Luma' Selakan — Hotel in Sabah

Luma Selekan is one of the most wonderful places our family has ever stayed. It is not perfect, but the location and the atmosphere make up for some of the shortcomings. Before I list the pros and cons, first some things to note: their is no hot water, the water pressure is weak, there is no AC, and the food is limited in its options. These are things you should know up front before you book. If you are OK with these things, this place should be a top option for those looking to explore the nearby islands. ||||Positives||- Location - Located a short boat ride away from Bohey Dulang and Sibuan; this is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Selekan Island itself is not as beautiful as it's neighboring islands, but has a unique culture and friendly island village that is worth exploring during your downtime. ||- Accommodation Layout - As a family of five our room setup was perfect. The two rooms were connected by a short dock that overlooked the water. The dock has a ladder into the water and we put our drying rack out there as well. Each of our rooms also had a larger dock that extended out over the water and during high tides, our kids loved jumping off the dock into the water. ||- Food - I loved the food each meal and would put it as a plus. However, if you're children are a bit picky (like my 5 year old), this place will pose some challenges. We packed lots of extra snacks and it was just fine. ||- Atmosphere - The place is just really chill. We met some really nice people there - staff and other guests - and enjoyed spending part of our evening just chatting, playing the ukelele over the water, having a few beers (you have to bring your own), and playing board games. ||||Cons - ||- Room furniture - The room is a decent size. It seems like it wouldn't be too much to have them make some more shelves, or nightstands, or desks, or hangers. With a family of five, we needed more space to put our stuff. ||- Itinerary Details - When you stay at Luma, you are right in the middle of the Semporna Islands and have easy and quick access to some really amazing places. We liked that we essentially had a boat and driver to ourselves each day. For example, one day, we were forced to leave Sibuan Island early because of an approaching thunderstorm; when the rain cleared, we asked if we could go to a different nearby island to explore the Bajau Laut culture and check out the beaches even though our island tour was essentially over for that day; the were (mostly) happy to accommodate this request. The reason, then, that this part ends up in the negative section was because there was still quite a bit to be desired from our 3 night, 2 day package. I get the sense - from talking with the other guests - that this operation really does a great job hosting divers. Hosting families, it seems, still has some room for improvement. For starters, we purchased the island hopping itinerary, and we did not go to all of the islands that were listed on the itinerary. In fact, on the first day, they only brought us to one island (Sibuan) that was about 15 minutes away. This is not really what I had in mind when we were going to go island "hopping." On the second day, they had us go to Bohey Dulang Island for the famous hike. We were super excited. We got there, registered, and started the hike up the mountain, only to be told about 2 minutes into the hike that two of my children could not go to the top because they were too young. Our guides - two young locals - seemed to know this but never mentioned it on the way there. When I asked them what the others will do if I and my eldest daughter hiked to the top, they just said "wait." I did not want most of my family to just sit and wait for us, so we all decided to not do the hike. This was the thing I was most excited about on our island hopping tour, and now we were leaving because there was no planning. Why could the boat driver not take the three family members who were waiting and drive them five minutes to go snorkelling? Next up, we went to Mantabuan, and it was such a low tide that we couldn't really snorkel. Why bring a family of five to a snorkelling spot that can't be snorkelled? Needless to say, our second day was the low point of our trip to Semporna. The next day was a bit better but still with some hiccups. ||||Overall, if they could improve their itinerary and island hopping guides, this place would be...

Its been 2 weeks since I came back from Luma' Selakan, and I've been thinking of you everyday. If only I could give a 7 star rating, I would!

Came here with my 2 girlfriends with no expectations whatsoever. Have only seen a friend repeating coming here several times for her dive trips and thought, instead of going to typical/commercial areas, why not try it here.

We basically just wanted to chill and relax since the 2 year lockdown kept us home and occupied with work, and decided to venture Sabah waters as we've never been to their islands before. And it is indeed the best decision we made this year! Stayed 4 days 3 nights, and wished we stayed longer.

Location wise, it is very strategic, only 20-30 minutes boat ride from the main land/jetty. Luma's Selakan is the only resort at the Selakan island, and the view is breathtaking all day all night 24/7. Every rooms are sea facing, and guests are able to enjoy both sunsets and sunrise view. Rooms are basic, but very clean, comfortable, properly built and well ventilated. It is windy all the time and the sea breeze are refreshing. I realize from this trip that we are happy and content even with the most basic things in life. At night, we could stargaze and see the milky way. Beautiful!

Food was served the local way 4 times a day, sitting on the floor on a low table, feasting together with other guests. Food is home cooked by villagers. Thought this is such a good way of supporting local villagers too. They were delicious. The best thing is, guests can cook too since they let us use the kitchen and fridge anytime. Do bring some groceries, coffees, teas on your own if you were to stay long here.

We were so happy with our stay that we immediately booked for a 6 days trip in February 2023 and bought our flight tickets right away. I wish I could stay much longer someday when time permits.

Thank you to Mel, Zul, Pak Jand and all crews for hosting us and looking after us throughout our stay. Wish you all well, and see you again soon!

It was a great experience on my stay and dive at Luma'selakan

To summarize,

Accommodation I stayed in their standard room. With toilet. Comfy bed. And Clean room. Love the view from my window(or can use it as door to go direct to the deck)

Meals 4 meals a day cooked by the locals. Great kampung food. Love the "Sambal Goreng Ikan Pari" which I never heard of and never see in Peninsula. They serve buffet style where u can eat alone or better wait for the others to eat family style.

They have small pantry/ cooking area where u can bring your own raw material food to cook an eat there.

Dive Great dive experience where the DM's are really helpful and knowledgeable. And friendly. Their experiences with the local area / dive site really help in searching for all barang you want to see (with luck). I went for macro package and am very happy with my findings. Also the DM's willing to share their knowledge and teach you some skills. Tak kedekut ilmu langsung DM Zul, Osman n Malleesa and Instructor Basir.

Crew Very hardworking and friendly. Some of them are shy but after few times sembang they will surely open up and chill with you.

Electricity They use both solar power during the day and generators at night or when needed. So I could say 24/7 electric available but maybe sometimes when to change from one to another will cut of for short while.

Water Clean rain water were stocked for daily use. Hence you will feels fresh. Comparing some island using well water / distilled sea water (?)

Unfortunately when I was there, it was gloomy and rain on and off. We can't control the weather but then , it was very cooling and chill.i don't have anything to complaint on that.

Very thankful and happy that received very warm welcome n great hospitality by the team ther. Will surely visit again next time. Till then, keep up the good work!

Ps: if you are UW Macro Photography lover, do check their package....