BIHING ANGAN water chalet

Great location, great views. The houses are nice, but built simple. You can see the water throw the floor. Snorkeling possible right in front of the resort. The served dinner was good. The beds are big and comfortable, we had a house with a nice little terrace with chairs. Bathroom misses a shower, but showering with a bucket was totally fine and actually better than a lot of the low pressure showers in Sabah. The staff is friendly and can organize snorkel trips for you, they pick you up at the resort and the prices are a bit cheaper than some tour offerings in Semporna. I asked them before if they can arrange a birthday cake for my girlfriend, and they organized a nice chocolate cake :)

During the night we had storms, and the house started shaking quite a bit. Kept us awake during the storm. The boat transfer to semporna is an extra 50RM per person and way. I recommend booking a snorkeling tour when leaving, because the transfer back to semporna is included in the snorkeling tour.

The staff is wonderful. Firdaus is an amazing host. We asked him so many questions and he was always willing to answer and help us with any requests. Adik Nazirah was also so kind and made us sambal on requests. The other staff were also helpful and kind. They showed us interesting sea life and took good care of us. The dinners were delicious! The view from our room was stunning.

The chalets are simple but we expected that. The breakfasts weren't to our liking but it's likely very hard to get fresh food to the water chalet. There were no major issues.

I've been tentative about whether to write a review for this stay or not, but I've landed on doing so, mainly to push the owners to improve the standard but more importantly to make sure safety isn't compromised for future guests. The location is stunning - you're in the middle of the ocean with clear waters, coral and fish beneath you. The food was very good - homecooked Malaysian style (rice and fried chicken for breakfast, a standard breakfast at most of our hotels).

We ended up cutting our trip short and only staying for 1 night. We stayed in Room 12 and there was a heavy storm overnight. The room next door was still under construction/renovation and overnight what I presume were a homeless couple who live in a rowboat, broke in and slept there for shelter. The heavy storm meant water came up through the floors as the tide rose and the couple's boat made our room shake as it bashed against the side from the waves all night. The location for this stay is amazing, but I think they have skimmed on some basic essentials which mean safety might be compromised at times e.g there are plenty of no smoking signs but one older gentleman would regularly be smoking at the front desk (of an almost entirely wooden structure). There are other stays nearby which seem to be sturdier and of a higher standard but I imagine cost far more than here. We explained that we wanted to leave in the morning and the owner kindly agreed to refund us half the money - but we had to go through a semi-lengthy booking.com process. One final note - we had to wait for an hour before a boat was available to take us to the accommodation, as everyone seems to share speedboats on a first come first served basis to different accommodations. Similarly, we couldn't leave until a boat was available so had to wait a while before one could be called. It's also 50 Ringit per person per way for the boat - a hidden charge considering there's no other way to arrive or leave the accommodation, and the journey is about 20 minutes.

The location is beautiful and clean. Staffs accomodate to all our requests. Good communication for all bookings (airport transfers, boat, and activities).

No electricity day time only nite but blackout at nite on 2nd nite.

The staff were friendly and pretty helpful. The dinners they made were so good!! Excellent fish and veggies every night! Snorkeling was super fun. Beds are comfortable.

They upgraded our room which was good because they need to fix up the one they originally gave us. They were fixing up another while we were there, so I see they are working towards making it newer. There was no little shower, but we got used to the water bucket!

Location was super next to the chalet turtles

Breakfast was not that good, many fat food and first come first serve

Chalet is peaceful and private with not too many people. Simplicity with nature. Dinner is very nice and tasty. Owner really helpful with your journey including island package. Recommended for those who want to stay within minimal budget. This place just for you.

Nothing

The staff are super friendly. The food is good for us. If you stay for more than one night, then you have time for lunch (ie not for the days of checking in/out) even it shows that only breakfast and dinner are included. The sea view is stunning. What we like most is the corals and fishes in around the jetty. It is a nice place for snorkeling. There is always breeze so it is not a problem without AC. A portable charger is needed if you want to charge your phone etc. in the daytime when the generator does not operate.

Facilities are basic and there is some noise in the evening from the generator. The 50 MR boat transfer for single trip per person is not very reasonable for the distance.

The unblocked sunrise and sunset view, including the clarity of the surrounding waters are out of this world. The staff, Firdaus was God-sent. He was so obliging beyond his call-of-duty helping me organise everything from airport transfer to island hopping even though I only managed to stay 1 night with the accommodation (because they are fully booked). I have been to Maldives although this is my first trip to Semporna. I didn’t want to spend the kind of budget I spend in Maldives in Semporna because I know I will not get the value for my investment. Bihing Angan’s pricing was fair and feels right for my pocket.

I know about the limitations that came with the low cost and I was prepared to compromise to make the budget work. However, it will be ideal if the bed can be better and toilet facilities more equipped. Otherwise, there is nothing else I do not like about this wonderful little gem.