3-Star Hotels in Semporna

Choosing Beanstalk Homestay for my Semporna trip was absolutely the right decision! The owner and staff are incredibly warm and welcoming, treating you like friends. Before I even arrived, they patiently answered all my questions and gave me tons of practical tips for island hopping and dining. While the room isn't luxurious, it's spotlessly clean, the AC works great, there's plenty of hot water, and the bedding is really comfortable. Getting a good night's sleep after a day of activities is so important. The service was the biggest plus! The seafood preparation prices were excellent, and the breakfast, though simple, was thoughtfully prepared – coffee, toast, and eggs, perfect for fueling up before heading out to sea. Next time I'm in Semporna, I'll definitely stay at Beanstalk Homestay again.

I traveled alone and stayed here for 4 nights from 8/4 to 8/8. **Environment:** The resort is so amazing that I wish I could keep it a secret rather than share it with you. Located in the middle of the sea, with no other structures around, you can easily enjoy the sunrise, sunset, and the starry sky every day. During the daytime, you can participate in various water sports, and if you're lucky, you might spot a sea turtle at night. **Food:** Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included when you book the hotel, so there’s no need to worry about meals. The resort offers seafood and local cuisine daily. Please note: Visitors should bring their own snacks and drinks before boarding the resort, as it only provides water, coffee, and tea. **Facilities & Service:** All the staff here will treat you kindly, even if there might be a language barrier (English is spoken here!). If you're afraid of swimming, the staff will accompany you while you're in the sea (life jackets are provided in each room). Each room also has a balcony with a lounge chair where you can relax, grab a beer, and do nothing but enjoy the soothing sea breeze. You may not want to stay in the middle of nowhere like I did to escape from modern civilization, but I truly recommend staying at the resort for at least 2 nights. You'll definitely feel completely recharged! Finally, I want to say that the view is so astonishing that I can hardly describe it with my limited English. You must visit this place yourself.

I booked this guesthouse based on a recommendation from a Xiaohongshu blogger. It's very clean and doesn't have any strange odors. I'd say it's one of the cleaner accommodations in town. The showers are communal, and you need to bring your own toothbrush and toothpaste, but towels are provided. Just be aware that during busy times, you might have to wait for hot water, and the water pressure isn't very strong. The location is excellent and quite safe; you need a key card to enter the main gate. It's very convenient to walk to the pier, and right next door is the tour agency for 'Conch Diving' guides. The owner is very nice, and I really like Malaysian people. Thank you! It was a very pleasant experience.

The service was excellent. The owners, a Chinese family, were incredibly welcoming. We were worried about finding a place to eat during the New Year, but reviews mentioned they could lend us their kitchen, and they certainly didn't disappoint. We had two twin rooms. A small suggestion: the beds could be a little bigger to make it perfect. The owner's wife even helped me buy some wild vegetables. Thank you so much! 🙏🙏

first is the floor, it is sticky, it is sticky in the room and also at the gathering or public area where we take our meals. Next is the issue with the toilet, the shower head is broken, it's leaking and the water is too strong and thin, it is hurting me when i try to bathe. Thirdly, the floor mat is dirty and too thin, it is not absorbing water as it should. Fourth, the floor also has a lot of dust and sand. Fifth, the hotel does not have enough electrical plug, we only have two plugs and it is on the most left of the bed, it is better if it is in the middle of both beds. Sixth, the air conditioner is too weak for a room with 3 people, it is hot even at night. Seventh, the music is too loud, i cannot even rest properly at night, you can prepare earplugs at least. Eighth, the gathering or public area is too hot because there is no fan, please prepare some ceiling fans so guests can dine properly. Ninth, should have a table for a big room at least. the floor is wide enough, but it is so dirty that we do not dare to sit on the floor to play games or cards, we also do not want to play games or cards at the gathering or public area because it is too hot and loud. Tenth, rubbish in the sea or hotel area, i saw a huge pile of rubbish such as bottled water, food container, plastic bag just floating in the sea in the resort. Here are some good things about the hotel, first, very nice scenery, the water is nice and clean in the morning. Secondly, the balcony area for each room is nice because we can look at the scenery while sitting on the chair and resting. Thirdly, the staff is very friendly and very responsible, they do their work fast, they carry our luggage, refill food fast, and are very nice. Fourthly, the overall atmosphere of the hotel is very comfortable. Fifth, the food is ok, breakfast is ok, it is not the best but it is edible, the dinner is the best, and the seafood is a very nice touch. Sixth, we can dry our wet cloth on the balcony too. Overall i give it a 2 out of 5 stars. The price of your hotel does not match the pros and cons of your hotel. I would not want to stay in the hotel another day if the problems still stay the same. Please do your best to improve better. This is my honest review as a Malaysian.

The room was spacious and comfortable. The owner was a lovely and friendly young lady who spoke fluent Chinese. There were several small supermarkets nearby, making things very convenient. The ice cream was also delicious and inexpensive. If you're interested, you should definitely check it out!

I contacted the hotel via WhatsApp 3 days before check-in, and they replied very quickly. They even called me back, and the communication was very smooth. The boat departs from the jetty at 1:30 PM, but when we arrived at 12:30 PM, the boat was already waiting. Someone helped us with our luggage when we boarded. Later, we found out they weren't hotel staff, so we tipped each of them RM5. The hotel's check-out time is 10 AM, and the latest guests can leave by boat is 11 AM because the boat cannot sail after low tide. So, no late check-outs are possible. On the way there, it was high tide, and the boat sailed over shallow waters. The 'jelly sea' was absolutely stunning. My initial apprehension instantly turned into pure delight – it was so worth it! We were 6 adults and 3 children. We originally booked one triple fan room and one quintuple fan room. Because I didn't want a corner room, and the quintuple room was in the westernmost corner, and since there weren't many guests during the off-peak season (we practically had the place to ourselves, which was a pleasant surprise!), the hotel generously gave us an additional triple room and upgraded all our rooms to air-conditioned ones. Another great surprise! Actually, the sea breeze was strong, and opening the window with a fan was already very comfortable, so we didn't really need the air conditioning. In fact, after snorkeling, we found it too cold in the room, so we promptly turned off the AC. The hotel is currently undergoing renovations. The quintuple room was newer, while the two triple rooms were smaller and older. However, the sea view was so beautiful, and given the great value for money, these minor issues were acceptable. The hotel owner was also very accommodating and gave us keys to a few rooms, letting us choose which ones we wanted. Since the quintuple room was on the western side, the sunset views were spectacular. My friends even saw sea turtles twice from their room at night. After watching the sunrise, we walked to the easternmost part of the hotel. There's a bridge there that's perfect for photos, and we kept seeing sea turtles, which was such an amazing surprise! We saw about 7-8 sea turtles intermittently, and they were huge! It might have been the start of low tide, and they were all swimming towards the deep sea. This must be a common path for them, and it was the biggest highlight of our trip. The hotel has Wi-Fi and accepts TNG for payment. The round-trip boat ticket costs RM100, and children ride for free. Life jackets are RM5, and swimming rings are RM10 (no time limit). The hotel's snorkeling masks were broken and unavailable for rent, so it's best to bring your own. The sea has lots of corals, starfish, and fish, making it excellent for snorkeling. Bring extra bread to feed the fish. The hotel doesn't provide bottled water or hair dryers, but there's hot water and tea bags. Dinner was local Malay food, which might not suit everyone's palate, but we found it quite good, and the fish was cooked tenderly. The simple breakfast included delicious fried rice noodles. We also brought some chocolates and instant cereal/drink mixes to prepare with the hotel's hot water. There's also free karaoke and Lami mahjong, though they can only be used until 11 PM. The karaoke is a new facility, only 4 months old, and the sound system is excellent. The Lami mahjong set was brand new. In summary: Although the hotel is a bit old, the sea is incredibly beautiful, and we even saw sea turtles. For the price, it offers great value. Overall, I highly recommend it.

Facilities: Fully equipped and practical. Cleanliness: Spotless. Environment: Spacious and comfortable. Service: Warm and attentive. The hotel is right by the seafood market, making it super convenient to go to places like Fat Mama's for meals. The room is quite large, the beds are very clean, and the water pressure for showering is excellent. We stayed with two kids, so four of us in total, and it was great value for money. There are even security guards patrolling, and Filipino housekeepers help with luggage, which is a nice touch.

The surrounding area is pretty bad; the whole Semporna town is dirty and chaotic, with lots of stray dogs and dirty kids. This hotel is a bit far from the Seafest Jetty, and the hotels closer to the jetty seem to have a better environment. They offer complimentary snacks and drinks, and the service attitude is quite good. The rooms are spacious and have good soundproofing. However, there were only two old bath towels on the bed and no bath mat. The bath towels, duvet cover, and pillowcases all looked quite old and had old stains. Luckily, we brought disposable pillowcases. I'm not sure if it was because we showered after midnight, but the shower water was very cold. I didn't dare wash my hair and just took a quick rinse. The breakfast was very basic.

Really basic hotel. All of the other reviews are correct about the state of it but the location is perfect!!! So close to the best restaurant area and by the water. I would highly recommend staying in this area of semporna. Just know that you're getting a basic room.