Gayana Marine Resort

1. The service in general was pretty slow. We made several calls to the front desk because we left one of our things in another room and they never called us back (even though they said they would). We also made calls about certain things that were missing in the room and it took almost an entire day for them to respond and get back to us. 2. In terms of cleanliness, I expected the ocean and palm villas to be cleaner given the price. I was disappointed by all the ants in the palm villa and the villas in general all had really old furniture and the bathrooms werent very clean. 3. This isnt really a complaint about the villa itself but it rained everyday so we werent able to do a lot of activities. 4. The wifi connection here is really bad. We can only get wifi at the restaurant. If you want wifi you have to rent a pocket wifi (1GB) for 25 RM. 5. If you want to do want to do any watersports or any activities in general, you have to go to another island or get arrangements earlier on at jesselton point where they have all the agencies. But the ocean view from the villa was beautiful and all the restaurants were pretty good. The location overall is really serene and quiet so it is perfect for someone who wants a quiet vacation.

This hotel has a spectacular location. The staff were warm and helpful. However, it is showing it’s age and many facilities require updating and improvement. The faucets in the bathroom and the toilet were broken, outdoor furniture broken, and towels were frayed. If there are adjustments and commitment to quality, this property could be something special.

Gaya Island is a short boat ride from Kota Kinabalu. The Marine resort only has boat journeys at set times of the day. Upon arrival at the boat terminal we had to wait an hour for a scheduled departure. For a nominal sum you can arrange a private boat to take you. Contact the hotel directly to arrange. Once we arrived checkin was smooth and friendly. In fact all the staff are very welcoming. It is 100% worth the extra money to get a room with a sea view. Whilst the staff are keen to please they aren't the fastest, and they don't really serve around the pool area at all, despite the restaurant being only yards away. Pool towels are available but we had to ask for them 4 days in a row. Breakfast offers a decent amount of variety with a buffet style and a menu choose other things from. The resort has a no single use plastic policy and issues you with useful red bottles to refill. They really believe in cutting down single use plastic. They offer free drinks in the in room fridge ( sprite,coke, beer etc) and a free drink in the bar at 5-7pm. They have a marine conservation centre on site and put proceeds from the hotel into protecting marine life. Their water sports centre will rent you a kayak or snorkel for free. And if you want a change of scenery you can hop on a boat to their sister resort Bunga Raya, which has a gym and a beautiful beach. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the resort and would definitely recommend other go there.

While everything else was pleasing, the water and shoreline next to the pool was somewhat dirty. I witnessed a foreign tourist family actually cleaning the shore of trash, which was what should have been done by the staff.

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overal this hotel is good except the restaurants have less variety of food chose from.

Great staff and hotel, however things are getting a bit old, could use some minor upgrade.

We stayed in this resort after a 12 day tour of Borneo. It was the perfect way to relax as the resort was peaceful and charming with friendly staff. Our villa had excellent facilities. The only negative was the rubbish in the water around the resort.

We had a brilliant experience with our two children. It was a relaxing getaway and beautiful landscapes and friendly people. The marine research centre was superb and a great education. We were all fascinated with corals, fishes, and the scientific knowledge provided by the marine biologist. The standard of service was high and the food was fantastic. Friendly and welcoming people and employees of Gayana.Sukherien, Jesielyn and Johnai who all work there were amazing. Thanks to everyone at Gayasana.

Very nice stay and viewing in the resort. U also can see there’s a lot of fishes In the sea, however, u can see a lot of rubbish as well. Like : water bottle, plastic bag etc.. there’s good if their management can manage some cleaner to clear it and can protect the environment. Hope they can improve their cleanliness when we visit them next time.