Agnes Newton Keith Home

Agnes Newton Keith Home

Agnes Newton Keith Home
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  • An_adventure_diary
    Kuala Belait, Brunei Darussalam164 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interesting
    We found it really interesting to visit. Some of the signage needs to be checked and re-visited because the English is not translated quite right. It would have been great to have had someone there to ask questions to, or a guide service available. You’re really missing a trick with not having a gift shop selling her books!
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 30 May 2024
  • annminky
    United States3,976 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Colonial House with Tragic History
    If you like history, then visit this place. My first time to know of Agnes Keith. Interesting information about what her family went through including other people who were captured by the Japanese. I can’t imagine being beaten up while in captivity. The house is beautiful full of artifacts from her time, clippings of history and lots of pictures. Some people might say”it’s just another house”, but truly it holds so much history. She’s also an author of several books.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 8 September 2024
  • Helena C
    Galway, Ireland38 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interesting Colonial house
    A very interesting Colonial house, with a fascinating story about the author Agnes Keith and her family's experiences during their internment in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during WW2. So much information, lots to read. I really did enjoy it. The only drawback I found was that as well as the exhibits and information about this family, there were a lot of artefacts from Borneo history. Which was great! I think they came from the Sandaken local museum. But all the information about what these were, and when and where they came from was only in Malay language. Nothing in English. Which was a shame, as I would have been interested to know more about them. Also maybe consider having some of Agnes Keith's books displayed for sale at the entrance? I would have bought at least one!
    Visited February 2025
    Travelled with friends
    Written 9 February 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles374 reviews
Excellent
102
Very good
187
Average
72
Poor
9
Terrible
4

#foracoolerworld
Vienna, Austria625 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
Borneo is mainly jungle and wildlife, not that many sites are left from colonial times. The museum gives a great insight in colonial life in Sandakan and the author Agnes Keith as well. Apart from the house and the furniture itself (partly reproductions, partly originals), there are many photos and information about that time. And you have a great view from the hill.
Written 26 June 2022
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.

Maree R
Christchurch, New Zealand1,322 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
Beautiful house thats open to the public. I knew nothing before I visited and now I find myself wanting to read her books. What a time in history and the house really is a treat to visit, must have been exceptional in its day. Well worth a visit.
Written 6 September 2023
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.

tazzat7
Tonbridge, UK746 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Couples
Set in a very peaceful location above the city this is a proper colonial house. It must have been a joy to live here. We were the only visitors and we enjoyed learning about the history of Agnes Keith and her husband. Well manicured gardens.
Written 8 July 2022
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.

karina d
Manchester, UK207 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Visited this house as part of our heritage walk. Brilliant museum full of photos, stories and memorabilia.Well worth a visit and you can use your ticket ti visit Sabah Museum
Written 4 March 2020
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.

grahamrsimms
Hong Kong, China155 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this beautiful house and garden with amazing history. It was fantastic to discover the story of the Keith's and their life in this house, from a different era. I have subsequently bought all of Agnes's books. The tea room was a delight!
Written 20 August 2022
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.

Pooffster
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
Nice quiet place by the gardens overlooking the sea. Great place for afternoons. Do order the English tea set and watch the afternoon go by. After that walk around the museum next to it.
Written 27 August 2020
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.

jansim
Shetland91 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Agnes Keiths home was destroyed during the war but has now been lovingly restored. It really is an amazing place and of considerable interest to people who like myself, have read her books. So professionally done with photos, furniture and niknaks which gave a great insight into her way of life.
Well worth the visit.
Written 12 March 2006
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.

Suvi K
Finland266 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
We visited the Agnes Keith house by ourselves, seemed like everyone else came there with a tour. It's easy enough to walk there by yourself, it's a short walk away from the Sabah hotel and Sandakan hotel as well.

We enjoyed the views of Sandakan from the view platform on the cliff below the house and even saw an eagle circling the area.

We had some drinks and lychee-blueberry crumble, which was too sweet. The coffee also tasted foul. Tea would probably have been a better bet, seeing as this is called Agnes Keith tea house.

We walked on the grounds but did not visit the museum there. When we left we took the 100 steps down to Sandakan center, which Lonely Planet warns tourists about. Apparently in 2004 some tourists got robbed when walking the steps. When we went there were some couples sitting and eating lunch near the path and it really is "out of the way", so it might be better to take a cab or walk by the roadside to Sandakan.

A really beautiful place but the Tea House is very expensive for food/drinks/dessert. Worth the visit anyway, really brings Agnes Keith's books to life. We visited the Agnes Keith house by ourselves, seemed like everyone else came there with a tour. It's easy enough to walk there by yourself, it's a short walk away from the Sabah hotel and Sandakan hotel as well.

We enjoyed the views of Sandakan from the view platform on the cliff below the house and even saw an eagle circling the area.

We had some drinks and lychee-blueberry crumble, which was too sweet. The coffee also tasted foul. Tea would probably have been a better bet, seeing as this is called Agnes Keith tea house.

We walked on the grounds but did not visit the museum there. When we left we took the 100 steps down to Sandakan center, which Lonely Planet warns tourists about. Apparently in 2004 some tourists got robbed when walking the steps. When we went there were some couples sitting and eating lunch near the path and it really is "out of the way", so it might be better to take a cab or walk by the roadside to Sandakan.

A really beautiful place but the Tea House is very expensive for food/drinks/dessert. Worth the visit anyway, really brings Agnes Keith's books to life.

Written 20 July 2006
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.

Afidzah
Shah Alam, Malaysia182 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2015 • Friends
It is basically a house of an American Writer called Agnes Newton Keith who died in 1982. They were the second family to occupy the house and later on the house was occupied by other families as well. So what made the house so famous then? Because she described every details of this house in her book called Land Below The Wind and she really fell in love with Sabah. They stayed in Sabah for almost 18 years before her husband was transferred to Manila. It was much Years later that this house was brought to live again by the Sabah Museum through lots of reconstructions and restoraton to its original build. Entrace fee is RM 2 per adult. Do stop by at the souvinier shop to buy her 3 most famous books which were written during her stays in Sabah. Each book cost around RM 68.
Written 26 May 2015
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.

NukeExpatinTheDesert
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates162 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2019 • Family
If you have been, are, or plan to read Land Below the Wind, which I recommend to anyone, especially if you are visiting Borneo, this is a must visit. I picked up the book last time we were in Borneo, and just started reading it a few weeks ago when we booked our trip. Agnes Keith does an amazing job describing life in Sandakan about 80 years ago, and it comes to life here. We had lunch at the English Tea house, but it was just ok, not a requirement, but it is literally next door to house. You need less than 1 hour at house.
Written 6 April 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.

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AGNES NEWTON KEITH HOME (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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