Gaya Island Resort

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2025

Thomas

We were a group of nature lovers who were using this as a three night stay to get used to the temperature and time change upon arrival in Borneo. Loved the grounds and snorkeling right from the beach. Fantastic nature center staffed by several biologists. The food options were a bit pricey but we were expecting that. The grounds were very birdy and we found two Borean Pit Vipers. The mangrove tour was fantastic. Room is very good quality for the price.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Dec 2024

Gitanjali

Situated in one of the largest underwater national parks. Spectacular natural beauty with sea, sand and jungle. Hundreds of species of marine and island life. Underwater and above ground Activities beautifully curated by YTL staff to blend conservation and fun.

Business_and_leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Dec 2024

hywel

The staff, the staff, the staff. Such genuine helpful staff quick to resolve any problems. Genuine smiles. The East Malaysians are the best hosts.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

15 Oct 2024

Amanda

The property itself and rooms were nice, but the resort was way too expensive for what was provided. we did not feel like we got value doe the money. The meals were excessively expensive for what they were, and left us with traveler's diarrhea unfortunately. Very basic tours were extra charges too, as were the transfers in and out from kota Kinabalu. We also stayed way too long. I think max 3 nights would be recommended so you don't get bored.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Aug 2024

Verified traveler

Wonderful location and views. Staff were always friendly, helpful and polite. Fantastic range of activities.

8/10

Excellent

04 Aug 2024

Verified traveler

Beautiful location, well organised, excellent food, friendly staff, amazing rooms.
Many hidden taxes ... and service charge added even for buffet meal (which was self service ... although did finally remove when challenged).

The private beach had a huge rubbish dump just behind the sandy beach. Very disappointing to see on a luxury trip.

Great to see the conservation work with rescued turtles and coral.

Strange to see complimentary ice lollies being handed out by pool, but only if you agreed to a young waiter taking a photo on his mobile phone ... bizarre.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

10 Apr 2024

Lesley

Had a lovely stay, would like to have seen more food options and later bar food service.
Activities team were great, reception and waiting staff were not very friendly, expected a higher level of service.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Feb 2024

Siu Chui

The property has a beautiful setting with the sea and a primary forest as its backdrop. The hotel excursions are excellent with an added inspiration on marine and forest conservation. Coral garden snorkelling and forest trekking are highly recommended. The staff are all genuinely kind and attentive. A very good resort.

6/10

Pleasant

16 Jul 2023

Matthew

Starting with the positives, Gaya Island Resort is in a wonderful setting. The accommodation is spacious with nice outlooks, though depending where you are you could have quite an uphill hike to your rooms. We had the buffet meals in the dining room and the standard of what was offered was very high. The staff were very friendly and accommodating.

The service however of the management and reservations team leading up to our visit was appalling. Despite having paid in full we were sent automated messages threatening to cancel our booking and keep any monies already paid. When we replied explaining payment had been made and asking for clarification we simply received the same message again. None of these messages came with a name or contact details. Several attempts to ring the reservations line all concluded the same way i.e. being told all the lines were busy and the phone call was dropped. Expedia's initial attempts to contact the resort also failed but we assume they eventually worked, as we received an email from the resort informing us we should ignore the previous messages. No hint of an apology was offered.

On top of this, on two of the days we stayed there was, for different periods of time, no water and no electricity. Regarding the water, on one occasion this lasted for over 9 hours.

Finally the cleanliness of the resort in some areas was disappointing. In particular the gym floor was covered in sand and even hairs - very unpleasant.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Oct 2022

Samantha, Li Cheng

Villa was nice and spacious. Service was excellent.

Food needs to improve

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jan 2020

Yen Ying

Beautiful Gaya Island Retreat

My family and I stayed at GIR for 2 nights and had a great time. The rooms were enormous (complete with separate areas for walk in robes, bathtub, shower, toilet). Room amenities were excellent, with bug spray and ointment for insect bites. Our rooms had fantastic views across the sea to Mt Kinabalu, beautiful to watch the sunrise every morning. The staff were all very friendly and attentive to our needs. We will absolutely be back again. Thank your GIR for a great time!

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

09 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Each room has a bath tub but there were less hot water in the evening. Even after water filled, many aunts was floating.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

08 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

suggest book activity or dinner reservation early, before arrive as not many slots

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

I loved almost everything. The property and rooms were spectacular. pool was beautiful and the food was fantastic.

The only thing I didn't absolutely love - mattress softness, having to rent watersports equipment rather than it being included

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jan 2020

Alice

Great hotel and staff. A very relaxing island escape.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

The water was clear and beautiful, the staff was extremely welcoming, and the experience was overall very relaxing.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

24 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Jungle walk and snorkeling .....

.
.................

.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Nov 2019

Robert

excellent weekend in superb setting near KK

We had an excellent weekend at Gaya Island Resort. An amazing setting so near KK and yet so far away. Without exception staff were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The food was also perfect with the chef willing to go the extra mile.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Nov 2019

Stella

Beautiful resort!! And from our room excellent view to the bay and all the pied hornbills, loved it!!!!
A pity that the European and Japanese food were not good, instead of the local food, which was wonderful!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

Loved the location and experience, although as a single traveller thought there might be s bit more to do especially at night

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

15 Sep 2019

Kirk

Good stay but Plan for all the extra costs!

Very nice resort. Private beaches were very nice. Breakfast buffet had many selections and was delicious. Staff go out of their way to please, but at times they seemed short handed and had to wait for service. One time in particular was told to sit and wait by front desk staff then they forgot about me. 20 minutes later I reminded them.
My main complaint is the very high fee for travel to the island. It is a short 10 minute boat ride but they charge a docking fee if you find a lower cost option with local boat transportation. It’s a ripoff!
Also food prices on the island are Western world priced or higher. Out of whack with the local economy. But there are no other options.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

11 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Beautiful resort. Exceptional staff. We were treated like individuals rather than just guests. A wonderful stay.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

04 Aug 2019

Julia

There were minor problems with the room. But these were promptly sorted.The coral and fish in the sea, right at the side of the hotel was amazing for snorkelling, though you need to watch out for sea urchins. The staff were wonderful. The seafood was great. A special thanks to Executive Sous-Chef Dolis for his hospitality and making us feel so welcomed.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Comfort and luxury with kind and accommodating staff and a beautiful location (including fantastic reef snorkeling right at the resort).

Leisure Friends

2/10

Poor

30 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

When we got the boat over to the resort the staff left our passports behind we were left without these for over 24 hours which is obviously quite distressing being such an important document.

I settled my bill when I left the resort however since returning home I have been charged over £100 with no explanation.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

23 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Gaya Island resort is 10 mins ferry ride away from kota kinabalu main island, a beautiful resort built on a secluded tropical island and the first view of the resort takes your breath away.
Facilities - beautiful resort with adequate facilities. Gym is well equipped, pool clean and well kept, an amazing beach just on the doorsteps and a spa (which i didn't visit)
Room - we have the canopy view room (i think the cheapest in class) but very nice and well thought out. The ac in one of the two rooms was a little weak but ok.
Service - they have an amazing crew. very well informed and trained. service was genuine and attentive. My bag tore at the bottom and they sew it up for me!
crowd - more of a family and honeymoon place (luckily without a lot of kids) we were a group of 4 girls and didnt see other groups. Not a rowdy place, very nice that way
Overall this resort is very nice, but a few things to notice:
Ferry - it's very expensive (160RM return) if you ever want to go to town, when an average meal in the city is around 20RM...stock up before you go to the resort if you're staying a few days and would need some snacks/ options
Restaurant/ food - so when the ferry is so expensive, and you're at a resort, you'd want to spend more time being at the resort, however, i really think the food is average at best. We had tried out most of the menu and just found it to be overpriced (expected at a hotel), but without the quality to match, so that was one of a big minus for me.

Friends

8/10

Excellent

16 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

It would be nice for all rooms to be equipped with irons and ironing boards.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 May 2019

Christopher

A tropical paradise

Fabulous location, beautiful facilities and staff who go the extra mile every time

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 May 2019

Vivienne

Booked Kinabalu Villa, view was fantastic. However, there isn't any buggy available in the resort. Walking is the only mode of transport. You will need to walk up the steep slope.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Apr 2019

melanie

What a beautiful and exclusive resort! The staff, rooms, amenities...all 10 out of 10!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Mar 2019

Mrs Grace M

Better to Book direct with hotel's website

I had a really relaxing stay with 2 of my of girlfriends for 3 nights. We had booked 2 rooms and they upgraded to a suite which was amazing. The resort is in a beautiful setting, very peaceful and it's possible to snorkel in some coral very close to the resort.

The food in the restaurants is very good and the spa is wonderful in the most peaceful setting.

A few watch outs: It's expensive to get to the resort on the way out we organised a taxi from the airport to Jessleton point to get to the resort and that cost over 25 GBP! They wanted to charge double as it was after 10pm when we were getting picked up which I questioned and then they managed to find another car! (it's a short journey) On the way back we organised a Grab (SE Asia's Uber) and it cost 2 GBP so my advice would be download grab before you get to Malaysia! If you book a 3 night stay direct on their website transfers from jesselton point to the resort are free and you get a 50 mins massage at the spa so do check out if it's better to book direct or with Hotels.com.
Signage at the resort is poor so it can be difficult to navigate around and there are no golf buggies to take you around the resorts (the rooms are up hills) which for some people, especially in the heat could be an issue. The resort will organise a van to take you around but you have to ask for it.
The private beach you can go to is wonderful but don't bother getting the picnic - just use the restaurant
at the private beach.

Friends

8/10

Excellent

11 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

Very nice place, boat ride over to island is fast but not so beautiful because of the trash in the water 😭

10/10

Exceptional

11 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

The best hotel

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Spectacular island resort. Room / villa was amazing with the most wonderful shampoo / conditioner etc. Only two slight negatives - when i arrived my room was not ready and for 2 hours i sat in the heat without access to my luggage to get my swimmers for a refreshing dip in the pool. And the other was the food - after having been in KK experiencing the street food and my other hotel's food, the resort food was a little ordinary, particularly given the cost of in-resort food. it was bountiful but average in taste and attention to regional culinary flavours. But, on a positive, this place has THE BEST pool I've swum in in possibly ever. It was magnificent.

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jan 2019

Mark

All good in Gaya!

Great venue, great food, great people. A holiday that I really enjoyed, nothing was too much trouble. A must visit Resort.

Family

8/10

Excellent

08 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Nice staying, staff is really kind and helpful always. They have servals actitites to provide to the guests (free or charges) in the island. Good place for relaxing holiday.

8/10

Excellent

23 Nov 2018

HORDON

Place to revisit soon

There were many complimentary programs you can enjoy. All staff members showed big smiles all the time, and some of them picked up my lost cap and returned it to me. Big-family trips can get a discount on special dinners, too.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jul 2018

Shane

Excellent service, good food and fond memories!

Room is showing its age but it should return to its glory days with minor touch up.

Service was excellent, especially front staff!

Would recommend dining at fishermen’s cove - fresh food, excellent service and nice ambience to wind down the day.

8/10

Excellent

30 May 2018

Verified traveler

Very good

A very nice place. But very expensive When on the island. Staff are great .

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Feb 2018

Francis J

Luxury

This is a fabulous resort. The villas are spacious and nicely turned out. The setting is amazing - forest on on side, beach on the other. The restaurant/pool bar is excellent and the staff were uniformly wonderful. There are plenty of options in terms of activities - as well as a private beach that the hotel will boat you to.
The drawback - the price. It is not cheap. At all! And perhaps some things (eg the speedboat that the hotel uses to get you to the hotel) are really overpriced, considering it's a 10-minute journey.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jun 2017

Verified traveler

Cradle of nature

Very courtesious staff. Excellent location

Family

10/10

Exceptional

31 May 2017

Marie-Christin

Dream Resort with amazing staff!

It was an amazing and unforgettable stay!
We just stayed 3 nights but enjoyed every minute!
The food and especially the service is fantastic.
Try the Creme brûlée!
everyone of the staff is happy, smiling and they do their best to make your stay as comfortable as possible.
We can recommend the nature walk with rashid, he is a fantastic guide!!!
And the coral reef mamutik where we spotted 7 baby sharks but they have so many other activities to join as well!!
Hope we come back soon. Thank you gaya island resort!!!

Partner

4/10

Poor

02 May 2017

Verified traveler

Bed bugs, dirty pool and unswimable beach.

3 day babymoon with Wife turned into disaster. Lovely Japanese teriyaki on 1st night, beautiful sunset cruise second night but on the last night bed bugs struck. My Wife had over 20 bites on her legs and arms. When I told reception they offered no apology just a short \"we will let housecleaning know\". For a 4.5 star hotel I don't expect this poor customer service.We were also concerned about the quality of the water in the pool and whilst the beach looked stunning due to jellyfish it was off limits. Buffet style dining mostly and we were given accommodation up a set of 30 stairs. For a pregnant woman they didn't consider this, especially when I advised the trip was for a babymoon. From the outside it has all the appearances of a lovely hotel but customer service and attention to detail is severely lacking. Don't expect a 4.5 star service. We were in room 810.

6/10

Pleasant

28 Apr 2017

yL

Beautiful hotel but food and service needs improve

My partner and I stayed for 3 nights. Gorgeous room and housekeeping was 5 star. The guided walk was entertaining and there was a good variety of sea life ( including stingray!) that made snorkeling fun. However F&B staff needs to be trained more. When I asked for some cut fruit ( none on buffet tray) he promptly used his bare hands ( which were handling coffee equipment only thankfully) and without even wiping them proceeded to cut my fruit and placed them on my plate. I walked away and said thank you !
Food and alcohol is expensive even by Singapore standards ( a glass of white is SGD15) and standard of food is average.
So all in all we still had a lovely time but would caution our friends on the same.

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2017

edward

Beautiful tropical island

Gaya Iland is a beautiful tropical island. The resort is lovely and the services are great. The spa is amazing. Although in Malaysia expect to pay european prices. Also there are very expensive transportation cost to the mainland and infrequent schedules. This resort is good to a 2 days stay.

Family

8/10

Excellent

08 Apr 2017

Traveler

Location and rooms were lovely !

Wanted a relaxing get away ! Got that ! Quite expensive but nice !

4/10

Poor

02 Apr 2017

Verified traveler

Way too many fees and extra costs.

The resort is beautiful. Very idyllic, peaceful, quiet and designed with the conservation park in mind to highlight the area. The villas were large - with stunning bathtubs and comfortable verandas to sit outside and bask in the nature sounds. I enjoyed my stay immensely (besides the floating garbage). However, I rated this hotel low because upon check out, I was presented with over $200 worth of extra fees. I only ate breakfast (which was included) (and which was standard, buffet fare - with very few vegetarian options). Because of the lack of vegetarian options at breakfast, I opted out of the lunch/dinner options. Also, because they were priced quite highly at 408 ringgit for the lunch/dinner combo. I don't need to spend $100 per day for lunch/dinner. Also, I was charged for ferry trips 70 ringgit per trip (not round trip). And because my flight left before 10:00 AM, I couldn't take the earliest ferry (9:00 AM) and so had to hire a private trip. I was given a deal at 350 ringgit. The resort is on an island and you are literally stranded - there are no stores/options for other transport - you must pay these crazy fees.

10/10

Exceptional

14 Mar 2017

Michael

Unexpected WOW Experience. Going back Sept 2017!

We were on the last two days of our 6 day trip throughout Malaysia, starting in Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan. We wanted to wrap up the holiday with two relaxing days at a resort, doing much of nothing. We arrived at the Jesselton Ferry facility via taxi from the airport. A quick ride arriving to find the Gaya Island Resort was the only ferry desk to have an enclosed, air-conditioned room to await our departure to the island. The boat was much faster and cleaner than any other ferry service we could see, along with handling our luggage on and off the boat. Since we \"checked in\" at the Gaya Island Resort ferry office, we were quickly updated on the features, etc. of the resort immediately upon arriving. We arrived early and the resort held our luggage while we caught lunch and some beach time. Upon going to our room we were amazed of the beautiful landscape, cleanliness and eye for detail throughout the complex and level of care in the rooms. We booked the \"cheapest room\" and were quite happy with the amount of room and decor. The bathtub is gigantic. Big enough for two (or more). We purchased the all-inclusive meal/drink package upon our arrival. This, in our opinion was a bit stiff in price but more than covered our consumption over lunch and dinner, during our two night stay. Food was incredible and abundant. The delivery and timeliness of drinks is great and generous. We coordinated a lunch picnic excursion via their private beach and boat the following day.

8/10

Excellent

20 Feb 2017

Aaron

Amazing place but with a lot of hidden charges

A very beautiful and tranquil place. Be warned though - at first it seems reasonably well priced for the luxury you are getting, but once you get there they sting you with a flurry of charges. They charge you a daily island environmental fee (which we were happy to pay), but what they charge you every time you use the boat to the mainland is outrageous. They charge you $70RM one way per person for the boat ride, which is only 5-10 minutes. For a return trip for a couple this adds up to $280RM, which worked out to about $90AUD, which is just a ridiculous amount to charge. They are obviously trying to keep you at the resort with a price like that, but then you'll get stung at the restaurants too which are also very overpriced.

Other than the highway robbery, it is still such a beautiful place with amazing snorkelling right and jungle on your doorstep. We enjoyed our time very much, but it's not a place we would return to.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jan 2017

Marcel

Great location between jungle and beach

What a wonderful resort! From the moment you step onto the private jetty through to the beautiful rooms and grounds in between, one can't help but be impressed. We loved every minute because we had selected it to give us a distraction-free break. And Gaya Island Resort delivered on all of that. We will be back!

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jan 2017

Verified traveler

Beautiful! The facilities were clean, comfortable and attractive. I especially enjoyed the free guided nature walks - so informative and what a beautiful natural environment on Gaya Island - both in the rainforest and in the house reef. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. I would definitely want to come here again!

10/10

Exceptional

19 Oct 2016

Julie B

A little piece of Heaven

We've just returned from 3 weeks travelling to KL, Bali & Borneo, Gaya Island Resort was our last hotel and we had definitely saved the best till last! The hotel was so welcoming and brilliant from when we first stepped off the speed boat to when we stepped back on it to return to the mainland 4 days later. Such a nice touch having the staff wave everyone off the Island too!

The staff were so fantastic, the private beach brilliant and the view from our room was perfect (Room 801). Food was excellent, yes perhaps a bit expensive but it's what you expect from a 5 star hotel!

I don't normally like to return to the same hotel, but I would definitely return to the Gaya Island Resort!

Thank you to all the staff or making our stay so special.

Julie & Pete Blair

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Oct 2016

Verified traveler

Very beautiful & relaxing resort~~

The island and resort is very beautiful and comfortable~~~~

10/10

Exceptional

28 Sep 2016

Verified traveler

Paradise

Such a BEATIFUL island with a intouch nature and welcoming staff
Only one dislike is the location of the rooms which are far up from the lobby and beach we have also suggested a buggy car that may operate between the rooms and lonny after all aomw people may neeed it
Private beach is speechless

8/10

Excellent

22 Sep 2016

Vic and Sami

Lovely people, beautiful place, great relaxing atm

We went to Gaya Island Resort to relax and it more than met our expectations. Chef Dolis and his staff really went out of their way to understand and respond to our vegan diet needs with some excellent local dishes. The spa centre is a haven of peace and a great place to learn yoga! Altogether an A1 experience

10/10

Exceptional

14 Sep 2016

Patrick

5* luxury

Friendly staff with a nothing is too much attitude. Spa on site (v.expensive) but good. Pool area is a little tired, but we loved our stay and would recommend for a short stay.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

05 Sep 2016

Po kwan

Good breakfast but limited choice of restaurants.

Family

8/10

Excellent

29 Aug 2016

Verified traveler

The staff were the best ever

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

24 Jul 2016

zama

Great getaway but over rated for the money spent

It's a great place and a great property but was disappointed with the upkeep of the place and for value for money. We were paying almost $800 A night and honestly could have got a better deal in many other places.
But money apart it's a great place for relaxation and tranquillity.

4/10

Poor

19 Jul 2016

charles

too many charges

so additional charges

Family

6/10

Pleasant

30 May 2016

Verified traveler

Not exactly what we expected.

My wife and I went for my birthday, thinking that we would do some snorkeling, fishing, and lying on the beach. We envisioned a tropical island far from the city, with beautiful reefs, a gorgeous room, and excellent food. The room was indeed very luxurious, but it was a stiff uphill walk from the beach and resort. It did not have enough electrical outlets, no comfortable chairs (one office chair), and the seating on our little deck faced away from the ocean, and was usually in full sunlight. The bed was nice, but the giant bathtub was hazardous for people of our advanced age, not to mention that it took an hour to fill. The resorts advertising stresses the untouched tropical rain forest and the surrounding marine preserve. It does not tell you that the marine preserve is only a few years old, and that a local indigenous community was thrown out in order to make room for the resort. There is still a sizable village of Bajau people on stilts above the water on the East end of the island. The reef was depressing – mostly dead and bleached, and not very many fish. There is an expensive expedition to go off to other islands to snorkel. The island is also not very isolated. Our deck looked out over the ocean to some new giant office buildings, malls, and powers on the mainland.

6/10

Pleasant

02 Apr 2016

Stefan

Good, but not great - and a bit of a rip-off

The hotel in general was good but not great. Staff, however, was very friendly.
The Island location doesn't leave guests a reasonable option to dine anywhere else so prices are rip-off - which leaves a sour taste. The same goes for charging for the hotel boat that takes you to the island - it's the only option to get there...

Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Feb 2016

Verified traveler

Very friendly staff. Beautiful island with a lot of wild animals. Would be perfect if there were more stuff to do on the island after 10pm though.

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2016

Adrian

Best hotel I've stayed in

This is the best hotel I have ever stayed in equal to Jumeriah beach hotel in Dubai.
Vivian the manager was incredibly helpful and would do anything for us. As I was not feeling too well she arranged a late check out for us until it was time to leave the island. I would recommend this hotel to everybody, it was brilliant.

Family

8/10

Excellent

05 Feb 2016

Agnes Joy

More service improvements

We waited an hour for the bellboy to carry our luggage. We ended up going to the lobby to carry our own luggage.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jan 2016

Erin

Wonderful stay at the Gaya Island Resort. The staff were fantastic, the rooms were beautiful and the location cannot be beat.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

03 Jan 2016

Verified traveler

Tranquil, waterside retreat

Gaya island resort is a tranquil oasis with lovely rooms and ample opportunities for relaxing pool or beachside........all day everyday.
A lack of efficiency in responding to requests appeared to be related to language difficulties and was made up for in spades by the delightful, friendly team members. Every poolside food or drink order was a magical mystery opportunity.
The food was excellent if over-priced but what price would you put on the private beachside steamboat ? Alice delivered bowl after bowl of delectable fare in an idyllic setting...a memorable last night experience.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jan 2016

Not Provided

Wonderful holiday!

I had a wonderful stay with my friend at the Gaya Island Resort. The room was very nice with a huge bathtub. The pool is great, good size with in-pool bar. My friend and I joined the snorkelling tour organised by the resort, and we were surprised how beautiful it was under the water even it was close to the shore. The spa was the highlight, it's very comfortable and the environment was gorgeous and yet private. Staff was very polite and helpful and tried to make my stay great. Would love to stay in the resort again.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

13 Dec 2015

Intan Rahayu

Awesome! But the boat price was so ridiculous.. Too expensive per pax.. Hotel should provide boat transfer to / fro island for free as the guest already paid expensive stay.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Nov 2015

Louise

Nice resort for a couple of nights

I stayed at Gaya Island for a couple of nights at the end of an activity holiday in Sabah.
Positives - First impressions were great and all staff attentive and friendly. I had a spa treatment which was fantastic. Breakfast selection good. Pool bar and good cocktails! Beautiful room - spacious, comfortable bed, huge shower and bath.
Negatives - Vegetarian selection poor (and as such overpriced) for lunch (only vegetable tempura on any day) and dinner.

10/10

Exceptional

24 Oct 2015

Marjie

Free wifi was complex. Thank goodness we had techy teenagers with us.

Family

8/10

Excellent

06 Oct 2015

Carlos

A fantastic family break in an outstanding hotel

Excellent Villa. Beautiful view and great friendly team (Justin and Effa) with strong enviromental focus!!
My kids really enjoyed it.
Transparent clean waters,wild animals...what else you could ask for?

Family

8/10

Excellent

26 Sep 2015

Verified traveler

Nice view and nice hotel

Overall is good about hotel facilities, cleanliness, comfort, food, staff, etc. but there are so few choices of food and activity to provide for kids if kids are staying here in my experience.

10/10

Exceptional

14 Sep 2015

Zabka

Beautiful location

The service is very good at this hotel. Transfer takes 10 minutes by boat from jetty to Gaya island.
Rooms are large with dressing room and nice balcony. Our room was very close to reception with a view of small lotus pond.
Restaurant offered menus every night. Drink and food prices are quite expensive for Malaysia but the quality is very good.
They offer plenty of things to do from yoga to Nature walks or movies under the stars.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Apr 2015

alan

Fantastic

So relaxing great staff and a great place to chill great beech and pool and food excellent

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2015

chan

comfortable stay and nice staff though transportation fee is nonsense and sea view room is quite far away from the main facilities..

8/10

Excellent

06 Apr 2015

Verified traveler

Nice hotel for beach and sun lovers.

The hotel is perfect for those who are looking for relaxation in the sun and sea. The staff is amazing; friendly and professional. The spa services are to die for.....be aware that the spa staff do not understand English like the bar/restaurant staff, so confirm your time and be patient.

4/10

Poor

29 Mar 2015

Tereza

Beautiful hotel and location, terrible service

When you arrive to the location, you feel like on a honeymoon. However, this great first impression changes when:
- you are charged a deposit of RM 600 per night and unable to get it back upon checkout
- a business of noisy big black flies is present in your room and you struggle until 10pm on the first day to get a new room
- there is no internet and therefore, the telephone does not work in your room. As a result, you have to walk everywhere in this walking resort (up to 30 minutes of walk depending on your location)

Many of the issues I have encountered could have been prevented if there was a better organization of the personnel.
I am still trying to get the deposit back 12 days after checkout.

As for various activities, I have tried several and the least stressful was kayaking. For diving, good luck if you forget your dive log at home- the diving lady will bark at you. Also, all pictures the divemaster took of us during the 3 dives have been lost, instead they have sent me pictures of other groups (maybe hoping I will not notice).

Verdict: beautiful location and interiors, but would not come again as my days there were full of stress and hassle. The local personnel is nice and trying to be helpful, however their international personnel do not care enough, can be moody and borderline aggressive.

8/10

Excellent

21 Mar 2015

Jessica

Nice and relaxing hotel

The Kinabalu suite was worth the price! Beautiful sea view, very clean and comfortable room. Friendly customer service. My only gripe would be the food. Choices are very limited, and quite expensive.

8/10

Excellent

16 Mar 2015

James

Very nice small luxury resort

Enjoyable stay during the Chinese Spring Festival Holiday. The resort staff were very warm and provided excellent service during our stay. The quality of the food was very good, including the dinner buffet, Japanese teppanyaki restaurant, and beach BBQ dinner. Excellent concierge service with arrangements to visit Mari Mari cultural village

8/10

Excellent

09 Mar 2015

Verified traveler

Nice resort but quite expensive

A relaxing resort. You need not worry about anything. Everything you need is there. A walkable distance to the beach which locates next to the pool. It owns its private beach, where free shuttle boat takes you there. Water is clear over there.

The cons of this resort is that everything costs you money and the price is quite high. RM180 for a buffet dinner and RM30 for a tea set. You have to pay boat fee RM140 to the island which is not included in the hotel package. Also, I have to walk up to the mountain to my own villa, which takes me about 10 minutes. Better to provide transportation.

10/10

Exceptional

22 Feb 2015

LingLing

Year of the G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time)

You do have to be perfect but it sure does help. From Rich in the welcoming station at the Harbor to Jack (Jaki) who was showed us around to the new IT manager the staff makes the difference here. The hotel is situated on a mountain and provides a picturesque view. There are no elevators so there is walking that is needed.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Feb 2015

Nairn P.

Idyllic hotel

Fantastic hotel- great service from start to finish. Amazing location, very close to KK and airport. Amazing spa! Lots of activities to do everyday. Family friendly! Only negative would be amount of attentiveness and speed of service for drinks/food at pool bar and the amount off sun loungers available. Well worth the money for 5 star. Will be back.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

09 Feb 2015

呂Ray Ray

Family trip

the restaurant CP low,room service always need to call twice times.many things need to pay for.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jan 2015

Steven Kwok

Nice island resort

Stay one nights at the hotel and its worth the price, very relax with beautiful suroundings.

The Hoptels offer some free function on the beach and don't miss it.

However, the villa is quite far from the Hotel main building and it tooks 15 mins walk under the sun. Kind of limited beer and wine slections at the restaurant as well.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 Dec 2014

Sze Tak

Nice place to stay, if the weather is good

I stayed in Gaya Island Resort for 2 nights. The hotel has arranged a lot of activities for guests to join. However, there was heavy raining during those days, so most of them were cancelled. I was disappointed. I could join the indoor activities only, e.g. yoga, craftwork, etc.

The staff were nice and helpful. Since the \"Movie under the stars\" was cancelled, they installed an extra DVD Player in my room and I borrowed some DVDs and enjoy them during the nights.

The island is beautiful but the water was not clear enough to see coral clearly.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Nov 2014

Verified traveler

Perfect getaway

Any way to give this resort 6 stars?? The resort is very beautiful. The staff are very friendly, personal and accommodating. They offer more than just the beach (water activities, trips to other islands, nature walks).
The room exceeded my expectations-- it's basically a suite.
The only thing that surprised me was the boat transfer charge (approx £60 for two people) which is paid at time of checkout. Not a big deal, but felt it should've been included in/added onto the overall price, especially since it's the only way to get to the island.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Nov 2014

NeoTones

STAY HERE!!

If there was one place I'd go back to in Malaysia this would be it. Super Friendly staff who knew us by name and not room number. We stayed at another resort on the mainland that had better ratings but were disappointed. This place may set your expectations that few will ever match.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Oct 2014

love holiday

Beautiful Resort

That was really beautiful accommodation to stay, comfortable bed, huge bathroom, took us so long to fill up hot water as its a big bathtub and hot water system wasn't good as well. Transfer from harbour to island should be included in price as paying this much money.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

05 Oct 2014

Verified traveler

Lovely but keep an eye on expenses

Plus: Fantastic for secluded, private get-a-away. Very friendly staff, always happy to meet your needs. Definitely recommend the mangrove kayak adventure.
Downside: cost of incidentals e.g. boat transfers. We can understand paying premium cost for the high level of service but boat transfers are part of daily operations for carrying other guest, staff and supplies. So the high charge per pax, per way, does make one feel like you're being taken advantage of. Be careful to time your arrivals to sync with ferry schedule otherwise you'll need to book a private boat.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Sep 2014

Verified traveler

Rustic beauty

The Gaya resort is situated on a beautiful, natural enviroment.The staff can't do enough for you and the hotel is lovely. The food is great and the snorkelling is out of this world. Their are lots of monkeys, lizards and birds to see. There is a little boat to take you to a private beach, where you can have a Thai lunch and look at a small aquarium where they are looking after small turtles before they are realised into the wild.

10/10

Exceptional

21 Sep 2014

GC

Relaxing Trip

Great view, excellent service, everything was good at GIR especially the arrangement made by GIR for my private dinner on beach

10/10

Exceptional

13 Sep 2014

K

Comfortable and relaxing stay

We stayed for two nights at this wonderful resort. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. The environment was very relaxing, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Highly recommend the dinner at Fishermen's Cove!

10/10

Exceptional

05 Sep 2014

Helmet Boy

Excellent resort with beautiful sea view and nice staff

The staff are really nice and helpful that they would do anything which can suit your needs. I love the private beach of this resort. The water is the most clean one I've ever seen. You can spend an entire afternoon with a book sitting on the beach chair there.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jun 2014

Aaron

Relaxing, comfortable & refreshing experience

The room is almost perfect - clean, decent, fully equipped, yet the TV system is a bit difficult to use.

The staffs are friendly, with smile and helpful, greeting and saying goodbye from start to end!

There are 2 major restaurants - Feast Village(offer diff kinds of foods) & Fisherman's cove (sth like that, offer seafood). Also, there is a Pool Bar and BBQ at beach (which charges 400MR per person....I haven't tried since it's really expensive). We (2 ppl) have only tried the foods of Feast Village, the foods there are very nice), breakfast is included and both breakfast and dinners are semi-buffet (The desserts are tasty!). We just tried one Coconut at the Pool Bar and the experience of having a fresh coconut juice at the Pool side is perfect!

Snorkelling..kayaking..and other activities have to be booked upon arrival and the availability is little. I would say the booking of these activities is the worst part of this stay(I want to book kayaking at day 2 (at day 1 12nn), but they said it was already full, and kayaking is just once every two days, thus just forget abt it if you are staying for 2d1n). But other than the booking, the guided snorkelling is very nice, marine life there is awesome (charged separately at 50MR per person)

Private beach - I would say the hotel did not fully utilize this place, it's still beautiful though

The 80-min massage is ard 380 MR per person, perfect from start till end, a must-try ite

10/10

Exceptional

15 May 2014

Mrs Croft

wonderful week

We had a great stay at Gaya Island Resort. Our room was lovely, the service very attentive and the pool gorgeous. The food in the restaurant upstairs was first class but the buffet in the main dining room was a bit hit and miss. We loved our stay though and would happily recommend to anyone wanting a relaxing get away.

8/10

Excellent

17 Apr 2014

A&O

good enough

very nice place to just stay and relex, staff are super friendly and helpful. But quite expensive on food and boat services, not wroth the price.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 Apr 2014

D

Nice hotel but remote.

Very nice hotel, a lot of nature, we saw hordes of fishes, wild boars and giant lizards. The staffs are attentive. The rooms (villas) are very comfortable. However, very bad transportation, the boat transfer took 15 mins but cost a fortune, that basically also discouraged anyone checking out the town in Sabah. Also, the ferry service was infrequent, so guests have to wander around the lounge hotel by the pier for a long time. The food was reasonable but not cheap. The hotel is perfect for a romantic getaway. The view was stunning and the private beach was a added bonus.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

19 Mar 2014

family

Great Service!

It was good memory!! Very nice designed resort ! Dinner menu is abit expensive though!

8/10

Excellent

24 Feb 2014

Verified traveler

Great and quiet location!!