Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu

Very nice, clean and safe beach. Abundant family-friendly activities. A great variety of options for both breakfast and dinner. Would definitely come back!

Tennis lovers must stay here! The hotel features tennis courts, and you can book a professional coach in advance through the front desk. After playing on the secluded beach, you can soak up the sun, hit the pool for an intense swim afterwards, and enjoy a delicious breakfast served by very friendly staff!

Cons: The room facilities and the hotel itself are a bit dated, though they are reasonably well-maintained. If you're looking for something modern and brand new, this isn't the place for you. It's about a 200 to 300-meter walk from the hotel to the private beach. Housekeeping could be more thorough; there was still quite a bit of sand left on the floor, including in the bathroom. Pros: The hotel has two swimming pools, with different activities organized poolside every day. There are multiple restaurants, and the pricing is quite reasonable for Shangri-La. The breakfast offers a wide and rich variety of choices. The kids' club provides a babysitting/drop-off service, and the staff are super friendly and approachable.

It's a nice place, great for a getaway. You might even want to stay a couple of nights just to do nothing—lazing on the beach, having a drink, and listening to music. If you have enough time, it's very therapeutic. The only downside is that prices inside the hotel are quite high.

The room is spacious with a nice view of the ocean and sunset, though we missed a better sunset due to the weather. Breakfast was sufficient, but dinner was a bit mediocre; if you are out and about, you might want to eat before heading back. The Ocean Wing is relatively quiet, though quite far from the beach. You might have more fun lounging in the room's balcony pool or the main resort pool. The hotel is quite far from the city center. If you need to go to town, traffic is terrible on weekday mornings and evenings, taking about 1.5 to 2 hours. The only perk is that heading to Kawa saves a huge chunk of travel time—leaving around 2 PM and getting back a bit past 8 PM. Highly recommend visiting Kawa to see the fireflies, and the small group tours on Trip.com are quite good. Overall, it's a great hotel for just kicking back and doing nothing.

Pros: - Friendly and helpful staff. - Compatible with shower filter use. - Facilities are a bit dated, but luxurious and clean. - Great value-for-money services (golf, tours, breakfast, laundry). - Thoughtful touches placed around the resort: bug spray, Tiger Balm, aloe vera, and drinking water. - Beautiful natural environment within the resort. - A wide variety of activities and programs (buggy tours, surfing, snorkeling, traditional dance shows, bird watching, horseback riding, etc.). Cons: - Far from the city center; it takes at least 30 to 50 minutes to get there. - Non-buffet restaurants are mediocre in terms of taste, service, and portion size relative to the price. - Ocean Wing >>> Garden Wing. Well worth the extra investment for better water quality and fewer issues with bugs and pest control. - There is a private beach, but it's not ideal for swimming or sunbathing. There is plastic litter in places and the seawater is murky. However, you can still have a wonderful vacation experience with a friendly crew at a reasonable price, so I would definitely visit again. I strongly recommend bringing a shower filter—I've included a photo of what the filter looked like after just one use.

The female receptionist with glasses at the front desk was very arrogant, and the check-in process took over half an hour. However, all other services and staff were fantastic, and the beach had crystal-clear water with fine, very comfortable sand.

The hotel service was exceptional. The private beach is huge and uncrowded. The scenery is even better than Tanjung Aru, and the sunsets are stunning. It's the perfect place for a relaxing resort getaway.