Experience Paradise at Gaya Island Resort: A 5-Star Oasis in Kota Kinabalu
Indulge in a luxurious getaway at Gaya Island Resort, a 5.0 star hotel located in the breathtaking Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Our resort boasts an array of top-notch facilities, including a bar, restaurant, room service, safety deposit boxes, airport transfer, tours, concierge, air conditioning, hair dryer, mini bar, balcony/terrace, satellite/cable TV, massage, indoor pool, fitness center, spa, water sports (non-motorized), outdoor pool, private beach, poolside bar, and Wi-Fi in public areas. For those driving, we offer a car park onsite, while shuttle service is available for those who require it. Our hotel also offers dry cleaning, library, luggage storage, fishing, daily housekeeping, gift/souvenir shop, ticket service, snorkeling, beach, breakfast buffet, continental breakfast, 24-hour fitness center, and even a designated smoking area. Come and experience paradise at Gaya Island Resort, where every moment is a moment to be cherished.
Explore the Nearby Marine Park and Islands
Gaya Island Resort offers easy access to some of the most beautiful islands and marine parks in the area. Just a short boat ride away, guests can visit Sapi Island and explore the crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches. For those who love snorkeling and diving, Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park is a must-visit destination. This marine park is home to an incredible array of marine life, including colorful coral reefs and exotic fish species. Whether you're looking to relax on the beach or explore the underwater world, Gaya Island Resort's surrounding landmarks and attractions are sure to impress.
Exceptional Service and Comfortable Rooms
Guests rave about the exceptional service provided by the staff at Gaya Island Resort. From the friendly and professional staff to the nice chef, guests felt like they were treated like family rather than guests. The resort was always clean and the rooms were cleaned twice a day, providing extreme comfort for guests. One guest even mentioned Ramesh going above and beyond to make their stay comfortable. With its beautiful island, delicious food, and perfect service, guests highly recommend this hotel for anyone visiting Gaya Island Resort.
Unmatched Comfort and Service at Gaya Island Resort
Gaya Island Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia has earned a reputation for providing unmatched comfort and service to its guests. With an overall rating of 8.6, it's clear that visitors are impressed with the resort's facilities, cleanliness, and staff performance. Guests have rated the resort a remarkable 9.2 for comfort, demonstrating that the hotel has gone above and beyond to create a relaxing and inviting atmosphere. The staff at Gaya Island Resort have received a glowing rating of 9.1, proving that their friendly and attentive service is truly exceptional. While the food and dining rating of 7.3 may not be the highest, the resort's guests have raved about the other aspects of their stay, making Gaya Island Resort a top choice for those seeking luxury and comfort in Kota Kinabalu.
The best stay ever”
We booked the villa for 2nights including the night of Christmas eve, and the experiences we had were just UNBELIEVABLE. Every single staff we met was friendly and warm, always taking care of guests with smile and professional. Activities were full of excitements and adventures with professional guides of Gaya Island nature. Breakfasts & Dinner in Feast Village were as buffet type and it was great to enjoy different types of dishes in one place. We also went to Fisherman's Cove Restaurant for dinner of one night, which was pretty awesome as well. Food, activities, room conditions, beach, pools... everything was perfect but a top of them was amazing staff. Even the period that we were staying in GIR was not good enough to enjoy sunlights, our stay in GIR would remain as one of the best in life for long. Kudos to all the members in the resort. I wish I can come back again. Thanks.
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The best resort in Sabah!”
No 1 among all the other island resort in sabah.The architecture and landscapes are amazing!5 star services.Only small thing though,I hope the turndown service will be improve a bit by giving a good night notes,small local snack/fruits or pillow spray.Overall it was an amazing experiences staying at YTL GIR!
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Friendliness ”
The staffs were friendly! They really concerned about our stay that it would be the best stay we can ever get. Gracias!
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Good place to chill”
Very nice staff and very expensive stuff The round way boat transportation is not included in this price, please be alerted.
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Excellent Location and Service”
Excellent Location and a place that treats you like a family rather than guest. Thank you to Jack that showed us the room and was more than helpful, thank you to Pak Agus - head chef and excellent food, Crowen front desk for organizing the lunch picnic and marine conservation trip and others that made out trip amazing. I highly recommend this hotel for your hotel to Gaya. Everything was amazing
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Good nice resort”
Nice resort Best and cheap
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Excellent”
5 star service and 5 star charges!
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Excellent”
The resort need buggy service
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Everything expensive for local”
Within 5pm and after 10pm doesn't have anythings that can order for foods.
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Staying in Gaya Island Resort is a MUST”
I highly recommend people to stay at Gaya Island Resort! It is the best hotel in Kota Kinabalu. All the staff are friendly and nice. The room also comfortable and has nice design! Inside the room has a big bath tub and the room is comfortable. The breakfast also delicious and tasty. I recommend people who plan to stay here can try the Sinigang Steamboat as dinner, the seafood is fresh. You don't need to cook the meat or seafood yourselves. Just Sit over there, the waiter will serve you. Overall, I will stay at Gaya Island Resort again when I travel to Kota Kinabalu.
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Lovely resort”
We enjoyed our short stay at Gaya Island Resort quite a bit. Since it's on a private island, it's very quiet and doesn't have the big crowds and busy feel that most parts of Kota Kinabalu seem to have. The staff is superb, always eager and willing to help and always smiling. We took the most "economic" room and we were already really impressed with the space. We really enjoyed the complimentary activities (yoga, meditation, nature walk). We didn't try the "fine dining" restaurant but the buffet style restaurant food is decent, and the Tavajun Bay private beach meal was quite delicious.
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Very Nice Resort”
After all the hesitations from the reviews that I read, I finally booked myself and my husband for a 3-day stay at Gaya Island Resort. I did make the right choice! The place was really nice and clean! And the staff, my gosh is by far, the best staff I have encountered! Everyone was really courteous, always greets you with a smile and very accommodating. They also let us in our villa earlier since we arrived a bit early, free of charge. One other thing I liked about the resort is it encourages people to walk as form of exercise and does not really offer transportation. Our villa was a bit uphill and though it was a long walk to and from the resto and beach, we didnt really mind. For those who dont really like walking, I suggest you take the villas nearest to the restos, but the view is not that great. The view at the higher areas was AWESOME. Get the Canopy villa seaview and you will get to see the best sunrise ever! I was really awed and emotional when I saw it. Really, really nice! Two downside: the price of the food, specifically at Omakase. Food was great but not worthy of a USD50 rate. Not really 5 star-ish. And the garbage at the sea. Its definitely not the resorts fault but maybe because its pretty near the harbor thats why there were garbage at one side of the beach. Theres a side thats clean too though. Overall, I love this resort. We had really an amazing stay and will definitely come back if given the chance!
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Lovely staffs”
We've stayed in the Gaya island resort for 3 nights. The warm welcome we have received upon arrival made us feel like getting home. The staff- Eugene is still an intern but has provided professional service, we could communicate in both English and Mandarine which made the check-in process much smoothly. Another staff-Jeff from pool bar is very friendly as well! As the resort doesn't has too many rooms, we don't need to share the private pool and beach with the crowd. And we highly suggest the activities which were arranged by the resort, especially the mangrove kayaking. The only con we would say is about the choice of restaurant, there're only 3 restaurants and a pool bar in the resort. However, the experience of dining is beyond average. The breakfast and dinner buffet were very nice, beside this, there're some room to be improved for the teppanyaki set menu. We've been travel a lot and seldom submit review to the hotels we've stayed. But we did enjoy the experience this time and would like to recommend it to everyone!
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FANTASTIC RESORT”
We were traveling with our 16 months old baby to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. We want to make it a ritual to celebrate our anniversary(ies) on an island like we did during our honeymoon. Gaya Island Resort captured our heart when we first saw it advertised on our local airline (Royal Brunei)'s magazine, Muhibbah. Which we decided to go and celebrate there. We chose Kinabalu Villa for our stay. Indeed, it is a magnificent view! Weather was hot yet calm during our stay. We could see Mount Kinabalu in the early mornings, lovely sunrise (captured this time-lapsed! love it!). Although, you have to climb up the hills to get to the villa, but for the best view, why not!! Hospitality from the staffs were fantastic! They even helped me to carry our baby (with umbrella) from the lobby to the jetty. All and all, we really enjoy our stay! We will definitely come back!!
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Away from the crowds ”
Great getaway from the mainland and only a short 10 minutes transfer by boat. From meeting lovely Eva who welcomed us to the hotel all the staff throughout the hotel were exceptional and super helpful. Room was great and the elevated position rewards you with stunning sea views. Plenty of choice for activities if you like to be active. Rashid and Jamie who took us on the mangrove kayaking and trek to the nearby Tavajun bay provided loads of useful information about the islands wildlife. Snorkeling close to the hotel jetty and to the coral gardens is a must! Also would recommend the sunset cruise and the sunrise breakfast on the beach. Thank Xi for getting up so early to prepare for us and for looking after us so well. Perfect end to a perfect holiday. If we have any niggle it would be the cost of the beer, the cheaper beer isn't always available so you end up paying £5 for a 330ml can. Also the soft seating in the bar could do with replacing as it was quite dirty. Oh and the spa was quite pricy but heavenly if you're on honeymoon or a special holiday and want to treat yourselves. Highly recommend Gaya Island Resort.
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Christmas Magic”
Gaya Island Resort is an example of what a wonderful boutique hotel is. We had such a fabulous time. Our children had such a fabulous time, we want to return again next Christmas. My only real quarrel is that the Mainland Chinese visitors are not aware of global resort etiquette. We had smokers next to us and while the hotel was kind enough to move us (and upgraded our view), we were once again moved to another Mainland Chinese couple who were loud about their Chinese shows and general in room communication. We had to knock on their door to make them aware of how loud they were.
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Spacious room with big bathtub”
i would said is it a quite place for lovely couples~ Stayed 2 night and have a good times with my boyfriend.But there is few things you have to know before the trips : 1.check in at gaya lounges sutera harbour not Jesselton Ferry Terminal 2.Every 2 hours there is ferry to Gaya Island Resort,make sure you check the ferry departure time with the hotel.(have been waited 1 and half hours) 3.there is conservation fees to go in to the island RM20/day per person (will charged in you final billed) 4. Returned ferry for each person RM 120
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The staff were friendly and happy to help at all times. Resort always clean and absolutely stunning.”
The staff, in particular Ramesh the food and beverage manager. Ramesh went above and beyond to make us comfortable during our stay. The kindest and most helpful at all times! Ramesh remembered our names, dietary needs and bent over backwards every day! On our last day Ramesh organised a beautiful lunch for us to say farewell! Mary was also helpful and sweet and nothing was too difficult. Mary is always smiling and efficient. The chef - Agus was extremely accommodating to our dietary needs, being a vegetarian was not an issue. The chef organised fresh food each time we attended the buffet specifically for us. Anything we wanted was available. The service was impeccable from all staff. The resort was stunning and always clean. The rooms were cleaned twice a day and were extremely comfortable. Anything we asked for was provided instantly. I cannot wait for my next stay at Gaya Island! I’ve told all of my friends and family they must visit as honestly, my stay could not have been better.
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Litle paradice”
We stayed at Gaya Island Resort 4 nights and it was a perfect holidays. The staff is very kind, always helpful and fun. From the checkin at the marina until the end of our stay everything was perfect. A must-do is the cooking class with the Chef to learn how to cook typical Borneo food. Don't miss as well the private beach and the Thai lunch there, the thai chef is just so nice and her food is amazing. Thank you again for these perfect holidays !!
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Wonderful Service Beautiful Location”
Had a 3 nights stay, at the begining I thought it was a bit expensive. However, was worth the price for the quality of service and the amazing place it is in Gaya Island. Nice and spacious rooms, surrounded by incredible nature. The staff was very friendly, even organized a cake for a birthday celebration even i did not arrange it in advance. The restaurants are also excellent, you have a seafood one with fresh selections, a teppanyaki bar with a beautiful view. Swimming pool, beach and outdoor activities such as kayaking, snorkeling diving, paddle board, all well arrange. Recommend this place for a romantic or relaxed few days gettaway from busy city life style.
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