Though most think of the Maldives or the South Pacific when the words water villas are brought up in a conversation, there are actually water villas located around the world. This abundance of choices makes it even easier to find one that fits not only your style, but your budget as well.
If you're interested in the the spa and scuba diving culture of the overwater resorts in Malaysia, you'll find lots of good options to choose from. Some resorts focus more on the local diving scene than anything else while others also make a point to celebrate the beauty of the islands. Others like to take it up a notch and present a 5-star honeymooners paradise. To help you find your perfect match, we've complied a list of the water villa resorts in Malaysia, below.
An environmentally friendly resort that also pocesses a 5-star rating, the Gayana Eco Resort is situated close the the airport, yet far away enough to make you feel as if you’re in another world. This also means that even though you’ll feel far away, you’ll still be close enough to local attractions to enjoy them easily.
Rooms here come in a variety of styles, though each does feature a staircase that leads directly into the ocean, allowing you access into the water whenever you like. You’ll also find scuba diving, swimming, snorkeling and other water activities to enjoy. In addition, the resort’s spa is a popular feature with both traditional Asian treatments and Western treatments available.
Located just off of Malaysia on its own private island, the Pangkor Laut Resort is a great choice for those who are seeking classic styled water villas that resemble those found in the Maldives. A medium sized 5 star resort, guests will also find that this resort caters more to those who are romantically inclined and serves as a great honeymoon destination.
Though there are over 100 rooms at the resort, 45 of them are situated over the water and are nicely sized with two of them resembling apartments more than a room. Outside of the rooms, guests will find a top notch spa, water sports such as snorkeling and a beautiful beach to enjoy. As this resort is mostly a resort for relaxation, you won’t find a super long list of things to do, however there are plenty of parts of the island in which you can explore yourself, making for some exciting adventures.
Previously known as the Golden Palms Resort, the AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort is an extremely large overwater resort where every single one of its 392 rooms are located over the water. In fact, it’s the largest overwater complex in the entire world. The rooms themselves range in a variety of sizes with some on the small side while others are impressively large with 3 bedrooms each.
The resort also features a large clubhouse, an infinity pool to enjoy and a long list of fun water sports including snorkeling and scuba diving. Land activities are also available and are all included in the nightly rate, making this resort a great choice for families or groups.
Located on Langkawi Island just off of the northern part of Malaysia on the mainland, this beautiful 5-star luxury resort greets the edge of a rainforest, making for quite the nature adventure. Here guests will find a rather large resort as well with a total of 350 rooms, with only 47 of them located over the water. Rooms vary quite a bit as well with some of them being on the smaller side while others represent something more grand.
Though the location is generally the best guest highlight, the service here is also viewed as very impressive, as well as the numerous bar and restaurants. If you love a good tour, you’ll find several boat tours waiting to take you to other nearby islands.
Near to the Sipadan Island dive site, which serves as a very popular and world famous dive site, the Mabul Water Bungalows offer great access for those who wish to dive it. Though the resort itself is very small with only 15 rooms in all, each room is designed to be very large and quite comfortable, making for a relaxing stay.
Because the location of the resort is rather remote, this resort is pretty much only good for those who are very interested in scuba diving as there is not much else to do. Even though it is very remote however, it’s still one of the more popular resorts in the area. Transportation to and from the resort is available as well.
Overwater bungalows starting at US$643 per night and up, more for diving packages.
>More information about the Mabul Water Bungalows – Malaysia
A medium sized resort, the Sipadan Water Village Resort features a total of 45 rooms, each of which are situated above the water, making this a truly over the water resort. In total, there are also 4 different room categories offering a different room size each.
The dive packages serve as the resort’s main appeal, with most guests belonging to the scuba diving community. There are however a few other amenities and activities available such as snorkeling and the like. If staying here, you’ll find that your package includes transportation as well, which is very helpful as it can be a bit difficult to find your way to the resort.
Overwater bungalows starting at US$443 per night.
>More information about the Sipadan Water Village Resort – Malaysia
Essentially a private island, the Pom Pom Island Resort is known for its excellent diving opportunities. Otherwise, it’s not known for much else, but that doesn’t seem to bother those who prefer a vacation all about scuba diving.
Because it is a bit difficult to find any information regarding the features and amenities of this particular resort, it is assumed that they do most, if not all, of their business through travel agencies that focus on diving packages.
Generally speaking, when it comes to overwater resorts, most of the time there are a close to even amount of over the water rooms compared to land based rooms and other times there are more land rooms than those situated over the lagoon. The Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson however, stands outside of the box with hundreds of more overwater rooms than those on land, making it a great choice for those who looking for that overwater experience at a large resort. All together, there are 8 different overwater room categories, with each of the rooms wowing with room service, Wi-Fi, a king sized bed and an entertainment system, a glass floor panel, a private dip pool and a private steam room.
Guests will also be wowed by the numerous restaurant choices, as well as the bars, the resort’s sauna, an outdoor pool as well as a kids pool and the extras such as a 24 hour front desk, dry cleaning, laundry service and a concierge. Spa lovers will find a friend in the LexSpa, which offers various treatments to choose from.
Located right next to and sharing the same parking lot as the Grand Lexis Port Dickson Resort, the Lexis Port Dickson resort is a large 4-star resort that caters to those who love to have lot of different activity choices during their stay. Some of those choices are volleyball, facsimile, crabbing, fishing, archery and karaoke. Those traveling with children in tow will find a kids pool and an indoor playground.
Guests will also find a spa on-site featuring massages and treatments suited to both women and men, great for those mornings relaxing. There are also two restaurants to enjoy as well that are located near by. Rooms receive impressive reviews with large amounts of walking space, a sitting area, a private balcony and a floor glass cutout that allows you to view the sealife below. In addition, guests will also find Wi-Fi, a flat screen TV and room service.
Known as the first overwater resort in this part of Malaysia, the Avillion Port Dickson Resort is a medium sized resort set against 2 different beaches. It’s also home to 80 bungalows situated over the water and offers Wi-Fi, room service, a flat screen TV, a rain shower and a private balcony. Rooms also impress with a mini fridge, a desk, a coffee and tea making area, an open sky bathroom with a rain shower and wood floors.
When not in the rooms, guests will find several swimming opportunities including the 2 pools and the ocean. Also, you’ll find a tennis court, beach volleyball, a pet farm, various look out points (bring your camera!) and an aviary. This is also a very family friendly resort with a kid’s cabin and wading pool, a family room and a nature walk. The resort also presents a lovely spa, called the aVi Spa. Here you’ll find a steam and sauna area along with various massages and other treatments.
Designed for those who seek a more private and exclusive vacation, the Grand Lexis Port Dickson Resort offers a 5-star experience at a very reasonable nightly rate. Though the resort shares a parking lot with another resort, each room is completely private. In all, there are 159 water villas to select from in 4 different room categories with each and every one featuring a pool. Each room also comes with room service, Wi-Fi, a 32″ flat screen TV, a mini fridge, microwave, rain shower and a glass floor cutout for sealife viewing without having to jump into the ocean.
Making your stay as easy and pleasurable as possible, the resort offers dining options, airport transfers, a concierge, a business center and meeting facilities and a car park. Guests will also find on-site bicycle rentals, shops, a fitness center and an outdoor pool. Those traveling with children will delight in the family room and the kids pool. There is also a spa on-site offering massages and more.
An overwater resort that also houses land based rooms, the Lankayan Island Resort is ideal for ocean lovers with an emphasis on scuba diving, along with snorkeling. Here you’ll find a divers package as well as a non-divers package, so if you don’t feel like scuba diving while here, you won’t have to pay for something you’re not going to do.
As far as the rooms are concerned, the overwater suites offer both a king bed and a twin bed, a seating area, private bathroom, and a private back deck with views that extend directly out into the ocean. From your room, you’ll also be able to see the coral heads and fish below, as the resort itself sits on a sand bar and the water below each room is on the swallow side.
A scuba divers oasis, the Kapalai Dive Resort is made with adventurers in mind, and because of this, isn’t ideal for a romantically inclined couple looking for a relaxing, and private, holiday. Instead, you’ll find lots of things to do in the ocean each day, examples being the many dive sites both right at the resort and a little further out. If you’re interested in scuba diving, but are in need of certifications, then you’ll be happy to note that this resort offers several PADI courses.
As you can see from the picture above, the overwater rooms here each have their own private entrance and terrace, which grants guests views of the ocean beyond, and the fish underneath. The rooms are considered basic, but provide comfort and easy access to the water.