Reviews of Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu

The hotel is currently under renovation but the infinity pool is pretty and we like the sunset view the most!!

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!

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.

Let me talk about some aspects beyond the rooms. Even after checking out, if your flight is in the evening, the hotel still provides an exclusive area for showering, getting water, charging devices, and resting. The facilities are comprehensive and clean. The family-friendly amenities are incredibly well-equipped, featuring three large water slides, a kids' slide, and water spray equipment. There's also children's bowling, bubble shows, character interactions, and much more, with different activities every day. They also offer some paid activities for children. The adult and children's pools are well-separated. I had hoped to see the bonfire show, but it was unfortunately canceled due to the weather. For sunset views, you can simply watch from the hotel. The hotel has various restaurants, where you can enjoy a buffet or à la carte dinner. I do hope they can manage the insects in the restaurants, as there were flies during breakfast.

Good friendly staffs, standard variation of breakfast buffet , and of course nice sea view ! Good for families and kids friendly . A lot of activities available . Best recommend their signature sabahan massage treatment ! Love it !

The room interiors are nice, and the sea views and sunsets are absolutely stunning. However, there's barely any beach; it's mostly grassy areas with sea views and sunsets. The breakfast is quite perfunctory – only five or six types of meat, all chicken, with no beef or seafood. This definitely doesn't justify the 3,000-per-night room rate. The seascape is very beautiful. The Horizon lounge room is small and just average. Breakfast is not very good, only chicken, no seafood, it doesn't match the room charge.

The views from this hotel are absolutely stunning, probably the best in the area. It is a bit pricey, over 3000 a night, but it's been pretty much fully booked during my stay. My only minor gripe is that I wish the breakfast selection was a bit more varied.

The room is great and the service is good too. A friendly reminder to those staying for a longer period: you might need to wait patiently for check-in. You can drop off your luggage at the hotel first, then head out for a meal, or take some photos in the hotel garden, grab an ice cream and a coconut. Alternatively, you can relax in the lounge and browse on your phone, as there are charging stations available. The swimming pool with its children's slides is also a lot of fun. On Thursdays, there's a garden buffet with a bonfire show, and you can get a discount if you book in advance! Wishing everyone a smooth and happy stay! 🥳

Booked a pool view room but got the worst view – couldn't see the pool at all, just a slide. My complaints went nowhere. The hotel is under renovation, so it was noisy, and they didn't offer any noise compensation. Only rooms directly facing the construction got a 30% refund, while other rooms got nothing. Plus, the lobby is incredibly far from the rooms, making it a long and inconvenient walk.

We moved to Shangrila after two night stay in Hyatt Centric which is a city hotel. It was disappointing yet expected given its 40-yr history. We chose it because of its location and the ‘brand’. The hotel is under renovation so it didn't help that they upgraded us to a suite which faced a construction site. The suite was spacious but dated and the layout made it feel cramp. There was a mix of experiences in terms of service. Unfortunately the older staff were efficient but lacking in niceties. The younger staff were more cheerful and one young big sized porter by the name of Daniel (I think) was helpful and had a good sense of humor. The breakfast buffet was passable and our lunch at the Shang Palace was of good standard. The highlight of the hotel is its Sunset Bar which is acclaimed to have the best sunset view of KK. There was limited seating and the prices for different seats were exorbitant. We chose the lowest price and got good seats at the bar. The bartender and staff there were friendly.

I originally booked a Tanjung Wing sea view king room, but the hotel upgraded me to a Tanjung Wing sea view suite. This room was so much better! Both the patio and the room itself were really spacious, and the location was unbeatable.

We booked a Tanjung Seaview Terrace Twin room, priced at 2100 RMB per night, room number 127. The service was excellent from start to finish. As soon as we arrived at the gate, staff proactively helped us with our luggage to the room, and the lobby offered welcome drinks. We arrived at 1 PM and were able to check in immediately without any waiting, which was very efficient. The room is located on the first floor of the Tanjung Wing, and the terrace offers an unobstructed, direct view of the entire coastline. You can step right out onto the beach from the terrace and reach the Sunset Bar in a two-minute walk, making it a prime spot for sunset viewing. The hotel also features a popular infinity pool, with the adult section having a depth of about 1.7 meters, making for a very comfortable swimming experience. The only minor drawback was the breakfast buffet; the food was mediocre with no standout dishes.

The rooms were a bit dated, but the hotel's sunset views were absolutely stunning. This time, I stayed on the first floor with a private patio that connected directly to the lawn, leading right to the beach. The scenery was truly beautiful.

This hotel is absolutely stunning, and the sunset views are breathtaking! The only downside is the security; a lot of people from outside come into the hotel to watch the sunset, which means it gets really crowded and they even hog the lounge chairs. Other than that, everything else was great!