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Centrally located in the heart of the city; Borneo Backpackers has already attracted the attention of discerning travellers from around the world. Some guests have already made return visits, and many more have vowed to return. While guests originally come for the facilities on offer, such as clean bathroom, toilets, pantry area, internet facility, cozy lounge area, roof garden deck, 24 hours security, and a tour information counter. They return for the service from our friendly, helpful and knowledgeable local staff. Rooms are all air con, from Dorms to Private rooms. Rates begin at $7 USD.
A pretty standard SE Asian backpackers but in a great location beneath Signal Hill and close to the city centre. It's clean and the air con works but the common area is cramped and the rooms are like cells, literally a bed and nothing else. Can be a bit noisy. Staff verged on the unfriendly.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed 6 nights with Borneo Backpackers and loved it. It's a comfortable and cozy space with nice showers. Everything was clean and the common areas were lovely to spend time in. The staff were very kind and helpful which I greatly appreciated because it was my first solo trip and I was nervous about traveling on my own. I didn't have any problem sleeping in the bed. The only complaint I had was being woken up early by other guests several days in a row. Aside from that, it was a nearly perfect visit and conveniently located to a central part of town. Thank you for a great stay!
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Date of stay: April 2019Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nothing flash about this hostel. Great location. Staff were okay, we stayed on 2 different occasions and on the first trip, the 2 girls on reception did not seem to care about being there, and then on our last stay, the service we got was amazing. Guiding us to our rooms, so we could drop our bags off, and then allowed us to come back and pay afterward. Rooms are very basic, but very clean. There is also breakfast on offer (toast and spreads), showers were hot and also air conditioning in every room. Good for a hostel, central location and a cheap night in KK.
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Date of stay: March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a good couple of stays at this backpackers in a quad room erythrocytes our kids. The location is great, easy walking distance to plenty of restaurants, markets on Gaya St, and the waterfront. Easy enough to walk to Jesselton point pier as well for a boat trip to Gaya Island. There were some lovely staff members and also a few who were completely disinterested in us, I was glad I had all of my plans made for travel to sepilok and Danum Valley and didn't have to ask, although if I had gotten the right staff member I'm sure they would have been helpful. The walls are paper thin so bring your earplugs. Alot of camp borneo kids stay in big groups and we had the bad luck of an extremely loud band playing downstairs at the bar when we had a 3 am wakeup for a flight but not much you can do about those situations! If you need somewhere quiet to stay it's not for you. AC is great, really needed on those extra hot days in KK. There is breakfast of toast and peanut butter and jam and instant coffee and tea included, if you need something else there are plenty of laksa restaurants on Gaya St. Showers took some getting used to, several things you need to turn on to get it to go, you'll probably need to ask to make sure you get it right. Shared showers. Good WiFi in rooms. Roof deck was nice to take your breakfast up to. Laundromat right across the road if you need it. Good place to start and end your journey if all you need is a cheap place to sleep before heading off to the rainforest. …
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Date of stay: December 2018Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Perfect for a short stay in KK. My room was clean, AC was cold, and community had a chill vibe. Location was perfect in the center of KK. I also made arrangements for a trip with Sticky Rice, which is affiliated with the hostel. I’d definitely return next time in Borneo!
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Date of stay: September 2018Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I love how friendly the staff are, which is one of the reasons why I frequently return here on most of my trips to KK. I especially enjoy the homie environment, hanging at the rooftop, and playing with the resident cat at the hostel. There is a cafe downstairs if you happen to feel hungry at night, or just wanted to enjoy some drinks. The room is decent, cleanliness is not an issue, and special mention to Nani for always making me feel welcomed!
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Date of stay: August 2017
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
After the Australian high school group left to climb Mount Kinabalu the hostel got really empty. Nobody ever worked reception so I could go shower or make coffee in my underwear. The best part of staying here is the location. "Chinatown" is just a gimmick name for the locals know it as Gaya Street. You can always count on having good Malay, Chinese, South Asian eats anytime of the day there. Or even just put on some pants and across Gaya are all the malls facing the South China Sea.
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Date of stay: December 2017
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:I booked a RM60 single room and got upgraded to a RM80 double with a great writing desk and air...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
all the staff are friendly especially Edith who always extends her hospitality to the backpackers. the inn even lets you keep your things in their luggage room for free while you are away on a trip. 🙂 the place is really tidy and organized.
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Date of stay: September 2017Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I like Borneo backpackers. It's clean, staff are super friendly, AC is good, WiFi is good. Nice roof top garden, lots of seating areas. My stay was let down by not being able to have a key for my room and there being no lockers in my room, so all my possessions were out to the world. Luckily I didn't have any problems, but when the price is on the higher side (40RM per night) I would expect to be trusted with my own door key. Come on friends.
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Date of stay: September 2017Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chilled, clean and convenient, this backpacker’s hostel has relaxing communal space, a rooftop terrace, ample space to sort jungle kit and provides tea and toast for breakfast. We stayed here for two nights in a clean and relatively spacious double room with AC (always ask for fan or AC) and we really enjoyed it, for the most part. The hostel sits on top of the Biru Biru café which for us was a real attraction. On our arrival we stepped out of the taxi and into the café where a dreadlocked local was playing loud experimental electric guitar through the smoke rising from the audience’s cigarettes. We sat down and ordered food. Having read great things about the café we were excited, but after glancing at the menu we realised the prices were way off what we had read to expect. We ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, Nachos for 14 RM, and some beers and tucked in. The serving was very small, too small for even one person let alone two and the beers whilst cool were not worth 22 RM each. We got chatting to the owner of the café afterwards and it transpires that he has recently taken over which may explain the rise in prices. I’m sure there is plenty of good food to be had here if you are prepared to pay treble or quadruple the price you would pay only a street away. Each time we passed through KK on our trip we sought a room at Borneo backpackers and each time there was no room at the inn! It is a popular place which can have its drawbacks: on our first morning we were awoken at 5 am by a bunch of British school children chasing UCAS points on some World Challenge or Raleigh trip. Fortunately, for them and us, they left pretty quickly but only for another group to appear later that day. This new group of kids from Southern England managed to occupy every inch of communal space and made it very difficult to grab a slice of toast the following morning. Based on our experience, it might be worth checking before you book to see if any big school groups are staying as there are plenty of alternatives in KK, if not any quite as cool and memorable as Borneo Backpackers.…
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Date of stay: July 2017Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Worth asking if any school groups are occupying the building before booking
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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