Adventures above and below the sea await visitors to the Spratly Islands

Bill Altaffer; San Diego, CA

I left San Diego via Asiana Airlines in June 2013, and 36 hours later I was in Kota Kinabalu (KK), Malaysia, the gateway to the Spratly Islands and my final destination. KK’s airport is new and modern — not the place I saw when I visited 25 years earlier.

Kota Kinabalu

I stayed overnight in town at the 3-star Hotel Shangri-La for about $75, including buffet breakfast. The 5-mile taxi ride to the hotel cost $20, paid for with a coupon I purchased with cash inside the airport. 

KK has plenty of beach resort hotels, 5-star properties with all the amenities plus golf and tennis. However, choosing a basic hotel for this stopover is a good idea, since most flights come in after midnight, allowing little opportunity to enjoy the amenities of the pricier properties. The 4 a.m. check-in for my flight to the Spratlys further reinforced my decision. 

The convenience of a hotel in town allowed me to purchase a few electronic items after only a short walk from my hotel. As Malaysia was formerly a British colony, I had to remember to look the opposite way when crossing the roads. 

Island living

Flying from KK, I arrived at the resort of Layang Layang* (phone +6 03 21702185, email [email protected]). The resort and the island on which it sits, a man-made atoll also known as the Island of Swallows, are one and the same, serviced by a private airline ($370 per person, round trip, from KK). My window seat provided me with spectacular views of the island as the plane circled the runway. With a polarizing filter, my camera captured the various remarkable blue tones below me. 

The hotel staff was waiting as our group deplaned. The accommodations at Layang Layang are built of dark teakwood in imitation of Sabah’s traditional longhouses. (Sabah is the most northerly state of Malaysian Borneo.) 

The resort’s rating as a 3-star hotel did not prepare me for this sparkling gem in the deep blue sea. Its 76 rooms and 10 deluxe suites, all with private verandas, can host up to 200 guests. All rooms have air-conditioning, private baths and TVs. 

A 6-day, 5-night package costs $1,490 (twin, sharing) and includes five excellent buffet meals each day. Divers have use of tanks, weights and belts for the three boat dives a day as well as for jetty and boat night dives. You can rent additional equipment, if needed. A dive team of six PADI instructors provides safe, professional services. (The cost for nondivers is $1,060.) 

A strict environmental conservation program is maintained at the resort. Diving is limited to 40 meters, and gauges are checked to insure divers follow the rules. 

Activities

So who goes to this tiny coral outcropping located 300 kilometers northwest of KK? For the most part, visitors are experienced international scuba divers wanting to see its kaleidoscope of sea creatures, including several varieties of sharks and rays and the occasional whale. 

Divers departing on their boats and catamarans for one of the 16 recognized dive spots there are often accompanied by spinner and bottlenose dolphins frolicking in their wake. But there are other reasons to visit.

For the most part, visitors to Layang Layang have their heads below the water, enjoying this aquatic playground where snorkelers can see countless colorful fish of all shapes and sizes. But there is something for everyone, starting with what can be found in the lighter-blue area above, the sky. Countless migratory birds use the surrounding lagoons as a predator-free pit stop on their world migrations, making this a haven for birders as well as divers. 

One of the highlights of my visit was a boat ride to Bird Island. The noise of the birds was deafening. 

Six different species of seabirds breed at the western end of the island. Pathways and bird-watching gazebos have been built to allow guests to observe the birds without damaging their nests or eggs. 

The island is also a destination of choice for amateur radio (ham radio) operators. Kayaking and windsurfing are other available activities. 

Those who are looking for peace and quiet can find it in the reading area. An attractive pool, a bar and a lounge are available as well. 

Finally, country and island collectors can add the Spratlys to their lists of remote and exotic locations. 

The resort

The resort’s manager, Eugene Foo, has been on the reef since the resort’s beginnings 18 years ago and I thought he had great insights concerning guest relations. For example, the suites cannot be booked ahead of time. The guest must see them and decide to upgrade; this takes possible disappointment out of the equation, since the suites are basically the same as regular rooms but larger and with bathtubs. 

Since you must fly in and out of Kota Kinabalu to get to the Spratlys, I would advise you also tour KK, with its busy fish markets and floating mosque. Drives to the local mountains offer a panoramic view of the city below and a stop to see a beautiful waterfall. There are boutique hotels in scenic areas of the region, where beaches and resort properties rival those in Bali. 

Every kind of world cuisine is available in KK. If you have a few days, you could climb Mt. Kinabalu on your way to Sandakan to see the world-famous orangutan preserve. 

To make arrangements to stay at Layang Layang as well as to tour KK, I’d recommend Lawrence Lee ([email protected]), who works in the resort’s main office in KK. 

The Spratly Islands are closed to tourists from November to January due to heavy monsoonal rains. The climate is equatorial, with high humidity and cool sea breezes. The naval base on Layang Layang is a deterrent to illegal fishing activities, thus insuring a pristine environment for all who visit.

*[The website www.avillion.com does not show up on some devices, displaying either a line of code or an erroneous message instructing one to update one’s Flash player. If you cannot access www.avillion.com, visit www.avillionlayanglayang.com and click on the X (upper right).— Editor]