Pulau Sibu is a small island off the
southeast coast of Malaysia where we recently went for 5 days. And it was, in a word, GREAT! Sea
Gypsy "resort" is a very laid-back, rustic island eco-getaway, with a
large, all-sand beach with nice waves for boogie boarding, and lined with swaying coconut trees. Owned and operated by Aussies, this expat-friendly enclave offers 20 or so accommodations which are rustic by most standards -- thatched
roofed, wooden huts with open windows, a tiny bathroom (cold water only),
mosquito nets over the beds and, of course, no A/C. But with ceiling fans and the steady coastal breezes we still
used the sheets over us at night.
It is the closest thing to "camping" on a platform by the
beach as you can get; a welcome escape from the urban onslaught of Singapore. The great room and dining rooms consist of 2 large, thatched-covered
verandahs with a well stocked bar, many games and books, and music wafting throughout. There is even a small but excellent dive center, along with kayaks, little sailboats and beach toys all there for the taking. It is heavenly for those who want to get away from it all in a barefoot/tee shirt/expat-kind-of-way
(I actually overpacked with my 4 tee shirts, 2 bathing suits and 3
shorts!). For my family, it was fabulous!
The Great Room & Dive Shop, Sea Gypsy
Our Chalet at Sea Gypsy
The food was good, too -- basically
Malaysian, it consisted of buffet breakfasts with rotis, sweet vegetable curry,
fruit and either eggs or some other protein. Lunch was also a mixed buffet and dinner was family-style, table served courses consisting of spicy rice or noodles with
fresh fish, lamb, curry, rendang, or other tasty delights. There was also a separate kids' dinner
hour with easier-to-palate food. The kids loved it -
especially since it was not with
the parents (it was, after all, our unofficial cocktail hour). We never knew what was on
the menu until it was time to eat, as everything is brought daily from the
mainland village on the resort's 25 foot launch. And after
snooping around in the sparse, open air kitchen I was impressed at the high
quality food these people produce with limited resources. While I would not categorize Sea Gypsy as a food-focused
destination, I did note that I, along with everyone else there, enjoyed all of
the meals.
Sea Gypsy's simple kitchen turns out good food.
One highlight for us all was the Kids'
Club, a colorful hut and grassy area filled with arts & crafts, games, jungle activities and a couple of rope swings. A nice Aussie girl (~20 yrs) ran it
and all the kids were enraptured from the get go. By popular demand my boys went to the Club on 3 of the 5 days from 9-12:30, giving Lisa and I great beach reading time, while still having the rest of the
day (and late nights) with the kids playing games or getting waterlogged. It was super-high-quality Family Time with no
distractions from the likes of TV or computers. And when not with us, the boys were off like barefoot
wild animals with new-found friends. To add to the excitement were the 10km boat trips in the launch to
and from the island; a wet and wild adventure ride! So for a Gilligan's Island, family-focused, kid
friendly getaway, Sea Gypsy takes
the prize. And at just 3 hours
door to door from our flat in Singapore, we will most definitely be returning!
A typical landing of the Launch At Sea Gypsy
Chillaxing!
There are a couple of other, small eco-resorts
on Sibu which to see one must hike to through the jungle, as there
are no roads of any sort on this remote island. We hiked a moderate, 3km trail to Rimba Resort to do some snorkeling.
At the base of the mountain along a coconut-lined
sliver of sand and reef, Rimba is very small, very austere and completely
remote. It is designed after a Kenyan
coastal village, so I was immediately drawn to the architecture -- consisting also of thatched huts, mosquito nets, and cold water. It had a twig-built great room and bar, with plush pillows
scattered about the floor to recline on with a cold one. The art -- what little is needed in such a wild, open air
place, is a mix of island/Kenyan and just right for this exotic setting. There is a very small dive center -- indeed the coral beach is on the
edge of a good diving wall -- and while the
pebbly beach is not ideal for kids, the snorkeling at Rimba
is excellent. We walked to the end of the coral/granite/iron ore rock
formations comprising the northern side of the cove where Rimba sits and
entered into a naturally-formed open "tidal pool" which was easy to
slide into. It was the first real snorkeling in coral reef that Oliver
and Cooper did and after a couple timid moments, they dove right in. The reef was very healthy, with a large variety of coral, and countless fish ranging from standard, low-on-the-food-chain residents (sergeant
majors, clownfish, snapper, etc.) to more exotic parrotfish, angelfish and
others which I should, but can't, name. We also saw many wonderful, long-spined urchins, large sea
cucumbers and colorful clams. And with visibility of at least 40 feet, the
conditions were excellent. But perhaps what made it so magical was that the four of
us were the only souls there--an absolutely pristine family snorkeling adventure. It was reminiscent of my wonderful Indian Ocean snorkeling days as a kid near Twiga Beach
in Mombasa, Kenya--a natural coral reef abundant with aquatic delights below, but private and deserted above.
Hiking the jungle trail to Rimba!
Cooper getting ready to dive in at Rimba!
We also took the launch to a small island
for a group snorkel (~10 people). It was very nice; pretty
good coral and fish, with wonderful white sand to chillax on afterwards.
Hard to beat when coupled with the boat ride to and from. But
honestly the actual snorkeling at Rimba was superior.
Snorkeling on a tiny deserted isle.
We met a
British sailing cruiser couple in the bar at Sea Gypsy one morning and they
reminded me of my brother and his wife, although a bit older, haggard and more weather-beaten than Carl & Kathleen.
They were working their way toward the Mediterranean and seemed in no
rush to leave this place. I gave
them Carl's email address to get some local knowledge of Lankawi, Malaysia
(where his own sailboat now floats) with the hope that the 6-degrees-of-separation thing
kicks into gear with my brother, who is currently in Afghanistan. As I jealously ogled at their Island
Packet 42 moored off shore I couldn't help but wondering if my own
brother has visited this wonderful part of the South China
Sea.
Paradise found!
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