Beach Hotels in Sabah, Malaysia

This is around town area, it is close to the two major shopping mall, Suria Sabah and Imago. Room is spacious, bathroom with a bathtub, wanted to get a bath but unable to due to faulty stopper. Slipper quality is really bad. There's a fridge in the room. No water bottles provided as there's a filter drinking water tap in the toilet that you can directly drink from but I chose to buy mineral water myself. The windows however are kind of higher up from the wall. Noises from motorbikes and cars could be heard from the room. Entertainment wise, not much of TV channel options but there's YouTube you can watch from. Aircon is centralised aircon, can only adjust from the maintenance team, so you can't adjust the temperature or fan speed at all. The bathroom door is air ventilated door, so all the cool air would be coming into the bathroom from the room when you are having a shower, so it is quite cold after shower that's why we tried to adjust the temperature or fan speed and found that there is nothing to adjust until we call the front desk and was being informed that it is a centralised aircon which can only be adjusted by the maintenance team. There's 7-eleven just 2 mins walking distance from the hotel. Overall, a good stay, would consider again if I'm going for a shopping trip.

Our small family decided to have a staycation in few hotel/resort and by far Sutera has won our heart. This place is amazing and i suggest anybody who wants to experience this place to stay more than 1Night. The room is still in its Vintage style , tv only has those old channel , there's one bathtub in the room which we loved specially my son,for the breakfast i do believe they can add more choices as they are more korean dishes focused, it'll be nice to have local kuih (hinompuka/pais pisang) other than kuih pisang only.. But other than that, you actually get free 1hour of bike rental on ur stay which we only know when we ask around, it was located right in front of the kids pool , other than that they do have a small train going around from Magellan to Pacific sutera and its FOC!!! I loved the staff energy the entire time, he asked our son to be in his seat as a driver and even let my son press few button and act like he's driving the train!! god bless your fun soul sir!! keep up the good work!! we will definitely be back again soon🥰❣️

The hotel staff were all polite and enthusiastic. I didn't encounter any issues with discrimination against Chinese guests, no hot water at night, and no deposit was required. You can tell the hotel is a bit old, but it's well-maintained, especially the large private beach where you can snorkel, swim, or leisurely watch the sunset without having to deal with crowds elsewhere. That's a huge plus! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 On the second night, I saw a dying cockroach in the bathroom (its antennae wiggled for a long time). Considering it's a tropical region, it's understandable, and the fact that it was dying suggests the hotel uses pest control. However, housekeeping randomly took guests' personal belongings when cleaning the room. Two plastic bags with items in them were on the TV cabinet, and they were gone when I returned at night. This is the first time I've encountered such a situation in my 10+ years of travel. Although the items weren't valuable, their absence was very inconvenient. Housekeeping shouldn't subjectively assume guests' items are trash and take them away. That was a bit frustrating. Additionally, service efficiency was very low. One evening, I went to the front desk to ask staff to send some bottled water to the room. The front desk staff were very friendly and enthusiastically agreed, but I waited over two hours and nothing arrived. The in-room service phone was either busy or completely silent (maybe just a prop?), so I had no choice but to go down to the lobby again to get water. We checked in around 12 PM, but were told we couldn't get into the room until 3 PM (they informed us politely). The next day, I turned on the 'make up room' light before going out for lunch, but when we returned to the room around 2 PM, it still hadn't been cleaned. In short, everything was slow; it felt like the hotel was understaffed and overwhelmed.

It seems I stayed in a newly renovated room. It was spacious and bright, and the bathroom was also large and very clean with all the necessary toiletries. Since it was off-season, there weren't many people. The downsides were the terrible Wi-Fi – it kept disconnecting and was practically unusable in the room – and there were quite a few bugs; a gecko even crawled into the room.

I had a wonderful stay at Shangri-La (Kota Kinabalu) and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The room was spacious, clean, and thoughtfully prepared. I especially appreciated the complimentary Nespresso coffee setup, which made mornings feel extra relaxing and convenient. The sea-facing balcony was a highlight — offering stunning views of lush greenery, palm trees, and the ocean beyond. It was the perfect spot to unwind and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. Breakfast was excellent, with a good variety of fresh and well-prepared options. The food was delicious, and the dining area was comfortable and welcoming, making it a pleasant way to start the day. Overall, the hotel combines comfort, beautiful scenery, and attentive details that truly reflect Shangri-La’s standard of hospitality. A great choice for both relaxation and a memorable seaside getaway. I would definitely return and recommend this hotel to others.

We enjoyed the great hospitality from the hotel. Some privileges provided to hotel guests really enhanced the exclusiveness of the stay. Although it’s a public island, it didn’t sacrifice our comfort as hotel guests. Food was good. Portion was big so we ordered few dishes for sharing. I especially enjoyed the breakfast. We get to choose our set meals from the menu and they served the food to the table, unlike buffet breakfast that I have to bring my 2 kids around to choose their food. It was an enjoyable 3 d 2 n trip. We snorkelled at private beach area and we saw giant corals and a lot of fish. We walked across the island, not much things to do but we enjoyed the scenery and relaxing vibe.

The hotel's primary focus on Chinese guests is evident in its services and amenities, which are predominantly in Chinese. This should be clearly stated in the hotel description on the booking websites. The villa itself is well-maintained, spacious, and equipped with everything you need. The beds and linens are of good quality, the toiletries are nice, and the bathroom is modern and clean. The air conditioner is quiet, but the external unit is quite noisy. The exterior and garden are lovely and clean. The breakfast buffet was subpar, with cold food and coffee that required guests to microwave (completely in Chinese) it themselves, which was also a major inconvenience. Yet, the variety and quality of food was good and tasty. The staff seemed indifferent to the lack of coffee and food, and the lady who came to ”check” on us only brought coffee when we asked. Overall, our stay was satisfactory, but this place definitely needs to improve its hospitality and guest service. Given the above this place is too overpriced.

Environment: The scenery on the island is amazing. It was off-season when I went there, so there were few people and the scenery was beautiful. Although the sea was not as clear as those on the distant islands of Mermaid Island, it was still cleaner and comfortable, and it felt like a vacation. Service: The staff were very nice, the person in charge was Chinese, and the communication was very smooth. I especially want to praise the food. The chef was great, and it was much better than the seafood meal I had in Kota Kinabalu city!!! There was a performance after dinner, and the atmosphere was super good. You can also play kayaking on the island, but I didn't play it because the waves were too big that day. Health: The room is simple and clean, and the facilities are relatively average. Overall, it is still worth a visit

The rooms are divided into villa-style and apartment-style. There were just two of us, so we opted for the apartment. The villas come with a private pool, and the back door leads directly to the sea 🌊 (the villa area doesn't have gates or fences, so passersby can walk right in). The apartment has two bedrooms, both with en-suite bathrooms 🛀, a kitchen, a balcony, and a living room 🛋️. The master bedroom has large floor-to-ceiling windows, perfect for watching the sunrise 🌅, though it was unfortunately raining that day 😢... The soundproofing was terrible; we could feel the vibrations when the neighbors had a party. We happened to be there during their National Day, so the price wasn't cheap either 😶.

The island trip was truly unforgettable, the service was excellent, the staff were warm and welcoming, breakfast was a great experience thanks to the staff Anizah, who were attentive, friendly, and always ready to assist, the room was comfortable, every moment was filled with memories that will be cherished for a long time. And thank you to Arthur for always being helpful. Will come back again.