Villas
The 5 villas measure 45 square metres and feature private garden jacuzzis and above-sand front porches. Each has an ocean-view cabana and a choice of twin or king beds.
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Private island luxury in the Celebes Sea
Mataking Reef Dive Resort
40 minutes by boat from Semporna, Mataking is a 40-acre private island offering deep wall diving, sandy beaches and comfortable chalets for couples and families.
Private island luxury in the Celebes Sea
The private island enclave
Mataking Reef Dive Resort occupies a private island with 63 air-conditioned rooms, sandy beaches and an open-air restaurant, 40 minutes by boat from Semporna. A 500-metre sandbar surfaces at low tide to connect it to uninhabited Mataking Kecil, so you can walk across the ocean.
Mataking Island is one of the Celebes Sea's most distinctive resort settings. It operates as an exclusive enclave accommodating roughly 100 guests to preserve a low-density atmosphere. Unlike the water villages at Kapalai or Mabul, Mataking uses no overwater stilted boardwalks. The luxury chalets are built directly along the white sandy beaches and slightly recessed into the tropical gardens. The resort transports all fresh water from the mainland via barge to protect the island's fragile hydrological balance.
The resort layout centres on the open-air Simply 'Enak' restaurant, the Jamu Spa, a gym near the shoreline and the dive operations centre. The restaurant serves 3 buffet-style meals a day that blend international and local tastes. You can expect traditional Malaysian staples like beef rendang and nasi lemak alongside Mediterranean fare and Western roasts. Saturdays feature an outdoor barbecue night with freshly grilled seafood.
Mataking suits travellers who want barefoot luxury and a proper sandy beach. It suits mixed-interest couples where one person dives and the other wants a high-end spa and a beautiful shoreline. Families find the large chalets and the turtle hatchery great for children.
If you want to focus your stay on Sipadan, choose Mabul Water Bungalows for a shorter boat journey. With an 80-minute transit and a shared boat charter fee, Mataking suits an occasional Sipadan trip alongside its local reefs.
Why stay here
Our view of Mataking
Mataking is the primary choice in the Semporna archipelago for couples and multi-generational families. The sweeping white sandbars and large chalets make it a visual triumph. It is the ideal choice for a trip where one partner is an avid diver and the other prefers spa treatments and beach relaxation. The non-diver offer is exceptionally strong for a dive property.
63 chalets and villas
63 chalets and villas set along white sand beaches
A 500-metre tidal sandbar
A 500-metre tidal sandbar connecting to uninhabited Mataking Kecil
Deep wall diving along
Deep wall diving along the Alice Channel off the island
Malaysia's first underwater post
Malaysia's first underwater post office on a sunken cargo ship
A turtle hatchery and
A turtle hatchery and marine biology station on the grounds
Rooms
Chalets and villas
Beach Chalets
The 8 units measure 82 square metres and offer uninterrupted sea views from the patio. These chalets include a daybed, a double sink, a rainfall shower and a private jacuzzi soak tub under a natural skylight.
Enquire about this roomSemi-Detached Beach Chalets
The 4 units measure 64 square metres and suit families. The 2 distinct bedrooms separate a king bed and twin beds so you have both proximity and privacy. They feature a private jacuzzi and a patio that overlooks the sandy beach.
Enquire about this roomKing Chalets
The 8 units measure 64 square metres and feature a large walk-in shower and a private bathtub with a direct ocean view. A private balcony overlooks the sea.
Enquire about this roomPremium Rooms
The resort introduced 14 rooms of 46 square metres in 2023. These feature a front porch with seating and a lush garden view.
Enquire about this roomGarden View Deluxe
There are 24 entry-level rooms of 43 square metres with a private sun deck. The West rooms face the sunset and the East rooms face the sunrise. These allow a maximum occupancy of 3 adults and 1 child.
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What a day here holds
The Danum Valley Canopy Walkway
Suspended 27 metres above the primary rainforest floor, the Borneo Rainforest Lodge canopy walkway is a 360-metre structure anchored directl
Danum Valley Night Safaris
A night drive is the best way to see the rainforest mammals that sleep through the heat of the day. This guide explains how the drives work,
Guided Treks and Trails
The trails at Danum Valley run deep into a ancient primary rainforest. They are hot, humid and root-choked and they offer a way of seeing th
The Sabah Birding Circuit
The classic Sabah birding circuit connects the montane forests of Mount Kinabalu with the lowland dipterocarps of Danum Valley. This guide e
Kinabatangan River
The Kinabatangan floodplain holds the highest concentration of wildlife in Borneo. This is where you go to track orangutans and proboscis mo
Wildlife you may see
Keep your binoculars close
Sightings are wild and never guaranteed: that is the point. These are the residents your guides will be listening for.
Packages
Ways to stay
Rates on enquiry, no prices are published.
The Danum Essential
2 nights at the flagship lodge: the canopy walkway at dawn, a night drive, and dinner beside the river.
Full board · on enquiry
EnquireDanum Intensive
A private week across the Lodge and the Study Centre: hides, flexible dawn starts and a vehicle that waits for the light.
Full board · on enquiry
EnquireBefore you pack
The package includes a continuous free flow of coffee and tea supplemented by light snacks available throughout the day. Alcohol and soft drinks are billed separately.
Sabah has no single dry season. Semporna receives rain on around 278 days a year so a completely dry day is the exception. March and April are the calmest and least wet months. The northeast monsoon brings higher swells between November and February.
The resort does not allow a single guest to combine packages on the same stay. You cannot book 2 nights as a diver and 1 night as a non-diver. Each person must select 1 package for their entire duration.
No. Physical dive and snorkel equipment is strictly extra and not included in the base rate. You must rent your full scuba set or bring your own.
Yes. Sabah Parks requires all divers at Sipadan to hold an Advanced Open Water certification or equivalent.
How to get there
The journey is part of it
Guests fly into Tawau Airport where a resort representative meets them for the 1-hour road transfer to Semporna Jetty. The speedboat journey to Mataking Island takes 45 to 60 minutes depending on the sea state. The resort provides these return transfers complimentary if they align exactly with your check-in and check-out dates. Airport transfers are provided 1 day prior to the actual check-in date exclusively for flights arriving before 3pm. You can arrange an unscheduled or privately timed transfer for an additional charge.
Open the interactive mapExtend the journey
Nearby & combinations
Mabul Water Bungalows — Luxury overwater stilt resort closer to Sipadan. Pom Pom Island Resort — Eco-focused island with water villas and a coral restoration centre. Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort — A sprawling stilt village on a shallow sandbank. Borneo Rainforest Lodge — The flagship rainforest lodge in Danum Valley.
Plan your trip
Check dates at Mataking
Tell the team when you wish to visit Mataking Reef Dive Resort for deep wall diving and white sand beaches.
Sources referenced on this page: Sabah Parks — https://www.sabahparks.org.my/.