Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu

Rooms and amenities are average for the price and reputation of Shangri-La, the view of the sea and sunset was the saving grace of this stay.

First time waiting 35mins in line just to check into a room. The system of strictly only check in after 3pm was a real nightmare, we arrived at 12pm to do a pre-check-in, had our lunch at the tatu care. Took a stroll on the beach and check out the facilities, by the time we were done it was a quarter pass 2pm, at that point of time the lobby was still pretty empty. I checked with the concierge if there were any chance the rooms might be ready, he did not even bother to call or check, and mentioned we can't check in, come back after 3pm. Fine by me. Went back at 3pm to check in, we waited 35mins for our turn to check in, by the time our luggages reached our rooms, it was half pass 4pm. Almost an entire day was gone!!! I think the management really needs to look into the system and how to manage the flow, if its strictly only check in at 3pm. Everyone swamped to the counter resulting in long queues and chaos. Staff and guest are stressed.

Thoughtfulness in kids'/family facilities (water play area, kids' club, in-room amenities like kids' bathrobes and step stool in bathroom); staff attentiveness; on-site STAR Marina made island excursions very convenient.

Resort is overall very dated; quality of food is average; check-in took a very long time (~15 minutes).

The property is very run down. They are currently under renovations but the hotel is very tired, pools missing flooring, toilets broken and just a feel of very much in need of some tlc

When we checked in we were told we had an upgrade. But it wasn’t really an upgrade, it was just a move to a lower ground room. Which we had specifically chosen against when booking as we didn’t want our children to be able to leave to room alone. When we said we didn’t want this room, we then found out our original room was no longer available.

We visited for the second time because we were very satisfied with our stay two years ago. While our satisfaction wasn’t quite as high as before, the memories remained just as special, and we had a relaxing stay. The children had a great time with plenty of play opportunities, although the ongoing construction in several areas caused some inconvenience.

The pool floor shows signs of wear and needs refurbishment, and some areas of the facilities require maintenance. It was also a bit disappointing that the staff seemed somewhat disorganized.