Hotels met bar in Sabah, Malaysia

The overall scenery is incredible, offering the most beautiful sunsets. The swimming pool was also very comfortable and had a great vibe, which the kids really loved. However, the hotel is quite old, and you can tell from the room facilities. The air conditioning in our room on the first night was too loud, but they moved us to a different room the next day. The hotel's response was decent, but for this price point, the value for money has been steadily declining over the years. The staff were polite but not particularly warm or enthusiastic. The breakfast, though, was fantastic!

The water in the hotel's area is heavily polluted; it's so dirty that snorkeling is completely out of the question! The front desk staff were very perfunctory with guest requests and didn't follow through on promises. In the morning, we requested a private boat tour for island hopping and snorkeling. We discussed the time and itinerary with the dive center staff and finalized the price with the front desk. We even altered our subsequent travel plans for this. However, by 4 PM, we still hadn't received confirmation. When we called the front desk, they told us they couldn't arrange it. We asked several people, and got different explanations: first they said there were no boats, then that other guests had already been arranged for island hopping, and then that there would be a storm the next day (which turned out to be perfectly calm). I suggest the hotel improve its island hopping service. For those looking to dive, definitely don't consider this hotel! Also, the beach is incredibly tiny, barely palm-sized!

I chose this hotel for a one-night stay before heading to the overwater bungalow the next day. Although the room facilities were a bit old, they were very clean. There's a convenience store right downstairs, and it's very close to the pier. The sea breeze was a bit loud at night, but the breakfast was excellent and plentiful.

The place is beautiful. The ocean and the beach are amazing. The hotel is seafront, a few steps and you’re swimming in the ocean. The rooms needs a lot of maintenance and deep cleaning, our room had many things need to be repair so, they gave us upgrade to a huge wood villa with 2 floors. The restaurant is ok… but no delicious. Breakfast is not so good but they prepare eggs as you like. The hotel needs dee cleaning and a lot of maintenance. They have places looks like abandoned.

📍Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu | A Thorough Review, Pros and Cons Included First, the conclusion: This is a typical 'lie-flat' resort for Westerners. Most Chinese tourists have packed itineraries and busy schedules, so choose this hotel with caution. ❌ Cons (The Honest Truth) 1️⃣ **Remote Location.** It's an hour's drive from Kota Kinabalu city center, and traffic in KK is often bad. This makes island hopping and snorkeling trips inconvenient. 2️⃣ **Beach Not Swimmable.** A red flag was up every day, prohibiting swimming in the sea. If you're looking to swim, you'll be stuck with the pool. Those hoping for ocean swimming will be disappointed. 3️⃣ **No Chinese Service.** Communication relies mainly on English, which isn't ideal for families with young children. 4️⃣ **Service Lapses.** After room cleaning, they forgot to replenish our 3 bottles of drinking water. Every time I ordered online, I requested 'no chili,' but it always arrived with chili, making it impossible for my child to eat (I didn't complain again to the restaurant, just a heads-up for others). 5️⃣ **Inflexible Policy.** The hotel does not allow early check-out with a refund. Any changes to your itinerary will leave you in a difficult position; it's not very accommodating. 6️⃣ **Outdated Facilities.** In my room, two out of three power strips on the desk were broken. Maintenance of hardware is lacking. 7️⃣ **Endless Beach Walk.** The beach is incredibly vast. Walking from the hotel to the actual seashore is a long trek, and doing it under the scorching sun is quite uncomfortable. ✅ Pros (No Ambiguity Here) 1️⃣ **Exclusive Beach + Stunning Sunsets.** Very few people, so no need to Photoshop anyone out of your photos. Watching the sunset on the private beach in the evening, or dining and enjoying activities right by the sea with the vibrant sky as a backdrop, is incredibly relaxing. 2️⃣ **Plenty of Activities, Great for Kids.** There are free shows, and the evening fire torch performance is good. They also have activities like 'Little Bees' (which my child was afraid of, so we didn't go). It's a one-stop shop for a 'lie-flat' vacation. 3️⃣ **Location Depends on Your Plans.** It's close to Mount Kinabalu, making it suitable for hiking and outdoor activities. 🍽️ Dining - The Honest Scoop The hotel's restaurants generally offer good food, but the prices are genuinely expensive. A money-saving tip: Order takeout via Grab and have it delivered to the hotel – it's much more economical. I even managed to get Mixue ice cream delivered, so no problem with milk tea cravings. 💡 Snorkeling Route - Essential Info To Mantanani Island, don't go through Magellan Jetty; that's for people coming from the city. Instead, use Kuala Abai Jetty in the north: it's a 2-hour drive from the city, but only 1 hour from Rasa Ria, and it's less crowded. Staying here makes a trip to Mantanani Island more convenient. 🏁 Summary The inability to swim in the sea from the beach is a major drawback, but if you treat it as a 'sunset viewing spot + family lie-flat base,' it's worth the price. If it's part of your itinerary, plan Mantanani Island and Mount Kinabalu for the same period. Avoid traveling back and forth to the city; the 1-hour drive plus traffic is a real deterrent. Plan carefully!

Location is strategic , rooms are big enough.Aircon is good and cool enough. Overall ok just have some weaknesses for example the cleanliness. A lot of ants on table. Washing machine not functioning. Hair dryer got sparks when turn on Car park provided.

The hotel room offers stunning sea views right from the bed. We also witnessed breathtaking skies. Breakfast was excellent, and the service was very warm and friendly. The hotel's location in Kota Kinabalu city center is incredibly convenient. Gaya Street is just a 10-minute walk away. Dining and shopping options are abundant nearby. While the room wasn't huge, the facilities were quite good. Overall, I highly recommend it; it offers great value for money.

I contacted customer service in advance, and they were always responsive. For our celebration, they even provided some simple decorations, which was a pleasant surprise when we checked in! Our flight was delayed, and although the official check-in time was before 24:00, we were still able to check in smoothly more than half an hour late that day (we hadn't anticipated the delay would be that long). The room view was really good (it's a pity we didn't stay in the room until evening, otherwise, watching the sunset would have been great!). There's also an outdoor viewing area on the 6th floor, but we didn't stay long enough for its operating hours. The room size was decent, with just one chair, but it had a full kitchen with almost all utensils provided! The bathroom also had toiletries. The breakfast included in the room rate was a nice bonus. The best part was definitely the infinity pool! It was still cool and out of the sun at 8:00 AM. I stayed at both Citadines Waterfront and The Shore in Kota Kinabalu, and it turns out they're in the same building but with separate entrances (they are interconnected). The pool on the 6th floor is directly separated, which is pretty cool.

We had a wonderful stay at Nexus Resort. The large private beach, beautiful sunsets, and peaceful natural environment were amazing. We loved seeing monkeys, colorful birds, and monitor lizards around the resort. Although the hotel is older, it was clean, and we were kindly upgraded to a renovated, spacious ocean-view room with a fantastic view. The staff were friendly, the spa was beautiful, and the restaurants offered good food at very reasonable prices, although service could sometimes be slow due to limited staff. Overall, Nexus offers excellent value for money, especially considering its beautiful beach, nature, reasonable restaurant and tour prices, and affordable transportation. Even the hotel taxi to the airport was only RM80, cheaper than Grab. We already miss this resort and hope to come back again.

This hotel has been my go-to choice for business trips to Kota Kinabalu ever since it opened. The best part is how convenient and close it is to the airport. Plus, there's a really good vegetarian restaurant right next door.