Beach Hotels in Sabah, Malaysia

Extremely satisfied! The lovely lady at the front desk upgraded our room, and her service was fantastic – she even spoke Chinese and answered all our questions. Every time we took a taxi in, they'd check our booking information, which made us feel very safe. The breakfast buffet was also very rich and diverse, and the kids had a great time. The lifeguard at the pool was also very responsible, which gave us peace of mind. The sunset was also beautiful, with few people around, so it wasn't crowded. Highly recommend!

The water in the hotel's area is heavily polluted; it's so dirty that snorkeling is completely out of the question! The front desk staff were very perfunctory with guest requests and didn't follow through on promises. In the morning, we requested a private boat tour for island hopping and snorkeling. We discussed the time and itinerary with the dive center staff and finalized the price with the front desk. We even altered our subsequent travel plans for this. However, by 4 PM, we still hadn't received confirmation. When we called the front desk, they told us they couldn't arrange it. We asked several people, and got different explanations: first they said there were no boats, then that other guests had already been arranged for island hopping, and then that there would be a storm the next day (which turned out to be perfectly calm). I suggest the hotel improve its island hopping service. For those looking to dive, definitely don't consider this hotel! Also, the beach is incredibly tiny, barely palm-sized!

Getting there: You need to take the hotel's special speedboat from Megaton Jetty, which takes 10 minutes to reach the hotel's pier. This is charged per person. The hotel has a Southeast Asian resort vibe, with wooden structures that show their age. There are many monkeys 🐒 in the trees outside the room, as well as lizards of all sizes and hornbills. The sand isn't very fine, and the beach isn't large; it's not really big enough for a good walk. There are no other businesses, just the hotel's three restaurants. There are also corals 🪸 not far from the shore. Cleanliness: Average. Ambiance: If you're not too particular about room cleanliness, everything else is pretty good, but I personally care a lot about it. Service: Our luggage was taken directly to our room. When we were leaving, we had to depart at 6 AM, and they prepared breakfast for us – two large bags with fruit, bread, coffee, and milk. We mentioned that the shrimp was delicious but found some other dishes hard to get used to, so the chef specially prepared a delicious plate of shrimp just for us and brought it to our table.

The room was simple and clean, and although the decor was a bit old-fashioned, the location was excellent. However, rooms facing the street were indeed quite noisy. It's very close to the pier, directly opposite a large shopping mall, and right next to Gaya Street... super convenient for everything.

This time I brought my family and we encountered heavy rain (luckily, we still enjoyed the most beautiful sunset in the evening). There was a 'fiasco' on the beach (the hotel's quick and professional handling made us feel even more at ease to relax and play), and a 'four-legged intruder' in the pool (the hotel swiftly caught and relocated it). We saw little squirrels, stepped on live clams, admired the full moon on the 16th, and celebrated my father's birthday, which was all arranged by the hotel. RAINA's thoughtful advice about the road construction saved us from missing our flight, and so much more. If you're coming to Kota Kinabalu for a sunset holiday and have the budget, come to Shangri-La Rasa Ria. And if you ever meet RAINA again, just hand all your troubles over to her! ☺

📍 Location: Strategic gila. Walking distance ke Pantai Tanjung Aru – memang terbaik kalau nak tengok sunset tanpa perlu drive. Sangat recommended untuk kaki sunset 🌅 🧹 Cleanliness: Standard hotel lama, tapi masih bersih dan selesa. Overall okay dan berbaloi dengan harga yang dibayar. 🤝 Service: Recommended. Staff helpful dan responsive. Iron & iron board pun terus dihantar ke bilik bila request – very convenient. 🏨 Amenities: Semua basic amenities lengkap dan berfungsi dengan baik. Cuma tiada bidet dalam tandas.

Walking distance to restaurants and shopping mall. The wet market just accross the street.I chose a sea view room and enjoyed my stay. Will book if I visit Kota Kinabalu again, for the good service & breakfast with good variety. Never use the gym but saw it has all the basic equipment & weights

The room was great, and the staff were exceptionally good. We took a taxi to the hotel and intended to pay with Alipay, but the driver didn't have it set up. We'd been in Kota Kinabalu for four days, and Alipay worked for every other taxi, just not this one. We didn't have enough cash, short by over 10 MYR. Just as we were getting flustered, a staff member named Nancy Huang helped us out by paying the driver directly. We added each other on WeChat, and I offered to transfer the money to her, but her WeChat couldn't receive payments either. She said not to worry about the 10+ MYR. We felt so bad owing her after such a huge favor! Luckily, some fellow Chinese travelers came by and exchanged 20 MYR for us. This was the most heartwarming thing that happened to me in Kota Kinabalu, and I'm very grateful to Nancy. The hotel itself is also excellent, with a huge private beach, and even monitor lizards and monkeys! I'll definitely come back for a longer stay next time.

The room hygiene was pretty good. The environment was mostly fine, quite suitable for taking photos and checking in. There weren't many people watching the sunset in the afternoon, so overall it was good. As for service, it was okay after check-in, and they offered luggage storage. However, the hotel's policy of a unified check-in time at 3:00 PM, with no early check-in allowed, feels a bit inhumane. Are all rooms only cleaned by 3:00 PM? Shouldn't guests be notified for check-in as soon as a room is ready? We even had to queue for breakfast in the morning. I was aware that the facilities were old beforehand, so that was acceptable. You can snorkel at the hotel, and there are quite a lot of fish. Also, you can see sea urchins by the beach next to one of the swimming pools.

Everything was perfect. Every staff member at the resort was incredibly welcoming and helpful, even the maintenance workers I passed on the paths greeted me warmly. The food in the restaurant was delicious, and breakfast was absolutely perfect – I couldn't find a single fault. The resort doesn't cut back on service or close facilities just because there are fewer guests, which is great. It was a perfect getaway, and I will definitely be returning.