Bunga Raya Island Resort
Polish Bay, Pulau Gaya 88778 Malaysia
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About
#2 of 3 hotels in Pulau Gaya
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
As sensual and exotic as the hibiscus flower that bears its name, Bunga Raya Island Resort is a luxurious jewel set on a coral reef island just off the coast of Borneo. A secluded island hideaway of 47 timbered villas, the resort is framed by white sand beach and virgin jungle. Hillside villas reflect the simplicity of the Borneo architectural style. A hilltop spa blends the finest Traditional Asian and Western treatments using restorative powers of indigenous plants and oils.
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Property amenities
Parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Fitness Centre with Gym / Workout Room
Free breakfast
Beach
Canoeing
Babysitting
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Infinity pool
Pool with view
Outdoor pool
Private pool
Yoga classes
Fitness classes
Personal trainer
Sauna
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast buffet
Complimentary Instant Coffee
Complimentary tea
Complimentary welcome drink
Happy hour
Kids' meals
Special diet menus
Wine / champagne
Poolside bar
Diving
Hiking
Snorkelling
Aerobics
Billiards
Fishing
Walking tours
Board games / puzzles
Books, DVDs, music for children
Children's television networks
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Highchairs available
Free shuttle or taxi services
Airport transportation
Spa
Body wrap
Couples massage
Facial treatments
Foot massage
Full body massage
Hand massage
Head massage
Hot spring bath
Manicure
Massage
Neck massage
Open-air bath
Pedicure
24-hour security
Baggage storage
Concierge
Mosquito net
Newspaper
Outdoor furniture
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun umbrellas
First aid kit
Umbrella
24-hour check-in
24-hour front desk
Private check-in / check-out
Clothes dryer
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Ironing service
Shoeshine
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Room features
Bathrobes
Air conditioning
Private beach
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Minibar
Flatscreen TV
Walk-in shower
Room service
Safe
Telephone
Wardrobe / wardrobe
Clothes rack
Iron
Private bathrooms
Wake-up service / alarm clock
Refrigerator
Electric kettle
Radio
Whirlpool bathtub
Complimentary toiletries
Hair dryer
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Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Smoking rooms available
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Luxury
Romantic
Languages Spoken
English, French, Chinese, Malay
Location
Contact
Polish Bay, Pulau Gaya 88778 Malaysia
Getting there
Car HireSee all Pulau Gaya car hire
651Reviews36Q+A100Room tips
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+1
We cousins (all girls) stayed at Bungaraya for 4 days and 3 nights. Amid the monsoon season, we were still blessed with nice weather during the day. Karl (Resort Manager) and his team were truly very helpful and accommodating. The resort has just reopened (May 2022) after the pandemic and there were some minor maintenance issues, canopy walk was closed, there are no WIFI in the rooms, room service had a service charge of RM25 per order, they had their valid reasons for the charges. Nevertheless, the team at Bungaraya does strive to make your stay as pleasant as possible. They are doing their best and we loved them for that! Friendly and caring team!! Its a beautiful secluded resort with well preserved flora and fauna. We will definitely be back again!
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip: No phone line for Maxis.. only Digi works. The stairs can be slippery up and down the villas....
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
We (as a family of four) booked a short stay at Bunga Raya prior to a river and rainforest adventure in central Sabah. Private transfer from KK airport to the office to the boat to the island was all fairly seamless. We were allocated Villa 38 as we booked 2 bedroom accommodation. It was absolutely superb - I loved the Malay vernacular/Colonial style of architecture, and we were a short walk from everything with the beach just in front of us. The bedrooms were connected by a verandah, which was fine for us with teens. May not be so good if you have little ones. Some villas are also well up the hill in the rainforest and could well be a bit of a mission to get to - particularly if you are coming and going regularly. Being in a tropical rainforest, right on the beach, the climate obviously takes its toll on all the infrastructure. No doubt this was particularly so during Covid when the resort was shut up and empty. There is an enormous amount of work needed to get all the villas back to standard, and the resort is only operating at half capacity at present, if that. One restaurant is closed and all meals have to be taken at the Pantai restaurant. Interestingly, the architecture here is out of sync with the rest of the resort and the mirrors and arches seemed more like something from a Chinese restaurant circa 1970s. Lovely view though. The service was rather typically Malay (sorry to generalise) but you could be either over serviced or under serviced, depending on the day. The food was always tasty even if a touch expensive by Malay standards - it does have to be shipped in by boat of course. On more than one occasion though our meals came out at different times - once, two of us had finished eating before the others were served. Once we all decided to eat Asian style but after 20 minutes we were advised that the wok had broken and we would need to order European food; which then took another 40 minutes. All done with laughs though, and it wasn't like we were rushing to go anywhere. As a family we spent most of our time in the water. The reefs aren't great, and there are no big fish, but hopefully the reefs are recovering, and there are numerous species of smaller tropical fish including damsel fish, moorish idols, clown fish, parrot fish etc. We even found a resident lobster. I did get up early (pre dawn) one day, and noticed a Malay fisherman working his nets close in in the bay. As it got light he packed up and left - so I'm not hopeful of having any big fish return anytime soon. We had nice weather conditions the whole time, but the wind must have come up on our last night because the morning we left the whole bay was filled with rubbish. If we had arrived with it in that condition we would not have had a very good time. Apparently the resort has to wait for the rubbish to wash up which they then collect and ship back to the mainland. We did do the canopy walk but it was only half open - fairly underwhelming - and the zip line for which you have to pay extra. Hot and sweaty but helped prepare us for the jungle trekking we did in Danum valley later in the holiday. The resort itself has a lovely ambience and there is plenty of wildlife around - the kids loved the monitor lizards, the snakes, the Oriental Pied Hornbills, and the cheeky macaques that were always trying to steal food in the restaurant. Overall, if you are looking for an Aman or Four Seasons standard, this resort is not for you. If you can be a bit more relaxed about things, then the location is incredible (rubbish in the ocean notwithstanding) and the ambience is comfortable and relaxing.…
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Date of stay: January 2023
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
For check-in you have to download an app to fill out stupid covid-19 questions. Like: have you had contact to someone with covid during the last weeks. How stupid is that. In six weeks of travel not a single hotel did any covid stuff anymore. When we arrived on the island the bay was literally filles with rubbish. Floating islands of trash is nothing you want when spending over 200 € a night. The swimming-pool was unuasable because the water quality was disgusting. The area around the pool was not clean at all. Yes the rooms were very nice and comfortable, the restaurant was great. But even if it is not the faulf of the hotel this is not a nice place tp spend a nice vacation. The Shangri-La Rasa Ria whith the fantastic beach and bay is way better.
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Date of stay: January 2023
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
+1
An amazing stay at a lovely resort in the rainforest, yet not too far away from KK. The staff are terrific and go out of their way to make you feel welcome at the resort. Thankfully we arrived the week after bad weather, so there was cleanup/fixing in progress, which is understandable. After seeing some of the other resort options near KK, we definitely were lucky to get seclusion/privacy and nature in abundance. Waking up/going to sleep with sound of waves, birds, cicadas, and watching the jungle come alive from your balcony is very special. To mention some memorable staff (and others were also friendly/helpful but I can not recall all their names, sorry!): Ellyrika, Cera, Eduardo, and Isaac (jungle guide with excellent English). Laurant, the French resort manager, does an amazing job at welcoming you, checking in regularly to make sure there is nothing you need and leaving personal notes/gifts to make the stay memorable. A big thank you to all at Bungaraya.…
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Some previous reviews talks about litter on the beach - it’s a tidal island so sadly gets...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Laurent Driole, General Manager at Bunga Raya Island Resort
Responded 4 weeks ago
Dear Diane, Dear Rogers, Greetings from all of us at Echoresorts! Thank you so much for this very kind and enthusiastic review. I really appreciate that you took some of your time on your road trip to post this outrageous comment based on your experience at the resort. On behalf of the whole team, I wish you a very good continuation in your tour around Borneo. Shall you need any assistance during your road trip please let us know we will be glad to help. Hope to welcome you back at Bungaraya to relax at the end of your drive!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
+1
Sincere compliments to all the dedicated staff of BungaRaya Island Resort in maintaining the resort, the bay area, the beach in tip top condition. It's a warm welcome upon arrival. All the staff are diligent, helpful, courteous and simply professional. The variety of food offered by the Resort is simply delicious by the creative experience chefs of the resort. We love the complimentary breakfast. Pastries, pastas, asian fusion simply great. There is a wine cellar with variety of fine wine to choose from as well. The rooms are clean, lovely, beautiful and comfortable. Complimentary toiletry sets are made of fine organic ingredients. The environment at this resort is so close to nature, gives one a zen feel, in perfect harmony with nature at the same time one can enjoy some complimentary activities offered by the Resort. In summary, it was a memorable awesome worthy of money 3 nites stay at BungaRaya Island Resort from 18Dec to 21 Dec. We definitely will come back. *Kudos to the dedicated staff of BungaRaya Island Resort*. Thank you once again for making our stay here so memorable. BungaRaya Island Resort equals to Rejuvenate recharge reenergise.…
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Laurent Driole, General Manager at Bunga Raya Island Resort
Responded 21 Dec 2022
Greetings from all of us at Bungaraya! Thank you for your very kind and lovely review after your stay at the resort. We are both pleased and honored to read that you truly enjoyed the "zen atmosphere in perfect harmony with Nature", the professionalism of the whole team "diligent and courteous" and that overall, you rejuvenated and fully reenergized, a good way to perfectly start the festive season!.... We wish you a warm, friendly, and joyous Christmas and we hope to welcome you back in 2023 the latest!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We flew into Kota Kinabalu airport in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia and took a taxi to the Jesselton Ferry dock about 30 minutes from the airport. We walked down the long ferry terminal with food stalls all along one side of the pier. We came to a small building on the dock with a sign for Gayana and Bunga Raya resorts. We waited there for a fast boat to take us at about 9:30 pm over to Gaya Island where we would stay for five days. We jumped into the plunge pool in our villa and looked out into the night wondering what we would find in the morning. As the sun rose, we looked out onto a sparkling power white sand beach and beyond a warm sea. As it happened there were only 4 or 5 other villas occupied as it was monsoon season. We love our stay. The beach and water fantastic. A lovely infinity pool. Great meals with choices of delicious regional cooking and some more international options. The staff working there were so very hospitable. It could not have been better for us. Animal life abounds with monitor lizards, monkeys, many birds, snorkelling, a friendly buffalo that rakes the beach each day. Also have a zip line, a canopy walk and wifi. Peaceful in the extreme…
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Date of stay: November 2022
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Plunge pool villas are at the beach!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Laurent Driole, General Manager at Bunga Raya Island Resort
Responded 25 Nov 2022
Dear BuddHall, Greetings from all of us at Echoresorts! Thank you for your poetic review. We are very pleased to read that you enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of Bungaraya, From your villa to the infinity pool and the wildlife it seems you took time to experience all assets of the resort and we hope to see you back in the nearest future...
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
What a gorgeous place. Set on a white sandy beach surrounded by jungle. The staff were a delight, always smiling and helpful. The villas were well equipped and extremely comfortable, with a completely separate sitting room if you needed it. The food was excellent and very reasonably priced, which went some way to offsetting the price of alcohol!! With very few guests we had the pool, sea, and beach pretty much to ourselves and certainly didn’t experience any problems with sand flies. If only it wasn’t 15 hours flying time away we would be back like a shot.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Laurent Driole, General Manager at Bunga Raya Island Resort
Responded 25 Nov 2022
Dear Adrian, Greetings from all of us at Echoresorts! Thank you so much for having taken some of your time in writing a few words after your stay at Bungaraya. We are super happy to read that you fully enjoyed the beach and the resort surroundings together with the food. It is true that it is a long journey from Europe and that for those only looking for sea and sun it might not be worth. But Borneo has much more to offer so as our resort since it is immersed in a still preserved rain forest with unique biodiversity where wildlife is somehow abundant. We hope you had a chance to watch any of the naughty macacs, monitor lizzards, hornbills and wild boars since they are all commonly walking the resort... We hope to welcome you back even though it takes 15 hours flight!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
+1
Very private resort, serene and quiet. Room was clean and spacious. Excellent hospitality and staff are well trained. Food was awesome and various of wines selection. Price was slightly higher in the resort but still at acceptable range of price. But the resort had too many mosquitoes and i was bitten by sand flies. The sand flies are aggressive and i had horrible experience. Basically my upper body and leg was attacked by sand flies and it leaves scars (plenty).. Whoever plan to stay there, need to bring repellent and fusicort cream for the sand flies. And also watch out for the monkeys, they are naughty and wild. If is not bcus of the sand flies it would hv been a perfect vacay.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Bring repellent and fusicort cream. Alot of mosquitoes and sand flies is the killer.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Laurent Driole, General Manager at Bunga Raya Island Resort
Responded 27 Sep 2022
Greetings from all of us at Echoresorts! Thank you for having taken some of your valuable time to write here some comment on your last stay. We are glad you enjoyed the resort atmosphere, the room, the food, the wine selection and above all the "well trained" team. Indeed, we spend a lot of time in giving various trainings over the year and the team will be grateful to read your compliment. With regards of mosquitoes and sandflies even if they are seasonal, please note that we fog the resort once a week, that all villas are complimentary equipped with: - a mosquito killer socket that guest may plug at night, - some coil to be burnt outdoor at night, - a large spray to be used to get rid of any insect entering the villa, - a small repellent kept inside the mini bar. Upon arrival we usually warn all guests not to stand on the beach too long and specifically upon sunrise and sunset. Indeed, being located on a still preserved island at the foot of a dense rain forest monitored by Sabah Park, the villas are immersed into the Nature where insects are quite present even though the ecosystem also includes insect predators. With regards to the sandflies, we just invested in buffaloes that we will use to turn the sand daily annoying the sanflies growth since they usually develop into the sand. Thus, being aware of the sandlies season is a must for whoever visit the resort to get organized accordingly. Thank you again for staying with us Kind regards
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Our stay at Bungaraya was great, huge thank you to the thoughtful kind staff (Nancy, Dean, Kery, Zalaina, Juliet and everyone else at the restaurant) as well as the spa team (Tina, Brenda and everyone else) for making our stay so memorable. The food and drinks were great and the massages are a must! I hope to see them all in the future. On top of this the location is amazing, the rooms are right on a white sandy beach making it impossible to beat.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Laurent Driole, General Manager at Bunga Raya Island Resort
Responded 24 Sep 2022
Greetings from all of us at Echoresorts! Thank you very much for having scored Bungaraya the maximum you could. We are super happy to read that the whole team pampered you as much as possible and that you had a lovely stay at the resort specially with the restaurant and the SPA. We definitely hope to see you back in the nearest future. Kind regards
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The stand out thing at this resort are the staff. Attentive, thoughtful and accommodating without being obsequious. Fazlina at The Longhouse Restaurant stands out, as do Laurent and Nancy as resort managers. The food was excellent. Based on previous reviews our expectations weren’t high but the quality was consistently very high. I thoroughly recommend the wasabi fish (a truly great dish) and the satay sticks which are accompanied by the best satay sauce I’ve had along with little cubes of pressed rice and if cucumber. Richie was a great dive leader and we were lucky to have him to ourselves over the three days of diving we did. The dive centre is actually at the sister resort but arrangements are easy to make either in advance or whilst there. I had an amazing signature massage - worth doing. You can buy a WiFi dongle to use in your room and once you know you can call the front desk to re-set your limit, is very reliable. Some bits of the resort do look a little tired but overall it’s charming. It sits on the boundary of the jungle and the beach so won’t ever be one of those pristine resorts you find in the Maldives. Some of the planks in the numerous wooden paths and walkways are spongy or loose which can be alarming. And bugs are an issue but repellent is provided and replenished gratis. Laurent and team are very responsive and helpful on any issue.…
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Transfers are easy. Get a cab from Kota Kinabalu airport to Jesselton ferry terminal (RM 30) and...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Laurent Driole, General Manager at Bunga Raya Island Resort
Responded 23 Sep 2022
Greetings from all of us at Echoresorts! Thank you very much for this very nice review and for having taken some of your precious time to get into details listing what you enjoyed the most from the food quality to your diving experience with Richie. Indeed, even if the Padi diving center is located at our sister Gayana Marine Resort, each time we have a request we organize the dive accordingly. And usually licensed guests are picked up at the end of the jetty with all necessary equipment and from there they go to the diving spot. We actually have several excellent diving spots just in front the resort and even if the big 5 are well known to be seen at Sipadang, dives in Tunku Abdul Marine National Park are also of high quality and you may spot out the small 5 (nemo, octopus, lion fish, puff fish, sea horse) together with sea turtle and baby sharks. My apologies I was not there to bid you farewell since you left very early in the morning... We hope your trip back home went perfectly well and that you are fully reloaded of energy! Thanks again for staying with us and see you soon in Borneo
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
PRICE RANGE
US$153 - US$333 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
bunga raya island hotel kota kinabalu, bunga raya island resort and spa
LOCATION
MalaysiaSabahWest Coast DivisionKota Kinabalu DistrictPulau Gaya
NUMBER OF ROOMS
48
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Claim Your ListingBUNGA RAYA ISLAND RESORT (R̶M̶ ̶1̶,̶5̶8̶0̶) RM 588: UPDATED 2023 Reviews, Price Comparison and 1,290 Photos (Pulau Gaya) - Tripadvisor
Frequently Asked Questions about Bunga Raya Island Resort
Which popular attractions are close to Bunga Raya Island Resort?
Nearby attractions include Kota Kinabalu City Mosque (7.9 km), Marine Ecology Research Centre (3.9 km), and Suria Sabah (7.8 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Bunga Raya Island Resort?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and a pool.
Which room amenities are available at Bunga Raya Island Resort?
Top room amenities include a minibar, air conditioning, and a flat screen TV.
What food & drink options are available at Bunga Raya Island Resort?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to Bunga Raya Island Resort?
Conveniently located restaurants include Ferdinand's, El Centro, and Chilli Vanilla.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Bunga Raya Island Resort?
Yes, guests have access to a pool, a fitness centre, and a sauna during their stay.
Does Bunga Raya Island Resort have airport transportation?
Yes, Bunga Raya Island Resort offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are any cleaning services offered at Bunga Raya Island Resort?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Bunga Raya Island Resort?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, French, Chinese, and Malay.
Does Bunga Raya Island Resort have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the harbour view available here.