Set amidst 400 acres of tropical paradise in Sabah, Malaysia, the award-winning Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu is a luxury sanctuary where the rainforest meets the South China Sea. The resort features a 64-acre private nature reserve, a 3-km stretch of pristine white sand beach, and the prestigious Dalit Bay Golf & Country Club with its world-class 18-hole championship course. Guests can choose from the Garden Wing, ideal for families and friends with tranquil, nature-inspired rooms, or indulge in the Ocean Wing, where spacious suites feature private outdoor bathtubs, large balconies, and exclusive access to an outdoor jacuzzi.
With over 60 recreational activities, from watersports and horse riding along the beach to guided rainforest treks, birdwatching, and wildlife encounters, adventure awaits at every turn. Families are well cared for with dedicated kids’ programs, while couples and adults can savour the romance of spectacular sunset views over the South China Sea, best enjoyed with cocktails at the beachside Sampan Bar.
Culinary journeys span across six dining venues, including Japanese teppanyaki at Kozan, authentic Malaysian cuisine at Tepi Laut, Italian-inspired grills at Oceano, and more—ensuring every meal is memorable. Just 40 minutes from Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Shangri-La Rasa Ria is the ultimate escape into nature, adventure, and luxury.
"The hotel and grounds are stunning! Beautiful pools and nice beach. The hotel room (Garden superior) was nice- with a big balcony. Water, coffee, insect repellant etc was refilled daily which was a nice touch. Daily cleaning was wonderful. The breakfast was perfect - Western and local choices- but trying to get coffee was terrible- long queues and unreliable coffee machines. Most days I skipped it and bought coffee from the pool bar. Happy hour 4-6pm daily is great with regular entertainment- fire shows and tribal dancing. Bar prices are obviously very high - £45 for a bottle of cheap wine. The biggest problem with this hotel is very slow service (hard working staff but not enough to serve the guests) The staff work super long hours so I felt bad complaining when I was waiting 45 mins for drinks each day. Also, all the restaurants stop serving food around 9.30pm then everywhere closes around 10.30pm which means the evenings can be quite boring- especially when there’s nowhere else to go as the hotel is far from anywhere. The spa is overpriced but I enjoyed my facial and hot oil treatment. My last gripe is the hotel day trips- absolutely appalling. The hotel is affiliated with Sabah travel company- poor communication, poor service, hugely overpriced and generally very bad. I recommend booking day trips through Trip.com instead of through the hotel. Allen the hotel supervisor was amazing trying to sort out the fiasco and I’m grateful- but I wasn’t offered a refund or compensation which is disappointing. I wanted to leave a poor review on the Sabah Travel’s website but they removed my booking so it wasn’t possible. I’d stay at this hotel again as the price is fairly reasonable but it def falls below the usual Shangri-la standards."