Sutera Sanctuary Lodges at Poring Hot Springs

The stay was incredibly cozy, and the staff were very patient in answering all my questions.

This hotel is located inside a national park, so you have to buy a 50 MYR national park ticket just to enter. It has multiple rooms, which are quite small, but the common area is very spacious. It feels more like a hostel than a proper hotel. Because it's in the national park, the outdoor environment is beautiful and the air is fresh. You can enter the park as early as 7:30 AM, and the walking trails are open all the way to the waterfall. Due to time constraints (we wanted to go to the hot spring), we only made it to the Bat Cave before turning back. The walk took us 80 minutes. There's an additional 10 MYR fee for the hot spring. Filling a private bath takes about an hour, whereas the foot baths are already filled and ready to use, which is great. The hot spring water is very pure, around 40 degrees Celsius, and very comfortable.

We spent two nights at the hotel. Without a car, we were worried we wouldn't be able to get around, but a Maxim taxi took us to the hotel from Ranau for 32 ringgit and back for 22 ringgit. The room was simple, but it was enough for us to rest between trips to the park and walks to the Rafflesia flower in the village, as well as for lunch. The breakfasts were excellent. If you get up early, prepare, and enter the park before 8 AM, you can avoid paying the entrance fee.

First time renting a villa and it was a 'wow' experience! It's quite spacious with three rooms, each with its own bathroom. The living room has a cozy atmosphere and offers a beautiful view of the complex grounds. However, as it turns out, things get interesting once night falls 😄. Unseen, giant Borneo insects tried to get into our villa at all costs, and unfortunately, some of them succeeded. So, our evenings were full of adventure and fighting to defend our territory. I should mention that there was no kitchenware in the kitchen area for some reason, but the hotel staff delivered it without any problem upon our request. The restaurant where breakfast is served is a 10-minute walk from the villa, located within the hot springs area. We were informed upon check-in that there's an entrance fee to this area, regardless of the purpose of our visit (whether for breakfast, which was included in our stay, or just a walk around the springs). This policy seemed quite strange to us, considering the high cost of renting the villa. The breakfasts were decent, and you can visit the restaurant anytime for a tasty meal; the staff there are very friendly and responsive, fulfilling every request as a team, with everyone being incredibly helpful ❤️. During the day, you can walk the trails in the hot springs area, and there's a picturesque waterfall nearby. We made it to the caves, which had an unpleasant smell, and didn't venture further due to numerous reviews about leech attacks. There's also a small, free-to-access butterfly farm on the premises; you can rent a hot spring barrel and swim in the pool for an extra fee. We noticed that this place is very popular, with large groups coming for the whole day, settling by the hot spring barrels and constantly eating. Overall, we enjoyed our stay. The villa (mostly during the daytime) is wonderful, and the surrounding nature is vibrant, wild, and lush. Visiting the hot springs themselves is a debatable activity from a hygiene perspective. Would we stay here again? I don't know, but we definitely had a memorable experience living in this place, and what more could you ask for?