Bunga Raya Island Resort & Spa

We did not stay here because some watererproblem

We loved everything about the resort. The native animals were great, very exciting to see them, the food was amazing, the flowers on the resort beautiful and the staff were all great.

There was 1 monkey who tried to take our things and showed his teeth when we didn’t give in to him.

I stayed at Bungaraya Resort on Gaya Island with my partner and it was one of the worst experiences we’ve ever had. The rooms were unsafe and unhygienic - we had to move rooms every night due to leaks over the bed, bug nests in the wardrobe, multiple lizards crawling everywhere in the room and bathroom, and stained bedding. On one night, the leak became so severe we had to pack our belongings in the middle of the night. The resort environment was shocking: trash and sewage were visible on the beach, the water was brown, dirty, and foul-smelling, the coral was dead, and there were no fish, despite the property being advertised as an eco-luxury resort. Food was expensive and did not taste good. It’s advertised as 2 restaurants on site but there was only 1 open so we were forced to eat at the same place everyday as there were no other options. The service was appalling. When we refused to pay the final checkout bill, the duty manager (Felix) and resort manager (Karl Sims) refused to let us leave the island and held us on the boat until we paid. We were forced to pay under duress, which was extremely distressing. To quote the duty manager when I refuse This resort is misrepresented in every way - unsafe rooms, terrible service, and a completely neglected natural environment. Avoid it at all costs. Read the other negative reviews and also the responses from the poor management. They only care about profits and do not care about their guests or the environment. If you care about the planet, do not stay here, because this resort has ruined the natural environment and visiting is only making it worse.

What a place, rainforest surrounds you and the beach to the front. the water was shallow, warm and very clear. This place is so private, the boat transfer takes 20 minutes. The rooms in essence are tree houses of varying heights depending on their location and view. Each room is very private, we had a standard room which was more than large enough. We saw lots of animals. We had the sea or pool to ourselves in November, it was lovely.

The menu did not change and as we were there for 5 days we had to repeat our meals. There is no shop on the island so take some snacks if you like those. better screening of the dump area at the far end of the beach.

I rarely write reviews, but my experience at this resort was so upsetting that I feel it’s important to warn others. From the moment I arrived, it was clear that the resort is run down and poorly maintained. Much of the gym equipment was broken, rusty, and unsafe to use, and only one restaurant was open — meaning all three meals had to be eaten in the same place every day. On top of that, the resort charges nearly the same rate as a full night’s stay just for a late check-out, despite being less than a fifth full. When I politely raised these concerns with the manager, I was met with rudeness and condescension. Instead of listening or offering any kind of apology, he questioned why I wasn’t aware of a recent local flood and suggested that I was being insensitive for voicing disappointment. I was shocked — I had no idea about the tragedy, and his response made me feel guilty and humiliated for simply giving honest feedback as a paying guest. I had to walk away because I found the encounter so upsetting that I ended up in tears. The manager never apologized, never tried to make things right, and showed zero empathy. The way I was treated completely ruined what was meant to be a relaxing holiday. I understand that local challenges can affect operations — but there is no excuse for unprofessional behavior or emotional mistreatment of guests. A simple, respectful explanation would have gone a long way. Instead, I was made to feel like the problem for expecting basic standards of service and courtesy. This resort needs serious attention — both in terms of its facilities and its customer service culture. I would strongly advise anyone considering a stay here to think twice before booking. There are many other properties that offer genuine hospitality, empathy, and professionalism — qualities that this resort sadly lacks. The response to our review contained lies with no resolution. Additionally we received no response to the email we had written to the team. I would strongly advise against staying at this resort.

Essen Personal

Das Resort hat bereits nach 16 Jahren grossen Maintenancebedarf

I remember reading a review that said that they treat you like roalty, and that’s what it definitely felt like. It’s a beautiful oasis outside a short boat trip from Kota Kinabalu. The resort itself was very beatiful and the villas in the jungle. They gave you a buggy ride everytime to the main building and back if you wanted, but sometimes it was nice to walk too back to the villa. Every staff member was beyond friendly and ready to serve. Restaurants food was good and it was very convienient that you just ate at the restaurant and paid the bill in the end of the stay, snd the bill wasn’t as bad as I would have thought. They gave us these little gifts every day which was a really nice touch (bamboo starws, hand fans and sarongs). It was a pleasant surprise that we had wifi in the room, because I read that there would not be. I think it had some kind of data restriction though, because it stopped working after 2 days but we didn’t mind. We were travelling on off-season, so there weren’t many people there besides us. It was nice to have the whole beach almost only to us. I can’t recommend this place enough!

They have one complimentary boat rides in and one out. The times could be little bit more flexible. Checking in there is 3 times and that is fine. We just missed the second one so we had to wait till 10 pm to get to the resort. Checking out there is only one boat time and it’s 11 am. Its pretty late, and we had a morning flight so we had to book the private boat. It was very very expensive. So I would hope there would be more flexibility on the complimentary boat. If you’re considering going here, I would recommend planning your trip around the boat times.

I don’t usually write reviews but I feel compelled to write one after staying here. This resort is run down and poorly maintained, certainly not worth the money. Most of the gym equipment was broken and rusty, only one restaurant was open, and despite being almost empty, the resort still tried to charge nearly a full night’s rate to push check out back by a few hours (£150). The place feels like a failing resort, desperately trying to extract as much money as possible from its few guests to try and stay afloat. The decking around the pool is falling apart, the loungers are broken, and the shower in our room was coming away from the wall. It looks like nothing has been maintained in years. What may once have been a luxury resort is now far from worth the price, especially when nearby Gaya Island Resort offers far better facilities and service for a similar rate. When my partner raised these concerns with the manager, Karl Simms, his response was dismissive, defensive, and condescending. Instead of showing professionalism or empathy, he brought up the recent floods and implied she was being insensitive, leaving her upset and humiliated. He made no attempt to apologise to my partner after visibly upsetting her. This resort needs serious improvement — both in terms of its facilities and its customer service culture. However, I feel that it’s only fair to mention that most of the local staff were lovely during our stay, including Felix, the duty manager. The resort feels like it was once very nice but can certainly no longer be classed as a luxury resort in its current condition.