Gaya Island Resort - Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Resort in Sabah
5-Star Resort
Reasons to book
Guests love it hereGuests give this property a top rating
Free cancellationFull refund if you change your mind
Includes essentialsGarden, Pool, Air conditioner and more
About this resort
Set within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park off the coast of Borneo, Gaya Island offers elegant villas with panoramic views of the South China Sea and the rainforest. It boasts 5 dining options, a private beach and an outdoor pool.
Amenities
Pool
Air conditioner
Internet / Wifi
Laundry
Balcony or Patio
Hot tub or spa
TV
Beachfront or waterfront
Gym or Fitness Center
Garden
Family friendly
Map of Sabah
Available Rooms
1 Double • 505 ft²
Sleeps 3
You'll be directed to Booking.com for availability & pricing
1 Double • 505 ft²
Sleeps 3
You'll be directed to Booking.com for availability & pricing
1 Double • 505 ft²
Sleeps 3
You'll be directed to Booking.com for availability & pricing
1 Double • 505 ft²
Sleeps 3
You'll be directed to Booking.com for availability & pricing
1 Double • 505 ft²
Sleeps 3
You'll be directed to Booking.com for availability & pricing
$$$$
Reviews
100% verified reviews10.0
Great architecture melt intonthe forest, amazing view from the room terrase, amazing room and service
Everything was perfect
8.0
Beautiful location with a nice view of Mt Kinabalu and the bay. Excellent service. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. The natural beauty and the staff are the 2 gems of this place. Omakase and Fisherman's Cove restaurant were good.
The rooms can be better maintained. The taps were clogged from water sediments. We had to manually fill up the flush tank in the toilet, not good for a 5 star hotel. The food at FEAST was average. The special dinner at MYR2000 was a disappointment - the fish and steak were overdone and not of good quality. The monkeys were scary. One almost entered the room. Not much of a beach. The corals were bleached.
5.0
Food was good - but expensive
- Rooms were located up a 5-10 min walk up a steep hill behind public areas - not suitable for all
- no air con in public areas
- slow service - long wait to check in
- pretty much all activities come at an additional cost
- Additional fees not disclosed on booking - service tax, mandatory service fee, monopoly boat service - add on another 20%
9.0
Fina villor med gott om plats, lyxig känsla med en stil som passade väl in i den unika miljön på Gaya Island
Man ska vara observant på att det är mycket trappor och höjdskillnader så inget boende för de som har svårigheter att gå.
5.0
The jungle and green surrounding was excellent and new experience for us . The spa was nice .
The property and the service does not deserve five star rate . The staff is slow and not trained properly and in line with the 5 star staff . The rooms were not ready at the check in time . Everything was overpriced . The boat fee should be included in the service .
9.0
Great villas, super helpful staff, good food. Great spot for snorkelling and enjoyed the private beach.
Shame that the outdoor seating areas at the villas were not undercover as the cushions weee constantly wet.
More sun loungers needed at pool area - get there early!!
7.0
Great location and very friendly staff. Wide selection of food at the breakfast buffet.
Not enough sun beds for the guests. Limited spots in the restaurants which makes it difficult to get one.
5.0
The view and the unit itself were both lovely.
There were many extra fees, they charged me for two nights and I had to get my credit card company involved to fix it, and even with the eventual refund, the whole wound up costing me $550 for one night. Some things are a bit run down, and you have to be pretty able bodied to walk up and down to the villas.
10.0
The service is good
But the price is very pricey, especially ever had to add 16% tax
9.0
Location was great- loved the view from our top floor Kinabalu Villa. Our villa was huge and very comfortable. The staff were incredibly polite and well trained. Minor issues were addressed very quickly (for example the WiFi was reconnected before we had walked back to our villa). The breakfast, which was included in our room rate, was fantastic. The free visit to the hotel’s turtle rescue centre was excellent. A variety of other paid activities available.
The cost of our stay was a fair bit higher than we had expected. The hotel’s charging system is not very transparent and the following information should be given before booking.
Everything (speed boat ride to and from the resort, room rate, food, drinks, chargeable activities) has 6% tax and 10% service added when you get your final bill.
You also have to pay 10RM per room per night tourist tax and a conservation fee of 35RM per person for the first night plus 25RM per person for any subsequent nights. We paid this in cash otherwise I think they may have added taxes to these prices.
The food prices were twice as high as the most expensive resort elsewhere on our two week trip.
We had a lovely time whilst we were at the resort, but left feeling a bit disappointed over the bill.
1.0
none
worst experience ever, the phone in my room is broken so I’ve have to walk all the way to front desk or walk up till I get signal, complain once I arrive- still broken when I leave, I ask for ice bucket and I wait more than 30 mins for it, staff stood there to “hint” me for tips when dropping off baggage while I’m looking for my wallet, terrible….
10.0
Wonderful resort and staff. Fantastic place to go snorkelling.
The power went off for an hour or two
8.0
it had many activities and place was quiet and nice
property could have used a bit more maintenance and furnishing as some of the things are breaking down and old
9.0
very steep hills to walk to villa no buggy service
no air con in food areas
9.0
Beautiful sunrises and utterly fabulous location the manager ( French)and Hani- new member of staff- both really helpful and Richtel???One of the waiters went above and beyond! All staff totally wonderful! Breakfast buffet amazing! Loved all the Malay/ local dishes! Chef went out of his way to make us Kuching Laksa! Much appreciated! Valentines Night Fisherman's Cove was beyond expectation- both in presentation and flavour! Would love to see more Malay dishes on the evening a la carte menu- we found that limiting- the fish curry and snapper in banana leaf with Sambal was lovely but had to have this three times as nothing else appealed.
8.0
the location , staff
The inconvenience within the property to move around and food
8.0
Beautiful place and incredible staff and friendly service.thriughout our stay.
Rooms need some minor upgrades just to keep them at 5 star levet although overall still beautiful, non- modern design.
Everything costs alot at the resort and don't think food and drink need to be so expensive considering the menu and country its in..
Plus considering its 5 star and amount you pay per night some complementary items would be nice - 4 pieces of fruit complementary on the 1st night couldc have been replaced for the rest of our nights there for example.
Also tax snd service charge are not included In any items but then added eveytime, so beware although this is infact found on their menus in fine print. Not sure why the forced service charge on everything.
9.0
Only a 10-minute boat ride to Gaya island resort but felt really removed from the hustle and bustle of the city! The hotel is beautiful, surrounded by trees and the sea with lots to see and to do. The staff are very friendly and helpful. We particularly enjoyed speaking with the naturalists, they are very knowledgeable and passionate about the jungle, animals and the environment!
The property doesn’t have a steam/ sauna room
10.0
Amazing resort! Staff were very friendly and helpful, food was great and the rooms were exceptional!
nothing
4.0
The breakfast is fabulous, as are the facilities - good gym and nice pool. They also have a nice day bea and a library for reading.
Anything they can charge you for, they will. Everything in the resort costs an exorbitant amount. For example, £100 for a 10 minute boat ride to the resort is bordering on ridiculous. A can of coke costs nearly £5. All activities cost at least £40 per person - including a wildlife trek which only lasted 45 minutes. The more excluding meals are even more expensive - Shabu Shabu is at least £100 for a pretty standard meal experience. Finally, yes, you are near a lovely jungle, but the amount of rubbish that ends up in the resort detracts from the nature around you. Not worth staying here!!
4.0
Great location. Friendly staff ( apart from the one who stole cash from our room 😞) nice breakfast. Lovely scenery.
500 ringgit was stolen from our hotel room and we were not reimbursed. Please be careful with belongings and use the safety deposit box. Hot water didn’t always work. Very humid.
10.0
I love the personalised touch. All the staff knew us and took very good care of us.
Being isolated means that the choice of food is limited but the food was good so it wasn’t that bad.
10.0
Very large rooms, excellent breakfast, very polite and helpful staff, very attractive place, lovely long pool, good snorkelling, the use of kayaks for an hour, free yoga classes, nature walks.
Didn’t like the tax and service charges being added on afterwards. Would rather it was included in the initial price.
4.0
The staff were kind - and apologetic when things went wrong. The room was clean and spacious. The jungle setting is wonderful.
The food and beverage were atrocious and certainly not close to expected for a property calling itself 5 star. The food was way overpriced and of very poor quality - shocking for Malaysia. We were given an avocado sandwich that had no avocado in it, a slice of cake that came frozen solid, hot glasses of red wine, the lamest bar selection for a resort we have ever seen. The beach has been entirely eroded and they have unsightly sandbags and a failing retaining wall instead. The private beach and marine centre are closed - which should have been made clear in advance. All the guests are huddled around the pool as a result. There was clear cutting of corners at all levels - if they billed themselves as 2-3 stars then fine, but 5?? Booking.com should not allow properties to self identify this way.
9.0
natural views, peaceful stay, comfortable environment
the bbq seafood maybe overcook? but overall is satisfied
4.0
- Staff is extremely nice, polite and helpful, like 20 to 30 years ago. The kind of “Asian courtesy” that is a long-gone thing of the past
- Food : even if it’s buffet style, dishes are good – compliments to the kitchen staff
- The whole place is nice, not exceptional, but nice.
- Yes, you can see on the few picture that there’s a hill, but nowhere it is mentioned that you have to climb a hill to get to your room (for 50% of them). How about older people, people with mobility issues? That should be noticed BEFORE.
- The main restaurant looks more like a canteen than a 5* hotel, and absolutely not what you would expect of a “luxury” resort.
- Food prices are truly exaggerated, even for a wannabe 5* outlet. And as you are stuck on the resort island, you have no choice but to accept it.
- The beach is non-existent : sea is rising, so it’s all gone. Not their fault, but still
- There is no space available at the pool/beach : if you don’t get there at 8am, all sundecks are “booked” for the day, even if the resort has a 60% occupancy….also, the amount of beach umbrella is very limited.
- The amount of TV channels (6 or 7) is ridiculous : yes, you are not going there to watch TV, but if it’s raining, or you want just to have a quiet evening, that would be a good option.
And then, the final rip-off that ruin the whole stay : Transport
- Be aware of the fact that you’ll be charged Rm339.20++ if you want to take one of the shuttles to the mainland but also that on departure, you will have the nice surprise of having that amount charged to your bill for your arrival/departure trip.
- Yes, you have to pay to get to the island as it is not included in the cost of the room that you are already paying for.
- Do the expect the people to walk on water to get there, or to find a “Grab boat”?
- Actually, you tend to feel that as you’re kind of “captive” on the island, they are going to squeeze any penny out of you as everything is chargeable, like all “daily” activities…expect the 9.30am “morning walk”.
10.0
Where do I start! Preface to this: I have been frequenting many resorts over the past 10 years around Malaysia and this is by far THE BEST EXPERIENCE. 4 days and 3 nights of bliss. This resort exceeded a lot of expectations.
Some highlights include:
- Dinner at the main restaurant, Feast, was amazing. The portion of the food was huge and the seafood was incredibly fresh. We had local favourites Wat Tan Hor and Nasi Goreng one night, and another night we had Nyonya Fish Curry and Ikan Bakar. All excellent quality, presentation and service. Importantly, we were served by Sur and Ardina, who are absolutely lovely people to talk to. They were very professional and we felt like they genuinely wanted to get to know us, the guests.
- There was also a wide variety of things to eat at the breakfast buffet. Loved the noodle station, which changed every day and also the wide array of local and international food on offer. One server, Eric, stood out from the rest. Despite being a fresh hospitality graduate, he was incredibly attentive, friendly and had a lot of passion for his work.
- Activity 1: Guided nature walks at 9 AM - I highly recommend this as I learnt about the biodiversity and conservation efforts at Gaya Island. We had Phoebe and Angel as guides and it was fascinating to learn about the local flora and fauna.
- Activity 2: Snorkelling around Gaya Island and another island 20 minutes away. Highly recommend this also as we had guides Wan and Bata who showed us around. Again, incredibly knowledgeable and very friendly.
Generally, you can have a nice beach and great looking resort, but it's the people (staff) that really make the stay at the resort an experience. Hats off to Ben, Sur, Ardina, Eric, Phoebe, Angel, Wan and Bata who made this stay something we will never forget. It was sad to leave, but I'll be sure to book my next trip here very soon.
Everything exceeded expectations really. The only thing they could improve on is the communication via Booking.com. Did not get a response from them after following up on a few things and had to call them up the morning of our check in to make sure they got our message about the speedboat transfer. Apart from that, all good!
P/S I see many reviews here saying that they didn't like the insects (mosquitos etc.) - it's literally an eco-resort nestled between the beach and rainforest, you'd be crazy to expect ZERO insects. The resort provided natural insect repellent, soothing balms and other forms of insect repellent diffusers for the room. This is nature at it's best and you're fortunate to be experiencing it.
7.0
location, yoga and friendly staff
probably the best food you can get in Malaysia, but still it’s Malaysia. with lots of oil, MSG and few healthy options (beside fruits)
FAQs
How much does this resort cost compared to others in Sabah?
The average price for a rental in Sabah is $61 per night. This rental is $80 above the average.
Is parking included with this resort?
Parking is not specified as an available amenity at Gaya Island Resort - Small Luxury Hotels of the World. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.
Is there a pool at this resort?
Yes, a swimming pool is available for use at Gaya Island Resort - Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Enjoy the water!
Is Gaya Island Resort - Small Luxury Hotels of the World pet friendly?
Unfortunately, this resort is not pet-friendly. Try searching again and filter for "Pets Allowed"
What amenities are available at Gaya Island Resort - Small Luxury Hotels of the World?
We found 11 amenities for this rental. This includes pool, air conditioner, internet / wifi, laundry, and balcony or patio.
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