top of page
Frequently asked questions
General
Activities
Transportation
Our rates include accommodations, meals, and unlimited guided snorkeling around Mabul, plus exceptional hospitality. We include everything in our rates to give guests an exceptional experience without having to spend additional money, other than transportation costs.
The following are not included in our rates:
-Transportation to and from Mabul.
-Scuba diving.
-Optional excursions, such as island hopping, snorkeling off Mabul, and fishing.
-Alcohol beverages. (Guests are free to bring their own alcohol.)
If you want to know if something is included, please ask!
We purchased Turtle Garden Lodge in 2022. The property was completely rebuilt with the exception of the pillars under the house and 3 walls in the house. What was suppose to be a 2-month remodeling project became a 1.5 year rebuild! The house sits 13 feet above the sea bed. Sea turtles frequent the waters around the house during high tide and occasionally we have eagle rays pass by. 200 meters in front of the house is Mabul's famous coral wall which falls 30 meters. Two snorkeling sites are along the wall: Turtle Garden and Turtle Wall. Both live up to their name with an abundance of sea turtles swimming along the wall. It is a magical place!
From the very beginning, we sought to build something that was worthy of calling Mabul home. The patio is built for tropical relaxation and boasts two large lounger platforms, an outdoor sofa arrangement, multiple hammocks, and a 10 foot dining table that comfortably seats 10 persons. The patio has a wireless stereo system so you can play your favorite music from your phone. We also have Starlink satellite internet service, providing fast and stable internet for streaming music, videos and movies.
The property has three signature bedrooms each with its own en-suite bathroom. All rooms have queen beds with high-end mattresses, luxurious linens and towels, multiple pillows of various firmness, and wall fans.
We don't have air conditioning. Our objective was to get guests to spend time on the patio - not in an air conditioned room - to enjoy the tropical environment. The house is specifically designed to provide cooling without the need for air conditioning. Tropical breezes are supplemented with fans to cool the patio and each bedroom has a fan to circulate air and cool the room. At night, you will likely find yourself needing a blanket (yes, we provide blankets)! We invite you to read our guest reviews and see if anyone complains about the rooms being too hot. In addition, we don't have hot water. Again, another design choice. Cool showers are part of the guest experience and provide an excellent way to cool down.
We have our own dock for our boat and dive boats to pick up guests. We are at the end of a jetty and guests can walk to the island to explore.
Guests tell us words and photos don't do the place justice. It really is impossible to find the words or images to adequately describe paradise. Our photos and guest reviews are the best way to gauge what to expect from your stay at Turtle Garden Lodge. (And, to let you in on a little secret, many of our guests are AirBnb hosts with highly rated properties, are in the hospitality industry, and/or are well-seasoned travelers.)
We hope you'll join us in magical Mabul! If you have other questions, please do not hesitate to ask. We want to make sure we are a good fit for you.
Our rates include everything you need to have a great stay on Mabul. Our rates include all meals, and these are not "make it as cheap as you can just to feed the guests" type meals. They are exceptional meals consistent with offerings at a 5-star resort. Our rates also include unlimited snorkeling on Mabul Island for the entire stay. A day of island hopping to Mabul with a tour company and 20-30 other people costs rm120-180 per person. Snorkeling with us is on our private boat with a guide and only TGL guests. Many resorts on Mabul charge per person nightly rates of rm300-575 per person, which includes buffet-style dining. Top resorts charge rm2000-3000 per person or more. Guest of TGL have a 1200sf patio to themselves, spacious well-appointed rooms, food prepared by a world-renowned chef, and impeccable hospitality.
We have a 3-night minimum stay policy because we are guest focused. We could be fully booked 90% of the time or more if we didn't have a minimum stay policy, but a 1- or 2-night stay will not do our guests justice. Such a short stay does not allow your body and mind to adjust to island life and we want our guests to feel the island in both mind and body. Many of our guests say their stay was "life changing". You're not going to get that with less than a 3-night stay and we actually recommend 4-5 nights. We have no intention of being a quick stop destination. There are plenty of lodging options on Mabul that will accommodate a 1- or 2-night stay. We are not one of them. (To our future guests: You're welcome!😂)
Wow, that's actually a difficult question! It's probably easier to explain how they're alike. Both have rooms, bathrooms, beds, sheets and towels, outdoor furniture, activities, and food service. The quality of these attributes may be similar or vastly different. Our goal is to provide the quality of a luxury resort without the "resort".
An analogy between staying at TGL versus staying at another property is you can fly from Kuala Lumpur to London on many different airlines. You can fly coach, business class, or first class. All will get you there. But your experience getting there will depend on the airline and the class you fly. Similarly, Mabul has lodging for a wide-variety of tastes and budgets. We hope to position Turtle Garden Lodge to cater to well-seasoned travelers looking for an exceptional experience at a competitive price.
All of our food is freshly prepared from scratch. We serve three meals per day, depending on what our guests want. Sometimes guests only want coffee for breakfast or want to skip lunch. We serve meals based on your schedule and needs, not based on a pre-determined schedule.
Breakfast usually consists of eggs (omelet, scrambled, fried, hard or soft boiled), toast from homemade bread, maybe potatoes or a vegetable, maybe fresh fruit. Sometimes we make crepes or oatmeal with fruit and nuts. We don't have a set menu - each guest has different wants and needs.
Lunch may consist of curry, fried rice, fried noodles, sandwiches, fish and chips. There is no standard lunch menu. We meet our guests' needs and hunger levels.
Dinner typically has fresh fish that was caught earlier in the day. Mabul's villagers are fishermen, so the fish is FRESH! Some guests buy fresh seafood or live fish from the bajau laut, who come to the house in traditional boats to sell coconuts and seafood. We are happy to prepare whatever you purchase. Meals typically include potatoes, rice, or noodles and vegetable dishes. We have never had a guest complain about the lack of food!
We can accommodate special dietary needs such as allergies, food dislikes, or food lifestyles, such as Halal, vegetarian, vegan, Hindu, etc. Actually, all our cooking is Halal because, let's face it, swimming pigs are rare and hard to catch.
That's as best as we can describe the food we serve. We prepare meals specifically for each guest based on their needs, produce that is available, and our inspirations for the day. If you're wondering if the food is good, please read our guest reviews or our The Food page!
Many countries have heightened security alerts for the east coast of Sabah. The U.S. Department of State revised its travel advisory for Malaysia on July 24, 2024. (I can't speak to other countries' current travel advisories.) Malaysia has a Level 1, "Exercise Normal Precautions", advisory - the same advisory as Norway, Finland, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Canada - with a Level 2, "Exercise Increased Caution", advisory for Eastern Sabah. Other countries receiving Level 2, "Exercise Increased Caution", advisories include England, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Brazil, Chile, Peru, India, Indonesia,and China. Times have changed, political policies have changed and security in the area has changed since events over a decade ago.
To learn more about the current state of security and safety in Eastern Sabah, please watch the lighthearted video we produced on YouTube.(https://youtu.be/n_9rd6n55ro?si=mr0gY6K37fnl6aBz)
The bottom line is the Semporna area, including Mabul Island, is a popular tourist destination, is well-protected, and has not had security issues for 10+ years.
We allow smoking on the patio, but not in the bedrooms. We also ask those who smoke to be considerate of non-smoking guests when smoking on the patio.
We are not permitted to sell alcohol. Guests may bring their own alcohol. There are not alcohol sales on Mabul. Beer and wine are available for purchase in Semporna and the available wines are surprisingly good. If you prefer had alcohol (vodka, gin, whisky, etc.), you may want to consider purchasing it at a duty-free shop in the airport for the best selection and prices.
We are a small operation with a very limited number of rooms. Unlike a larger resort that can absorb the financial loss from an unfilled room due to a cancelation, cancelations have a much greater impact on our business.
We maintain a strict no-cancelation policy. Reservations, once made, are non-refundable. You may want to consider travel insurance to cover the unexpected while you are traveling.
If you contact us, we will contact you. If you stay with us, we encourage you to follow us on Instagram and we may occasionally send you a direct email or message about happenings at Turtle Garden Lodge that you may be interested in.
We don't sell or share your information, other than as may be necessary to assist with arranging activities during your stay with third-party providers.
bottom of page