5 Star Borneo Holidays

Rachael Sharmini

Me, my husband (Jay) and our little girl stayed here during our first few days in Sabah. It was such a pleasant stay, we left with a very very heavy heart. Each and every staff here made us feel so much at home. Thank u Miss Sharleen and the rest of the team for being so kind and generous . We stayed in the garden wing. It was a well equipped ,spacious room. There's ample of activities provided by the hotel. The facilities here are all well maintained and kept clean. The food was good too. Perfect place for families who love nature and want to be away from the hustle and bustle of life. This was by far the best hotel me and my family have stayed in. Thank you for the great experience and hospitality. We will be back surely ! :)

R B

We stayed recently for a few nights in this hotel with the family including 2 young kids. Our experience was great. The facilities and pool are very well maintained and looked after. The kids had a fantastic time and enjoyed the pool. There are also plenty of an activities offered which made the time just fly past. Food offerings have been great as well. Most importantly all the staff has been very friendly and helpful. Special mention to Allen who helped us to also accommodate my wife’s food allergies. Overall truly a 5 Star experience and we will come back for sure.

Sue Evans

This ia a lovely hotel located right on the beach. We stayed in the "Garden Wing" The room was spacious and had a lovely hot shower. It was well equipped with a kettle, hairdryer, iron and ironing board. There are massages available together with walks in the nature reserve. There is also a beautiful swimming pool. The staff were amazing. Although it was Chinese New Year and extremely busy the staff were always helpful, courteous and always smiling. The prices of the food and drinks were very reasonable. As for the buffet breakfast, there were vast arrays of food which catered for everyone. There is also a buffet restaurant which is amazing serving lobster tails and seafood in abundance, vegetarian, BBQ, Asian and many more. There was even roast beef and roast lamb with horseradish and mint sauce. We could find no fault with this hotel. Unfortunately we only had a two night stay here but it was fabulous.

Eric Anderson

This place is amazing. I'm leaving today and I'm sooo sad. I don't think I'll experience a resort vacation like this again unless I come back here. I drove a jet ski for the first time (it's true, it's impossible not to smile on a jet ski). I watched the sun sink into the sea. I saw a fire dance. I saw a giant monitor lizard casually swim through a pool full of children. I gained SO much weight. If you have children this is the perfect resort. If you don't have kids, you will have no problem finding quiet spaces and activities. Besides the endless stuff to do and see, the thing that has struck me the most is the incredible staff. There wasn't a single person that met me with anything but a cheerful smile and hello. Even the groundskeepers will stop what they are doing to wave and say hello. Every request I had was promptly and happily fulfilled. If this is some kind of cult I want in. The dining staff in particular were pleasant to see every day. I mostly dined on the Garden Wing side, and mostly ate from the buffet, and I stuffed myself every meal. The wait staff, hostesses and chefs were exceptional, no matter how busy it got. I'll never forget my stay here, it has set a new standard for me and I doubt it will ever be surpassed unless I return. The ONLY downside that I could see is the location. It is outside of the main city of KK, so if you want to venture out you will have ~20 minutes of traffic to deal with but all my activities outside the resort only made it more obvious how special the staff and amenities are here.

Demetrius Spates

We enjoyed a week long stay with our family of four. No detail was left out during our time there. Every meal was delectable and dinner buffet was mind blowing. We golfed, rode on the jet skis, played games, relaxed in the pools and did a lot of nothing as well. The night hike was quite exciting too. I’m glad our room had ocean views. We travel a lot and this was by far one of the best experiences had by our entire family. Kid and adult friendly. We will be back! Thank you for the great hospitality.

Hisyam Bujang

My friend and I stayed here for two nights and had a wonderful experience. From the moment we arrived, we felt welcomed by the friendly staff. The room was comfortable with a beautiful view of Mount Kinabalu, and any issues we had were quickly resolved. The resort offers plenty of activities, especially for families, and the surroundings are peaceful and well-maintained. During our stay, we noticed that most of the guests were tourists from China, but it still felt relaxed and quiet. Overall, it was a pleasant and memorable stay.

Shahriman Kamaruzzaman

A Wonderful Stay at Shangri-La Tanjung Aru (14–17 April 2025) I had a truly memorable stay at Shangri-La Tanjung Aru from 14th to 17th April 2025. I stayed in a room with a beautiful Kinabalu mountain view—absolutely stunning to wake up to each morning. Upon arrival, I was warmly welcomed and received lovely gift amenities for my anniversary 9yr from the duty manager, Ms. Suraya, which was such a thoughtful gesture. The service throughout my stay was excellent. Special thanks to Mr. Jordan at the reception, who handled my check-in smoothly and made me feel right at home. During breakfast, Ms. Mariana and the manager Mr. Majid provided outstanding hospitality—always attentive and friendly. I also enjoyed the in-room dining and tried the Kung Fu Kuey Teow, which was delicious. The infinity swimming pool and the Sunset Bar were definite highlights, especially during the golden hour—perfect spots to relax and take in the view. Overall, everything from the service to the amenities was top-notch. I highly recommend Shangri-La Tanjung Aru and would love to return again!

Rijal Sukri

We loved the fact that the hotel had a lot of inhouse activities for the children at no additional expense. The pool area were my children's fav with the water slides, ice cream stand and the water bucket. In the evening there was a bubble bath in the public garden too. Personally i enjoyed the whole stay. Was very comfortable, attentive staff, breakfast was good. Couldnt ask for more 👍

Anabela Lamosova

It is a large resort situated on the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding islands. The sunsets here are simply stunning. Included within the hotel is a Marina, providing convenient transportation to the nearby islands. The hotel is about a 15-minute taxi ride from the city center. The rooms are spacious and clean, and the service is impeccable, ensuring a comfortable and pleasant stay. If you're traveling as a couple, it's worth noting that the hotel is popular with families, so expect many children on the premises.

Joanna chiok

The room is very very clean and the housekeeping who clean my room is super efficient. Mohd asri from the coffee house is superb.. his hospitality and anticipation is tremendously great. I surely will return...sunset view is the most valuable value n memories

K S

I spent three nights at this resort and had a great time. We chose the full-board package, which included a few activities. The most impressive part of this resort was the staff — they were so attentive and kind. The location is very convenient, being close to both the airport and the Jesselton Point ferry terminal. If you're traveling with elderly people or kids, this place is a great option to consider. One thing to note: the view from our room (we chose the ocean view) faced Kota Kinabalu, so we could see buildings across the water. Since the island is very close to the city, this can be both a good and bad thing — it's convenient to get to, but the view isn’t as pristine. The activities were enjoyable, though the snorkeling, which was included in the package, was a bit disappointing. Still, we’re easygoing and had fun watching the fish near the jetty. The free activities for the nature walk(the one every morning - one hour) was really informative and the staff who guided us was so passionate and show us a lot of plants and creatures as much as possible. If you're in or near Malaysia and just want to relax without overthinking, I highly recommend this resort.

Erna Naresa

Overall beautiful resort but definitely a 3-4 star hotel at best with ample room for improvement when it comes to customer service. Activities: They provide a packed schedule of activities that you can book, although at an additional cost. They do have free activities such as snorkel gear, kayaking, even ferry to their private beach which is nice. There is no need to pay extra for a “guide” for such things as they advertised as can easily be done by yourselves, so do take note. There is not much to do in the evening except have dinner, take a walk around the resort. Rooms: Rooms are beautiful. We took the villa and had a nice scenic view of the waters. Only note is the lack of privacy, sometimes the staff could just come to your front door and see everything happening in the room. NOT IDEAL. Food: Food was ok but the food management was terrible. No room service provided, this is shocking especially since they claim to be 5 star. Staff on day 1 advised us not to order room service as it will be cold, thought this was really odd. Also discovered that if we wanted to order from their lunch menu for dinner, we had to make order way in advance. So basically if u want to eat at the resort, you have to time your meals and plans in advance because you have to make booking for everything. Service: Definitely not 5 star service, more like 3 star. Some examples, call reception many times and nobody answer. Ask for room change at first (we paid for villa with water view and that view was blocked by a tree) and immediately was told not possible because they claim all rooms were booked. Had to check booking.com only to find out that there are rooms available and fight with manager to get a better room - we managed to get a better room in the end. Their attitude overall seem to be saying no to everything at first before trying to help, which is not matching to a 5 star hotel. Location: Beautiful location. You take a 15 minute ferry to reach the resort, thought this was a nice touch. Resort is beach front, facilities are very nice as well. Though bear in mind that the ferry transfer is additional charge.

Angela Spence

Magical Stay at Gaya Island Resort: Perfect for Families! Our stay at Gaya Island Resort has been nothing short of amazing. Traveling with young kids can be challenging, but this resort struck the perfect balance between adventure, relaxation, and world-class service. From the moment we arrived, Raja, the manager, went above and beyond to make sure we were well taken care of especially as Hilton Platinum members, His warmth and attention to detail made our family feel so welcome. Our room was stunning as it was perched up in the trees with beautiful views, it felt like our own little jungle hideaway. Every detail was thoughtful, luxurious, and comfortable. The Marine Center is a true highlight. It’s not just fun and educational for the kids, it’s doing important work to protect and restore the local ecosystem. We were so impressed by the coral growing efforts and the team’s passion. We also saw so much wildlife - butterflies, monkeys, lizards, horn bill, fish on the amazing house reef, mean monkeys, (haha!) snakes. It was like living in a nature documentary! Yes, the resort faces KK across the water, but what truly surrounds you is lush jungle, calm beaches, and natural beauty. It’s peaceful, serene, and completely unique. And the food was wow! The chef (I can’t remember his name) is truly top-tier. He was so friendly and welcoming and would make whatever you were in mood for. He accommodated picky kids and vegetarians too! The hospitality throughout the resort is outstanding, with every staff member making you feel special. We’ve made incredible memories here and can’t recommend this hotel highly enough a family, or just looking for a special escape into nature.

Evelyn Ng

An absolute beautiful resort with the most friendliest and accommodating staff. We booked Gaya Island Resort for the second part of our holiday to relax and enjoy the beach life. We were taken care of as soon as we stepped into the ferry terminal office. Breakfast buffet was included with our booking and the choices and different cuisines offered was quite impressive. Dinner buffet would be considered reasonably priced if you were working in a country that had a strong dollar but as someone working in Malaysia it was a bit of a pricey price tag to swallow. But the food was top notch and the dessert selection offered each night was a highlight (that mini mango pavlova was 🤤) Beach was quite small at the main part of the resort but the resort does have a private beach about a 5 min ride away and offers a transfer between the two locations. We had a late flight leaving Kota Kinabalu and the staff were really accommodating and allowed us to store our luggage and let us continue to use the beach and pool, and showers until it was time to go. Overall I would love to come back to Gaya Island Resort and would highly recommend it to friends and family.

Jamie Sims

The Gaya island resort was lovely and views were spectacular. Loved the location and we were lucky to have been placed in the best villa for our three night stay. Be prepared to do a 5-8 minute walk from your villa to the beach/resturant. The price was high for the amenities and facilities that was available as you still had to pay for 95% of the other activities on the island which I thought was just to money hungry. By the time you pay the price plus tax and fees it was not really worth the money as it was around $400 per night per couple plus meals and activities extra. Overall it was nice to visit but I would only stay for maximum two nights next time.