Beach Hotels in Sabah, Malaysia

This hotel… TBH, I was expecting more. I knew this hotel undergo a rebranding and refurbishment. So I was excited to try the HoJo brand. The room is clean, but not new. Partially you still see fittings from the previous decade. It’s a funny thing to see new and improved features alongside the classic furnitures and appliances. I like the new filtered water faucet. Very convenient. The shower is great too. Good pressure and temperature. Comes with a bathtub. Bed is nice. Room comes with ironing board. Basically everything I would expect from a hotel. Then comes the disappointment. The mini bar is so bulky, and so old. the air cond control… I don’t know what is it controlling. There’s only one dial for temperature. No control for the fan speed or anything. Then the TV, small and a very old model, fitted onto the wall with backlight design. That’s just so funny. And the toilet, the flush is barely working. And cigarette smoke from somewhere is coming in via the ventilators. All things said, it’s still a value stay. I just find it extremely weird. A half-baked refurbishment.

The service here is wonderful! The staff are very friendly, and the receptionists are incredibly helpful, making the check-in and stay very smooth. While I enjoyed the hospitality, the breakfast menu was a bit disappointing. It was very basic and lacked any 'standout' dishes that would appeal to tourists. Great service, but the food options need more variety

I expected a great hotel stay and they delivered. All the staff were lovely. Thank you for that. My only issue is the lack of room information regarding what is available in the hotel. Normally I would expect marketing information and menus for restarunt and bar in the room. The TV does give room service menu but was not required. Fortunately we found Ben, the Concierge in the lobby who very kindly explained what we asked, and provided a map for the area. Very welcome. Thank you very much.

Waiting for the boat at the pier, the staff member was really nice. He brought us chairs to sit on and even offered us water. Although I didn't catch his name, I really want to thank him! Upon arrival, the front desk was already there to greet us. Honestly, if your English isn't great, communication on the island can be a bit challenging, for instance, regarding the shower water, Wi-Fi, or power outages. They explained everything in great detail, and the next day, they even followed up to ask about the hot water – they truly care about guest satisfaction. Oh, and they upgraded us to a high-floor villa! We encountered two geckos and a small snake in the room, but the kids weren't scared at all because they knew they were harmless creatures. A super-sized cockroach crawled out of the drain in the bathroom, haha, my child watched it for ages. To be honest, considering it's in the mountains, maintaining it to this standard is quite impressive. It was a great experience, far from the city's hustle and bustle, allowing us to enjoy the charm of the ocean and the forest. We stayed in a high-floor villa and ordered room service for dinner. The delivery staff worked so hard, carrying the trays all the way to our room, and the food was still surprisingly hot, which really touched us. We gave them a small tip as a token of our appreciation for their efforts.

We had an excellent time at Magellan with our 7 year-old kid. 1. There were many facilities catered for children. There were 3 different pools to choose from, there was a small beach to snorkel and feed fish and also play some sand, there was a floatie prepared at the shallow pool and there was a bouncy castle slide for adults to enjoy as well. Snorkel and life jackets prepared for those wanting to try at the small beach. Perfect for those who are short on time to do island hopping. There were movie screenings every Fri-Sun. There's a playground. There's a kid's club with affordable prices and activities. There's bowling, pickleball, tennis and so much more for adults wanting to do some activities in the resort. 2. Service was excellent. We had a malfunction phone in our 1st room which became inconvenient. They manage to get us a room change with an upgrade! The manager on the case, Ms Mahera was very kind in handling our case. We changed our rooms the day after check-in and had accidentally left behind my kid's bag. And since we had the manager's number on hand, we contacted them and we got the item back safely within an hour of contacting them. Every encounter with a staff was met with a smile. We ordered room service twice since we got so tired and the food was delicious. 3. Location is great. We went island hopping via the Marina Jetty that was just next door, no need to commute to other locations. The hotel also had an amazing view of the sunset. There were multiple spots for photos and restaurants to enjoy the sunset. Also the location is a mere 15 mins away from the airport and city centre. Grab from hotel to city centre is less than RM15/ trip.

A very spacious place with a nice view of the city. A big, comfortable bed and a convenient shower.Only 10 minutes from the airport. There are a microwave, a refrigerator, and a hotplate. Highly recommended

Stayed at Borneo Beach Villa Karambunai and it was such a chill getaway. The sea view memang nice and the whole place felt super private — perfect to just relax and clear your head. Villa was spacious, nothing fancy but comfortable, and the kids had the best time at the private pool and beach. Overall, a fun and easy place for a laid-back family trip by the beach 🌊

It's a little out of town but I chose it for the close proximity to the beach and swimming ,which is about a 10min walk from the hotel. There are street food and drinks stalls available from about 3pm . Tanjung Aru beach is beautiful, uncrowded and the beach shelves away gently making it a safe swimming area. However, the beach had rubbish washed up and maintenance isn't a priority I guess. I swam everyday and didn't get sick ,that's a bonus. The room ( the whole place)was tired looking, it could do with a lick of paint and maintenance. Room was clean when I got there but I strongly doubt it was cleaned in the entire time I was there for five days. Often had to ask for toilet paper , shampoo and shower gel , and coffee sachets etc ,basics to be stocked whenever housekeeping does their cleaning. Air con worked for me although the settings couldn't be altered ! The bed springs creak and you feel the springs when you sit on the bed but I slept ok only because I was usually exhausted from the day's activities . The beds and mattresses definitely need renewing though. The fridge was mouldy and smelly , what a blooming shame : / The safe was broken - hallelujah! I kept my room door locked at all times only because Reception staff hardly looked up to see who comes and goes- they sit very low,almost out of view at their front desk. I wasn't convinced about their perception of safety especially as I'm a solo female traveller and I need to be alert and take great caution. Casuarina Hotel are you taking note? Reception is helpful but that depends who is present. Lifts work fine without too much of a wait. The cafe on ground level serves an American breakfast but I couldn't tell you whether that's worth your while. It looked like Mary Celeste everytime I peeped in there so wasn't convinced about getting fed or a service. Therefore, I had fruit and snacks as standby .. There's a lovely restaurant a few yards from the hotel called the Yolo Seafood Restaurant which tends to open from 11.30am- delicious and inexpensive with friendly staff. Grab taxi fare to city centre varies from MYR 7- 25 Ringgit ,the higher tariff if returning during commuter rush hours from city centre which is a 15- 25 min ride . Would I stay here again ? I would actually knowing all its idiosyncrasis compared to so many awful or simplly mediocre accommodation charging an arm and a leg , I think Casuarina is just ok . Value for money? I don't think so .

On Xiaohongshu, everyone said the old Grand Hyatt wasn't good, but the four of us guys think that's complete nonsense. The lounge view is unbeatable, breakfast is delicious, the rooms are clean, and the service is attentive. Plus, they upgraded us directly to a sea-view room! If you're still not satisfied with that, I suggest you just don't stay in hotels.

I booked through Trip.com and already paid the 10 MYR tourism tax, but the hotel still asked me to pay it again. They only dropped it after I showed them my booking confirmation. Everyone, please be careful not to get scammed! I've stayed in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Kota Kinabalu for two days each, and this was the first time I was asked to pay a tourism tax. The beds are a bit small at one meter, so it was a tight squeeze for a family of four. However, the hotel's location is convenient, and it shares a pool with The Magellan, which is only a ten-minute walk away. That's a great perk, considering The Magellan's rooms are about 300 MYR more expensive. The hotel's own beach and pool are pretty good and kept the kids entertained.