Resorts in Kota Kinabalu

"First, all the check in counters were open but still the check in queue was long. I was queued for almost 1 hour just to check in. Need to better system in check-in. Second, hotel policies stated no outside food. If guest order food outside, food rider only able to delivered until guardhouse and guest need to walk out and take the food themselves. To minimize the hassle, we opt for in-room dining for our 2 nights stay. First night was good. Second night some of the menu are OOS such as pizza and even mushroom soup. Third, another incident on our 2nd night, fire alarm was rang on 12+am. Lift was unable to use as well and fire symbol was shown on the lift panel. Guests started panicked and going down using stairs. Me and my family (along with my 7months pregnant sister) decided to go down to lobby using stairs, since there are no staff was seen to inform us what has happened. Once we reached lobby, only there is a staff informed is a false alarm. For this kind of situation, staff should be act faster since its related with safety. Other than that, we've enjoyed the view from our room, the facilities that are offered. We're enjoyed the pizza on our first night, thats why we want to repeat on 2nd night and too bad its not available. Sutera Harbour is one of the well known resort in Kota Kinabalu, a place to catch good sunset view, and I hope they're able to improve their services and better safety/security."

"Not as good as my expectations of 5 stars of shangri la hotel, but still in great value and services consider the price is much cheaper. I came with my family including 2 kids at 6 and 8, they love the game area and swimming pools with water slides. Because of 2 nights stay in the wet seasons in September. especially after 5pm, a tropical rainfall so that I didn't get any chance to see sunset in the beaches. The beaches are not really good condition of sand quality. I enjoyed the morning hiking trip to the nearby hills and also the walk in the beach. Many wildlife and calm of the days."

"It was a nice short getaway place to escape from the busy city life. As usual, we checked in and started exploring. The beach was beautiful, the sand was super white and clean, and we even got to try the ATV ride, which was really fun! The staff were friendly and helpful throughout our stay. For cleanliness, it was okay it’s a beach after all, so it’s not surprising if there’s a bit of sand in the room. Nothing major though. The highlight for me was definitely the sunset. The sunset was absolutely breathtaking right in the middle of the sea. Overall, it was a really good experience perfect for a quick escape and some peace of mind. ❤️✨🌸"

"Walaweh! First of all, thank you for the complimentary upgrade – perks of being a TRIP.com regular customer 🤣 Top tier service! Thank you, Shangri-La, for giving us such a wonderful experience. We truly loved our stay here, and *************, we got to witness the most beautiful sunset. Most importantly, thank you for prioritizing our child’s comfort – it really means a lot to us. 💖"

"The island in the morning until tourists started arriving was serene, the sea was super pleasant to swim in. The sunset was stunning. Monitor lizards made our day, but honestly, the hotel itself is seriously overpriced. The food wasn’t good. There were only 4 dishes for dinner and look at the breakfast in the picture. The aircon didn’t cool the room enough and it was loud. It was  impossible to leave any food in the room as it immediately got attacked by a swarm of ants."

"One night stay at Suite Check-in took about 40 minutes, including queuing and waiting. My booking included club benefits, which meant access to the Magellan Club, but I wasn’t directed there. Instead, we were told to wait “five minutes” at the lounge for the front desk to double-check if the room was ready. The wait ended up being much longer, and we eventually had to return to the counter ourselves to ask if the room was available. The suite itself was acceptable in terms of cleanliness, but there were some minor maintenance issues: the fan remote in the living area didn’t work, and the main room remote was also faulty. The overall facilities were good, and the staff were friendly. Room service was impressively quick, especially when I requested extra bottled water, which was delivered promptly. Overall: A decent stay with some clear highlights such as the Magellan Club access, but better communication on benefits, smoother check-in, and room maintenance would make the experience much more enjoyable."

"The resort is very easy to get to from Kota Kinabalu airport. Using the Grab app makes it convenient to call a car to take you to the Jesselton Point to catch the boat to the resort. The resort is quite beautiful and clean. Reading other reviews, I wasn’t quite sure why several had complaints about the price and food. The food was all excellent - fresh and reasonably priced. We ate at both specialty restaurants as well - Fisherman’s Cove and Omakase - and both were excellent. The breakfast and dinner buffets had a lot of variety to choose from and all the staff were friendly and helpful. The bed was incredibly comfortable and we loved the sea view from our terrace. The bathroom was well-equipped and spacious. The pool was very clean and there were plenty of sun chairs to choose from. The gift shop had many cute items. The spa is beautiful and the massage was amazing! What needs improvement - the bathtub in our villa was a bit dirty with some dead bugs. It’s fantastic that they offer a complimentary boat shuttle to the other bay near the marine center but it’s extremely littered with plastic. I asked the staff for a garbage bag and ended up collecting about 5 kg worth of garbage from the beach and sea. This should be the government policy or authorities responsibility - they need to clean it up and charge fines for littering. Overall, we loved this resort and wanted to stay longer. We definitely recommend staying here. I would like to specifically mention Aileen, Rozana, Nathaniel and Shadar for making our stay memorable and comfortable."

"One of our best experience. Best part about Manukan Sutera lodge 1) very helpful and friendly staff. 2) i booked 2 rooms. They gave me adjoining room. Super helpful for family with kids. 3) very spacious rooms. 4) sunset viewpoint is a big plus. U get the see the beautiful sunset. But have to walk 1.5km to and another 1.5km back. 5) private beach is helpful for guests so that we don't have to share the public beach with the rest of the visitors. U get to see more fish and corals because fewer tourists to scare away the fish 6) free rental snorkeling equipment. 7) delicious and sumptuous breakfast. 8) easy boat transport. Free overnightt parking at sutera marina club. Disadvantages 1) no data signal or wifi in the room.have to go to reception for wifi or data signal. 2) dinner is slightly more expensive because there is only 1 restaurant, so no other choices. But food is delicious, even for the fried rice (see pic)"

"Just got back home yesterday, and I'm determined to write a thorough review for this hotel. My kids also encouraged me to review it, because it truly deserves it. We booked four ocean villas for two nights, and I initially thought our chances of encountering issues would be higher with such a large booking. But we didn't run into any problems at all! In fact, I even regretted not booking more nights, mainly because I was put off by too many negative reviews on Ctrip. 1. **Service:** If you're comfortable communicating in English, the hotel service is absolutely fantastic. Most of the staff speak excellent English and were diligent in explaining activities, facilities, schedules, and programs. They showed us where everything was in the room and proactively informed us about the cost if we broke any of the toiletries bottles. The higher cost for broken bottles is because the contents are genuinely expensive – they're pure plant essential oil toiletries. As someone who regularly uses essential oils, I know they shouldn't be stored in plastic. Plus, these toiletries left our hair and skin feeling moisturized, not dry. I found them to be very effective. If you're worried about breaking them, just place them on the floor. 2. **Seawater:** The seawater is quite clear. While it's not a 'jelly blue,' the clarity is definitely good. We did experience a heavy downpour one day, and the water became a bit murky the next, but it was still perfectly acceptable. The photo of the large sea turtle looks a bit blurry because it was taken with a waterproof phone case, but the water itself was actually very clear. That was taken from under our water villa. The manta ray was photographed near the stairs of our water villa room. 3. **No Outside Food Policy:** They don't allow outside food in the rooms because it attracts ants and monkeys. The front desk has a dedicated area for storing snacks. We didn't bring any snacks into our room and always closed the door promptly, so we didn't have any bugs or insects. A crucial point: absolutely do not feed the monkeys! 4. **Meals:** We had all our meals at the hotel restaurant, and the food was truly delicious. A main meal costs around 90+ MYR per person (about 160 CNY). We felt the food was excellent, with a good variety of dishes and drinks beyond just the main courses. The kids' portions were a bit small; our four children ordered 7 kids' meals, and eventually, we just ordered them regular adult meals instead. 5. **Hot Water:** Regarding previous reviews mentioning no hot water, one of our rooms indeed had this issue. We called the front desk, and it turned out there's a 'water heater' button on the wall. Hot water was available within 15 minutes. So, don't hesitate to ask! Don't be shy; good service often requires you to speak up. 6. **Free Rentals:** Paddleboards, small boats, fins, and masks are all available for free rental. 7. **Marine Life:** In the ocean, we spotted baby sharks, baby manta rays, triggerfish, archerfish (the ones that shoot water), porcupinefish, and even a large sea turtle (which is rare, but we got lucky!). 8. **Welcome/Farewell:** We received a welcome ceremony and a welcome drink upon arrival. Upon departure, we sometimes had the whole staff waving goodbye to us. 9. **Guest Demographics:** There were a lot of European and American guests at the hotel, some Koreans, but not many Chinese guests. I wonder if this is due to the excessive negative reviews on Ctrip. 10. **Cleanliness:** The hygiene was excellent, and the rooms were very clean. Each room came with life vests, so you could go snorkeling anytime. That pretty much covers it. I believe if your English communication is good, feel free to chat with the front desk and restaurant staff; they are very engaging. At 8 AM, the hotel organizes a free jungle trek. It was a bit tiring, and we didn't see much – just hiking uphill. For reference, my experience this trip, and with these four rooms, was genuinely excellent. Having been to places like the Maldives, Bali, and Koh Lipe... I think this hotel offers great value for money, and I would definitely come back. Hotels at this price point on Koh Lipe before were significantly worse."

"This place is a perfect getaway for those who need a getaway from the hustle and bustle of their daily life. We had a warm welcome from the staff upon arrival (about 40mins boat ride from main island) and had a buggy send us to the rooms. Room was spacious. Dinner from the main restaurant was great. Staff were extremely friendly. Would recommend snorkelling in the morning from 8am onwards when the tides aren't too low. I was lucky enough to spot a turtle! Beware of crazy sandflies though. We got bitten real bad."