Summer Lodge
4th Floor Lot 120 2nd, 3rd, Kota Kinabalu 88000 Malaysia
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#122 of 123 hotels in Kota Kinabalu
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HOTEL CLASS
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
Budget
Property amenities
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Wifi
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Laundry service
Location
4th Floor Lot 120 2nd, 3rd, Kota Kinabalu 88000 Malaysia
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 96 out of 100
96
Kota Kinabalu Airport
5.5 km•
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110 Restaurants
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Detailed Reviews
This place looks like good value when you see it online. 70RM for an aircon room with private bathroom. Wait until you start making your way upstairs. The stairs are rank and full of dirty marks up the walls. The staff are rude and literally just handed me the key and took my money. When we reached the rooms, the door handle pretty much fell out of our hands and the room was dark and pretty grim. Stains on the walls and hair in the bed. Sleepsheets it was for us. Onlu good thing about this place was the aircon cooled us down.
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Date of stay: August 2013Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Cleanliness
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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.
I had a wonderful vacation in Malaysia in this winter break. However, I also had a bad experience with Hotel Summer Lodge where ins in Lot 120 Jalan Gaya, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo.I have been to Malaysia twice, when I meet women in Malaysia I always show respect to them because I really like their humble and shy face with unique and beautiful headscarf ( tudung).each time I see them , they all smile, that make me smile also. I keep the good memory until my last day in Sabah.
My friend came with me to visit Sabah from Jan.1.2012 to Jan.04,2012, and she was from China and I was from America. Before we go, I contact with Summer Lodge and booked a room without air-condition as my friend couldn’t use air-condition. But when we got there we were told we had to update a room which has air-conditioned because they couldn’t find a fan for us. At the last morning we checked out and waited for taxi to bring us to airport. Half an hour passed and we still waited. I went to the front desk to ask if I could make a call with their telephone. A worker who is a Muslin girl with a white headscarf told me that their telephone could not make a call outside as it is only for use by the office. Later I asked them again, the girl said that I should talk with her boss. I said, “Sure, I can talk with your boss. Where is your boss?” she answered me that she didn’t know. I thought maybe I could find her boss using information from their website, so I went to the computer and tried to go to the internet. But the girl stopped the internet connection in the hotel. And I could not do it. Another half hour passed, and I talked with her again, this time she told me that I could call by using this hotel telephone but I should pay a high price. Unbelievable, she was cheating us all morning. This telephone can make phone call to outside. I asked her why she lied to us, then she was shameless to yell with us.
I never thought a young girl could have an evil heart. Maybe someone hurt her feeling before so she hates us? Hopefully, she will adjust her mentality and no longer lie because she was young and have a long life way. She destroyed our good impression with both Sabah and Muslim women.
My friend came with me to visit Sabah from Jan.1.2012 to Jan.04,2012, and she was from China and I was from America. Before we go, I contact with Summer Lodge and booked a room without air-condition as my friend couldn’t use air-condition. But when we got there we were told we had to update a room which has air-conditioned because they couldn’t find a fan for us. At the last morning we checked out and waited for taxi to bring us to airport. Half an hour passed and we still waited. I went to the front desk to ask if I could make a call with their telephone. A worker who is a Muslin girl with a white headscarf told me that their telephone could not make a call outside as it is only for use by the office. Later I asked them again, the girl said that I should talk with her boss. I said, “Sure, I can talk with your boss. Where is your boss?” she answered me that she didn’t know. I thought maybe I could find her boss using information from their website, so I went to the computer and tried to go to the internet. But the girl stopped the internet connection in the hotel. And I could not do it. Another half hour passed, and I talked with her again, this time she told me that I could call by using this hotel telephone but I should pay a high price. Unbelievable, she was cheating us all morning. This telephone can make phone call to outside. I asked her why she lied to us, then she was shameless to yell with us.
I never thought a young girl could have an evil heart. Maybe someone hurt her feeling before so she hates us? Hopefully, she will adjust her mentality and no longer lie because she was young and have a long life way. She destroyed our good impression with both Sabah and Muslim women.
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Date of stay: January 2012Trip type: Travelled with friends
Value
Rooms
Location
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Service
Sleep Quality
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 arrived from Kota kinabalu airport at summer lodge hostel on a Friday evening around 10pm. We had booked a double room with a window for £35 for two nights, paid in full, in my name, via expedia.com. On arrival they asked for our booking name, found it, but said the room was no longer available (despite the booking being guaranteed for late check in and paid in full prior to arrival). We accepted this and asked for an alternative room which they gave us, and charged us again for the two nights stay - hence we paid twice. On realising this, we approached the desk man and explained, provided receipts from them as well as the receipt and booking confirmation from expedia. The desk boy phoned the owner and said to us he would come to see us to issue the refund in one hour. He never turned up and we did not hear from them again. We also filed a formal complaint with Expedia but are yet to hear from them. INCREDIBLY ANNOYED AND DISAPPOINTED. In addition there were cockroaches in our room and the door lock was broken.
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Date of stay: August 2015Trip 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.
Pro's: staff is really friendly and accommodating - breakfast is included: REAL coffee and toast with peanutbutter and jam - price is good: 60 ringgit for double room without window + AC! - good beds, we actually slept really well! Did stay twice in room 207 so don't know about the other beds - shower was also ensuite and really good! - centrally located close to eateries and busstops.
Con's: they have a rat problem, they run around in the communal room and staircase - there was always cigarettebuds, animalpoop and the stench of pee in the staircase and it didn't get cleaned up. The staircase was shared with other inhabitants of the building so can't blame that exclusively on the guesthouse but it was disgusting - the rooms are seriously run down which gives them a grubby look, it's really borderline clean/ok.
I would have loved to give them a higher rating but the only reason I would do that is because of the supernice staff that really did their best to scrub up the place. Whoever is owning the place, (s)he owes it entirely to her/his staff that people at all still come here. Whatever (s)he is paying them, it should be more...
Con's: they have a rat problem, they run around in the communal room and staircase - there was always cigarettebuds, animalpoop and the stench of pee in the staircase and it didn't get cleaned up. The staircase was shared with other inhabitants of the building so can't blame that exclusively on the guesthouse but it was disgusting - the rooms are seriously run down which gives them a grubby look, it's really borderline clean/ok.
I would have loved to give them a higher rating but the only reason I would do that is because of the supernice staff that really did their best to scrub up the place. Whoever is owning the place, (s)he owes it entirely to her/his staff that people at all still come here. Whatever (s)he is paying them, it should be more...
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Date of stay: July 2014Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: We stayed in room 207 and that was ok. The first room we were shown had fungus everywhere, this...
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.
This is an OK place - compared to what you can find in Kota Kinabalu in the same price range. We liked it. Stayed here three nights on two different occasions. Clean rooms and pretty cheap. We didn't have any problems at all with cockroaches or bed bugs. The staff was nice and very helpful when I got sick.
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Date of stay: June 2014Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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 stayed for 1 night, but we wanted to leave even before that. It was like living in 'Joe's Apartment', the walls were covered in some black fungus and there was so much cockroaches. We checked in the afternoon, on the 3rd floor and it was all fine. Then we went out for dinner, when we returned there was a cockroach on our pillow, there was one in the bathroom, and another one on the floor. We asked the front desk if they had any cockroach repellent spray, but they didnt. Eventually we had to go out and get the spray ourselves. We killed about 5. And finally settled in to sleep, and thought all was fine when several more appeared. It was just too much and we asked for a room change. We got shifted to the second floor, which was better. No sight of cockroaches.
There are much better lodges in the area for the same price.
Visited June 2014
There are much better lodges in the area for the same price.
Visited June 2014
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Date of stay: June 2014Trip type: Travelled on business
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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 with my family at this place 5 years ago. We simply loved it. Very clean and nice staff. Especially we liked the "lobby" with the cats and the breakfast with the Kaya spread. So it was a big disappointment when we dropped in this time. Almost everything changed to worse. Elly was the only exception, she was nice and helpful. It seems that as they have changed the entry to the back side and moved the lobby to a different site everything has degraded...
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Date of stay: September 2012Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Checked in as I had booked from lonely planet recommendation. Room was dirty and door wouldn't open and close properly. Indifferent attitude by staff so left found somewhere else and returned to claim back my money! They refunded without question. Full of cats wandering around .
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Date of stay: February 2012Trip type: Travelled solo
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip: Find somewhere cleaner
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.
Warnings from other reviewers about bed bugs proved to be true!
Stayed 2 nights and bed bugs feasted on us to their hearts content.
Room was dirty and staff were indifferent and lacked initiative.
It seems like they don't really clean the rooms after previous guests have left!!!
I had asked to see the supposedly clean room before checking in - upon inspection toilet seat had lots of pubic hair on it so I asked them to clean it again!!!
After check in, we noticed a mound of fingernail clippings in one corner of the room - so disgusting.
Pillows were stinky and for the entire duration of our stay (3D 2N), our room was never cleaned - despite several requests made to the staff.
The rooms come with forgettable free breakfasts - toast, butter, jam, beans, juice and tea/coffee. Free wi-fi access is touted - but signals are weak in rooms. There are 3 computer terminals in the lounge that guests can use though.
Please avoid this guesthouse at all costs!
Stayed 2 nights and bed bugs feasted on us to their hearts content.
Room was dirty and staff were indifferent and lacked initiative.
It seems like they don't really clean the rooms after previous guests have left!!!
I had asked to see the supposedly clean room before checking in - upon inspection toilet seat had lots of pubic hair on it so I asked them to clean it again!!!
After check in, we noticed a mound of fingernail clippings in one corner of the room - so disgusting.
Pillows were stinky and for the entire duration of our stay (3D 2N), our room was never cleaned - despite several requests made to the staff.
The rooms come with forgettable free breakfasts - toast, butter, jam, beans, juice and tea/coffee. Free wi-fi access is touted - but signals are weak in rooms. There are 3 computer terminals in the lounge that guests can use though.
Please avoid this guesthouse at all costs!
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Date of stay: December 2010Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
One thing good about this lodge is it’s very near everything: the malls, seafood restos along the bay, night market, bus and taxi stations, ferries, and stores and other restaurants. It is also located just along the Sunday Gaya market.
Also, going to the lodge is very easy via the airport bus (RM5.00 only), and you'll be dropped off at gas station near the Horizon Hotel. Just walk for about five minutes and you're at the lodge already (just tread along Jalan Bandaran where you would see a mini park in the middle of the road until you reach Mandarin Hotel and Jalan Gaya where there's a big Chinese arch beside at the beginning of the street. The Summer Lodge very visible from the outside because it has a sign of the name of the lodge.
Going back to the airport was also easy. Just a couple of minutes walk to the bus station for RM5 (not the same way when I arrived). But since I was in a hurry, I just took a cab at the taxi station beside the Horizon Hotel for RM30.00, which is a fixed rate.
One thing that made me choose this lodge is for having a private toilet and bath, not at its finest but I find cleaner than the room itself. It’s a very simple lodge that needs a lot of renovation. At RM60 a night, this lodge is the cheapest I could find with a toilet and bath.
The room given to me was not maintained properly. Aircon unit is dripping and signs of drips is very visible, and so is the ceiling. I didn’t like the smell of the room as well so I just bought air fresheners from nearby stores. The pillows smells as well. I had to spray air fresheners before I go to sleep just to make it go away.
The floors were also secured because each floor has a locked gate (and notes on the wall to lock it) before you could enter your room. However, some guests don’t lock the gate which makes it a bit unsafe because anybody can enter the building without being noticed.
The building where the lodge stands is also being shared by another tenant. During my stay, some of the next-door tenants were having a loud fight. The next thing I saw were appliances blocking the stairways but enough for just one person to pass.
Towels were also provided (very thin and very old), but you have to ask for it. They won't give you a replacement unless you tell them. A body wash and tissue dispenser is provided in the bathroom. There is also nothing to hang your clothes on. I just bought some two-way hooks at a Japanese store inside Suria Sabah Mall because I only brought a pair.
Lockers were also provided at the reception area. There is also no TV and no other amenities in the room, just a bedside table but that wasn't important to me. I just needed the basic stuff. If you want to relax a bit, TV is at the living area next to the dining and computer area. The back wash area where smokers can do their business is a bit dirty.
Free breakfast is toast, jelly, peanut butter and margarine with coffee or tea served between 6:30AM and 10AM.
This might be the least beautiful accommodation that I've had in all my travels but it has done its purpose in my four-night stay, both within my budget and location.
Also, going to the lodge is very easy via the airport bus (RM5.00 only), and you'll be dropped off at gas station near the Horizon Hotel. Just walk for about five minutes and you're at the lodge already (just tread along Jalan Bandaran where you would see a mini park in the middle of the road until you reach Mandarin Hotel and Jalan Gaya where there's a big Chinese arch beside at the beginning of the street. The Summer Lodge very visible from the outside because it has a sign of the name of the lodge.
Going back to the airport was also easy. Just a couple of minutes walk to the bus station for RM5 (not the same way when I arrived). But since I was in a hurry, I just took a cab at the taxi station beside the Horizon Hotel for RM30.00, which is a fixed rate.
One thing that made me choose this lodge is for having a private toilet and bath, not at its finest but I find cleaner than the room itself. It’s a very simple lodge that needs a lot of renovation. At RM60 a night, this lodge is the cheapest I could find with a toilet and bath.
The room given to me was not maintained properly. Aircon unit is dripping and signs of drips is very visible, and so is the ceiling. I didn’t like the smell of the room as well so I just bought air fresheners from nearby stores. The pillows smells as well. I had to spray air fresheners before I go to sleep just to make it go away.
The floors were also secured because each floor has a locked gate (and notes on the wall to lock it) before you could enter your room. However, some guests don’t lock the gate which makes it a bit unsafe because anybody can enter the building without being noticed.
The building where the lodge stands is also being shared by another tenant. During my stay, some of the next-door tenants were having a loud fight. The next thing I saw were appliances blocking the stairways but enough for just one person to pass.
Towels were also provided (very thin and very old), but you have to ask for it. They won't give you a replacement unless you tell them. A body wash and tissue dispenser is provided in the bathroom. There is also nothing to hang your clothes on. I just bought some two-way hooks at a Japanese store inside Suria Sabah Mall because I only brought a pair.
Lockers were also provided at the reception area. There is also no TV and no other amenities in the room, just a bedside table but that wasn't important to me. I just needed the basic stuff. If you want to relax a bit, TV is at the living area next to the dining and computer area. The back wash area where smokers can do their business is a bit dirty.
Free breakfast is toast, jelly, peanut butter and margarine with coffee or tea served between 6:30AM and 10AM.
This might be the least beautiful accommodation that I've had in all my travels but it has done its purpose in my four-night stay, both within my budget and location.
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Date of stay: June 2014Trip type: Travelled solo
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: I've always considered location and budget when picking a room. No use having to save money...
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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"There are no elevators, so if you have lots of luggage, maybe don't stay here? Ask for a room with a window - I think this will help keep the mould problem down (our room had no window, and lots of mould)."Read full review
"We stayed in room 207 and that was ok. The first room we were shown had fungus everywhere, this one hadn't."Read full review
"I've always considered location and budget when picking a room. No use having to save money on hotel if it's too far from the tourist spots, restos and public transport."Read full review
LOCATION
MalaysiaSabahWest Coast DivisionKota Kinabalu DistrictKota Kinabalu
NUMBER OF ROOMS
40
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Frequently Asked Questions about Summer Lodge
Which popular attractions are close to Summer Lodge?
Nearby attractions include Gaya Street Sunday Market (0.06 km), Suria Sabah (0.4 km), and Signal Hill Observatory Platform (0.4 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Summer Lodge?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge.
What food & drink options are available at Summer Lodge?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant and a lounge during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to Summer Lodge?
Conveniently located restaurants include El Centro, Chilli Vanilla, and Little Italy @ Capital.
Is Summer Lodge located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.5 km away from the centre of Kota Kinabalu.
Are there any historical sites close to Summer Lodge?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Monsopiad Heritage Village (10.4 km).