Sibu Island Resort, Johor Malaysia – Retreat, Adventure, Spa, Teambuilding

Sibu Island Resort.

Heard of it? Yes, No?

No doubt the name is a bit misleading, and like any other Malaysian, my immediate reaction to the name was “Huh? Why the 100% similarity in name to Sibu in Sarawak and it’s in Johor??”

Name confusion aside, this island is unbelievably pristine with much coveted clear waters that is unusual for this part of the Peninsular.

Pardon my ignorance, I never knew that the southern tip of the Peninsular has not ONE, but a few beautiful islands that’s suitable for idyllic island get-aways!

Sibu Island Resort is located off the east coast of Mersing, a town in the State of Johor. About 1 and a half hours drive from Johor Bahru, Tanjung Leman jetty is the entryway to the island, via ferry or catamaran in a mere 20 minutes journey.

We went in a bus, and I slept for most part of the 1 and half hour journey. I don’t think I missed much, other than a bumpy ride and a landscape of gold/revenue generating palm oil estate. In case you’re unaware, Johor is one of the main palm oil producing states.

The jetty was packed with people waiting for their turn to board the ferry. Most unfortunately, efficiency levels are pretty low here.

Daily ferry starts at 11.30am and since we were in a group of our own, we chartered a catamaran. The 11.30am ferry was late, and our catamaran was late too. Long story short, we were made to wait in idle for a good 2 hours!

Anyhow, for those who are heading to the islands from this jetty, there are plenty of parking spaces and we were assured by our tour guide that it is secure, even if you were to leave your vehicle here for a few days.

Believe it not, there’s an air-conditioned KFC here.

Below: Typical jetty landscape.

By the time we boarded the catamaran, we were restless, agitated and hungry.

Note: This air-conditioned catamaran seats 70 and was pretty steady. Even a sensitive motion-sickness prone person like me found the 20 minutes journey to be pleasant and comfortable.

Fortunately, spirits lifted when we saw the vast sea and the welcoming sight of the Sibu Island Resort.

I gapped when I saw the waters.

Breathtaking isn’t it! The urge to dive from the catamaran into the waters came to mind.

This is one of the adventure contraptions that are available for the leisure and teambuilding activities on the island. My first thought was “Can I go up there?” 🙂

Crankiness aside, the welcoming drink plus the enthusiatic singing performance helped to cheer us up!

After a quick lunch, I took time to explore the island.

Much has been done to transform Sibu Island Resort into an iconic adventure learning site and sea-sports centre in Asia. It’s recent make-over involving the refurbishment of its 121 deluxe timber chalets, lobby upgrades and reclaimation of works of 3 new pristine beaches has put it on par with international holiday destinations.

I was thrilled to see the crystal clear waters and I just had to jump in, shorts and all.

I was even more captivated when I saw fishes swimming around my legs! That shows how unspoiled the beaches here are!

Here you go, more shots of the fishes. Can you spot them? 😀

Amazing isn’t it? This was in shallow waters that was just 3-4 feet out from the beach. Imagine if we went out to snorkel or dive.

We didn’t stay the night so I wasn’t be able to review the accommodation and service. We were pretty much only visitors for the day so all we made the most of it scrolling on its grounds, visiting some chalets and shooting some arrows.

Here are some of the pictures I took around the resort.

Facilites: Tennis courts and a small gym.

Animals roam freely here and are fairly tame.

If you walk up to them slowly, you’ll actually get to pat them.

A resort can’t not have a pool right?

The suites are located all around the island; some on the grounds near the facilities, some further back on the hills, and some at the beach side. There are a total of 121 chalets and these wooden chalets are designed based on the Malaysian traditional “kampung’ houses with tiled roofing.

Archery!

Strapping up for my turn.

Around us the vast landscape is serene and relaxing.

A couple of kids played frisbee nearby as we strolled by after our archery session. Yes, this resort is family friendly too.

Accomodation at Pulau Sibu Island Resort is varied with a total of 5 different chalet layouts.

Superior room: A total of 36 units consisting of 1 twin @ queen bedroom and 1 restroom. Garden view & Forest view rooms.

Deluxe room:  A total of 48  units. Consisting of 1 twin/hollywood twin/ queen bedroom and 1 restroom. Garden view, sea view and forest view rooms.

Serindit Room: A total of 16 units consisting of 1 twin/ Hollywood twin/ queen bedroom. 1 restroom and living room. Garden view and sea view suites.

Layang Layang Suites: A total of 16 units consisting of 1 double bedroom, 1 twin bedroom, 1 restroom and living room. Garden view and sea view suites.

Honeymoon Suites: A total of 3 units consisting of 1 double berdoom, 1 restroom and living room. Sea view suites.

Raja Udang Suites: A total of 2 units consisting of 1 double bedroom, 1 restroom and living room. Sea view suites.

Note: Pictures of the rooms are provided by the resort as we couldn’t tour every room due to high occupancy.

Next: How should you spend your time in Sibu Island Resort?

Well, if you’re into the active lifestyle, head down to the beach for some volleyball!

An avid thrill and adventure seeker, my heart was thumping the moment I saw this!

Hour Glass.

I was personally impressed with the team building equipment here, which I thought was out-of-the-ordinary. Like I said, I game to participate in all these activities!

High Rope Element.

Flying Fox.

And if you’re here as part of a company retreat session, grab their team building/outward bound or telematch packages.