Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Gaya Island Resort is located on Pulau Gaya, the largest of a cluster of five islands that form the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, a natural conservation area off the coast of Borneo, close to Kota Kinabalu. Gaya Island Resort has a unique setting: the land is fringed with a golden sandy beach, rocky coastal outcrops, and surrounded by coral reefs. The hilly island landscape is covered with lush tropical rainforest and an abundance of flora and fauna. And to complete this perfect setting, visible in the distance, is the stunning outline of Mount Kinabalu. The guest villa exterior respects Sabahan architecture uses local materials and blends harmoniously with the natural environment. The interior living space is designed with contemporary elegance to create warmth, comfort and a serene indoor setting. Gaya Island Resort is committed to ecologically sustainable practices to minimise the carbon footprint within its environment. Therefore the resort is a walking resort and only minimal motorised vehicles are used for operational purposes.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Modern
Charming
Languages Spoken
English, Chinese, Malay
Location
Malohom Bay, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Pulau Gaya 88000 Malaysia
This summary was created by AI, based on recent reviews.
Powered by AI
Nestled in a picturesque and secluded location, Gaya Island Resort is applauded for its serene atmosphere and stunning ocean vistas. The spacious and luxurious rooms are a hit among guests, although accessibility and maintenance are noted areas for improvement. Guests often compliment the friendly and professional service, despite occasional delays.
While the resort offers a variety of dining options and praised amenities like snorkeling, some activities may need to be booked in advance. The cleanliness is generally appreciated, yet some areas require more attention. The value perception is impacted by the pricing of activities and dining.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Tranquil
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Abundant
Was this helpful?
Tripadvisor is not responsible for this summary or the opinions in it. For more information, please read the traveller reviews and learn more about how the site works.
Loved our stay at Gaya Island Resort and a perfect place to relax after time in the Borneo jungle.
The rooms are very well appointed with a fabulous bed and bathroom area. Good quality toiletries were provided. The balcony was pleasant but a little cramped. The big point to consider with the choice of room is whether you want a hillside room with the best views but lots of climbing/walking or a lodge closer to the main resort facilities.
The pool and beach areas were lovely with lots of space and sunbeds. Plenty of beech towels available all day long and free purified water. Service around the pool/beach was however limited.
The beech is lovely and the water clean, warm and shallow with a really good house reef which is very accessible for snorkeling. In fact the hotel is perfect for those who love to snorkel with loads of beautiful fish and coral on the house reef, but more importantly a short boat ride to the conservation area with truly amazing reefs.
The Resort has a good selection of restaurants all serving "fixed menus". The quality of food was generally very good but we found the fixed menu to be frustrating at times and becomes increasingly repetitive for those that stay for more than a few days.
Read more
Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip 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 as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
These reviews are machine translated from their original language. Show machine translations?
Gaya Island Hotel Gaia Island is the nearest outer island to the city and its resort is very beautiful, comfortable and happy, and the price is also very reasonable. Activities at the resort are not easy to book, proving to be fun popular. We played diving and canoeing, all excellent. Especially for diving, you can see the oceanic ecosystem of Gaya Island, fish, coral, seaweed are very beautiful. We live in a large room with a large bathtub, a bed and a couch connected, a wooden sofa outside the door, and a very homey feeling. Just the room is too air-conditioned, and the light switches are a little messy. The food of the restaurant, the wine and food of the bar, the beauty of the beach, the high quality of the staff, let us leave good memories and let us relax the holiday. When taking a boat back to the city, it is very unnecessary
Read more
Automatically translated
Date of stay: December 2024Trip 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 as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A lot to digest? Read an AI-generated summary of recent traveller reviews.
We started our holiday with a few days of rest in this beautiful and cozy hotel. The rooms are beautiful and equipped with every comfort, but not easily accessible for older or less mobile people. The staff is helpful and extremely friendly, they do everything they can to make your stay as pleasant as possible. It is unfair to mention names because everyone did their best. The beach in front of the hotel is less suitable for swimming, but there is a shuttle to a private beach where you can relax and have lunch. Dinner in the Japanese restaurant was delicious, unfortunately the fish restaurant was fully booked during our stay. This hotel is highly recommended for those who love comfort and tranquility.
Read more
Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Book the restaurants in time
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.
While it boasts a perfect location with easy access via private boat transfer and stunning views from the Villa Kinabalu, there's significant room for improvement before it can truly be considered a "luxury" establishment. The staff are friendly and helpful, but several issues detract from the overall experience.
1. Noise. Noise pollution is prevalent throughout the public areas, including the swimming pool, main restaurant, and Fisherman’s Cove. The only feedback I received from the hotel was “We have many big group and family travelers during Chinese New Year”. So that small group/couple/solo traveller’s’ expectation on a quiet holiday can be ignored? The lack of clear rules and management of guest behavior is disappointing. In one evening, we even resorted to room service to escape the disturbance.
2. So called “fine dining”. The fine dining experience at Fisherman’s Cove fell short of expectations. Despite being advised of the need for reservations and the restaurant's formal attire policy, we were surprised to find other diners in casual clothing - tank tops, shorts, speaking loudly when we arrived. And earlier of the day I was even worried I didn’t bring a decent pair of earrings - irony.
3. Swimming pool management. Standards regarding guest behavior and etiquette seem lax. Instances of guests hanging swimsuits by the pool and children playing with pizza pans by the sea detract from the luxury atmosphere. (I wouldn’t dare to order a pizza at the swimming pool bar for lunch anymore!) The day before we checked out, we even saw some of the guests were washing snorkeling boots in the swimming pool. A proactive approach from staff to address such situations would maintain the hotel's reputation and elevate the overall experience.
Having stayed in several luxury hotels worldwide in the past years, I see many are really putting attention to maintain a distinguished image and adhere to “luxury” standards, not only making profit. I hope this hotel management sees and considers some improvement.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2024Trip 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 as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
- The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly, making our stay more comfortable. - The rooms were clean, spacious, and well-maintained. - We enjoyed the nocturnal walk, which was a fun experience despite not seeing many animals. - The meditation classes at the Spa Village were a nice touch and very relaxing. - The spa was decent, though a bit pricier compared to other YTL resorts.
Cons:
- Fisherman’s Cove, a fine dining restaurant, was uncomfortably hot. We were sweating before we even ordered. The food and drinks were fine, though expensive. - The BBQ night was enjoyable with good performances, but unfortunately, the food was cold. Despite arriving on time at 6:30 pm, as advised by the staff, we expected at least warm food. - Tuvajun Bay (Private Beach) felt neglected and not on par with similar YTL properties like Chapman’s Bar in Pangkor Laut. There was a significant outflow of water and trash from the mangrove into the sea, making it not swimmable. The beach needs more regular cleaning. We even picked up a bag of human waste from the beach ourselves. - The diving and snorkeling activities were limited. The vendors only had two boats, mostly occupied by snorkelers, leaving little room for diving. - The Sunset Cruise was a little upsetting. We reserved in advance, but last-minute guests without reservations were allowed on board, forcing us to share food that was only prepared for two. - Wi-Fi coverage across the island was weak and unstable, which was surprising given that YES (internet provider) is part of the YTL group. - The reception could use more phone lines. When one person is on the phone, others can’t reach staff, which could be problematic in emergencies.
Overall, while there were some great aspects of our stay, there are several areas where improvements could make a big difference. We hope these issues will be addressed for future guests.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip 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 as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had some a nice stay of 5 nights at Gaya Island Resort (GIR). However, the overall conclusion was that it did not entirely live up to our expectations.
Pro’s: - Location at the sea is lovely with easy access to the ocean. Water is fantastic when it is not packed with plastic waste. - The Resort does a great job trying to keep the water clean. They have many people cleaning up the ocean and the beach. - Pool area is nice with (not enoguh!) sunbeds and plenty of pool towels. - Lunch restaurant was OK - When we preferred to eat outside instead of sitting inside the restaurant, they made a special table for us outside. This was very nice. - The private beach reachable by boat was nice.
Con’s: - The resort allows people to reserve sunbeds from early in the morning. So if you show up at 10 am, there will be loads of sunbeds with only pool towels on them, but only people on approx half of them. It is extremely annoying. The resort should put a stop to this and just remove all towels. This towel-execise does bring a mediocre feeling to the resort. It is certaintly not something a truly luxury resort would allow. - My husband and my son wanted to scuba dive. Due to a cancellation, they were able to go for half a day, but everything else was fully booked. It would have been nice to know that booking in advance was necessary to secure a spot. - We didn’t get the snorkeling trip that was actually included in our package. We never quite understood why. We asked for an alternative activity instead and they promised us to look info that, but never came back to us with a suggestion. - Food was ok, but nothing special and rather expensive - We were planning on taken the boat to Kota Kinabalu to have dinner there. The boat transfer was outrageously expensive so we ended up going only once. It is obvious that they want the guests to dine at the resort. - Rooms were ok, but a bit dark. Although I enjoy a big bathroom, it did take up too much room compared to the bed area.
We don’t mind walking so the hilly walks going back and forth were ok, but I can certainly see why this could be a problem to some people. The resort should consider electric buggies as a service to those who do not fancy a strenous walk in 35 degrees.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip 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.
I guess firstly must say that we did enjoy the 5 days we spent at the resort simply a beautiful location and staff tried hard to please all guests. The pros for this resort are the location the ambience and swimming around the beautiful coral near the pier lovely 👍. The cons well after travelling a lot around Asia and seeing some beautiful resorts this is def not 5 star more closer to 4 star. When we arrived by boat we were waiting just over an hour to get into our room check in at 3pm we did not get to our room until 4.15 not good enough I’m sorry. The second day we decided to use the huge bath in our villa -852 and guess what no water we rang reception and plumbers had a look but couldn’t fix it we were asked if we wanted to move but they insisted the water would get stronger over the next few hours sadly it didn’t. Our 3rd day we decided to have an 80 minute massage both my wife and I in the same room and both staff members excused themselves for 10-15 minutes to go to the toilet . Well everyone has to go but hey didn’t extend our massage time by the time they were not in the room and at nearly $150AUD for each massage well that said it all. The food at the resort is limited and super expensive although the Japanese tepinyaki was good the other general restaurant was limited to the same food and at $80 ahead a ripoff . We enjoyed the walk to the villa up a road and upstairs but if you have mobility issues this could be a concern although they do have a bus that runs irregularly. Overall an ok resort with beautiful views but hey very expensive for Malaysian standards and is in need of a revamp sooner rather than later lots of taxes on our bill and I thought this was extreme as well . Anyway we are off to Penang now to stay at the Eastern Oriental which we stayed at last year by far a much better resort and less of a rip off..
Read more
Date of stay: August 2024Trip 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 as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The 5* category is a wide one which sometimes makes rating a hotel difficult. This hotel is not a Datai or Four Seasons (hotels in Langkawi)
Howerver is serves a purpose at the end of a trip around the amazing Borneo wildlife
There are a number of good things about this hotel but also some things that let it down a bit.
On the good side * rooms -whilst I wouldn't describe as villa's are large, with good aircon, big comfy bed and decent shower * the 40m swimming pool is clean and a great place to cool off * the cleaner was fantastic and all was spotless each day * the fish restariant was good as was the Japanese tepanyaki restaurant * reception staff were good * catering staff were friendly and special mention to June who seemed to go the extra mile both in buffet and fish restaurants * maintenence staff always gave a cheery smile and cleaned the beach of debris .* water sports team were friendly and knowledgeable.
Not so good * the boat two and from resort only takes 10 mins but only rums ever 2 hours. Meaning a Wait of 90mins going out and arriving at airport 4 hours before flight on way home
* the private beach is littered with plastic both on the sand and in the water. There is a waterside village nonfat away which assume is the cause but the hotel should endeavour to clear it each day * the bar staff whilst kind in nature need a bit of a kick up the bum to clear up used glasses and plates. * the bins by the pool should have lids and be emptied more regularly so as to not encourage the macaques. * there is little to no beach at high tide and it is not quite the picturesque setting shown on the Web
That said most people seemed to really enjoy and if you haven't been lucky enough to visit other secluded 5* hotels you will probably love it.
Read more
Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:If you are a keen snorkeller then bring your own fins as the resort only provides masks due to...
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.
My wife and I used the hotel for 2 nights after our trip through the Bornean jungle. The hotel is proud to be part of the Small Luxury Hotels chain and I have the following notices about it.
The hotel is definitely not Small or Luxury. On the contrary, I had the impression of an ordinary holiday beach hotel. I'll tell you what bothered me the most. At the pool gazebos, you have very old, not completely clean and very torn curtains. You should replace these as soon as possible.
However, what I consider a disaster - is the cleanliness / impurity of the sea. I was on a "private" beach one day and pulled 20 pieces of old plastic bags and old plastic beaches out of the sea. It's very nice that your staff make various ornaments on the beach with rakes, but it is much more important that they clean the sea from time to time. I definitely cannot recommend your hotel as a MICE organizer at this time. Please work on cleanliness..
P.S.It also bothered me that during breakfast I had to ask the staff several times to clear away the used plates and mugs.
Read more
Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip 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 as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fabulous resort facing Kota Kinabalu and Mount Kinabalu. The rooms are incredible with the added bonus of Sun loungers on the balcony. Naughty macaques proved a bit troublesome when using these but it goes with the territory! Outstanding service. Everywhere in this resort. The breakfast was superb. Plenty of Sun loungers around the pool. The negatives are the costs of the activities…over £30 for a snorkelling trip which lasted less than 2 hours with an hour in the water. I took my own kit which was lucky as fins weren’t provided. Chris, the guide, was great sending me pictures afterwards. Unfortunately water visibility was poor and they would have been better cancelling it. Light meals are only available before 5 in the pool bar. This is a shame as not everybody wants a big meal in that humidity and with the buffet costing around £30, it was a lot to pay if you weren’t hungry. The other restaurants were around £50 for a 3 course meal. Very few people bothered with any of these during my stay and the bar was virtually empty on a night, which was a shame. The drinks were served in plastic glasses which is understandable during the day for safety reasons, but not on a night. If a light bite menu was available in the bar on an evening I am sure that it would encourage more people to spend time and money in the bar.
Read more
Date of stay: October 2024
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip 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.
There are more places to choose from in the Pulau Gaya area.
PRICE RANGE
RM 871 - RM 1,356 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
MalaysiaSabahWest Coast DivisionKota Kinabalu DistrictPulau Gaya
NUMBER OF ROOMS
121
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
