Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu

Aside from being a bit pricey, everything else was perfect. The room faced the beach directly, offering views of one of the world's top three sunsets. The breakfast selection was quite rich. It's a shame the executive lounge was under renovation and the temporary lounge space wasn't very large, but the service was still good. The Shangri-La hotel was the highlight of my trip to Sabah. Highly recommended!

The service here is absolutely superb, far exceeding the Shangri-La on Sentosa, Singapore. Housekeeping was prompt and thorough. We had a boat tour one day, and after showering when we got back in the afternoon, we returned in the evening to find the bathroom had been cleaned again – very thoughtful. My only minor suggestion would be if they could adjust the bathroom outlets so I could use my own hairdryer. Most of the staff here are very warm and welcoming, a huge improvement compared to Chole at the Sentosa location. That Sentosa place honestly just made me angrier the longer I stayed.

The room was a bit dated, but the hotel's surroundings were beautiful. On the second evening of our stay, we saw a stunning sunset. It was super convenient to go island hopping from the hotel's own pier. Overall, it's perfect for a family vacation.

I saw a lot of negative reviews on Trip.com, and after coming here, I realized they weren't for nothing. Aside from the nice environment, the room itself was very ordinary. There's construction happening outside, so the 'sea view' room actually looks out onto a construction site. While they offered a 30% refund on the room rate, it doesn't really make up for it. The front desk staff provided good service, but the dining experience within the resort was another story. On our last day, it rained heavily, and we were dining in the hotel's garden. We asked to borrow an umbrella to get back to the hotel lobby, but none of the staff would lend us one. I can't believe such a large hotel wouldn't have a spare umbrella for guests. We ended up getting completely soaked! Overall, it was a very disappointing experience.

This hotel is truly family-friendly! The accompanying kids' club organizes different fun activities every day, and my child had an absolute blast. Even the surrounding natural scenery is beautiful. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.

This summer vacation, I traveled with my children and parents. Eight years ago, I brought my eldest child to Kota Kinabalu and had a great impression of Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, so I chose Shangri-La again this time. Knowing that rooms would be tight during the summer, I booked two sea-view rooms two months in advance and requested them to be adjacent. As per the hotel's request, we went to check in around 2 or 3 PM. Upon arrival, the front desk staff left for nearly 15 minutes. When they returned, they informed me that there was only one sea-view room available, and the two rooms would be on different floors and far apart. Also, one of the twin rooms I booked had been changed to a king-size bed. At this point, I was already very unhappy. The staff's attitude implied that I had no choice but to take what was available, as this was the only room today. Since I was traveling with my entire family, I had no option but to accept and wait to change rooms the next day. When we got to the room, there was a construction site directly below, with concrete and no natural light whatsoever. It wasn't a sea view; it was a construction site view. Opening the window just revealed concrete. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, so I called Trip.com. The Trip.com customer service representative helped me coordinate with the hotel, and eventually, the hotel agreed to change our room the next day. By 2 PM the next day, neither Trip.com nor I had received any news from the hotel about changing rooms. My parents said, 'What's the point of changing rooms now?' At no point did any Shangri-La staff member apologize to me. While going upstairs, my child almost fell from the railing on the third-floor corridor. I have pictures to show; this isn't just poor facilities, it's a safety hazard. The consequences with a mischievous child are unimaginable. Only because of this incident did the hotel offer a discount on the room rate. For me, booking a sea-view room was about enjoying the scenery, not getting a discount. But since they didn't provide a sea view, they shouldn't have charged me the sea-view price; this is a right I should have received. Fortunately, I booked through Trip.com, and their staff went to great lengths to coordinate and resolve the issue for me. As for the hotel, not a single staff member apologized for or addressed the safety hazard. The hotel has such a great location and beautiful scenery, but it's all ruined by this kind of service and management. This is my second time in Kota Kinabalu, and I probably won't be coming a third time!

The room has a terrace and is quite spacious. There's a pool and a beach. The sunset views are beautiful, though unfortunately, I only saw the colorful clouds, not the actual sun. There's a shuttle bus and a communal lounge, which is very convenient for changing into swimwear, etc. It's also handy if you arrive early or after check-out.

Overall, I was satisfied despite the hotel feeling a bit old. My only real complaint is that to even go to a convenience store, you absolutely need to take a taxi. The market here closes at 7 PM and is really expensive. I was happy they gave a discount because of the renovations, though, haha. Next time I visit Kota Kinabalu, I'll probably book something closer to the city center… Also, heads up, the pool water here is a bit dirty. The service, however, was absolutely great! Everyone was so friendly.