We (two adults and 4 year old) stayed here for five nights. The location is very beautiful, peaceful and tranquil. All very relaxing. My kid got to see baby turtles released into the sea and did plenty of snorkelling. Lots of fun had by all. The guy who works reception was also very welcoming and full of personality - great guy. The accommodation is very basic, but clean - think the accommodation area needs some love - sweeping leaves up, painting, new beds, - tidy up? The only major downside - and its pretty big for an all inclusive resort - was the food. It was very poor. Not expecting 5-star treatment but serving cold food on a regular basis is bad, especially as the place wasn't short of serving staff. And getting the same fruit desert five days in a row - enough of the water melon! Food served was average at best - no fruit variety, or seafood, or BBQ style food that you might expect on an island resort. Regular chicken in sauce with rice and same vegetable 5 days in a row. Reminded me of school days. A sign that the food wasn't great - it failed the mac n cheese test. Wherever we go as a family - be it restaurant or holiday - my kid will always opt for and eat a mac n cheese. Her comfort food. Very easy to make. She could only manage one mouthful here. The place also told that due to COVID, communal toilets were closed (not sure why - other resorts have them open), which wasn't great with a toddler, and a limited room cleaning service. We asked for a room clean after day 4 and they appeared to just sweep the floor and give us fresh towels - that's it. Bins still full of trash, no beds made. We met the guy who runs the resort on the final day as they waved us onto the boat - perhaps a more hands on approach is needed? Not sure we would come back. They need to up their game and show the place much needed love.…
Bubbles is certainly not a luxury resort by it’s facilities, luxury comes by the warmth of owners and staff who share their passion for this secluded resort with every guest. The entire family is devoted to personalizing your experience, weather is a great homey meal with true local flavor, grandma showing how to make recycled baskets or grandpa walking his 5k every morning on the beach! And on top of all this, great diving lead by two very nice and professional dive Ing guides! Rob was the best and made us discover all the magic around the island as well as long chats about his home country, South Africa. We will soon return for more Bubbles!!! Highly recommended!!!
While I understand that they might be under-staffed during RMCO (Malaysian version of pandemic lock down), but our stay at Bubbles was a disappointment. Pros: ⁃ I like what they are doing with turtle conservation ⁃ Their private beach is small and secluded, so everyone is friendly ⁃ Good for kids (lots of family travelers) Cons: ⁃ Our room was filthy! Toilet, hand wash basin and shower were stained with mold & mildew and still lots of hair left on the drain cover. ⁃ No in-room WiFi ⁃ The whole resort was generally not maintained well (not only things are tired, but cleanliness was clearly not their priority...) There was a lot of plastic garbage washed up on the beach. ⁃ You can’t get any food outside of scheduled meal times. Ala carte menu was pretty limited too. I think I had a wrong expectation based on the good reviews on Tripadvisor. If you love diving, turtles and chill in the environment that is closer to nature (like camping / glamping), it is perfect. But don’t expect a polished resort with high level of service.…
We love the place. From clear waters, to turtle conservation activities and snorkelling. The whole place doesn't feel crowded and everyone has their own space to relax and chill. As it is situated at the bay, the water is quite calm and you can do your own shore snorkelling too. A family told us they even saw a baby shark. They provide free life jackets for it as there are no lifeguards. They also provide free kayaks where you can use it anytime you want. They also have beach chairs that you can sun-bathe if you need and its below the trees! so you have the shades you need :D On our second night, we had the opportunity to view a turtle laying eggs. Thank you! It was a priceless memory. You just have to put on a "yes" sign and the staff will wake u up if they see one. As it is a small place, you will get to mingle around and talk to people around you. My parents enjoyed it a lot as they can hang around with nice families around us. We also like that they assigned table for each of us and you are expected to use that table for the duration of your stay for SOP purposes. We booked an end-to-end transport from Bubbles. Upon arrival at Kota Bahru airport, everything was smooth. The driver picked us up (it was an hour journey) to Kuala Besut jetty. And we got on the Bubble's boat (probably another 30-45mins) and hola, we arrived. Some tips to consider: 1) For our return trip, you can pick either 8am or 12pm to return back to mainland. Do give yourself some buffer as you know, nature is unpredictable. Our boat arrive around 1240pm due to the rough sea condition. We were okay as we had some buffer for our flight. 2) For our food, we tried package on some days and ala carte on our last day. We would say, we prefer the ala carte menu as we felt that its cheaper and you have more options to pick. As they are running on lower capacity, you need to pre-order your food prior to lunch/ dinner. It was no problem for us as you are just a step away from the restaurant. 3) Wifi in the restaurant is strong. You may not get it in your rooms and there are no mobile signal there. But why would you stay in your rooms when you have such a beautiful beach out there :) 4) Good and clean room conditions. It has everything you need. It also has a kettle and hairdryer. 5) Ample drinking water supplies! You can refill it (hot/or cold) at the restaurant anytime you want. We did some research on this and some hotels charge for water which can be annoying. 6) The vibe that Bubbles give is that they are really not calculative and flexible. They could have charge for the kayaks, snorkelling gears, night turtle activities, drinking water, wifi, but they don't! 7) If you go to Bubbles in anticipation to party/ club, this is not the place for you. But if you love nature and peace, THIS IS THE PLACE for you. Thank you Bubbles!…
If you are looking for a grand 5 star hotels of room and service, I'm sorry, you are in the wrong place, can't find it here. If you are looking for a clean, no pollution beach, with great snorkeling spots just right on the beach corner; or watching the mother Sea turtles laying eggs, the hatched babies swimming toward the ocean.. Your kids can run freely, getting the know lots of friends, without worrying the in and out boat and tourists.. Here is the place!! We were here for an entire week, to be honest, we feel like to stay more! The positive vibe at this hotel just amazed us so much! The owner family are people who really care about mother natural and actually carrying out in their actions, you can see it in every corner of the hotel, water dispenser everywhere, no plastics utensils are offered etc. Perfect bay, with proper shades big trees, clean bay, healthy food menu.. This is not my most luxurious trip but one of the happiest /most contented for sure! :) …
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