Angela
9Australia · Couple
Reviewed September 2026
Great spot to getaway for few days with coral garden close to the shoreline. Great amenties and a very relaxing stay
Liked Beautiful location
Disliked Very large resort so a lot of people.
Gaya Island Resort, Kota Kinabalu - a Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Location
Malohom Bay, Pulau Gaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park
Guest reviews
8.6
Excellent
Based on 700 reviews
Showing 6 of 97
Alexander
9United Kingdom · Couple
Reviewed September 2026
Excellent location for a few special days
Liked Excellent location and couldn’t fault it
Disliked The prices were high on all the food and drink, i know it’s on an island but they did seem quite considerably more than I was expecting
Emma
8United Kingdom · Couple
Reviewed September 2026
Gorgeous, rejuvenating and beautiful resort stay!
Liked Myself and my partner loved our stay at this resort. It is set in beautiful surroundings and the rooms/villas are delightful, so pretty and secluded. The staff are amazing, have great positive energy. The food quality is a little varied between the restaurants but it is completely fine, and with the size of the buffet in the main restaurant, such scope means not everything will be amazing. The marine center is an amazing part of the hotel, we partook in a coral snorkel trip and also went to the marine conservation talk and were able to see a turtle that was being rehabilitated. We also i believe were there in low season (Sept) and so the resort was fairly quiet and really spacious. The communal areas at the hotel, pool, reception are all gorgeous. The spa is huge and amazing, my partner and i both had great massages there.
Disliked As other reviewers have said, the fact you have to pay separately for the ferry to the island isn't great, as it is the only way to get there. And they really do add on a lot of costs and other extras, so the check-out bill is pretty high. Is what it is, we felt it was overall worth it as we loved our stay, but i guess i'd say to people to make sure you factor this in to your budgeting.
Hannah
4United States · Family
Reviewed August 2026
Disappointing and expensive
Liked Large pool, great games room for kids, kind staff, good choice of food in buffet, nice rooms.
Disliked This is sadly not a 5 star experience. The beach is disappointing - the water is extremely shallow (below knees) and very hot and feels swampy, there’s no beach to lie on or walk along and you’re looking out at Oil Tankers waiting to dock in Kota Kinabalu. The activities are expensive and everything is booked up in advance - Coral Garden snorkelling involves a boat ride through trash-filled waters to see dead coral at a cost of RM150 pp. Food and drinks are very expensive. No sign of monkeys or other wildlife (other than Monitor Lizards), nowhere to walk… All in all an expensive and disappointing stay that resulted in us leaving a day early. Deceptive marketing.
Angelo
8South Korea · Couple
Reviewed August 2026
Perfect for Adults Only
Liked Beautiful setting in the middle of the jungle, nice and spacious rooms, 2 private beaches, great breakfast
Disliked No options for children, limited restaurants
Silvia
9United Kingdom · Family
Reviewed August 2026
Beautiful and relaxing stay
Liked Surrounded by spectacular nature, beautiful architecture, very comfortable, lots of activities, friendly and helpful staff, villas are hidden among the trees and private, food was delicious
Disliked It took a VERY long time to get our food when ordering lunch every day of our 5 day stay (simple lunches were often 1.5-2hrs). The water stations were often empty or missing cups. The price for the boat is quite expensive given it’s only 10 minutes. They could use more lounge chairs. They also didn’t have certain toiletries on request that you would expect at a five star hotel.
Reviews are shared by our booking partner, Nuitée, from guests who stayed.