could, given that? But as I mentioned, I’m not a qualified diver, so a lot of those sites would be out of the question for me anyway (for that and other reasons) and I’d read reviews of other, closer places which frankly sounded like they were a bit of a circus - crowded and featuring trash in the water. At Bigfin there were no other boats at the dive sites, and the level of rubbish visible was truly negligible. I think I saw two items in the water total over the entire stay. Plenty of shoals of colourful fish and other life - including a turtle - though

Ilse G.

Onderweg in de taxi naar Bigfin lees ik een aantal van de negatieve recensies hieronder. Een twijfel bekruipt me: heb ik er wel goed aan gedaan hier te boeken? Nou, zeker! Laat de twijfel alsjeblieft los en ga gewoon: Bigfin is de perfecte plek als je houdt van kleinschalig, persoonlijk en basic. Het maakt niet uit of je wel of geen duiker bent.

Onze positieve ervaring begint al op het strand van het Pearl Beach Resort. Een bootje komt aanvaren en pikt ons op. Tip: zorg voor blote benen, want je stapt via het water in en uit de boot.

Alsof je meedoet aan Expeditie Robinson, vaar je door blauw water naar een door jungle omringd wit strandje. Je loopt een luie trap op naar de receptie annex restaurant annex wifi-spot: een huisje met veranda, met uitzicht op de zee. Door Kindu voelen we ons gelijk welkom: ze stráált.

De huisjes (maar 9, geloof ik) zijn schoon, met prima bedden en een eigen badkamer - en met een prachtig uitzicht over de Zuid Chinese zee. Je bereikt ze door zo'n 60 traptreden omhoog te lopen. Deze plek is daarom niet handig als je slecht ter been bent of heel grote koffers meeneemt. En ook niet als je houdt van veel mensen en drukte.

Voor het ontbijt kun je kiezen uit 4 opties: (banaan)pannenkoek, roerei, gebakken ei of havermout. Met fruit. Lunch en diner zijn wat de pot schaft. Aziatisch, hartstikke vers en goed bereid door Awie. Kip of rund, en vegetarisch. Voor tussendoor kun je blikjes fris, bier, chips en Oreo's pakken (en 's avonds zelfs gin tonic). Alleen even opschrijven en afrekenen als je uitcheckt.

Wij waren er 3 nachten en 3 volle dagen - en waren graag langer gebleven!

Andrew O.

Well organised dive resort in a beautiful setting. If you want to get away from the world for a few days then this is the place to come. We did our PADI open water qualification here and the instruction was excellent, carried out by brilliant and friendly staff. We notified them in advance of the course and they provided us with the E-Learning materials before so we were able to get started on it before arrival. The resort aims to operate in a sustainable manner so rainwater is harvested, electricity is generated by solar power, local people are employed, recycling and litter cleanup of the beach is carried out. Catering is provided buffet style which is varied and tasty. The communal dining lends itself to good conversation which gives the resort a social side allowing guests to get to know one another.
This place is popular and I can see why. Keep up the good work.

Jacobo C.

With this review, I want to be as fair as possible. BigFin isn't a grand resort; don't expect luxury, but it does have everything you need to enjoy a few days of tranquility. After our visit, I conclude that it's an ideal place for diving, but nothing more. The variety in the food is practically nonexistent; during the four nights we stayed, we had the same breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For the price we paid, I think it's ridiculous to eat chicken and rice every day. They don't offer snacks at night. We went snorkeling, and having done so in other parts of Malaysia, I found it expensive and not up to par. On the other hand, the staff is very polite, friendly, and helpful at all times. I hope they can improve with this review because they really do have excellent staff and facilities, but there are many details that could be improved. After spending four nights, it's not a place I would return to.

Blaze D.

I had such a great time at Nexus Resort. The drinks were really good, and I truly appreciated Aisyah’s excellent service. She was warm, professional, and made me feel very welcomed. Highly recommended!

Brian H.

Wonderful charming resort for divers. Not 5 star luxury but we'll maintained, stripped down off the grid kind of place. Food is served at set times with set menu. Bring a good book and unwind ..great dive team